CHICAGO – Earlier this year, research firm KLAS put out a report on the ambulatory RIS/PACS market that summed up the sector's mood this way: "Waiting for the other shoe to drop."
The first shoe, explains Ben Brown, GM for medical equipment and imaging informatics at KLAS and a coauthor of the study, dropped when outpatient imaging reimbursements were cut, and providers had to scramble to reduce costs accordingly.
[See also: Radiologists shouldn't shy away from meaningful use]The second shoe is still yet to fall. But in both inpatient and outpatient settings, imaging professionals are "trying to figure out what meaningful use means for radiology," says Brown.
"Whether radiology or imaging becomes a formal part of meaningful use criteria in Stage 2 or Stage 3, or more reimbursement cuts are made around Medicare and Medicaid, I think those are other potentialities that could throw kinks in the market," he adds.
As for those who might be walking the exhibit floor at RSNA, perhaps looking to part with some money, Brown suspects radiology directors, especially those who work for large hospitals, will be looking for systems with "really high-end functionality."
[See also: Radiologists need MU education]When it comes to replacement systems, KLAS has noticed the "very high-end" market heating up, he says, with "having the right technology first" – as opposed to lower price – the primary driver.
The discussion about meaningful use’s place in radiology is likely to continue not only on the show floor at RSNA’s annual meeting, but also as part of the programming, as in the following sessions, to highlight just two:
- Meaningful Use for Radiology IT Vendors: What Your Customers Will Demand and Your Competition Will Provide, Monday, from 2:30-4 p.m. in S501ABC. Presenters are David Avrin, MD, a consultant for Amirsys; and Keith Dreyer, DO, a medical adviser for several vendors, including GE, Siemens, Nuance and Carestream.
- Meaningful Use: Experience from Radiology Practices, Tuesday, 12:30-2 p.m., in S501ABC. Presenters are James Whitfill, MD; David Weiss, MD; J. Raymond Geis, MD; Steven Fisher; and Alberto Goldszai.
Brown notes that among prospective buyers, there is a craving for integration. With Epic and Cerner, among the biggest winning deals in the hospital space in recent years, "integration with the EMR … has been a big driver for more RIS deployments on the hospital side," says Brown. "Having all the data patient information in context clinicians need around imaging, I think, has driven usage and improved it.”
Likewise, on the ambulatory side, "when there is very tight integration, there is a higher level of satisfaction," he says, "even though a product may not be perfect and have all the bells and whistles." Tight integration leads to a more effective workflow – something that's hard to put a price on.
"Whenever you have a lot of interfaces, it means you have more IT resources and needs to manage those interfaces, making sure they're working and flowing more smoothly and not breaking, with data being transferred to the right places," reasons Brown. "But when it's integrated onto a single platform, you just don't have as many of those challenges to worry about."
[See also: Integration, functionality critical to radiology systems]
