Transcript

Ask The Vendor What The Same Software Costs Without The AI. The Unbundled-Price Question · Medsolve Dynamics

Yoel Bakas: In every software quote I've reviewed for a radiation oncology program over the last year, I've noticed a trend, and that is the AI items are not broken out into a separate line item. The bundle now includes the AI features. The bundle has a price. But the AI as its own line item is not on the page. That means that you as a buyer can't really tell what the value is of the AI software solution you're being sold. And that gap is not an accident. software vendors started leading with AI in software renewals in 2024. The AI features carry a price premium and that means the vendor's margin is higher. AI is now in everything from treatment planning systems to contouring systems to registry systems to OISs. AI is everywhere. And those features carry a price premium that makes the software higher than it was a year ago. The simplest way to get to the bottom of this is to ask your vendor what the same quote would cost without the AI features. many won't break out the pricing. If they don't, you have a decision to make in terms of the ROI of the software, because you now have to calculate the value of software without understanding the cost of it. And if you can't, you're now evaluating the ROI on software on the promise of what the software may or may not be able to do. Try to get an unbundled price. Be very clear about how you define the ROI for your program in this particular software. Only then can you decide if the AI solution is worth it.