Providing cancer patients an opportunity for increased participation in their treatment, Varian announced its collaboration with Tennessee Oncology for the implementation of Noona, a software application for managing patient symptoms and capturing patient reported outcomes (PROs) in cancer care. As part of this collaboration, Noona will be deployed at more than 30 centers across Tennessee, with the goal of reaching approximately 25,000 patients per year.
The Tennessee Oncology network treats nearly 50 percent of all cancer patients in Tennessee, with a large percentage residing in rural settings. The implementation of Noona will provide these patients with a better way to communicate their symptoms and other relevant clinical information to their care team, while eliminating common barriers to adoption, such as patients' physical location or technology adeptness.
"We put patients first and seek out technology that goes the extra step. A desirable benefit of Noona's advanced information intelligence is the ability to more closely connect to our patient's quality of life and the advantage of aligning care to their changing needs," said Natalie Dickson, M.D., chief medical officer of Tennessee Oncology. "All patients deserve to receive the best quality of care regardless of where they live, and we are continually seeking ways to make that happen."
"Leveraging data and information technology hastens our goal of delivering the most advanced care to every newly diagnosed patient, wherever they live," adds Jeff Patton, M.D., chief executive officer of Tennessee Oncology. "Noona's outcome data collection pleasantly aligns with our value-based world. Our patients deserve our best."
"The healthcare industry strives to move from disease-centered to person-centered care—which requires us to capture information that describes the patient experience," said Corey Zankowski, Ph.D., senior vice president, Oncology Software Solutions, Varian. "Noona helps us achieve this goal by better connecting patients to their personal treatment and enabling clinicians to collect meaningful PRO data to adapt treatments for each patient and to predict future outcomes."
Noona is structured to collect a standardized dataset that is centered around patients' quality of life—including new or shifting symptoms that may signal a necessary shift in care. The interface is designed for an optimal user experience and with seamless access in mind. It may be accessed on any device with a web browser or through its native Apple or Android app. Patients are assigned a treatment module that aligns with their cancer type and allows them to regularly report and track their symptoms while sharing their questions and concerns instantly.
Positive outcomes reported from clinics worldwide that have already adopted Noona include:
- Increased clinical efficiency and reduced workloads, saving up to 60 minutes per day, per user.
- Improved information capture with a 90 percent patient response rate for symptom questionnaires.
- More effective patient triage with algorithms that prioritize patients by symptom severity.
Varian and Tennessee Oncology will work closely together through the end of 2019, and beyond, to focus on the continued adoption of the solution across its network.
For more information, visit www.varian.com/noona
April 18, 2024 
