Running your radiation oncology department with an unsupported version of ARIA®? There is a solution.

Radiation oncology facilities running older versions of ARIA^®* and Mosaiq^®* have a real challenge.  If their systems crash, or if they experience a ransomware hack, bad things can happen:

1. Varian and Elekta no longer offer older software versions, so they may be forced to purchase new software and hardware
2. If the backups are not fool proof, they can lose all patient data

Backups in radiation oncology require integration between the IT department and the oncology department.  The various databases that must be synchronized properly for an effective backup to be performed require expertise that one department alone may not have, especially at smaller centers.

One recent example is what happened to a hospital in Illinois.  The radiation oncology department was running ARIA^®* v. 8.0 (a version that is no longer supported by the manufacturer), when their hardware crashed.  At that point, they lost all the patient data on that server, as well as their entire operating system.

After the crash, the center could no longer treat their patients.

The IT department thought the backups would work, but they did not.  This is one of a radiation oncology department’s worst nightmare, and it happened to them.

First, they contacted the OEM.  The response was that older software was no longer supported, and their only option was to purchase a new version of ARIA.  The facility did not have this in the budget and could simply not afford a whole new system.

Next, fortunately, they contacted the R.O.S. / Dignatel Team.

Through our Software Solutions program , our oncology software experts, all factory-trained IT specialists, came to the rescue. Through a collaborative process they were able to resurrect an older imaged copy of their server and recover their older ARIA version.

At some point, all oncology hardware systems will eventually fail.  It’s just a matter of time.  For this center, it happened unexpectedly and without warning.

The facility then signed up for a longer-term service agreement so that this situation can never happen again.

This way, they are able to update their technology on their own schedule and have time to build up their practice in the case that they may want to purchase new OEM software packages in the future.

*ROS and Dignatel are not affiliated with or endorsed by Varian Medical Systems, Inc. VARIAN® and ARIA® are registered trademarks of Varian Medical Systems, Inc. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. asserts ECLIPSE™ is a trademark of Varian Medical Systems, Inc. ROS is not affiliated with or endorsed by Elekta AB. MOSAIQ® is a registered trademark of Elekta AB.