Dive Brief:

• Siemens Healthineers has acquired Aspekt Solutions to strengthen the service offering at its Varian cancer therapy unit. Neither party disclosed the value of the deal. 
• Aspekt supports radiation oncology sites — the type of health centers that use Varian devices — with services such as dosimetry consulting, clinic management, technology evaluation and staffing.
• Varian sees the acquisition as complementary to its Advanced Oncology Solutions unit, which provides professional and clinical services to improve the implementation of its technologies.

Dive Insight:

Varian, a provider of radiation oncology equipment and software, pitches its AOS unit as enabling sites to adopt technologies, improve quality and expand capacity. The unit collaborates with radiation oncology sites to simplify data entry, optimize databases, reduce variation between dosimetrists and train staff on safety. In doing so, Varian aims to address challenges such as the rising cost of care and staff shortages. 

“Through our AOS offerings, we've been leading the way in melding innovative technology with clinical expertise to help address these challenges,” Chuck Lindley, vice president of AOS at Varian, said in a statement. “With Aspekt Solutions, we can support more oncology centers with a holistic approach to addressing today's challenges while also preparing for the fast-evolving future of cancer care.”

Aspekt operates in a similar space. The company’s physicists, dosimetrists and consultants partner with oncology clients to support their existing radiation oncology programs and help prepare them to expand their services.

Varian is expanding its service offering as it works through a challenging period for its core equipment business. The operation has been hurt by a series of logistics issues, first when changes to the supply of a key electronics component suppressed sales, and later when its inability to ship equipment on time caused revenues to slip into the following quarter. 

Growing service revenues could provide Varian with another, potentially more consistent source of sales and flatten out the peaks and troughs that can occur at businesses focused on orders of expensive equipment.