TigerText sponsored a new study to prove what all of us know — pagers are not only less efficient but also expensive when compared to other modern technologies. Whereas an average paging service cost per device is $9.19 per month, the cost of secure messaging app stands at less than $5 per month.

The in-depth study, titled “The Hidden Cost of Pagers in Healthcare,” (PDF link) used HIMSS Analytics data as well as other market research to reveal that 90% of 200 hospitals surveyed by the HIMSS Analytics on average spend around $180,000 per year for the [paging] service.

“This research uncovered that a significant number of hospitals still rely on pagers as a cost of doing business. ‘Legacy technology’ can be difficult to replace despite that more advanced technology is available,” Bryan Fiekers, Director, Advisory Services Group for HIMSS Analytics, said in a statement.

The research also revealed significant “soft” costs from the continued use of pagers, including a lack of two-way communication, communication gaps, the inconvenience of carrying and managing more than one device, as well as limits of paging systems that operate only on a single network.

90% of 200 hospitals surveyed on average spend around $180,000 per year for the paging service.“This survey illuminates why the healthcare industry should leave their pagers behind,” Brad Brooks, CEO and co-founder of TigerText, said in a statement. “We now know paging technology is not only a hindrance to sharing data and collaborating around a patient’s case, but also extremely costly to U.S. hospitals.”

HIMSS Analytics’ research included a quantitative survey of more than 200 pager users at hospitals throughout the U.S. with a bias towards large organizations with more than 100 patient beds. The majority of participants had a direct role in the selection, purchase or management of pagers at their organizations. This research was supplemented with qualitative, interview-based research with senior executives at the largest participating hospitals.

To assess the average pricing paid for secure messaging alternative solutions, TigerText research surveyed more than 1,000 healthcare organizations, ranging in size from single location acute care facilities to healthcare systems with multiple locations spread across several states.