The Medical Arms Race Made Visible

With thank you lot to Priyanka Dayal McCluskey at the Boston Globe, nosotros tin larn a glimpse of i "small" business office of the medical arms race inward action.  The floor is nigh the expansion of Mevion Medical Systems Inc., a manufacturer of proton beam machines.  The society offers the "more affordable toll tag of nigh $25 million" per machine, compared to the starting fourth dimension generation $250 1000000 models.

Here's the arms race quote:

Three Mevion systems are treating patients at hospitals inward St. Louis, Jacksonville, Fla., together with New Brunswick, N.J. Four others are existence installed. The society is developing nigh xx other orders. 

Here's the relevant context:

“In a perfect world, if the uppercase costs were the same, proton therapy is something you’d desire all patients to receive,” [MGH's Jay] Loeffler said, “but because of the uppercase costs, it has to move express inward purpose to entirely the situations nosotros believe it’s best for.” This includes tumors inward children together with tumors inward adults that are inward or nigh critical torso parts similar the encephalon or eyes.

Some hospitals purpose proton therapy to process prostate cancer — fifty-fifty when at that spot is no scientific show it’s a to a greater extent than effective handling than traditional radiation, said doc Durado Brooks, manager of cancer command intervention for the American Cancer Society.

“Because it’s newer doesn’t necessarily hateful it’s better’’ for prostate cancer, he said. “At this betoken nosotros but don’t know.” 

Here's an endorsement nigh the scientific discipline behind the machine presented on the company's website:

What is American Shared Hospital Services?

American Shared Hospital Services is a publicly traded healthcare society (New York Stock Exchange AMEX symbol AMS) amongst a 25-year rails tape of leasing state-of-the-art medical equipment to hospitals together with medical centers inward the United States.

Through GK Financing, LLC (GKF), our bulk owned subsidiary, nosotros are the leader inward Gamma Knife unit of measurement ownership amongst about a 16% marketplace part inward the United States. Our Gamma Knife model has been expanded to contain the financing of other applied scientific discipline solutions including Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) together with Proton Beam Radiation Therapy (PBRT).

In the corporate history, nosotros banking concern complaint these items:

2006: We larn inward the proton beam radiations therapy (PBRT) marketplace past times acquiring an equity involvement inward Still River Systems, Inc., developer of the Monarch 250, a practical, cost-efficient, unmarried room PBRT system. In turn, nosotros are able to contract amongst Tufts Medical Center inward Boston, MA. for a consummate radiations therapy subdivision upgrade that includes an IMRT/IGRT too every bit a single-room PBRT system. 

We contract amongst Orlando Regional Healthcare M.D. Anderson Cancer Center inward Orlando, FL on our minute single-room PBRT facility. 

2007: We increase our equity involvement inward Still River Systems, Inc.

2008: We grip to render Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, inward Long Beach, CA amongst a single-room PBRT facility – our tertiary to date. 

2009: We sign a alphabetic quality of intent amongst the Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, inward Long Beach, CA for a single-room PBRT facility – our tertiary to date. 

I know you'll bring together me inward existence glad that ASHS has no vested involvement inward this production together with is highly qualified to introduce a scientific opinion!

Let's recap. "We but don't know" if it's better, but Mevlon has sold or volition sell 27 installations at $25 million, or $675 million.  Oh, aided together with abetted past times a Medicare pricing regime that provides higher rates for purpose of the machine.  The society notes:

Treatment sites where proton therapy is used:

Pediatric Tumors
Head together with Neck
Brain
Eye
Prostate
Lung
Breast
Gastrointestinal
Gynecologic
Genitourinary
Sarcoma
Lymphoma 

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