The National Association for Proton Therapy

Registration for the 2027 National Proton Conference is officially OPEN! 🎉 This April, the proton therapy community heads to Florida’s First Coast for three days of connection, collaboration, and big ideas. 📍 Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 📅 April 8–10, 2027 🏨 Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa A special thank you to our three Member Center hosts, Ackerman Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, and UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, for their partnership in bringing the 2027 National Proton Conference to Florida’s First Coast! Expect groundbreaking research, emerging innovations, and the conversations that are shaping the future of our field. Whether you’re a longtime attendee or joining us for the first time, you’ll find new ways to connect, learn, and move the field forward. Registration is simple, too. There’s one rate for everyone, with no early bird deadlines and no group discount math. Register on your own timeline and plan with confidence. This year’s theme is “A Legacy of Firsts. A Future of Possibilities.” In that spirit, attendees can tour two proton therapy milestones: the first proton therapy center on the East Coast at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, and the Western Hemisphere’s first carbon ion facility at Mayo Clinic Florida. ⛳ Golf tee times and spa reservations are now open. Tee times go fast, so book early! 👉 Register, explore the agenda, and reserve your room: https://lnkd.in/eudXwypd See you in Ponte Vedra Beach! 🌊

A new Florida Times-Union article examines the potential impact of CMS’s proposed 2027 Medicare payment changes, which could reduce reimbursement for freestanding proton therapy centers by nearly 30% compared with hospital outpatient departments. The article features NAPT member centers Ackerman Cancer Center and UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, highlighting concerns about the financial impact on freestanding centers and the potential consequences for patient services, research and access to care. We appreciate CMS’s recognition of proton therapy’s value and the importance of protecting patient access. As a CMS spokesperson noted: "CMS recognizes the important role that proton beam therapy can play in treating Medicare beneficiaries. The agency also recognizes stakeholder concerns regarding the potential effects of payment policy on beneficiary access and the ability of providers to furnish these highly specialized services." We ask that CMS does not to finalize this national pricing proposal in the CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and instead work with stakeholders to develop a payment approach that accurately reflects the resources required to provide proton therapy. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gBGsu6Kp

Kristin was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 13 weeks pregnant. She needed radiation, and to protect her and her growing baby, Elijah, proton therapy was her best option. It would fight her cancer while sparing healthy tissue, including baby Elijah. At her treatment graduation, Kristin proudly stood up to thank her team at Oklahoma Proton Center with a happy baby on her hip: Elijah Jude, a thriving 4-month old who was blissfully unaffected by his mother’s cancer treatment. “We are so, so thankful for our miracle,” Kristin shared, adding, “I am just so thankful for the care that I have received here.” Stories like Kristin's are a reminder of why protecting patient access to proton therapy matters, especially for pregnant patients and others who often have fewer treatment options to begin with. But proposed changes from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could reduce that access. CMS has proposed a new national reimbursement methodology for proton therapy that significantly undervalues the cost of delivering this highly specialized cancer treatment at freestanding centers. NAPT and proton therapy providers across the country are urging CMS not to finalize this national pricing proposal in the CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and instead work with stakeholders to develop a payment approach that accurately reflects the resources required to provide proton therapy. Help us protect access to proton therapy: https://lnkd.in/eruZMMtW #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth #ProtonTherapy

After receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis, Randy traveled from rural Colorado to receive proton therapy in Oklahoma, requiring a several week stay hundreds of miles away from home. Traveling for treatment can bring real practical and financial strain for patients and their families, which is why preserving regional access to proton therapy is so critical for thousands of patients across America. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed a new national reimbursement methodology for proton therapy that significantly undervalues the cost of delivering this highly specialized cancer treatment at freestanding centers like the Oklahoma Proton Center. Randy already had to travel hundreds of miles to reach his nearest proton therapy center. If these centers are not available, patients like him could face even greater distances, and many will no longer have the same opportunity he did. Treatment decisions should be based on what's best for a patient's health, not on how far someone has to travel to access it. NAPT and proton therapy providers across the country are urging CMS not to finalize this national pricing proposal in the CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and instead work with stakeholders to develop a payment approach that accurately reflects the resources required to provide proton therapy. Read Randy’s story:https://lnkd.in/eRYd2sKS Contact your representative today: https://lnkd.in/eruZMMtW

As cancer treatment continues to advance, our health care policies must keep pace and ensure patients can access these innovations. As CMS considers changes to Medicare payment for proton therapy, we share the concerns outlined in this piece: a national payment methodology that does not reflect the actual resources required to deliver proton therapy could make it harder for patients to access this specialized treatment. We need to protect and expand access to proton therapy, not restrict it. Read the full piece below. https://lnkd.in/gxD3gr2m

🚀 The National Association for Proton Therapy (NAPT) is pleased to announce the launch of the NAPT Job Board — a new resource designed to connect talented professionals with career opportunities at proton therapy centers across the United States. As proton therapy continues to grow, so does the need for skilled clinicians, physicists, therapists, researchers, administrators, and other professionals who are dedicated to advancing patient care. The NAPT Job Board provides a centralized platform where centers can showcase open positions and job seekers can explore opportunities across the proton therapy community. As a perk of membership, NAPT members receive reduced pricing on job postings. Browse jobs, post open positions and explore the job board at the link below: https://lnkd.in/ez6gKjti