Image Exchange 2014
Delivering Added Value in an Enterprise World

WORTH KNOWING

LIFEIMAGE PROVING SCALABILITY:

7 out of 20 organizations validated by KLAS are using lifeIMAGE to exchange over 5,000 studies per month, with 75% of all lifeIMAGE respondents exchanging more than 500 studies each month. lifeIMAGE’s overall performance scores match DICOM Grid’s, but lifeIMAGE has proven scalability more often in larger organizations. lifeIMAGE is second only to eHealth Technologies for providers planning to use the solution for an HIE. Of the 7 sites exchanging 10,000+ images a month, 3 are using lifeIMAGE, 3 are using eHealth, and 1 is using DICOM Grid.

DR SYSTEMS IS MOST VULNERABLE TO CONSOLIDATION:

At least half of DR Systems’ customers would consider replacing eMix if a current PACS or VNA vendor offered similar functionality. Providers cited their desire to consolidate vendors and reduce costs. A director of radiology explained, “We would be crazy to not deeply evaluate a product from a vendor that we already have installed. That option would save us time and money. Even if the product weren’t the best on the market, it might be wiser to go with it if it could satisfy our needs.”

NUANCE ACQUISITION OF ACCELARAD HAS GENERATED INCREASED CUSTOMER OPTIMISM:

Customers expressed optimism in Nuance’s future road map, although Nuance is rated lower in viewer functionality, mobile device usability, and ability to access reports with the image. 78% of Nuance’s customers are confident or somewhat confident in the company’s future road map. Nuance has an opportunity to maintain that confidence by delivering great service and support while keeping costs down. These are areas where their speech recognition customers report challenges.

ADOPTION OF MOBILE DEVICE USABILITY IS STILL IN ITS INFANCY:

Providers rated eHealth’s and DR Systems’ mobile device usability highest; however, none of the vendors in the study have seen widespread adoption. Providers using DICOM Grid and Nuance have the most sites using mobile devices. Providers in general like what has been done thus far and want further development.

BOTTOM LINE ON VENDORS

FULLY RANKED VENDORS

DICOM GRID:

Customers report strong functionality. Loyal customers: 59% would stay even if they had comparable functionality in a PACS/VNA. High marks for ability to view additional items with images. Providers mentioned flexibility in attaching PDFs or additional images to studies as well as ease of accessing reports. Transmission of studies has been sluggish for some.

DR SYSTEMS:

Customers give the viewer high marks, citing image quality and tight integration with PACS. Substantial customer base, but fewer large organizations. Organizations over 200 beds report higher satisfaction than smaller hospitals. Some concerns expressed around contracting and implementations. Relatively inexpensive solution.

LIFEIMAGE:

Targets larger organizations. Highest number of validated sites exchanging 5,000+ images per month. Customers report good integration with EMR. Overall customer satisfaction scores improved since last year due to better implementations. Customers want more functionality out of the viewer, and the process for viewing additional items with images can be cumbersome. Reseller partnerships with Cerner and Dell.

NUANCE (ACCELARAD):

Recent acquisition by Nuance bolstering provider confidence. Large customer install base. Nuance working on integrated solution for Power- Scribe users called PowerShare. Lowest marks for viewer functionality and mobile device usability. Customers describe the basic viewer as adequate but slow at times. 100% of customers say product is part of their long-term plans.

PRELIMINARY DATA VENDORS

EHEALTH TECHNOLOGIES:

Early data shows high satisfaction among users for setup process, viewers, ability to view additional reports with the images, and mobile device usability. High customer loyalty: Only 1 out of the 11 organizations would consider replacing eHealth. Scalable solution for organizations exchanging high volumes of images. Primary focus is HIEs but starting to play outside of HIEs. 2 non-HIE sites validated. Reseller partnership with OptumInsight.

ETIAM:

Low market share. 4 out of 7 providers using only CD-ingestion tool. 57% of providers unsure about ETIAM’s future road map. Early scores for service and support lowest in the study. Customers are happy with easy user setup and viewer capabilities.

ONEMEDNET:

No validated organizations exchanging 500+ studies per month. Customers confident in OneMedNet’s future development. Viewer looks promising, and decent early scores on mobile device usability. Strong service and support scores. Referral agreement with McKesson.

Project Manager
Robert Ellis