Wadowice Hospital Completes AI Rollout for Reading X-rays and CT Scans

The Zespół Zakładów Opieki Zdrowotnej w Wadowicach (ZZOZ Wadowice, the group running the town's public healthcare facilities) announced on July 15 the completion of a hospital-wide digital transformation project whose key component is artificial intelligence that helps doctors read X-ray, CT and MRI scans. The investment cost more than 7.3 million zloty and was financed mainly through Poland's Krajowy Plan Odbudowy (KPO, National Recovery Plan).

What was actually implemented

According to the announcement, the project modernized key hospital systems, expanded electronic medical records and rolled out AI solutions supporting imaging diagnostics. The hospital also digitized paper medical records and connected the facility to a centrally run national medical data repository.

On top of that came a full overhaul of the hardware infrastructure: new servers, disk arrays, laptops, all-in-one workstations and tablets for staff. The hospital also strengthened its digital defenses, introducing new backup systems, network segmentation, and protection for workstations and email, and trained employees on cybersecurity practices.

The idea of using AI in imaging diagnostics had already surfaced in earlier hospital statements. In May, hospital director Barbara Bulanowska spoke about plans to roll out a centrally developed AI image-assessment system before the end of the year.

This is a very important and interesting project for us, because a centrally developed system for AI-based assessment of imaging diagnostics is being built. The doctor's job of writing up findings will be made much easier, which means they will be able to produce more reports, and certainly faster - Barbara Bulanowska, director of ZZOZ Wadowice

Part of a larger program

The Wadowice project is one of 359 similar undertakings carried out in Polish hospitals under investment D1.1.2 of the National Recovery Plan. The total pool for this purpose is 3.131 billion zloty, with the funding amount depending on a facility's reference level: first-level hospitals could receive up to 6 million zloty, second-level hospitals up to 9 million, and specialist and third-level facilities up to 12 million zloty.

The deadline for completing the projects was originally set for May 31, 2026, with a possible extension to no later than July 15, 2026, which is exactly the day ZZOZ Wadowice published its announcement about finishing the work. Similar announcements appeared around the same time at other hospitals in the Małopolska region, including in Brzesko and Sucha Beskidzka, suggesting that many facilities were wrapping up the investment almost simultaneously, right before the hard settlement deadline.

What it means for patients

For patients, this means primarily a potentially shorter wait for imaging results, as AI-assisted doctors are expected to read X-ray, CT and MRI scans faster and more efficiently, leaving more time to analyze more complex cases and to catch urgent conditions, such as suspected stroke, more quickly.

Not all local commentators view the investment uncritically. In June, the news site wadowice24.pl reported that despite the large outlays on equipment and technology, access to some of the hospital's specialist clinics remains limited, with some doctors seeing patients there for only a few hours a week. The article raised the question of whether IT modernization alone can meaningfully improve patients' access to care without also increasing medical staffing.

The Wadowice project fits into a broader, nationwide trend of introducing artificial intelligence into Polish hospitals, which also includes a hospital innovation competition run by the Instytut Matki i Dziecka (Institute of Mother and Child) for a network of 44 facilities across the country, though that is a separate program from the KPO funds used in Wadowice. The real impact of AI on imaging reports will only become clear after months of actual use by radiologists, once the hospital starts publishing data on wait times for test results.