Radiation Oncology

Market Challenges

The radiation oncology market continues to expand: in 2005 over 1.4M new cancer cases were diagnosed in the U.S., 60% of these patients received radiation therapy, and approximately 20% of those have a subsequent course of therapy. This sector of the healthcare market represents over $5B of the healthcare economy.

Mr. Lieberman has been involved with the development, operations and management of freestanding and hospital based radiation oncology centers for more than 15 years.

Facts:

Radiation therapy services are increasingly outpatient, driven by patient preference and convenience.

The opening of radiation therapy services by oncologists and others seriously threatens hospital-based oncology services.

Continuing evolutions in technology are resulting in more positive clinical outcomes, higher patient satisfaction – and significant financial challenges to upgrade existing equipment or replace aging linear accelerators.

The introduction of IMRT radically transformed profitability analysis of this service; with compensation roughly double that of a course of non-IMRT therapy.

Centers equipped with IMRT are frequently slow in maximizing utilization of the technology.

Mr. Jodon provides Gemstar with an extensive background in
Design/Build and Equipment Procurement Projects

Planning for radiation oncology demands specialized knowledge of both technology and anticipated adjustments in Medicare reimbursement.

There is a significant interface between radiation therapy and diagnostic imaging – 90% of all oncology patients will have at least one CT; 54% will have a PET/CT study.