Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/610563
49 Executive Briefing The TeraMedica Division of FUJIFILM Medical Systems: A New Power in the VNA Market F UJIFILM Medical System U.S.A., Inc. offers a diverse port- folio of products ranging from digital X-ray and mam- mography to endoscopy and medical informatics. The company revolutionized the market with Synapse PACS, the first web-based image management solution to enable inter- pretation by radiologists anytime, anywhere. With the additions of RIS and 3D, Synapse continues to provide state-of-the-art ra- diology solutions to its customers. Fujifilm's recent acquisition of TeraMedica, Inc. is propelling the company to a key position in the vendor neutral archive market. Pursuing the acquisition The adoption of EMRs in healthcare has been gaining steam for years. "Healthcare now has a central point for all clin- ical and textual information," says Jim Morgan, Vice President of Medical Informatics at FUJIFILM Medical Systems U.S.A., Inc. (Fujifilm). "Next, hospitals will want to centralize the imaging component." Enter VNA technology. Fujifilm initially explored the idea of developing its own VNA service line. "We wanted to control our own destiny and have ownership of the technol- ogy," says Mr. Morgan. The com- pany's experience in the PACS market would serve as a strong foundation for the technology needed to expand into this new field. Over time, Fujifilm realized the time and resources needed to carve out a place in an already competitive space would take years. Instead, Fujifilm began to search the marketplace for potential partners and found TeraMedica. TeraMedica, based in Mil- waukee, was founded in 2001. The medical informatics compa- ny developed the first version of a cross-departmental clinical image archive at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Since that time, the company has deployed its software at more than 600 loca- tions spanning six continents. Fujifilm and TeraMedica found they had shared clients; a partnership was natural. VNA market Through combining resources, Fujifilm and TeraMedica are prepared to make headway in a growing market. The global market for VNA systems, valued at $165.3 million in 2013, is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.2 percent to reach a value of $335.4 million by 2018, according to a Markets and Markets report. The need for VNA systems is driven by the need for centralized storage and government initiatives that favor the use of advanced imaging information systems, according to the report. Products that enable inte- gration of VNAs with EHRs represent a burgeoning trend and growth opportunity in the market. Combining resources The companies worked closely together, and in December 2013, Fujifilm began the process of acquiring TeraMedica. In May 2015, the acquisition closed. Now, the companies are in- tegrating and combining their resources in an effort to become a dominant market player. "The team was kept as a whole," Sponsored by: "We don't want customers' interactions to change. We want them to go to the same people they went to before. The only change they will see is more support going forward." —Jim Morgan, Vice President of Medical Informatics at FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA