The NBA Playoffs and Dose Monitoring—One Front-Runner, then Everybody Else

The NBA playoffs have been rather exciting and unpredictable this year—filled with lots of interesting story lines. Chicago was knocked out in the first round. Heavily favored Oklahoma City is on the ropes against Memphis. Indiana stands on the brink of a monumental collapse. And then there’s the crazy situation with Donald Sterling and the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s been a wild ride. Even for the casual NBA observer, it’s been must-see TV lately (granted, my wife would argue that Parenthood qualifies as must-see TV, not the NBA). 

In spite of the interesting story lines, one has to wonder whether all the drama of the NBA playoffs will be meaningless after all is said and done. LeBron James and company are poised to hoist the championship trophy yet again with a seemingly easy road through the Eastern Conference and a tired Western Conference foe in the finals. It’s Miami and then everybody else.

Similar to the NBA playoffs and the Miami Heat, the dose monitoring market is highlighted by a clear-cut front-runner. It’s Bayer (Radimetrics) and then everybody else. For our recently published dose monitoring report, KLAS interviewed and measured the mindshare of more than 100 healthcare providers, 83 of whom are seriously looking for a dose monitoring solution. Even though several dose monitoring solutions garnered the attention of provider organizations, Bayer was by far the preferred option.   

GE, reminiscent of the San Antonio Spurs, is a veteran company and has a lot of dose experience. They should not be counted out. But as we’ve seen with the Spurs, do they offer enough firepower to overcome the front-runner? GE was considered nearly as often as Bayer, but Bayer was selected top dog at a clip of almost 3-to-1. Other vendors, like PACSHealth and Imalogix, offer strong up-and-coming solutions but don’t compete for mindshare with the big boys. PACS players Agfa and Sectra also now offer homegrown dose monitoring solutions of their own, and these show promise. Up and coming but not considered a serious contender yet? Sound familiar? Hmmm, young and fun-to-watch team but not a serious contender yet? Oklahoma City? Golden State Warriors, anyone? 

Radiology Dose Monitoring 2014: Provider Strategies in an Evolving Market