Providers Seek Improved Efficiencies and Better Patient Care Through Adaptable Interventional Labs

OREM, UT, April 26, 2011 (Press-News.org) Over the last two years KLAS has seen an increase in the interventional lab market performance scores for GE, Siemens, and Toshiba --narrowing the gap with each other and with install base leader, Philips. According to a new KLAS report, "Interventional Labs 2011: Meeting Changing Needs," the four ranked vendors (GE, Philips, Siemens, and Toshiba--listed alphabetically) cluster within five points of each other.

As performance scores tighten, market-changing development from vendors has slowed. Additionally, provider innovation and the move toward multiuse labs have picked up in response to pressures of healthcare reform, shrinking reimbursements, and desire to improve patient care.

"Vendors have been more focused on tweaking and adapting their platforms for expanding uses with large display monitors, streamlined controls, and CT-like imaging, but there have been few major new development releases since flat panel detectors," said Brandt Peterson, KLAS research director and author of the report. "Providers have been moving toward a multiuse lab environment in many instances as a way to better help patients, reduce costs, and become more efficient. Providers praise vendors that make it easy for them to adapt their interventional labs to multiple uses."

Some providers who have the specific procedure demands may still opt for a dedicated lab, but most new systems that KLAS is hearing about are meant for multiuse applications. GE's Innova 3100 midsize detector and Toshiba's recently announced midsize detector are evidence of this movement.

Additionally, interventional labs primarily have been employed to improve patient safety through use of minimally invasive procedures. Vendors in this market space offer dose reduction and tracking technology. However, adoption of this technology by providers has been slow.

Though performance scores are tight, there are some gaps in satisfaction among those working in the lab. "Because of their different functions in a provider facility, satisfaction between hands on users and lab administrators is driven by different criteria. Hands on users focus on good workflow and service relationships, while administrators are more concerned with cost and downtime. This report looks at how vendors perform according to the standards of both groups," said Peterson.

In addition to findings about GE, Philips, Siemens, and Toshiba, early trending information about Shimadzu was included in the report.

For more information on the interventional lab market or to purchase "Interventional Labs 2011: Meeting Changing Needs" report, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com/reports. Healthcare providers can purchase the report online at a significant discount off the standard retail price.

KLAS is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors. KLAS' mission is to improve delivery, by independently measuring vendor performance for the benefit of our healthcare provider partners, consultants, investors, and vendors. Working together with executives from over 4500 hospitals and over 2500 clinics, KLAS delivers timely reports, trends, and statistics, which provide a solid overview of vendor performance in the industry. KLAS measures performance of software, professional services, and medical equipment vendors. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com, email marketing@KLASresearch.com, or call 1-800-920-4109 to speak with a KLAS representative. Follow KLAS on Twitter at www.twitter.com/KLASresearch.