Healthcare organizations use several different tools to move information. The key question is not just security. It is whether the workflow fits everyday clinic record sending, retrieval requests, or medical image exchange.
| Category | Health Record Relay | Fax | Datavant | Microsoft PowerShare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Clinic-to-provider medical record sending | Legacy document transmission | Medical record retrieval and release workflows | Medical image sharing and radiology exchange |
| Best fit | Everyday referral and records release workflows | Offices still relying on manual faxing | Requests, retrieval, fulfillment, and network-based record access | Hospitals, radiology groups, and image-sharing networks |
| Built specifically for clinic record sending | Yes | No | Focused more on retrieval and ROI workflows |
Focused more on imaging exchange |
| Patient consent workflow | Built in | Manual | Varies by request workflow |
Not a core clinic record release flow |
| Patient-facing authorization step | Approve or decline flow | No | Not positioned around simple clinic send approval |
No |
| Recipient acknowledgment before access | Required | No | Not the primary differentiator |
Not the primary differentiator |
| Audit visibility | Delivery and access events | Limited | Workflow visibility depends on product and use case |
Focused on imaging exchange activity |
| Designed to replace fax-heavy clinic workflows | Yes | No | Not primarily positioned that way |
No |
| Typical buyer | Clinic operations, HIM, compliance, and referral workflows | Any office using legacy transmission | Organizations managing retrieval, release, and large-scale record access | Radiology, imaging, and hospital network teams |
| Bottom line | Purpose-built for sending records to another provider | Common but manual and hard to track | Stronger fit for retrieval and fulfillment networks | Stronger fit for image sharing and radiology connectivity |
Health Record Relay is designed for the operational moment when one clinic needs to send records to another provider quickly, clearly, and with accountability. That is a different workflow than record retrieval networks or radiology image exchange platforms.
Comparisons on this page are general positioning summaries. Datavant is commonly associated with record retrieval and release workflows, while Microsoft PowerShare is commonly associated with medical image sharing and radiology connectivity. Health Record Relay is focused on clinic-first medical record sending.
The right choice depends on whether you are sending records, retrieving them, or sharing imaging studies.
Best for: Clinics sending records to another provider
Built for referral packets, record release workflows, patient authorization, controlled delivery, and auditable access events.
Best for: Legacy workflows
Still common, but manual, difficult to track, and not designed for modern delivery visibility or structured authorization workflows.
Best for: Retrieval, fulfillment, and network-based access
Often associated with record retrieval, release of information, and broad provider network access rather than simple clinic-to-clinic record sending.
Best for: Medical image sharing
Positioned around radiology workflows and medical image exchange, especially where imaging connectivity is the primary need.
Tell us a bit about your organization and we will follow up with rollout options, security documentation, and a workflow fit check.