Unlike product support, which is commonly cited as the critical factor for hospitals’ choices of vendors, the market for echocardiography devices appears to favor cutting-edge technology and low costs over tight relationships with vendors, according to a report released April 18 by market research firm KLAS.

Pointing to KLAS’ previous research, "Echo 2011: A Tight Race at the Top" juxtaposed what has become a fundamental determinant of providers’ choices of devices—strong relationships with vendors—with the report’s findings that the echo ultrasound market functions in a fundamentally different manner.

According to the 140 providers interviewed for the report, the Orem, Utah-based market research firm found that adopting state of the art technology and focusing on cost savings drive cardiology’s ultrasound selection.

"The relationship with a vendor still impacts providers in this space,” Emily Crane, KLAS research director and author of the report, maintained. “For example, Toshiba's Aplio CV performs at the top of the market along with tech leaders, GE and Philips. Toshiba is able to build on strong relationships to keep providers satisfied with a reliable, although not bleeding-edge, ultrasound technology.”