CHICAGO, Feb. 7, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merge Healthcare (Nasdaq:MRGE), a leading provider of enterprise imaging and interoperability solutions, today announced Radiology Ltd. will implement its full, end-to-end suite of radiology solutions at its nine imaging centers across southern Arizona.

"Radiology Ltd. is a leader in medical imaging," said Jeff Surges, CEO, Merge Healthcare. "They know that while Meaningful Use has been a moving target in the past, there are no signs it will be slowing down in 2012. They turned to Merge because we were able to provide a complete set of solutions that will enable them to deliver on their strategic goals including improving care and service, as well as achieving Meaningful Use."

"With over 40 radiologists, our practice has diverse needs," said Dr. Dan Stricof, CEO, Radiology Ltd. "Because all of Merge's products are integrated, we will have a single, seamless solution that will enable us to deliver higher quality, cost-effective medical imaging. Plus, it will assist us in meeting Meaningful Use, which for our practice alone represents a potential incentive opportunity of almost 2 million dollars."

"Service is very important to us," continued Stricof. "Because of the automation inherent in the Merge radiology suite, we will be able to manage our business better and improve the experience for both patients and referring physicians. Already, we've seen reduced wait times for patients and in the amount of time it takes to share results back with referring physicians."

The Merge radiology suite includes Merge RIS, a web-based radiology information system that streamlines workflow and enables providers to meet Meaningful Use criteria; Merge PACS, a real-time picture archiving communication system that provides storage and access to images from any enterprise web-based location; Merge Financials, a web-based billing system that improves revenue cycle management; Merge Documents, a paperless office solution to store and manage documents electronically; and Merge CADstream, a MRI-CAD for breast, liver and prostate analysis and reporting.

Radiology Ltd. also utilizes Merge iConnect Access*, a zero-download DICOM image and XDS viewer that provides image review for referring physicians from any browser-based device anywhere, any time.

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

About Merge Healthcare

Merge Healthcare is a leading provider of enterprise imaging and interoperability solutions, with a client base consisting of more than 1,500 hospitals and 6,000 clinics across the country. Merge solutions facilitate the sharing of images to create a more effective and efficient electronic healthcare experience for patients and physicians. Merge provides enterprise imaging solutions for radiology, cardiology, orthopaedics and eye care; a suite of products for clinical trials; software for financial and pre-surgical management, and applications that fuel the largest modality vendors in the world. Merge's products have been used by healthcare providers, vendors and researchers worldwide to improve patient care for more than 20 years. Additional information can be found at www.merge.com.

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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.

CONTACT: Media Contact:
         Brenda Stewart
         Director, Marketing Communications
         773.726.8901  brenda.stewart@merge.com