Proton Therapy’s biggest problem is lack of transparency.

The central issue is one of communication. How do you communicate your expertise to someone who possesses a different type of expertise? How to avoid spending large amount of resources on trying to learn to speak a (technical or clinical) language that is not your own, on writing a contract that should catch all, on “staying on top of things” when you really don’t have much of a clue?

To effectively communicate expertise you should avoid the use of details. The other party simply won’t understand them. Vendors should also avoid the use of marketing. Catchy slogans will be matched by those of competitors, and the relevance to the prospective customer generally remains unclear.

What does an initiative try to achieve, what expertise do they have which is essential to take into account, in what circumstances are they trying to provide proton therapy capacity?

What are the vendor’s services and solutions which are important to the initiative, based on what performances can this be made clear, how will they achieve what the initiative need, how can the initiative tell things are going according to plan?

Transparency is also needed so it becomes clear who is accountable for what. To identify the risks which need to be managed. To avoid frequent meetings, micro-management, and long lists of requirements flowing into legal contracts.

Transparency is essential in minimising risk. It allows for the utilisation of available expertise. It makes everything cheaper, quicker, and generally more fun. For Trees with Character transparency is key. It is how we will help you.

 

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If you found this to be of interest perhaps you may want to read the following original contributions: Solutions in proton therapy — for initiatives (a report), Procuring proton therapy equipment (a case) and A Business Case for a proton therapy initiative (a case).

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This is how we make proton therapy a success

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Many proton therapy centers struggle because of an unrealistic projection of the number of patients that will be treated. In the past, and even in the present, the number of patients projected to be treated was simply the number that was required to make the business case look good. Today we know that the most successful centers treat, on average, no more than 300 patients per treatment room. But to achieve even this number takes great effort. There is the challenge of identifying the patients who will benefit from proton therapy, and there is the challenge of getting these people referred to the center.

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Initiatives don’t share their overall aims, vendors focus on technology. Everybody is blind to the other side’s needs and capabilities. Without transparency everything is a risk. Everybody is looking for safety and control. Many resources are spent on inspections, on meetings, on the contract. But there is another way.

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