In other findings, KLAS said that providers for the most part reported satisfaction with their vendors. Most firms either have been maintaining or improving upon customer satisfaction since last year, according to the company.

Providers also noted that they are not only looking at performance within radiology when making purchasing decisions, they are also evaluating how well PACS vendors work with their institution's electronic medical record (EMR), KLAS said.

In addition, providers are looking for innovation and vendors that can be good partners, Ben Brown, KLAS medical imaging general manager, said in a statement. They also want PACS vendors that can demonstrate in-depth clinical and radiological expertise, as well as be savvy enough to talk with a chief information officer about hospital or health-system level issues, he said.