Siemens Healthcare has formed exclusive partnership with Prowess of Chico, Calif., to develop advanced radiation oncology treatment planning software for integration with Siemens' linear accelerators.

Under the terms of the agreement, Siemens is authorized to share the basic intellectual property of Prowess' patented Direct Aperture Optimization planning software, allowing Siemens to incorporate Prowess' software into the treatment planning tools for its linear accelerators. This, in turn, will help users to dramatically reduce the number of segments, monitor units, and overall treatment times, Siemens said.