DEAL!

Client: Thomas Memorial Hospital, South Charleston, W.Va.

Service: Picture archiving and communications, computed radiography and radiology information systems.

Issues Addressed: Support new off-site imaging facility; replace film with digital images. “Newer physicians expect this technology,” says Bill Lucas, PACS administrator.

Winning Vendor: Agfa HealthCare, five-year contract.

Terms: “Multi-million dollar deal,” according to press release.

Selection Team: Seven-person group led by Lucas.

Contract Signed: July 2006, after six-month search.

Number Vendors Considered: Six, with three finalists.

Evaluation Tools: KLAS ratings, site visits.

Selling Points: Clinicians liked Agfa’s “hanging protocols,” or the system’s ability to offer customizable displays. “At the site visits, radiologists sat down at the system and could figure it out on their own,” Lucas says.

Advice: Make sure IT staff participate in vendor selection.

—Gary Baldwin