by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | March 03, 2017
From the March 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Both Scripps and the Maryland facility are multi-room centers that utilize cyclotrons manufactured by Varian Medical Systems. Although partnering with providers utilizing the same brand of equipment may not always be possible, Joe Jachinowski, CEO of Mevion Medical Systems, has seen the added benefit of learning on similar systems first-hand. “It helps for anticipating what they will need to do from a process perspective to incorporate proton therapy in general into their workflow and the nuances of the specific device — and how it might best be operated and what experiences the existing clinic had,” he says.
But regardless, “proton physics is physics,” adds Jachinowski, “so that carries over quite nicely.” Last July, with the first patient treated at the UH Seidman Cancer Center in Ohio, Mevion brought its fifth location online since 2013.
Thanks to their smaller scale, Jachinowski believes single-room systems, popularized by companies like his, offer a less daunting training challenge in general.
Step three: On-site training and ramp-up
Once the new facility’s equipment has been installed and the commissioning process is underway, experienced proton therapists and medical physicists can instruct the new team on operational aspects of the device and specific quality assurance (QA) protocols. According to Jachinowski, this is a time when the manufacturer plays an important role. “We will be on site a couple of weeks to clarify machine modes of operation and provide guidance as they begin to ramp up,” he says. One advantage that proton facilities have over conventional radiation therapy centers is a pretty long horizon from making the decision to actually treating the first patient. The Maryland Proton Treatment Center was a 10-year process from conception to treating patients.
Of course, the process gets increasingly demanding as you’re inching toward the finish line and commissioning the equipment. That last leg — between choosing a vendor and treating patients — can typically take two years. “Preparing of staff and development of patient processes require much more investment of time and understanding, given there aren’t many people out there with experience,” says Regine. His team at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center was fortunate in that four of their clinicians alone had a combined 20-plus years of experience in proton therapy, which Regine says helped newer members learn the ropes faster than they would have otherwise.
By the time the commissioning process is complete, a clinical team should be capable of equipment management and therapy delivery. From that point on, new members can draw on the experience and expertise of existing team members, and the community can begin utilizing a cutting edge weapon against cancer. “Prior to having this center, if someone could benefit from proton therapy, they had to go to another city, whether Boston or Philly,” says Regine. “Offering this tool is just extremely gratifying and great for the region.”
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