PACS 2022
Changing Market Leads to Volatility among Large- to Small-Volume Organizations

For Philips Vue PACS & INFINITT, Satisfaction Gap Widens between Large and Small Customers

Philips and INFINITT both see widening gaps between large- and small-volume customers but in different directions. Philips Vue PACS performs well among small/midsize organizations (the majority of their customers), who feel the PACS is easy to use, stable, and highly functional for radiologists. Large-volume sites report more inconsistency—some are highly satisfied, while others find Vue PACS unstable and buggy. A core complaint across volumes is the lack of product development, and this (combined with difficult upgrades and integrations) has especially eroded satisfaction for large-volume customers. Support quality also varies; several respondents mention the need for greater executive involvement. INFINITT also has a mostly small-volume customer base, but they have expanded into larger-volume facilities. Most view the PACS as stable and easy to use, if basic, and small/midsize-volume customers who have moved to the cloud version report smooth transitions and high satisfaction. As INFINITT has more heavily partnered and engaged with large-volume customers, some small-volume customers have felt left behind; they cite slower response times, lower proactivity, and more upgrade issues. Some are optimistic that support will improve as INFINITT works through their growth.

Support Dips for Intelerad Customers amid Acquisitions; Change Healthcare Customers Unsure of Vendor’s Future

Over the last two years, Intelerad has acquired multiple imaging companies and seen turnover among their teams. Amid these changes, most small/midsize-volume organizations still report satisfaction with IntelePACS’ stability, ease of use, and robust radiologist tool set; large-volume users are satisfied with the PACS but more frequently note antiquated technology and lacking development. Across all volumes, the support has dropped—response times have lengthened dramatically, and customers report frequent nickel-and-diming. Small-volume organizations feel they have lost touch with the vendor, though large-volume sites still have vendor ties through account managers. Change Healthcare is a consistent market player across all volumes. Customers’ needs are met by the easy-to-use, reliable, and scalable PACS, though they note development for the on-premises solution has lagged as the vendor has focused their ongoing strategy on the cloud. Customers’ support experiences vary from quick and helpful to slow and impersonal, and many report feeling nickel-and-dimed by the vendor. Along with the recently finalized acquisition by UnitedHealth Group, these issues have caused customers to question the future of the product and their relationship with the vendor.

GE Healthcare Being Replaced Due to Disengaged Relationships; Philips’ IntelliSpace PACS Customers on the Fence about Vue PACS

GE Healthcare has the most vulnerable customer base among measured vendors (i.e., many clients plan to leave or would leave given the chance) but still maintains a large market share. Remaining small-volume customers are more satisfied with Centricity PACS’ technology and stability, though all note the PACS feels old. They also report that the vendor overpromises, underdelivers, and has become slower to respond, leading to weakened, disengaged relationships. While GE Healthcare has been moving customers to their go-forward solution (which leverages their universal viewer), poor experiences and subsequent hesitancy have led many to consider other options.

Philips has a large customer base on the legacy IntelliSpace PACS. While satisfied with its ease of use and stability, customers have seen little development and variable support since Philips acquired Carestream. These ongoing issues have many customers on the fence about moving to the go-forward Vue PACS. Large-volume sites are particularly hesitant about functionality and proof of scalability. As a result, Vue PACS is frequently considered by IntelliSpace PACS customers but not often chosen—KLAS has validated only a few migration decisions in the last two years, while most respondents have selected other vendors.

Agfa HealthCare Sees Improvements While Rectifying Past Bumpy Rollouts of Enterprise Imaging for Radiology; Some Large IMPAX Customers Still Hesitant to Move

In the past few years, customers of Agfa HealthCare Enterprise Imaging for Radiology have seen improvements in the product’s maturity and stability as Agfa has rolled out new features and updates. They have likewise seen additional relationship investments from Agfa, who has hired a deeper bench of team members and met more frequently with customers. Customers still see significant room for improvement as issues linger from bumpy rollouts, some of which occurred a few years ago. A number of respondents report ongoing performance issues, functionality issues, and support inconsistencies. While feeling that Agfa is moving in the right direction, some customers are waiting for Agfa to deliver originally promised functionalities and have high expectations for the development of future versions. Agfa also still has a large customer base on their legacy IMPAX platform. Some large-volume sites have successfully migrated to Enterprise Imaging for Radiology, but others are waiting to make their go-forward decision until they are sure the changes are sustainable and Agfa can stay up to speed.

Sample Sizes

Unless otherwise noted, sample sizes displayed throughout this report (e.g., n=16) represent the total number of unique customer organizations interviewed for a given vendor or solution. However, it should be noted that to allow for the representation of differing perspectives within any one customer organization, samples may include surveys from different individuals at the same organization. The table to the left shows the total number of unique organizations interviewed for each vendor or solution as well as the total number of individual respondents.