BIGGEST Rad Onc Stories of 2021

[TheWallnerus]

• ASTRO Finally Admits Water is Wet: “With more efficient treatment delivery, fewer radiation oncologists may be needed in the coming years.”
  
  
• Radiation Oncology Becomes Least Competitive Medical Specialty In Match
  
  
• Some Potentially Practice-Changing Trials Suggest: Less (External Beam) Is More
  • Prostate: EP. 4B: How the VISION Trial May Change Prostate Cancer Therapy
  • Breast: Elective Internal Mammary Node Irradiation in Women With Node-Positive Breast Cancer: Results of a Randomized, Phase 3 Trial
  • Lung: Postoperative radiotherapy versus no postoperative radiotherapy in patients with completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer and proven mediastinal N2 involvement (Lung ART): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial
    
    
• Many Cancer Centers Don’t Comply w/ Price Transparency; CMS Increases Non-Compliance Fines ~20x
  
  
• Radiotherapy Fractions/Treatment Lengths Decline
  • IMV: Radiation therapy volume stays steady despite COVID-19
  • Five-fraction Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer: FAST-Forward to Implementation
  • “5-week schedules are no longer defensible for whole breast irradiation”
    
    
• RO Supervision Relaxations Continue (“Diagnostic Tests” = IGRT)
  
  
• Proton Therapy Spending in Rad Onc Continues at Unsustainable Levels As Previously Most Successful Proton Center in U.S. Goes Bankrupt
  • Photons vs. Protons: Health Systems Invest in New Cancer Therapies Amid Mixed Data
  • Mayo Clinic to build $200 million proton beam expansion | Bemidji Pioneer
  • IBA and New Mexico Cancer Center Sign Contract to Install a Proteus ONE
  • McLaren Flint launches $46M expansion of cancer, proton therapy centers to grow care in Genesee County
  • UAMS Breaks Ground on New Radiation Oncology Center, Will House First Proton Center in Arkansas - UAMS News
  • Tampa General Hospital and FCS Collaborate to Bring Proton Therapy to the Tampa Bay FL Area
  • First-in-city proton therapy center to provide alternative to radiation treatment for cancer - UT Health San Antonio
  • South Jersey’s First Proton Therapy Center Takes Giant Step Forward with Delivery of 90-ton Particle Accelerator from Europe
    
    
• RO-APM Cancelled… Until 2023
  
  
• American Company (Varian) w/ Largest Global Share of Rad Onc Market Is Sold (to Siemens)
  
  
• America’s 88th Most Medicare-Reimbursed Rad Onc Has Himself a Hoosegow Holiday

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[ramsesthenice]

• ASTRO Finally Admits Water is Wet: “With more efficient treatment delivery, fewer radiation oncologists may be needed in the coming years.”
  
  
• Radiation Oncology Becomes Least Competitive Medical Specialty In Match
  
  
• Some Potentially Practice-Changing Trials Suggest: Less (External Beam) Is More
  • Prostate: EP. 4B: How the VISION Trial May Change Prostate Cancer Therapy
  • Breast: Elective Internal Mammary Node Irradiation in Women With Node-Positive Breast Cancer: Results of a Randomized, Phase 3 Trial
  • Lung: Postoperative radiotherapy versus no postoperative radiotherapy in patients with completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer and proven mediastinal N2 involvement (Lung ART): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial
    
    
• Many Cancer Centers Don’t Comply w/ Price Transparency; CMS Increases Non-Compliance Fines ~20x
  
  
• Radiotherapy Fractions/Treatment Lengths Decline
  • IMV: Radiation therapy volume stays steady despite COVID-19
  • Five-fraction Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer: FAST-Forward to Implementation
  • “5-week schedules are no longer defensible for whole breast irradiation”
    
    
• RO Supervision Relaxations Continue (“Diagnostic Tests” = IGRT)
  
  
• Proton Therapy Spending in Rad Onc Continues at Unsustainable Levels As Previously Most Successful Proton Center in U.S. Goes Bankrupt
  • Photons vs. Protons: Health Systems Invest in New Cancer Therapies Amid Mixed Data
  • Mayo Clinic to build $200 million proton beam expansion | Bemidji Pioneer
  • IBA and New Mexico Cancer Center Sign Contract to Install a Proteus ONE
  • McLaren Flint launches $46M expansion of cancer, proton therapy centers to grow care in Genesee County
  • UAMS Breaks Ground on New Radiation Oncology Center, Will House First Proton Center in Arkansas - UAMS News
  • Tampa General Hospital and FCS Collaborate to Bring Proton Therapy to the Tampa Bay FL Area
  • First-in-city proton therapy center to provide alternative to radiation treatment for cancer - UT Health San Antonio
    
    
• RO-APM Cancelled… Until 2023
  
  
• American Company (Varian) w/ Largest Global Share of Rad Onc Market Is Sold (to Siemens)
  
  
• America’s 88th Most Medicare-Reimbursed Rad Onc Has Himself a Hoosegow Holiday

Well at least “residency director arrested for possession of child pornography” hasn’t made the list in a few years.

 

[medgator]

 

[elementaryschooleconomics]

I'm really trying to find some "uplifting" RadOnc stories from this year and...yeah.

So I guess, from a certain point of view, all the hypofrac is good from a patient perspective, in that it's easier on them. Technically uplifting from that angle, but obvious implications from the jobs angle.

I ventured on over to the Google Residency Interview Spreadsheet and wow, that is NOT what it used to be. I can almost hear the crickets when I read it. But there are still the occasional comments that "SDN is a bunch of psychopaths pushing their agenda while denying reality". Beyond the fact that I don't see how people who aren't affiliated in any way and are using anonymous screennames can have an "agenda", I would encourage the naysayers to read these stories and consider the implications. I would love to see positive stories, so if anyone's got them, post them!

 

[fiji128]

Positive story: Randall retiring.

 

[medgator]

Positive story: Randall retiring.

I believe the term you are looking for is "cancelled"?

 

[BobbyHeenan]

@TheWallnerus

Where do you find that medicare billing data? Propublica?

The last time I looked at some of it I knew some docs on there that had massive numbers, but they were employed docs not making anything out of the usual but because they did global billing so much was "tagged" to their name. It would make me nervous to be on that list though, I feel like the CMS eye of Sauron looking at you or something.

 

[seper]

Well at least “residency director arrested for possession of child pornography” hasn’t made the list in a few years.

It was more like "pediatric RadOnc convicted for sexual abuse of children". Worst ever

 

[deleted941485]

It was more like "pediatric RadOnc convicted for sexual abuse of children". Worst ever

Yeah that was a bad year. Apparenly he wrote a book. No idea who would be interested in reading it but

 

[radoncftw]

Yeah that was a bad year. Apparenly he wrote a book. No idea who would be interested in reading it but

had no idea this happened. was before my "time". sad story

 

[TheWallnerus]

@TheWallnerus

Where do you find that medicare billing data? Propublica?

The last time I looked at some of it I knew some docs on there that had massive numbers, but they were employed docs not making anything out of the usual but because they did global billing so much was "tagged" to their name. It would make me nervous to be on that list though, I feel like the CMS eye of Sauron looking at you or something.

Always takes me a bit to find but I think this is the right link

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Data

 

[deleted941485]

Always takes me a bit to find but I think this is the right link

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Data

Just looked up some of my colleagues only have data till 2019

Seems like the past was far better. But was surprised by some of my colleagues how little they actually got from big daddy Medicare and these were no academics.

 

[TheWallnerus]

Seems like the past was far better

Objectively true!

 

[Mandelin Rain]

• ASTRO Finally Admits Water is Wet: “With more efficient treatment delivery, fewer radiation oncologists may be needed in the coming years.”
  
  
• Radiation Oncology Becomes Least Competitive Medical Specialty In Match
  
  
• Some Potentially Practice-Changing Trials Suggest: Less (External Beam) Is More
  • Prostate: EP. 4B: How the VISION Trial May Change Prostate Cancer Therapy
  • Breast: Elective Internal Mammary Node Irradiation in Women With Node-Positive Breast Cancer: Results of a Randomized, Phase 3 Trial
  • Lung: Postoperative radiotherapy versus no postoperative radiotherapy in patients with completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer and proven mediastinal N2 involvement (Lung ART): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial
    
    
• Many Cancer Centers Don’t Comply w/ Price Transparency; CMS Increases Non-Compliance Fines ~20x
  
  
• Radiotherapy Fractions/Treatment Lengths Decline
  • IMV: Radiation therapy volume stays steady despite COVID-19
  • Five-fraction Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer: FAST-Forward to Implementation
  • “5-week schedules are no longer defensible for whole breast irradiation”
    
    
• RO Supervision Relaxations Continue (“Diagnostic Tests” = IGRT)
  
  
• Proton Therapy Spending in Rad Onc Continues at Unsustainable Levels As Previously Most Successful Proton Center in U.S. Goes Bankrupt
  • Photons vs. Protons: Health Systems Invest in New Cancer Therapies Amid Mixed Data
  • Mayo Clinic to build $200 million proton beam expansion | Bemidji Pioneer
  • IBA and New Mexico Cancer Center Sign Contract to Install a Proteus ONE
  • McLaren Flint launches $46M expansion of cancer, proton therapy centers to grow care in Genesee County
  • UAMS Breaks Ground on New Radiation Oncology Center, Will House First Proton Center in Arkansas - UAMS News
  • Tampa General Hospital and FCS Collaborate to Bring Proton Therapy to the Tampa Bay FL Area
  • First-in-city proton therapy center to provide alternative to radiation treatment for cancer - UT Health San Antonio
  • South Jersey’s First Proton Therapy Center Takes Giant Step Forward with Delivery of 90-ton Particle Accelerator from Europe
    
    
• RO-APM Cancelled… Until 2023
  
  
• American Company (Varian) w/ Largest Global Share of Rad Onc Market Is Sold (to Siemens)
  
  
• America’s 88th Most Medicare-Reimbursed Rad Onc Has Himself a Hoosegow Holiday