MINNEAPOLIS, March 13, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vital Images, Inc. (Nasdaq:VTAL), a leading provider of advanced visualization and analysis software, today announced the results of a recently completed independent survey of nearly 2,400 U.S. hospitals with more than 100 beds. Survey results show that Vital Images continues to be the market share leader among 3D imaging vendors.
According to the study, for the second year in a row, Vital Images held the top market share position among all advanced 3D visualization software vendors, with nearly three times the market share of other independent vendors.
Respondents named Vital Images the clear market leader more than any other vendor. Vital Images was also cited in the survey as having the best technology and as having shown the most improvements in the past 12 months. In facilities surveyed with software from multiple vendors, respondents named Vital Images the advanced visualization software they use most frequently.
"These survey results reaffirm the competitive reality and momentum we're seeing in the marketplace. They are also consistent with the strong interest we see among customers looking for strategic leverage in consolidating their enterprise advanced visualization strategy," said Michael Carrel, President and CEO of Vital Images. "We are humbled by the trust our customers have placed in us, and grateful for having the opportunity to support them in their life impacting work."
Among its current relationships, Vital Images is working with physicians at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston to integrate its advanced visualization tools into the hospital's PACS environment.
"We have a compelling clinical and organizational need to seamlessly integrate advanced visualization tools into PACS, making these tools available across all of our departments and facilities," said Dr. Ramin Khorasani, Vice Chair Department of Radiology and Director of Medical Imaging Information Technology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "We feel that this effort is important to improving the quality of our clinical services. We need the active and creative assistance of our key vendors to achieve our vision in the near term."
"Our work at Brigham and Women's illustrates our commitment to our customers and our ability to tailor our technology to fit in the customer's workflow," added Michael Carrel, President and CEO of Vital Images. "Our value to our customers includes both our tools and our approach to solving our customers' problems. I think the survey results reflect this."
To obtain direct feedback from customers, Vital Images commissioned independent healthcare market research firm Dominic and Irvine Research to survey all 100+ bed hospitals in the United States. Surveys were conducted between April and November 2008. Results reflect information gathered from nearly 2,400 100+ bed U.S. hospitals (86 percent coverage).
About Vital Images, Inc.
Vital Images, Inc., established in 1988 and headquartered in Minneapolis, is a leading provider of advanced visualization software solutions. The company's technology gives radiologists, cardiologists, oncologists and other medical specialists, time-saving productivity and communications tools that can be accessed throughout the enterprise and via the Web for easy use in the day-to-day practice of medicine. Vital Images also has offices in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.vitalimages.com.
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About Brigham and Women's Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 777-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery network. In July of 2008, the hospital opened the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, the most advanced center of its kind. BWH is committed to excellence in patient care with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery. The BWH medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives and its dedication to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving more than 860 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by more than $416 M in funding. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information about BWH, please visit www.brighamandwomens.org.
About Dominic and Irvine
Founded in 2001, Dominic & Irvine Research is dedicated to providing the healthcare industry with accurate and complete market intelligence. Dominic and Irvine's research exceeds the most challenging needs so that healthcare providers and suppliers can make decisions supported by input from a vast array of professionals. Medical facilities across the U.S. rely on D&I's performance and service scores to partner with companies/products that lead their respective markets. http://www.dominicirvine.com/
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by that Act. These statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause results to differ materially from those projected, including but not limited to dependence on market growth, challenges associated with international expansion, the ability to predict product, customer and geographic sales mix, regulatory approvals, the timely introduction, availability and acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, dependence on major customers, the ability to successfully manage operating costs, fluctuations in quarterly results, approval of products for reimbursement and the level of reimbursement, general economic conditions and other factors detailed from time to time in Vital Images' SEC reports, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007. Vital Images encourages you to consider all of these risks, uncertainties and other factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this release. As a result of these matters, changes in facts, assumptions not being realized or other circumstances, the company's actual results may differ materially from the expected results discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this release. The forward-looking statements made in this release are made only as of the date of this release, and the company undertakes no obligation to update them to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.