Meridian Health Deploys Truebeam Technology in Cancer Clinics

Meridian Health, a hospital network in New Jersey, will be deploying Varian Medical Systems’ Truebeam technology across its cancer treatment clinics. Truebeam technology is used to treat cancerous tumors with advanced radiotherapy treatment.

Varian’s shares, which are up around 14 percent over a year, rose 1.4 percent in the trading session following the news release. The stock is up roughly 8 percent so far this year.

Under this deployment program, Meridian will install seven Truebeam machines across its five sites, together with Varian’s Aria data management and Eclipse treatment planning software. Using Varian’s Fullscale cloud-based oncology IT data hosting solution, the entire network of these Turebeam machines will be integrated and centrally managed. The five centers where these machines will be installed offer radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatment to oncology patients.

Meridian will also acquire patient support tools including tumor registry along with a survivorship software product, which will enable these cancer clinics to provide coordinated navigation and survivorship care planning for cancer patients.

Based in Cranford, N.J., Varian makes radiotherapy and radiosurgery equipment and software to treat patients who suffer from different types of cancer. Varian’s Turebeam and Turebeam STx, two new state-of-the-art radiotherapy and radiosurgery systems, are designed to treat cancer. These cutting-edge technologies will enhance the radiosurgery capabilities at Meridian’s health care clinics through out Central and Southern New Jersey.

Installation of the Turebeam technology is hoped to shorten treatment cycles for patients. It will also add arc therapy to the range of treatment options the company currently utilizes. The installation of the Turebeam technology is part of a multi-year agreement, worth approximately $30 million, signed between Meridian and Varian. This agreement was signed to expand, upgrade and standardize radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatment capabilities across the entire system.

A portion of the system order has been booked during Varian’s fiscal first-quarter 2014. The remaining portion of the order will be booked over the term of the agreement. According to this agreement, Varian will also provide professional consulting services to Meridian’s clinical teams in order optimize patient workflow and throughput at each of the centers.