Radiology Information System (RIS) Vendor Selection Matrix
Independent Healthcare Facilities and Hospitals should focus on commercial Radiology Information Systems (RIS), given their affordability and maturity, rather than develop one from scratch. This tool will help managers create a RIS vendor selection strategy that will enable them to get past the vendor hype and choose the best solution for their enterprise.
Instructions
1. Use the criteria provided below in the "Evaluation Criteria Definition Table" as a starting point to conduct a vendor selection exercise.
2. Assign a weight (percentage) for each criterion according to the importance and relevance that it has for your enterprise. Use the default values as a starting point.
3. After entering of all the evaluation criteria, verify that the sum of the weight values is 100% and go to the results section.
4. Enter the list of vendors in the "Vendor" column of the "Vendor Selection Matrix" below.
5. Score the vendors in terms of each evaluation criterion. Possible scores include: 1 = Very Low, 2 = Low, 3 = Neutral, 4 = High, 5 = Very High
6. Review the weighted score column for the overall results for each vendor.
7. Go to the Results tab to see how the vendors rank according to the weighted score.
Click here to open the Radiology Information System (RIS) Vendor Selection Matrix.
Evaluation Criteria Definition Table
| | Criteria | Weight | Description |
| Product Criteria | Functionality | 20.0% | Does the functionality of the system meet the business requirements? |
| Integration with PACS | 10.0% | Does the vendor offer a RIS/PACS bundle? How well does the product integrate with the existing PACS solution? | |
| Industry Standards | 10.0% | Does the system support industry connectivity standards to exchange information with public health agencies and other healthcare institutions? These standards include Key standards for RIS include HL7, DICOM, ICD-9,/ICD-10, CPT, SWF, and PIR. | |
| Price | 10.0% | Does the product price fit the budget? How much are the annual maintenance fees? What features does the vendor include in the standard package? What is additional? | |
| Usability | 5.0% | Is the system friendly enough to facilitate user adoption? Does it have a graphical interface and a logical transaction process flow? Does the system provide Web-based access for order entry, reporting, and results inquiry? | |
| Reporting | 5.0% | How does the product enable the analysis of results? Does it have decision support capabilities? Does it have good pre-defined management reports? Does it allow ad-hoc reporting? | |
| Vendor Criteria | Reputation and Experience | 10.0% | What experiences have other radiology departments had with this vendor? How smooth and timely are the deployments? What do the references say? |
| Stability and financial health | 7.5% | What are the vendor’s recent trends in revenues, profits, and stock price? How long has it been in the market? How has its recent performance been? Does the vendor have a clear technology strategy and vision? | |
| Customer Support | 7.5% | What is the vendor’s customer support strategy? Is there a user group for this RIS? How active and influential is the user group? Does the vendor hold annual user conferences? | |
| Commitment to the Industry | 7.5% | Does the vendor have a clear product roadmap for its RIS solution? Does it have a positive track record for incorporating features to meet new regulations and information exchange standards into its solution? Are they committed to continuance enhancement of their RIS solution? | |
| Installed Base | 7.5% | How large is the vendor’s customer base? Is it a proven solution? |