Relief from severe depression can start in days.
Fast-acting brain stimulation already works, and insurance already covers it. Heal Now is building a smaller, more affordable device so more clinics can offer it.
The Depression Circuit
The interactive 3D brain needs WebGL, which this browser could not start. Gold marks the left DLPFC, coral marks the sgACC.
Spun out of Stanford, built on Stanford inventions.
This treatment is already happening, and it is already covered.
Accelerated TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) uses short magnetic pulses to stimulate the part of the brain involved in depression.
Days, not months or years
One to five days of treatment can bring severe depression into remission. In Stanford’s trials of targeted aiTBS, remission came in 2.6 days on average.
Covered by insurance
Medicare, Medicaid and major insurers already cover TMS. Coverage varies by plan, so check with your insurer.
No medication, no hospital stay
Brain stimulation does not require medication, and it can be delivered in a normal office setting. For the roughly 10.5 million Americans with treatment-resistant depression, that changes what is possible.
Why billing codes matter
Insurers pay for care using standard billing codes called CPT codes. TMS already has its own (CPT 90867 to 90869). That means doctors can bill for it today, and patients can seek coverage the way they would for other medical care, without waiting on any new approval.
What is targeted aiTBS?
aiTBS stands for accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation. Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is a form of TMS that delivers a full dose of magnetic pulses in about three minutes instead of about 37. “Accelerated” means several of these short sessions are given each day, so a course can finish in days instead of weeks. “Targeted” means the spot in the brain is chosen for each person using a brain scan.
What treatment looks like
Four steps, from first visit to final session. The aim is the same circuit shown above: the part of the front of the brain most connected to the deeper region that drives low mood.
Consultation
A psychiatrist or other clinician confirms that targeted aiTBS is a good fit for you.
Brain scan
Today, the research protocol uses a personalized brain scan of about 30 minutes to map your brain circuitry. Heal Now is designed to do this with an EEG cap in any office.
Personalized targeting
Our software turns the scan into a precise spot on the scalp, so the magnetic pulses land on the part of the brain that matters for this patient.
Stimulation
Over one to five days, patients receive several short sessions each day, spaced about an hour apart. In published trials using similar techniques, remission came after 2.6 days on average.
How targeted aiTBS compares
Faster than other options for severe depression, in the studies done so far.
| Targeted aiTBS | ECT | Standard TMS | Esketamine | Medication | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remission rate | 79 to 90% | 48% | 17 to 32% | 16 to 37% | 14% |
| Average time to remission | 2.6 days | 3 weeks | 3.5 weeks | 15 months | 6 to 12 weeks |
Figures come from open-label studies in moderately to severely treatment-resistant depression. Studies differ in patients and in how remission was defined, so comparisons across columns are indirect. Sources: Cole et al. 2020 and 2022 (targeted aiTBS); Heijnen et al. 2010 and Thirthalli et al. 2020 (ECT); Blumberger et al. 2018 and Hsu et al. 2019 (standard TMS); Janik et al. 2025, Marton et al. 2024 and Zaki et al. 2025 (esketamine); Rush et al. 2006 and Liu et al. 2021 (medication).
The treatment works, but it is difficult to access for millions of patients.
Today, delivering targeted aiTBS takes an expensive brain scan and a large TMS machine, so only about 25 clinics in the United States offer it. We are building a smaller, lighter, more affordable device, and a simpler scan that works in any office.
Early results suggest the simpler scan finds the right spot about as well as the expensive one. We are still validating it.
| Today | Heal Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 150+ lbs | 20 lbs |
| Device cost | $150,000 or more | About $40,000 |
| Size | 4+ cubic feet | Under 1 cubic foot |
| Power | Special electrical rewiring | Standard wall outlet |
| Installation | Months | Minutes |
| Ships from | Denmark | The USA |
| Brain scan | fMRI: about $1,000 per scan, $2 to 4M per machine | EEG: about $100 per scan, about $20K per machine |
A portable stimulator
8x lighter, 4x smaller and 3x cheaper than today’s TMS devices. It plugs into a standard wall outlet.
EEG brain mapping
Individualized targeting from an EEG cap in any office, instead of an fMRI scan.
We are not inventing a new treatment. We are rebuilding how it gets delivered, by replacing both pieces of heavy infrastructure.
Finding the right spot without a multimillion dollar scanner.
Where the magnetic pulse lands decides how well treatment works. Most clinics place it using scalp measurements. Our EEG-based method is designed to bring fMRI-level precision to any office.
Scalp measurementsStandard model used by most clinics
fMRI targetingThe research gold standard, used by under 1% of clinics
Heal Now EEG targetingOur new method, adaptable to any clinic. Expected, not yet demonstrated
EEG versus fMRI target validation is underway (about 70 participants). Preliminary results show individualized target localization comparable to fMRI. The EEG range is expected, not yet demonstrated.
Watch and learn
Talks and short films on brain stimulation and depression, from Dr. Derrick Buchanan and Royal World Archive.
What the research shows
Targeted aiTBS was developed at Stanford, and a commercial system delivering it was cleared by the FDA in 2022. It is the kind of treatment our device is built to deliver.
2018 pilot study6 patients, 5 days of treatment
2020 study22 patients, 5 days of treatment
2022 double-blind trial29 patients, measured at 4 weeks
Durability. In follow-up research (Geoly et al., 2025), 46.9% of remitters sustained remission for at least 12 weeks, and 91% of those who relapsed reached remission again with retreatment. Stimpson et al. (2025) found 85.7% remained in remission over 12 months with personalized continuation therapy. For comparison, typical TMS protocols reach about 30% remission.
Selected publications
- Cole EJ, Stimpson KH, Bentzley BS, et al. Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Am J Psychiatry 2020;177:716–726.
- Cole EJ, Phillips AL, Bentzley BS, et al. Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT): a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Am J Psychiatry 2022;179:132–141.
Questions people ask
How is targeted aiTBS different from standard TMS?
Speed: a course is condensed into 5 days, versus 6 to 9 weeks for conventional TMS. Personalization: the spot to stimulate is chosen from each person’s own brain scan. Precision: navigation equipment keeps the coil on that spot for every session.
What is the circuit in the brain illustration?
The gold region is the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), on the outer front of the brain, which TMS can reach from the scalp. The coral region is the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC), deeper in the brain and involved in mood. The two are functionally connected, and treatment aims at the part of the DLPFC most strongly linked to the sgACC in each person.
Does insurance cover it?
Standard TMS is widely covered by Medicare, Medicaid and major insurers. Coverage for accelerated, targeted protocols is newer and varies by plan and by treatment site. Ask your provider to check prior authorization requirements.
Who is eligible?
TMS is cleared for adults with major depression who have not improved with antidepressant medication in their current episode. A clinician will decide whether it is right for you.
Are there side effects?
TMS is generally well tolerated. The most commonly reported side effects are mild headache and temporary scalp discomfort at the treatment site. Seizure is a rare risk, and TMS is not suitable for people with certain metal implants near the head, which a clinician will screen for.
Is the Heal Now device available?
Not yet. It is investigational, is not FDA cleared and is not available for patient treatment. We plan to submit to the FDA in Q1 2027.
For clinics: a way to offer targeted aiTBS.
About 99% of TMS clinics run machines that cannot deliver targeted aiTBS. Heal Now gives them a way in, with a device that is cheaper, lighter and installed in minutes. We have spoken with more than 20 clinics, and they are interested.
- One device, more conditions. We plan to expand from depression into OCD, migraine and chronic pain, and from high-volume psychiatry into behavioral health and primary care.
- Billing is already in place. TMS has its own insurance billing codes (CPT 90867 to 90869), and major insurers, Medicare and Medicaid already cover precision TMS.
- Defensible technology. A provisional patent covers our power electronics miniaturization (U.S. 63/734,685), with more planned across coil design, cooling and EEG targeting.
Stay posted on FDA progress.
We will email you when we submit to the FDA and again when we get a decision. Nothing else.
Dr. Derrick Buchanan, PhD
Founder and CEO
Derrick is a clinical neuroscientist from Ottawa, Canada, based in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry since 2021. He researches ways to use precision brain imaging to create new brain stimulation treatments for mental health and neurological diseases, and he has taught audiences in over a dozen countries.
He is also an author, inventor, 2025 TEDx Stanford speaker and a serial founder, including CanadaNeuro, which launched in 2019 to bring equitable precision brain imaging to patients with brain injuries.
In loving memory of Dr. Nolan Williams
Nolan was a Stanford Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, a world-leading expert in suicide prevention, and the scientist who led the development of targeted aiTBS at Stanford. He was Derrick’s mentor, friend and intended co-founder. He passed away in October 2025. More than 50,000 Americans die by suicide every year, and Heal Now carries Nolan’s work forward.
Help is available today.
Rapid treatment for depression exists now, and it is covered. We are working to make it reachable for everyone.
If you are looking for care
Ask a psychiatrist or doctor about accelerated TMS for depression, and confirm coverage with your insurer. Heal Now does not treat patients directly.
If you run a clinic
Tell us about your practice and we will keep you updated on pilots and early access.
Talk to DerrickIf you want to back this
We are building toward FDA clearance and first commercial pilots. Reach out to hear where we are headed.
Connect on LinkedInIn crisis right now? In the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time. In an emergency, call 911.
How TMS works, in about a minute and a half
An animated walk through the brain: the circuit behind depression, the coil, the magnetic pulses, and what changes for the patient. Press play, or jump to any chapter.
The animation needs WebGL, which this browser could not start. The transcript below tells the same story.
An illustration, not a recording. This animation is a simplified teaching model. Brain shape, distances and timing are approximate, the coil is a generic figure-eight coil rather than the Heal Now device, and the patient is illustrative. Individual results vary.
Read the transcript
Sources
- Mitra A, Raichle ME, et al. Targeted neurostimulation reverses a spatiotemporal biomarker of treatment-resistant depression. PNAS 2023. doi:10.1073/pnas.2218958120
- Stanford Medicine news release, May 2023: Researchers treat depression by reversing brain signals traveling the wrong way
- Cole EJ, Phillips AL, Bentzley BS, et al. Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT): a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Am J Psychiatry 2022;179:132–141. Depression scores fell 62% after five days of active treatment versus 14% with sham, as reported by Psychiatric News.
FDA clearances in TMS, by indication
Since 2008 the FDA has cleared transcranial magnetic stimulation for a growing list of conditions, and, more recently, for faster schedules. Each row below is a different use. Select a dot to read about it.
Scroll sideways to see all years.
Dots are placed by the year the FDA decision was made, using the month where it is publicly documented. White dashed dots are Heal Now’s own plan and are not clearances.
What the timeline shows
From one use to seven
In 2008 the FDA cleared TMS for adult depression. By mid-2026 the cleared uses also included depression with anxiety symptoms, adolescent depression, OCD, smoking cessation, migraine (with a separate device type) and PTSD.
Sessions got shorter
A conventional TMS session can run about 20 to 40 minutes. Theta-burst sessions (2018) take about 3 minutes. Clearances in 2022, 2025 and 2026 then allowed several sessions a day, so a course can finish in days instead of weeks.
Targeting is changing
The 2022 clearance relied on each patient’s own fMRI scan. The May 2026 clearance allows accelerated schedules with or without MRI-based navigation, and a June 2026 clearance uses EEG to guide treatment. EEG-based targeting is the direction Heal Now is taking.
Where Heal Now fits
Heal Now is building a portable device for targeted aiTBS with EEG-guided targeting, so more clinics can offer it. We plan to submit to the FDA in Q1 2027.
Every clearance, in order
Filter by indication, or read straight through.
- 2008Depression (adults)
First TMS system cleared for major depression
The first TMS device cleared by the FDA. It was cleared for adults whose depression had not improved with antidepressant medication, through the De Novo pathway.
- 2013Depression (adults)
Deep TMS cleared for major depression
A different coil design that reaches deeper brain regions, cleared for adults with depression.
- 2013Migraine
First TMS device cleared for migraine
A separate, single-pulse device type, cleared for the acute treatment of migraine with aura.
- 2015Depression (adults)
More manufacturers cleared for depression
Two more TMS makers received clearance for adults whose depression had not improved on medication, widening the choice of devices for clinics.
- 2018Faster schedules (iTBS and accelerated)
Theta-burst stimulation cleared for depression
Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) delivers a session in about 3 minutes, compared with about 37 minutes for conventional TMS. It is the building block of today’s accelerated protocols.
- August 2018OCD
Deep TMS cleared as an add-on treatment for OCD
The first TMS clearance for a psychiatric condition other than depression. Cleared for adults, alongside other treatment.
- 2019Migraine
Migraine label expanded to adolescents and adults
The migraine device’s label grew to cover both acute and preventive treatment, in adolescents as well as adults.
- 2020Smoking cessation
Deep TMS cleared as an aid to short-term smoking cessation
The first TMS clearance for smoking cessation, for adults.
- 2021Anxiety symptoms with depression
Depression label expanded to anxiety symptoms
Cleared for decreasing anxiety symptoms in adults with major depression who also have anxiety, often called anxious depression.
- 2022OCD
NeuroStar cleared as an add-on treatment for OCD
A second OCD clearance, showing the indication spreading across manufacturers.
- September 2022Faster schedules (iTBS and accelerated)
Targeted, accelerated iTBS system cleared for depression
Ten short iTBS sessions a day for five days, delivered to a target chosen from each patient’s own fMRI scan and guided by neuronavigation. The evidence included a double-blind randomized trial with four weeks of follow-up.
- March 2024Adolescent depression (15 to 21)
NeuroStar cleared as an add-on for adolescents with depression
Cleared for ages 15 to 21, alongside medication. The clearance drew on real-world registry data from 1,169 adolescents and published literature.
- September 2025Faster schedules (iTBS and accelerated)
Accelerated Deep TMS protocol cleared
An accelerated iTBS protocol with an acute phase of six treatment days, compared with four weeks of daily visits for the standard protocol.
- May 2026Faster schedules (iTBS and accelerated)
Flexible accelerated TMS cleared, with or without MRI targeting
Two to ten sessions a day, using rTMS or iTBS, with or without MRI-based neuronavigation. The clearance does not require MRI-based targeting for accelerated schedules.
- June 2026PTSD
EEG-guided TMS cleared as an add-on for PTSD
Cleared for adults with post-traumatic stress disorder, alongside other treatment. The system uses EEG-derived biomarkers to guide treatment.
- Q1 2027Heal Now (planned)
Planned: Heal Now submits to the FDA
We plan to file a 510(k) for a portable device that delivers targeted aiTBS with EEG-guided targeting, using the MagVenture X100 as predicate. Subject to FDA review.
- Q3 2027Heal Now (planned)
Targeted: first commercial pilots
If the FDA clears the device, first commercial pilots follow. This is a company estimate, not a commitment.
Cleared, not approved. TMS devices are cleared by the FDA (or granted through the De Novo pathway), not “approved.” A clearance covers a specific device for a specific use, and does not mean every protocol or clinic follows that use. This list is not exhaustive: several manufacturers hold similar clearances. Confirm details in the FDA’s public 510(k) and De Novo databases.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 510(k) and De Novo records (linked on each entry above)
- 21 CFR 882.5805, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation system (FDA classification)
- Neuronetics, March 25, 2024: NeuroStar Advanced Therapy cleared for adolescents aged 15 to 21
- BrainsWay, September 16, 2025: accelerated Deep TMS protocol cleared
- MagVenture, May 26, 2026: accelerated TMS protocols cleared
- MagVenture, June 18, 2026: Wave Neuroscience MeRT cleared for PTSD
- Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, September 2022: FDA clears the Magnus Neuromodulation System
- Clinical TMS Society, September 2022: statement on the Magnus Neuromodulation System
- Brain Stimulation (2021): A visual and narrative timeline of US FDA milestones for TMS devices