2021 Best In KLAS PACS Large

The healthcare imaging market in the US is moving to the cloud—nearly two-thirds of the 228 healthcare organizations surveyed about their cloud road map either are using the cloud for diagnostic image viewing and/or storage or are likely to start using the cloud within the next three years. As organizations transition, it is critical for them to choose a vendor that provides not only a reliable cloud solution but also strategic guidance to ensure a successful migration. Intended to help organizations considering the cloud, this report shares customer perceptions of their vendors’ readiness for the cloud, along with an overview of the state of cloud adoption in the imaging market.

The PACS market is in flux—about one in five organizations interviewed by KLAS in the last two years is planning to replace their PACS, and more report they would replace their system if given the opportunity. This market shift is driven largely by organizations (1) replacing aging/legacy technology with go-forward platforms, (2) consolidating platforms, and (3) continuing to move toward unified enterprise imaging strategies. Organizations replacing their PACS are seeking vendor partners with a vision for the future and a strong commitment to innovation. This report examines 90 recent PACS purchase decisions validated by KLAS between September 2021 and September 2023 to understand why certain vendors are being considered, selected, and replaced in this dynamic market.

The US PACS market is poised for change. Several vendors have made or undergone acquisitions, and some vendors have large customer bases still on legacy solutions. Over 30% of the 368 organizations interviewed for this report are at risk of replacing their current vendor, and organizations are looking for vendor partners to advance their enterprise imaging strategies. Further, industry-wide staff shortages have led to support and innovation challenges among PACS vendors. This report examines how these vendors have addressed this shifting market’s challenges and met the needs of customers with large volumes (300,000+ studies per year) and small/midsize volumes (<300,000 studies per year).

Perception

Optum/Change Healthcare Merger

16 August 22 | Boyd Stewart and Sam Eaquinto

In January 2021, Optum announced their intentions to acquire Change Healthcare. The merger remains unfinalized, however, as the US Department of Justice blocked the deal in February 2022 due to anticompetition concerns—such a merger would give UnitedHealth Group, Optum’s parent company and the nation’s largest insurer, access to rivals’ sensitive data. The legal proceeding is ongoing and scheduled to go to trial August 1, 2022. This report shares Optum and Change Healthcare customers’ reactions to the merger and their perceptions of its impact. Between March 2021 and April 2022, KLAS interviewed 48 individuals from 46 unique organizations; of these respondents, 9% are Optum customers, 56% are Change Healthcare customers, and 35% are customers of both vendors.

	Overall performance score (100-point scale)	Trend (2020-2021)	Total evaluations	Culture	Loyalty	Operations	Product	Relationship	Value

Sectra PACS	90.0	0%	n=28	A	A	A-	A-	A	B

Intelerad IntelePACS (Mostly Imaging Centers)	83.0	0%	n=19	C+	B+	B+	B	B-	B

Merge by Merative IBM Watson Health Merge PACS	79.7	0%	n=27	B-	B	B-	B	B-	C

Optum Change Healthcare Radiology Solutions	77.2	0%	n=21	C+	B-	B-	B-	C+	C

Fujifilm Synapse	76.8	0%	n=23	D+	B	C+	C+	C+	B-

Philips IntelliSpace PACS	72.1	0%	n=25	D	C	C	C+	C	C

GE HealthCare GE Healthcare Centricity PACS	60.4	0%	n=30	F	F	D+	D	C	F
	50.0	100.0

	Overall Performance Score (100-point scale)	Total evaluations	Culture	Loyalty	Operations	Product	Relationship	Value

AGFA HealthCare Agfa HealthCare Enterprise Imaging for Radiology L	71.8	n=9	C-	C-	B-	C+	C-	D+

INFINITT PACS L	91.9	n=9	A	A+	A-	A-	B+	A+

Philips Vue PACS (Carestream) L	77.2	n=8	D+	B	B-	B	C+	C-

PACS

Past PACS Awards

Contact KLAS

Tell us about your organization

How can we help you?