Dynamic budget impact model for PET-CT imager in surgical oncology

Möbius assessed care pathways for XEOS’ AURA10 PET-CT, mapping surgery costs, savings, and revenue streams to guide hospital adoption and market readiness.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in Belgium, with more than 6,000 new diagnoses each year. Despite advancements in early detection and improved treatments, as well as a significant increase in survival rates over the past decades, it remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women.

A significant challenge in the surgical treatment of breast cancer is preventing revision surgery. Approximately 10-20% of women who undergo breast-conserving surgery require a second operation because not all of the tumour tissue was completely removed during the initial procedure. This extends the treatment duration and significantly increases both the physical and emotional burden on the patient.

To address this issue, it is crucial to assess tumour tissue quickly and accurately during surgery to ensure complete removal. This can help prevent unnecessary reoperations, reduce waiting times, and improve the overall quality of care.

Not only in breast cancer surgery but also in prostatectomy, an accurate assessment of tumour-free tissue is crucial. Although the entire prostate is removed, a significant proportion of patients have positive surgical margins, increasing the risk of recurrence and necessitating additional treatments such as radiotherapy. The AURA 10 PET-CT specimen imager can assist during the procedure by evaluating margins in real-time, reducing the likelihood of residual disease and further therapies.

The Belgian start-up XEOS has developed the AURA10, an innovative PET-CT specimen imager that can analyse tumour tissue in real time during surgery. This helps surgeons make faster and more confident decisions, reducing anaesthesia time and the likelihood of reoperations.

Working with Möbius on the budget impact model has been a very positive experience. Their team developed a well-structured and adaptive budget impact model that provides hospitals with a clear financial overview when using our technology during surgery. Their expertise in health economics, Value4Health and attention to detail resulted in a model that is both comprehensive and practical. We appreciate their collaborative approach and the quality of their work.

Philine Blomme Head of Clinical Marketing

Strategic challenge

XEOS initiated a multicentric study in hospitals across Belgium, Germany, and Italy to evaluate the clinical outcomes of surgery with the AURA10. Beyond mapping out the medical benefits of this technology, gaining insight into its financial impact within hospitals is essential for a successful market introduction.

Möbius was asked to support the development of a substantiated budget impact model to map out the financial effect of using the AURA10. The challenge involved identifying and comparing two patient pathways:

AS IS: the current care pathway without the AURA10
TO BE: the care pathway where the AURA10 is used during surgery

This study was conducted for lumpectomy and prostatectomy in collaboration with two Belgian university hospitals.

Approach

Möbius closely collaborated with the XEOS team and two Belgian university hospitals to map the care pathway and its associated costs and revenues. This was done through desk research and interviews with key hospital stakeholders (experts), including surgeons, nuclear medicine specialists, and pathologists.

The collected data covered key parameters, such as:

Duration of the surgery

Length of stay (LOS)

Number of revision surgeries

Duration of potential ICU stay

Other relevant costs and revenues

Using specific billing data and cost information, a detailed overview of hospital costs and revenues was created using the Value4Health dashboard. The dashboard provides extensive insights into the financial aspects of treatments per pathology or patient group.

By leveraging nomenclature codes linked to surgical procedures, the costs per service and their associated revenues were allocated to each step within the care pathway. This information allowed for the development of a dynamic budget impact model that provides a detailed assessment of the financial impact of using the AURA10 in surgery. This allows XEOS and the hospitals to evaluate the results of different scenarios.

Results

Together, we were able to provide a clear overview of patient care pathways, both in the current standard of care (AS IS) and in the scenario where the AURA10 is implemented (TO BE). The dynamic budget impact model mapped out the financial impact of the AURA10 in hospitals by identifying both cost increases and potential savings associated with using this innovative medical imaging technology in breast and prostate surgeries (lumpectomy and prostatectomy).

Furthermore, the model supports broader market access by offering first insights into the cost-effectiveness of the AURA10. Adjustable parameters enable the model to evaluate the potential applications in tissue-sparing tumour surgery.

The developed model enables XEOS to create a well-founded business plan for the Belgian market, with the flexibility to expand it to other European countries.

Written by

Annelies van Troost

Thomas Haspeslagh

Lauren Vanhouteghem

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