Merge (Nasdaq: MRGE) as World's #1 Vendor Neutral Archive Provider

Shawshank, VA 7/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- Merge Healthcare Incorporated (Nasdaq:MRGE), a leading provider of clinical systems and innovations that seek to transform healthcare, was named the number one global market leader in providing vendor neutral archive (VNA) solutions by InMedica, a division of IMS Research.

Merge's iConnect VNA customers accounted for 37% of all studies archived in VNAs in 2011. In total Merge clients have stored over 200 million studies which equates to over 13 billion images. InMedica predicts that the market for VNA solutions will grow from 75 million studies in 2011 to 570 million studies by 2016, a 49.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).

As the industry's first true standalone vendor neutral archive, iConnect VNA has been successfully integrated with over seventy-five PACS vendors and specialty workstations at over 350 sites across the United States. In over half of iConnect VNA implementations, Merge's customers have integrated third-party PACS systems with iConnect VNA.

iConnect VNA consolidates, standardizes and archives images and data from disparate picture archiving systems, specialties and sites, giving clinicians a consolidated view of all diagnostic images. And, being vendor agnostic, it also provides the flexibility to add or replace storage systems as needed due to growth or outdated solutions.

"Our clients continue to add 150 million images every month to iConnect VNA. This volume accounts for over one third of all studies archived in VNAs. That's a phenomenal feat and we are proud to achieve this market leadership position," said Jeff Surges, CEO of Merge Healthcare. "As we continue our move to the cloud, the volume of clients and images we support validates our credibility as a provider, our ability to scale and our forward-thinking approach to healthcare."

iConnect VNA is part of the iConnect suite, Merge's comprehensive offering for viewing, sharing and archiving any type of image, anywhere, any time. It also includes iConnect(R) Access*, a zero-download DICOM image and XDS server and iConnect(R)Share, an Internet-based gateway for image sharing between enterprises. iConnect VNA acts as the backbone of an enterprise imaging strategy. With current trends in patient safety and healthcare reform as well as competition for referring physicians, the need for image sharing across the enterprise is more critical than ever.

*iConnect Access is not FDA-cleared for diagnostic use on mobile devices.

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 20 years of innovation, Merge is helping to reduce costs and improve the quality of healthcare worldwide. For more information, visitmerge.com.

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