Report: ViTAL, GE Healthcare, TeraRecon Out Front in Enterprise 3D Visualization

A new report by healthcare vendor research firm KLAS found enterprise 3D imaging products from ViTAL, GE Healthcare and TeraRecon scored highest in surveys with more than 100 providers using the systems.

ViTAL, with their Vitrea Enterprise Suite, claimed first place in the firm’s 2011 survey, with a score of 84.3 out of 100, and users gave them an edge in both functionality and service. Users liked the advanced CT post-processing functionality, especially for cardiac and vascular scans. GE Healthcare AW Server and TeraRecon Aquarius iNtuition Enterprise followed ViTAL very closely, trending up over the last year. In new deals, TeraRecon is ahead - they were considered in 70 percent of the deals KLAS heard about, while ViTAL was considered in 65 percent of the deals.

Many providers with 3D imaging already in place indicated they would stay with workstation solutions for the time being. Rated in the report but not ranked were GE Healthcare’s Advantage Workstation, Philips’ Brilliance Workspace, TeraRecon’s Aquarius Workstation, and ViTAL’s Vitrea Workstation. Other solutions noted in the report are the MIMVista Workstation, the Siemens MultiModality Workplace, and the Toshiba Voxar 3D Workstation.

In organizations using enterprise 3D technology, physicians are asking for 3D post-processing on about 38 percent of scans. This is followed by cardiology at 49 percent, molecular imaging at 28 percent, and orthopedics at 21 percent; interventional, OR, oncology, and ED all came in at less than 20 percent adoption rates.

“Advanced imaging has evolved from 3D applications commonly found on the modality workstations to 3D-specific workstations,” said Kirk Ising, author of the report. “Enterprise advanced 3D imaging solutions can be accessed from anywhere. Some of the questions providers are asking about 3D technology are how clinically beneficial the technology is, will reimbursements keep up, and does the potential for improved diagnosis justify the costs.”

Ising added that the ultimate success of enterprise 3D imaging will depend on adoption.

“Providers will have to be convinced the advantages in diagnostics and patient care outweigh the additional time, expense, and training the solution requires,” he said. “Until then, many facilities will stick with their workstations or outsource post-processing to third-party specialists like 3DQ Radiology Lab at Stanford University and 3DR Laboratories, who do a high volume of visualization work.”