News Release For Immediate Release

 

Investor Contact:
Julie Pekarek
Chief Marketing Officer
414.977.4000
ir@merge.com

 

MERGE HEALTHCARE ANNOUNCES NEW "SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE" IMAGE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

Hosted software offers pay-per-study pricing to minimize IT investment

Milwaukee, WI, March 26, 2009 – Merge Healthcare (NASDAQ: MRGE), a leading medical imaging solutions provider, today announced the addition of Fusion Hosted RIS/PACS™ and Fusion Hosted PACS™ solutions to its portfolio of Managed Services. These new “software as a service” solutions provide a cost-effective alternative for healthcare organizations seeking to create a more efficient digital environment for patient images and information. A convenient pay-per-study model provides affordable and easy access to the newest releases of Merge Healthcare’s prominent digital imaging software solutions with minimal on-site IT management of the system.

“Merge’s Hosted RIS/PACS solution was by far the most flexible system in terms of integration with our custom enterprise system, and in method of payment,” states John Marion, President and CFO of Healthy Life Screening in Akron, Ohio. “Not only do we have access to a truly integrated RIS/PACS, we have storage and recovery covered too - all three elements that are essential to our immediate needs and our needs as they pertain to the future of healthcare.” Marion adds, “Having eliminated our manual processes, we’ve already seen direct cost savings in terms of faster turnarounds and in the accuracy of information retained within each patient record.”

These robust, HIPPA-compliant platforms store digital images and associated patient information on a secure, off-site server; and are accessible at any time from any hosted network computer. Merge Healthcare’s imaging-focused IT specialists provide the implementation and 24/7 support of the Hosted RIS/PACS and PACS solutions, using proprietary technology for remote management of many tasks. An automatic failover and recovery option is also available to ensure continual uptime and workflow productivity.

“I’m pleased that our customers are seeing immediate workflow improvements with the Fusion Hosted PACS and RIS/PACS,” says Nancy Koenig, President of Merge’s Fusion division. “This cost-per-study hosted model makes a lot of sense for sites who cannot afford a full scale PACS or RIS/PACS installation on site, or who have limited IT staff to implement. It has shown to be a particularly attractive option for outpatient imaging centers, specialty clinics and rural hospitals.”

These new solutions join Merge Healthcare’s existing Managed Services: Disaster Recovery, which provides secure, off-site data storage and recovery services in the event of disaster or unplanned downtime; and Remote System Monitoring which provides 24/7 performance monitoring of many imaging system components to optimize system performance and minimize downtime. More information about Merge Managed Services can be found at www.merge.com/managedservices.

Merge Healthcare’s solutions solve mission-critical issues for radiology practices, outpatient imaging centers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers worldwide. Our software and services help customers implement safe and profitable image and information management systems. For additional information, visit www.merge.com.

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Merge Healthcare’s solutions solve mission-critical issues for radiology practices, outpatient imaging centers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers worldwide. Our software and services help customers implement safe and profitable image and information management systems. For additional information, visit www.merge.com.

The matters discussed in this news release may include forward-looking statements, which could involve a number of risks and uncertainties. When used in this press release, the words “will,” “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “expects” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any of the forward-looking statements.

 

Press Contact:
Julie Pekarek, CMO
Merge Healthcare
6737 W. Washington St.
Suite 2250
Milwaukee, WI 53214
414.977.4254
marketing@merge.com