Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. It is estimated that one in five Americans will have skin cancer before they reach the age of 70.

With millions of new cases diagnosed each year, the cost of skin cancer treatment has become an important focus for many. Typical treatment includes Mohs surgery, where a dermatology surgeon cuts out the impacted area of skin. The treatment doesn’t stop there. There may be subsequent visits required to help further treatment. And, after the surgery, many patients will endure ongoing laser treatments to help the skin heal and remove any redness.

Skin cancer treatment has become a multi-step process for patients, which can often be expensive and time consuming. Rising treatment costs for non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, impact both patients and their families. It also places a significant burden on the healthcare system.

As we look toward the future of cancer care, non-invasive treatments are emerging as an effective solution that addresses both medical outcomes and healthcare costs.

The Rising Costs of Skin Cancer Treatment

It’s estimated that more than $8 billion is spent each year in the U.S. to treat skin cancer, with more than half of the total cost dedicated to treating non-melanoma skin cancer.

With today’s emphasis on using surgery to cure skin cancer, healthcare expenses for patients often go beyond treatment costs – and may include other charges, including:

• Facility and procedure fees tied to surgical environments, such as anesthesia charges
• Post-surgical care expenses, including wound dressings, follow-up visits, and sometimes reconstructive procedure
• Time away from work or daily activities during recovery, which may or may not be covered under medical leave
• Potential complications such as infections, scarring, or need for revision surgery, which may lead to additional costs

Rising treatment costs are a significant barrier to care. In some cases it may even turn patients away from seeking necessary treatment for skin cancer.

While insurance covers many procedures, the rise of high-deductible health plans means a larger portion of the financial burden is frequently shifted to the patient. For individuals with multiple or recurrent lesions, these out-of-pocket expenses can accumulate quickly.

Beyond the patient, the healthcare system itself faces pressure. Reimbursement rates, payer policies, and site-of-service differentials all impact whether these costs are absorbed by the system or transferred to the patient.

How Advanced Technology Like SRT Changes the Equation

Superficial radiotherapy (SRT) technology provides a non-surgical alternative for non-melanoma skin care. Instead, through the delivery of low-energy, X-ray beams, SRT can treat the specific affected area to kill cancer cells on the spot.

SRT offers a non-invasive, outpatient alternative that eliminates many of the downstream expenses associated with surgery. This means that patients can enter the clinic or facility, receive treatment, and go about their lives without needing to recover from time under the scalpel.

With SRT, no operating room or anesthesia is required. Treatments are performed in the office – often with the time to prepare the patient taking longer than the treatment time itself. For patients that may have a skin cancer lesion in a place that may be hard to operate on (like on the nose), SRT provides an alternative that removes the lesion without extended recovery time.

Because there’s no cutting on the skin, corrective procedures to cosmetically improve the skin in the area are rarely used. This helps to reduce the cost of skin cancer treatment significantly, while giving patients back time in their everyday lives.

For providers, recent code changes further validates the technology by delivering specific codes for Sensus’ SRT technology. This simplifies reimbursement and ensures better patient outcomes with the use of a proven technology for skin cancer treatment.

Lastly, it’s important to note that skin cancer can be diagnosed at any age. However, it’s most common in persons over the age of 65 due to cumulative skin exposure over their lifetime. SRT technology offers a suitable treatment option for older people. Without surgery, it accelerates recovery time and reduces the risk of treatment for any complications.

Patient and System-Level Savings

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be difficult for patients. And for many, jumping into the treatment journey can be overwhelming. They need to become versed in medical terminology – including billing requirements – as the navigate the treatment journey.

Using the SRT for treatment can offer many benefits for patients. For one, it simplifies the overall treatment process with an easy-to-understand path to treat skin cancer. It removes the added emotional distress of facing a major surgery, often requiring anesthesia. In addition, SRT as an option for treating skin cancer can result in fewer follow-up visits, less time off work for treatments and recovery, and lower out-of-pocket costs.

Healthcare systems also see benefits from using SRT technology. As a non-invasive therapy, it results in a lower strain on surgical resources and reduced costs that may arise due to complications or from having to repeat the surgery.

The Bigger Picture: Innovation and Value

The demand for skin cancer treatment will continue to rise, given the aging population. It makes it more important than ever to deliver cost-effective, patient-centered care.

This is where non-invasive solutions like SRT technology can have a big impact. By expanding the treatment options for skin cancer, it gives patients a choice of what may work best for their situation. Taking into consideration specific factors – like location of skin cancer, patient age and medical condition, and cancer type – gives patients an alternative skin cancer treatment option.

It goes beyond the patient. The new codes for billing gives providers confidence in using SRT as a skin cancer treatment option. Continued innovation in dermatology oncology means that high-value care can be delivered when combining clinical effectiveness with long-term cost savings.

The Future of Skin Cancer Treatment

At Sensus Healthcare, we believe that patients should not have to choose between effective treatment and financial peace of mind.

By advancing technologies like SRT, Sensus Healthcare changes the standard of skin cancer care. It also helps to reduce the total cost of skin cancer treatment by providing a clear pathway to removing the cancer and eliminating many additional costs that a patient may face throughout the treatment process.

With SRT, the future is non-invasive, effective, and sustainable for patients and providers alike.

Find a provider near you that offers SRT technology for skin cancer treatment.