Product Profile
Product name
ARIA® Oncology Information System
EHR Certification
Meaningful Use – Stage 1 (ONC-ATCB Certified 2011/2012)
History of development and product ownership
Varian developed ARIA for Radiation Oncology. In 2006 Varian acquired Optx a company for a MedOnc EMR. Varian has continued developing and integrating the 2 EMRs for a full Oncology EMR
Was the product known by any other names in the past three years?
No
Year that a fully functional version of this EHR product was first implemented in a medical practice in the US
2005 for the current product
Number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff fully dedicated to this product
Product development: 150
Sales: 80
Implementation: 150
Support and maintenance: 150
Typical size of practice in which this EHR has been implemented
4–10 physicians
>25 physicians
Typical setting in which this EHR system is used
Academic Medical Center (AMC)/Medical School
Community Health Center/Clinic
Federal Government Hospital
Private Ambulatory Care Office
Private Community Hospital (excluding AMC)
State or Local Government Hospital
What specialties does this EHR support?
Oncology
Areas of the United States in which this EHR product is sold
North East
Mid Alantic
South
Midwest
South West
West
Hardware / Network
Operating system platform(s) supported
Client-Windows 7
Server - Windows
Does the company resell any hardware?
Yes, we resell workstations, monitors, servers and racks. Warranties are not different from manufacturer
Preferred list of 3rd party hardware suppliers
Yes, we provide Dell hardware.
Preferred list of 3rd party IT Support vendors?
We can work with preferred IT support vendors depending on the customer's request but we also provide professional services if needed.
Does the product work over a wireless (WIFI) network?
Yes
EHR can be accessed via a wireless network using tablets and iPad application available to download from the Apple Store.
VARs - Value Added Resellers
Do you use value added resellers to sell and distribute this EHR?
No
Can customers purchase your product directly from your company or only from your VAR’s
No
Customers purchase our product through our own sales team and sales process.
Can customers who have purchased your product through a VAR contact your company for support?
No
N/A
Application Service Provider
Do you offer an ASP version of your EHR product?
No
Not yet available.
Can you use Dragon or MS voice tools on your ASP solution?
No
Not yet available.
Company policy regarding data ownership for the ASP EHR
Not yet available.
Location of data hosting centers
Not yet available.
Software & Database
What programming language were used to develop the application?
Do you provide a test version of your EHR product for training and quality assurance(QA) purposes as well as the full production environment that is installed in the clinic? (The test version is a segmented area where users can make changes to templates or forms without it affecting the live environment)
Yes
included with the purchase of the system. Can be used to create templates and testing without interference with the live system.
Are 3rd party applications required to use your EHR?
Do you use standard terminologies, e.g., SNOMED-CT, LOINC, ICD9, ICD10 in your program?
ICD9/ ICD10, LOINC for meaningful use
Expected date to be in compliance with ICD10 coding
2013
Expected date to be in compliance with SNOMED-CT
TBD
Interfaces / Interoperability
Does this product have existing lab interfaces with Quest? If Yes, please explain whether the interfaces are uni or bi-directional.
Yes
Bi-directional
If Yes to the previous question, are the interfaces bundled or provided at additional cost? Please explain.
No
They are an additional purchase and are not bundled in.
If the lab company picks up the costs, will the practice be charged maintenance and support fees? If Yes, please explain.
No
If the customer purchases a software support agreement from Varian we manage any outside fees from the Lab company.
Does this product have existing lab interfaces with Labcorp? If Yes,
Yes
Bi-directional
If Yes to the previous question, are the interfaces bundled or provided at additional cost? Please explain.
No
They are an additional purchase and are not bundled in.
If the lab company picks up the costs, will the practice be charged maintenance and support fees? If Yes, please explain.
No
If the customer purchases a software support agreement from Varian we manage any outside fees from the Lab company.
Does the company offer an integrated EHR/PM system? (i.e. a combined EHR/PM system)
No
[If yes to the previous question] Does your system used a single shared database (not interfaced) for the EHR/PM system?
No
N/A
Can your product be interfaced with a different PM system if the practice chooses to do so?
Yes
List of Practice Management systems with which you have existing interfaces
Any HL7 based system.
If you do not have an interface with a particular PM system, are you willing to develop a custom interface?
Yes
If an interfaced PM system is used, does your EHR product transfer billing and coding data captured during the encounter to the PM system? If yes, is this a one-step or multi-step process?
Yes
Does the EHR use an interface engine?
Yes
Developed by Varian
Implementation and training
Tools and/or services offered to clients in order to achieve meaningful use of their EHR?
Clinical Consulting Services
Tools and/or services offered to clients for current workflow analysis and redesign when using an EHR?
Clinical Consulting Services
Do you recommend a graduated implementation or a big-bang implementation (all live at the same time) for your EHR?
Either. Varies according to configuration and customer preference.
What training mechanisms are used by the EHR Vendor?
On Site
At Corporate Facility
Web Based
Web Based interactive
Is there a minimum amount of training required by your company in order to satisfy the support and maintenance contract that we would sign with you?
No
Do you provide any guarantees regarding the ability of a practice to meet meaningful use requirements?
No
Does your company provide any guarantees that your EHR product will comply with Stage 2 and Stage 3 meaningful use requirements?
Yes
Is there a minimum amount of training required by your company in order for our practice to satisfy compliance with meaningful use guarantees?
No
What services do you offer for post-implementation optimization of the system with respect to training and system customization?
Clinical Consulting Services.
Prescribing
Does your product support ePrescribing? Is there an additional charge for this service or is it included in the overall cost?
Yes
It is available for for purchase.
Which formulary does your product use?
We use Surescripts
Does the system allow users to add drugs that may not be in the original database?
No
How are drug allergies and adverse reactions recorded and integrated into the prescribing module?
Using Medispan drug database.
When prescribing multiple medications, am I presented with an ability to separately acknowledge or document individual alerts?
Is there an ability for the physician or practice to modify preset alerts? (e.g. Severe vs. mild or moderate)
Yes
Is there an ability for the physician to filter the display of alerts?
Yes
How are episodic and long-term medications tracked in the patient’s record?
Captured and stored in the database.
Does the system allow users to switch drug interaction checking on or off?
Yes
But only if they have user rights.
In the medication list, is a user able to sort medications by multiple parameters including date prescribed, diagnostic code, active or discontinued?
Yes
Templates
What pre-defined templates do you provide?
Definition: A template is a pre-defined structured capability to rapidly record content including information on clinical conditions or vital signs through mechanisms such as menus, predefined fields or checklis
Do you charge additional fees for any of templates?
Can clients customize existing templates?
No
Can clients use tools provided through the system to develop their own templates?
Yes
Will your company build custom custom templates to the practices specifications?
Yes
We will build for additional fee.
If a doctor has created a custom template in their EHR, will the templates and custom rules be maintained when new full releases and patches are installed?
Yes
Support & Maintenance
What is the process for managing questions and service requests?
Help Desk.
Are different tiers of support offered (including pricing information)?
Yes
What are the options for a client to contact your company for support?
Live support from our Help Desk.
What level and type(s) of support are provided during go-live?
On site.
Is a formal users' group, online community forum or other form of social networking community available?
Yes
What are the standard hours of operation during which support is provided?
What are the steps for a client to escalate a support request?
Help Desk.
Do you use off-shore technical support?
No
Are software upgrades provided as part of the software maintenance contract?
Yes
How are customer requests for enhancements and customizations handled?
Enhancements can be submitted through our online customer support website. Customizations are requested via our sales or service teams.
How are drug interaction tools updated in your system?
The drug database is updated quarterly. There is no charge.
How are patient education materials updated in your system?
There is no extra charge for this service.
How are requests from clients handle for customizations of their system post “go-live”?
Clinical Consulting Services.
Is remote monitoring available with the ability to alert clients about system problems?
No
What is your recommended backup strategy?
Nightly.
Do you offer remote backup for a client's system?
Yes
When an interface goes down, how is that information recovered?
Failover protection product.
Reporting Tools
Does your system provide a reporting tool with pre-formatted reports?
Yes
Is your reporting tool able to create the following reports?
1.Generate a list of all patients with a chronic condition (e.g. Diabetes, COPD)
2.Generate a list of all patients with a specific condition who have not been seen within a defined period
3.Generate a list of all patients with a specific condition and lab result who have not been seen within a defined period. (e.g. diabetic patients with a HbA1c=9 not seen in the last 4 months)
4.Generate a list of all patients on a specific drug with an active medical problem
1.Yes
2.Yes
3.Yes
4.Yes
Are these reporting tools bundled with the EHR system or provided as add-ons?
Yes
Does your system support PQRI (Physician Quality Reporting Initiative) reporting?
Order Management Tools
Does your program provide any order management tools?
Yes
Does your program provide any document management tools?
Yes
Does your program provide any other workflow management tools?
Yes
Patient Health Record (Portal)
Do you offer a Patient Health Record that integrates into your system?
Yes
Data Conversion
Do you offer data conversion services from other products to your product?
Yes
Data conversion is available for:
Demographic data
Clinical data
What are the data conversion and transfer costs?
Yes.