2009-11-23 22:39:01 -

The recent release of Fusion RIS MX 4.0 and Fusion RIS/PACS 4.0 allows Merge Healthcare, (NASDAQ: MRGE) to bring stronger integrated billing capabilities to radiology businesses. By combining two distinctly separate radiology information and accounting applications into one system, medical imaging practices can accelerate their payment cycle by significantly reducing time-consuming and labor-intensive processes required to generate and receive payment

of radiology-based procedures.

Developed in close partnership with its customers, the new release was showcased during the annual Merge User Group meeting in late October.

Users were particularly impressed with the built-in claims processing tools, as well as the overall speed and clarity the fully integrated billing application brings to a practice’s accounting department.

Newly elected President of the Merge User Group of North America (MUGONA), Sal Capirchio states, “As a longtime customer of Merge, it’s nice to see that they are innovating new practice-workflow solutions which are relevant to today’s healthcare environment. Their responsiveness and close, personal involvement with users continues to impress, and it shows in the products and services they offer. Fusion RIS [MX 4.0] is proof of that commitment and Open MRI of New England looks forward to its deployment.”

With its fully integrated billing module, Fusion RIS MX 4.0 manages all clinical and billing data without the need for peripheral hardware or connectivity components (i.e. HL7 interfaces), enabling medical imaging professionals to monitor, transmit, receive and archive claims/payment files from a single desktop. The latest version also incorporates a proprietary EDI (electronic data interchange) tool that diagnoses reasons for claims denials. This allows for even faster reconciliation and resubmission of claims, further reducing the number of steps necessary for receiving payment.

“The value of providing accurate, timely and pertinent billing data to our entire staff cannot be underestimated,” says Matt Dewey, Chief Information Officer at Zwanger Pesiri Radiology, Long Island, New York.

“Fusion RIS MX 4.0 assures the transparency of our entire billing process, so that we can improve the timeliness of payments and apply our team in a manner that can better serve our patients.”


Other notable functions of Fusion RIS MX 4.0 include.

- Charge Level Insurance Assignment (versus procedure level assignment) – enables the charge to be “billing-ready” as soon as it is posted to the patient account.


- CPT Level Authorization Number – enables assignment of separate authorization numbers to each item.


- Automatic Electronic Remittances – Automatically creates a payment batch, thereby reducing the amount of time needed to post payment(s) to patient ledgers.


- AD HOC reporting – Allows the user to design and save AP/AR reports and files using helpful “wizards”.

“Our Fusion RIS is an established radiology business platform with a very loyal customer base,” says Nancy Koenig, President of Merge Fusion.

“They gave us their visions for improving their billing operations, and we have now made it a reality for them, resulting in a tested solution that solves the most complicated issues in radiology business workflow.

In today’s cost-constrained environment, this product is an essential tool for our customers’ financial success. It was very rewarding to show our users the result of their feedback at our meeting, and to get such a positive reception to the changes.”


Merge Healthcare develops software solutions that automate healthcare data and diagnostic workflow to create a more comprehensive electronic record of the patient experience. Merge products, ranging from standards-based development toolkits to fully integrated clinical applications, have been used by healthcare providers worldwide for over 20 years. Additional information can be found at www.merge.com : .

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.



Merge HealthcareMedia Contact:Julie PekarekChief

Marketing Officer414.977.4254 jpekarek@merge.com : mailto:jpekarek@merge.com