The ARIA(R) Oncology Information System from Varian Medical Systems Now Certified by Surescripts(R) for E-Prescribing

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announced that its ARIA® for Medical Oncology information system has received Surescripts® e-prescribing certification for new prescriptions and refill requests.  This means physicians using the ARIA system to manage chemotherapy will be able to exchange prescriptions electronically with pharmacies connected to the Surescripts network.  

"E-Prescribing allows the clinician to create a prescription and route it electronically to any pharmacy that the patient wants to use in the extensive Surescripts network," said Ken Hotz, PhD, Varian's product manager for oncology information systems.  "With certification to connect to the Surescripts network, ARIA can now offer medical oncologists an e-prescribing process with the potential to reduce costs and improve practice efficiency and patient convenience."

Using ARIA, clinicians will be able to send new prescriptions directly to a computer at a participating pharmacy.  Pharmacy personnel will be able to send renewal authorization requests directly to the clinic electronically, where prescribers can review the requests and respond with a few keystrokes.

Varian will provide an incremental upgrade to current ARIA customers with software service agreements, including the interface for connecting with pharmacies through Surescripts.  All future ARIA systems for medical oncology will incorporate the interface.

The ARIA oncology information system is a comprehensive software solution that supports the oncology clinic.  It combines an oncology-specific patient electronic medical record (EMR) with functional components for managing clinical, administrative and financial operations. ARIA was rated the number one oncology IT solution for two consecutive years by KLAS, an independent research firm that reports on the performance of healthcare vendors.  

About Varian Medical Systems

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 5,000 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 79 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com.

About Surescripts

Surescripts is the result of a 2008 merger between the country's two leading health information networks: RxHub and SureScripts. Surescripts gives healthcare providers secure electronic access to prescription information that can improve efficiency and reduce the cost of healthcare for all. Available during emergencies or routine care, the Surescripts network is used every day by thousands of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other prescribers across all 50 states. The Surescripts network connects these prescribers to all of the nation's major chain pharmacies, the nation's leading payers and independent pharmacies nationwide. For more information, go to www.surescripts.com.

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems