Imaging Healthcare Specialists Chooses Merge Healt

CHICAGO, Oct. 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merge Healthcare Incorporated (Nasdaq: MRGE ), a leading provider of clinical systems and innovations that seek to transform healthcare, today announced that Imaging Healthcare Specialists (IHS), San Diego's leader in outpatient diagnostic imaging, has chosen Merge for its end-to-end ambulatory radiology solutions, including the radiology information system (RIS) and picturing archiving communication system (PACS), as well as for its interoperability solutions, including a vendor-neutral archive (VNA), to reduce costs and improve patient and physician satisfaction.

"With ongoing, tremendous cost pressures in healthcare and the continued transition toward value-based care, IHS needed an integrated solution that would truly help us find efficiencies now and in the future," said Jon M. Robins, MD, CEO of IHS. "Merge's interoperable solutions will allow us to seamlessly interact across our enterprise through a VNA, which will create administrative improvements. This will streamline the scheduling process and, ultimately, free staff to spend more time serving both our patients and our referring physicians needs while enhancing their overall satisfaction."

IHS chose Merge for its complete, integrated suite of solutions and overall ability to manage and store large amounts of data. In order to better manage patient workflow from start to finish, IHS will implement the following Merge solutions, including:

• Merge RIS™ to store, manage and distribute patient radiology information for streamlined administrative efficiencies that meets Meaningful Use requirements.
• Merge PACS™ to read, review, archive and share images and reports from a single location in real time, improving interactions with radiologists and referring physicians.
• iConnect ^® Enterprise Clinical Platform for interoperable image viewing, sharing and archiving across the enterprise at the point of care to enhance patient care and strengthen referral networks.
• Merge Dashboards™ for tracking order patterns, staff productivity quality and safety metrics and financials with real-time business intelligence tools.
• Merge Documents™ for automatic document availability with the RIS and PACS to store and interact with patient documents.
• Merge Referral Portal™ for enhanced communication with referring physicians through a web-based portal.

"Merge's reputation in the industry is unmatched, especially from a customer satisfaction standpoint, and we're confident that they will respond quickly if any issues arise," continued Dr. Robins. "Further, it's evident that Merge truly understands our current and short-term, immediate needs and is an innovative leader in the industry. They are planning for the future of radiology as it aligns with upcoming legislation and trends, including Meaningful Use Stage 2 and accountable care."

"IHS is a leading outpatient imaging provider  in the San Diego area, and we're honored to work together to provide an interoperable, enterprise imaging solution to reduce costs, streamline workflow and position them for future value-based care and Meaningful Use achievement," said Justin Dearborn, CEO of Merge. "We're constantly looking for ways to advance our solutions to keep them compliant with the ever-changing healthcare landscape. We are proud of our innovative technologies and the recognitions we've received for  Meaningful Use and interoperability, including Frost & Sullivan's 'Best in Interoperability' award and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) naming Merge as the most widely used Certified Electronic Health Record Technology for radiologists."

About Imaging Healthcare Specialists (IHS)

Imaging Healthcare Specialists (IHS), San Diego's leader in outpatient diagnostic imaging, has 10 imaging centers serving both San Diego and Riverside Counties; from Chula Vista to Temecula. Offering over 30 years of imaging services experience, IHS has earned an outstanding reputation for providing the highest quality medical imaging technology, highly specialized expertise and exceptional service to physicians and patients. Our experienced staff of board certified radiologists, technologists and support personnel is committed to providing the most accurate, safe, timely, compassionate and caring medical imaging and interventional radiology services. For more information, visit www.imaginghealthcare.com .

About Merge

Merge is a leading provider of clinical systems and innovations that seek to transform healthcare. Merge's enterprise and cloud-based solutions for image intensive specialties provide access to any image, anywhere, any time. Merge also provides health stations, clinical trials software and other health data and analytics solutions that engage consumers in their personal health. With solutions that are used by providers and consumers and include more than 25 years of innovation, Merge is helping to reduce costs and improve the quality of healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit merge.com .

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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.

Media Contact: Jennifer Jawor Director, Corporate Marketing 312.565.6825