Desert Medical Imaging to become HALO Dx Center of Innovation

Wednesday, January 30, 2020 – HALO Dx, Inc., a rapid growth technology company headquartered in Silicon Valley, has brought together top technology experts with leading radiologists to set the new standard of care for the industry. By leveraging leading-edge artificial intelligence, mobile and SaaS technology as well as the latest in genomics-based companion diagnostics and research, HALO Dx will deliver a significant improvement in the overall patient experience, diagnostic insights delivered, and outcomes. A foundational element of this combination is creating the HALO Dx Center of Innovation in the Coachella Valley.

Desert Medical Imaging, the Coachella Valley’s leading independent imaging center, Chico Breast Care Center in Chico and Open System Imaging are now affiliated with the privately-held HALO Dx. Desert Medical Imaging (Indian Wells, Indio and Palm Springs) and Open System Imaging (Tustin, Chico, El Centro and Pasadena), both companies with 20+ year histories, along with Chico Breast Care Center make up the California locations. ProScan Imaging, with 26 imaging centers in the Midwest, is also a strategic partner with HALO Dx. HALO Dx is affiliated with 65 board certified radiologists with oversight for nearly 1 million patient encounters per year.

“HALO Dx has combined the top pioneers in the fields of radiology and technology to deliver an unparalleled level of diagnostic imaging service and care. This benefits our patients, referring physician strategic partners, and the payor community,” said HALO Dx Chief Executive Officer Michael Uhl. “We are changing the face of radiology by leading from within the centers and with the doctors. The industry will be fundamentally different in 3-5 years as HALO Dx leads the industry forward.”

“We are excited to build upon what we have established over the past two decades at Desert Medical Imaging to take radiology to the next level,” said John F. Feller, M.D., Founder and Medical Director of Desert Medical Imaging and now Chief Medical Officer of HALO Dx. “With the resources and combined expertise of HALO Dx, we will be developing new technology to improve health care,” said Dr. Feller. “What’s especially exciting for Coachella Valley residents is that any new services or products we develop will be available here, first, at our HALO Dx Innovation Center in the Coachella Valley before they are implemented at our other offices.”

Dr. Feller also said he believes this new venture will attract more physicians, software engineers and medical professionals to work in the Coachella Valley to be part of the medical solutions hub HALO Dx is creating.

HALO Dx Executive Management Team 

Heading the HALO Dx executive management team, Michael Uhl, Chief Executive Officer, has more than 25 years of leadership experience in successfully creating and scaling growth technology companies. He also co-founded and led McKinsey & Company’s Growth Tech, Corporate Venturing and Technology service lines. 

John F. Feller, M.D., Founder and Medical Director of Desert Medical Imaging, now serves as HALO Dx Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Feller also teaches as an assistant clinical professor at Loma Linda University and is a speaker at national and international radiology conferences. Dr. Feller was instrumental in developing MRI-guided biopsies for prostate cancer diagnosis and performed the first outpatient laser focal therapy for prostate cancer in the world on May 24, 2010 with Chief Research Officer, Bernadette M. Greenwood. Desert Medical Imaging has developed a highly successful MRI and genomics based prostate cancer program focused on early detection and timely surveillance of prostate cancer and intervention with minimally invasive outpatient procedures when needed. Components of this program will be adopted at all HALO Dx locations. 

Ken Bishop, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Open System Imaging, now serves as Chief Operations Officer for HALO Dx’ California operations. A pioneer in the MRI field, Bishop established early MRI protocols, installed the first clinical research MRI scanner in the United States and installed the first open system MRI scanner in the Coachella Valley.

Brian Axe, who was one of the early employees to join Google, brings more than 20 years of product management experience in technology to his position as Chief Product Officer at HALO Dx. A recipient of one of Google’s first Founders Awards, Axe worked with Google for nearly a decade during which time he launched the $20 billion Google AdSense business line. He also held product development positions with Hewlett Packard and IBM.

Aram Compeau also brings 20 years of technology experience to his position as Chief Technology Officer at HALO DX. Previously he served as Vice President of Engineering for app services and research and development at VMware. He also has worked with large scale start-ups including a medical speech recognition transcription company.

HALO Dx and Center of Innovation Services

The mission of HALO Dx is to improve human health and wellbeing via local and easy access to advanced diagnostics. The inspiration for HALO Dx’s vision was born out of personal experiences of two of the founders – Michael Uhl and Brian Axe, both of whose parents lacked access to advanced diagnostics in semi-rural areas which would have made a difference in the effectiveness of their medical treatment. They are now dedicating their lives to improving diagnostics worldwide.

State-of-the-art equipment and university-level services available at HALO Dx include:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
• Computerized tomography (CT) scans
• Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) scans
• Ultrasound scans
• Early diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer’s
• Biopsies and aspiration
• Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC)
• Coronary CT angiography
• Facet injections
• Genomics
• Interventional radiology and pain management procedures
• Lung cancer screening
• Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) for prostate cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment
• Nuclear medicine
• Virtual colonoscopy 
• Whole body MRI screening 
• Clinical trials for conditions including prostate, lung cancer, stem cell and other studies
• Personalized healthcare using emerging genomic solutions

Plans in the near future include the development of a women’s health imaging program, radiology artificial intelligence solutions, and expanded nuclear medicine and genomics services.