Why Is Ultrasound the Sweetheart of Healthcare?

Healthcare imaging can be a complicated landscape. Many products have unbelievable price tags; there are issues with dose, reimbursement, and other government legislations; and the technology, while advancing, still has its share of issues. In such a complicated landscape, ultrasound has proven to be what we like to call the sweetheart of healthcare. It has a small footprint and a relatively low price tag, and the technology continues to advance. In the report “Ultrasound 2014: Saving Time and Money with Workflow Automation,” KLAS looked at the different ultrasound vendors and talked to 178 providers to find out how the vendors are performing. So, what were the results?

According to providers, GE Healthcare’s LOGIQ E9 is performing the best, with an overall performance score of 90.6. The Philips iU22 followed in a close second with a score of 89.9. It should also be noted that while data for the Siemens ACUSON S3000 is still preliminary due to a small sample size, the system shows promise with an early overall score of 92.9. Furthermore, GE customers reported the most savings due to automated workflow. However, when providers were asked specifically about OB/GYN, GE came in second. The Toshiba Aplio 500 was reported as contributing to the most significant time-savings for that clinical specialty. The chart below shows the average minutes providers reported saving in different areas with the different vendors.

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Providers report that they are relying on ultrasound technology to save time and money. As stated by one lead sonographer, “Every minute we save is a minute we can use for another patient.” These time-savings and cost savings are again why many consider ultrasound to be the sweetheart of healthcare.

If you are a healthcare provider and are interested in receiving a complimentary copy of the report “Ultrasound 2014: Saving Time and Money with Workflow Automation,” please email Monique.Rasband@KLASresearch.com. We would also love to hear your feedback on the ultrasound vendors you work with. Let your voice be heard and counted by filling out a short survey here.