Radiosurgery system prices rise nearly 80%

The average cost of stereotactic radiosurgery systems has increased by about 78% during the past year, according to the most recent Modern Healthcare/ECRI Institute Technology Price Index.

The index gathers monthly and annual price data for about 30 supply and capital items purchased by hospitals and other healthcare providers, based on three-month rolling averages.

The average price point for radiosurgery systems was $4.9 million in January of this year, a 77.7% increase compared with January 2012 and a 4.3% increase compared with December 2012.

Kevin Lee, a senior analyst in the ECRI Institute's healthcare technology advisory service, attributed the cost boost to interest in newer and more expensive systems, such as the TrueBeam STx platform developed by Varian Medical Systems, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based device and software manufacturer.

The system costs between $3 million and $5.5 million—the higher prices usually take into account the purchase of other options and add-on technologies, Lee said. Older systems such as Varian's Trilogy system usually cost between $2 million and $3.5 million.

“That's what's influencing the average cost,” Lee said.

Academic medical centers and cancer centers are most likely to purchase the higher-cost systems.

Varian and Stockholm-based Elekta are expected to introduce new platforms this year and Accuray, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., recently launched a new version of its robotic system. The new platforms could lead to higher averages costs across the board for radiosurgery systems, Lee noted.