Are we misreading ROI in breakthrough health technologies?

Proton therapy and other advanced oncology tools promise extraordinary clinical outcomes, yet the world has only 100 proton centers and most patients must travel over 100 miles to access them.

The radiotherapy workflow employed in these cutting-edge centers remains a complex, decades‑old process requiring high precision and coordination. Traditional (non-proton) radiotherapy (LINAC) burns through healthy tissue on its way to the tumor, with tremendous risks. Proton does far less damage to healthy tissue and is next-generation technology.

So, proton – or better - should be the innovation focus. But . . . the universal radiotherapy workflow employed by proton centers makes those very-expensive-to-build centers lousy investments. The beam continues to evolve. The workflow process does not.

How many “poor” returns stem not from the technology but from outdated processes that waste time and capital? In MedTech, perhaps it’s time investors focus as much on workflow innovation as on the headline hardware.

- David