Retired Director of Air Force General Hospital's Radiotherapy Department Launches Huaxia Jingfang to Revolutionize Oncology Care with Standardized, Equitable Treatment Model

VCBeat has learned that Beijing Huaxia Precision Radiation Medicine Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Huaxia Precision Radiation”) recently completed its angel round of financing, raising RMB 20 million. The funds will be primarily used for the standardization and informatization construction of radiotherapy centers, as well as for the subsequent recruitment and training of talent.

Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy was established in May 2019 as a medical enterprise dedicated to radiotherapy for cancer patients. Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy seeks to, through various regions,Establish radiation therapy centers and platforms to address the imbalance in radiotherapy resources and improve the accessibility of radiotherapy technologies for cancer patients.What has enabled a company founded just one year ago to attract investor interest? We interviewed Professor Xia Tingyi, founder and chief medical advisor of Huaxia Jingfang, to address our questions.

In 2019, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) Radiation Oncology Branch conducted its ninth nationwide industry survey, covering radiation therapy units in specialized cancer hospitals’ radiotherapy centers, oncology departments of general hospitals, radiotherapy departments of general hospitals, and Gamma Knife treatment centers. The findings were published in April 2020 in the Chinese Journal of Cancer under the title “Survey on the Basic Status of Radiotherapy Personnel and Equipment in Mainland China in 2019.”

The results show that in 2018, China had only 2,021 linear accelerators; even with the inclusion of cobalt-60 units, the total number reached merely 2,087. This equates to only 1.5 units per million population, which is below the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 2–4 units per million population and significantly lower than the level of 6–12 units per million population observed in developed countries and regions. Among these, only Beijing, Shanghai, and Shandong met the requirement of having more than two radiotherapy equipment units per million population.

The insufficient inventory of radiotherapy equipment relative to WHO standards is one of the motivations for Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy to enter the field of oncology radiotherapy. While 50%–70% of cancer patients should receive radiotherapy, only one-third actually do.The low installed base of radiotherapy equipment, coupled with the limited number of cancer patients receiving radiation therapy, has ultimately resulted in a relatively low contribution of radiotherapy technologies to overall cancer care in China.This vicious cycle affects people's perception of radiation therapy technology.

Professor Xia Tingyi stated, “The five-year survival rate for cancer patients in Europe, the United States, and Japan reaches approximately 70%, with surgery combined with pharmacological therapy accounting for 40% and radiotherapy contributing 30%. In contrast, the five-year survival rate for cancer patients in China is only around 40%, where treatment is predominantly surgery-led, pharmacological therapy constitutes a substantial proportion, and radiotherapy contributes less than one-third. This disparity drives us to promote the comprehensive development of radiotherapy, address the imbalance in radiotherapy resources, and extend its benefits more broadly to cancer patients.”

Professor Xia Tingyi defines Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy as an asset-light entity that possesses a team of physicians with core professional technical capabilities and is engaged in medical operations and healthcare services. This definition essentially outlines the cooperation model between Huaxia Medical and third parties:

1. Provide discipline development services for public hospitals.In some regions, public hospitals are attempting to implement reforms, but their radiation oncology departments remain relatively small. By providing two to three experts, medical physicists, and an information technology platform, Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy enables “rapid establishment of disciplinary infrastructure and a significant leap in the quality of medical services.” The government can facilitate the development of hospital disciplines in remote provinces by purchasing high-quality medical services from Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy.

2. Provide private hospitals with a team of experts.For example, the Xinzheng Cancer Radiotherapy Center, a collaborative venture between Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy and Xinzheng Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. During its construction, the center adopted forward-thinking concepts, equipping itself with radiotherapy equipment such as PET-CT, PET-MR, and linear accelerators, while reserving eight foundation pits for future radiotherapy units. The radiotherapy center boasts an elegant environment and a well-designed layout. However, patient volume remained low due to a shortage of radiotherapy professionals. Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy provided an independent operational team to help the hospital achieve sustainable and efficient operations.

3. Provide supporting services for radiation therapy centers established by investors.This approach primarily targets scenarios where there is market demand for radiotherapy services, but local radiotherapy centers are unable to achieve standardized development. Capital investors are willing to construct standardized equipment configurations and build top-tier platforms in accordance with Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy’s standards. Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy will provide support by supplying corresponding technical equipment, process specifications, and professional talent teams.

4. Collaborate with investors to jointly establish a radiotherapy center.To alleviate the financial burden on investors, Huaxia Jingfang opts to collaborate with them in jointly establishing radiotherapy centers. This approach fosters mutual trust between both parties and facilitates the development of local radiotherapy centers, thereby addressing the imbalance in the allocation of radiotherapy resources.

Regarding the construction of radiation therapy centers, Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy aims to achieve homogeneous development. For Professor Xia Tingyi, “standardized construction is the prerequisite, information-based management is the tool, standardized implementation reflects the level of capability, and homogeneity is the outcome.”

In terms of standardization, Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy approaches the matter from the following perspectives:First is the standardization of equipment configuration, which addresses patients’ actual needs by improving the quality of equipment provisioning. Second is the standardization of information management, involving the development of standardized cloud-based platforms for clinical diagnosis and treatment as well as health information management systems. Third is the implementation of standardized protocols to achieve uniformity in clinical pathways and care delivery models.

Through standardized development, Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy aims to ensure that patients in remote regions receive treatment plans and care experiences essentially identical to those available to patients in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

“Having access to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen does not necessarily mean having access to superior medical resources. Patients are often stuck in long queues; they may still be waiting three months later, thereby missing the optimal window for treatment.” The unmet needs of patients are closely linked to a shortage of radiation oncology professionals. According to surveys, in 2018, there were a total of 29,096 personnel engaged in radiation therapy in mainland China, including 14,575 radiation oncologists, 4,172 medical physicists, 8,940 radiologic technologists, and 1,409 maintenance engineers.

How to recruit a sufficient number of highly qualified radiation oncology professionals is also a consideration for Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy. In fact, Professor Xia Tingyi himself boasts an impressive professional background.For over 20 years, he served as the Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Air Force General Hospital., and transformed the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Air Force General Hospital from a underperforming unit into one of the top three departments in the hospital. Furthermore,He previously served concurrently as Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Chinese PLA General Hospital, and was elected Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Committee of the Beijing Medical Association and Vice Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Committee of the Chinese Medical Association.

The team's physics and technology consultant isProfessor Zhang Hongzhi, Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chief National Expert in Radiological Physics, and Vice Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association.The strong appeal of the two individuals has enabled the team to currently signFive senior consultants, 67 specially invited experts, and approximately 260 physicians, medical physicists, technicians, nurses, and medical administration and management personnel.

During the hospital’s establishment phase, Professor Xia and Professor Zhang provided on-site guidance, recruited local experts to participate in operations, and prioritized the development of local talent. Building on a foundation of specialized personnel training, optimized clinical pathways, and standardized therapeutic procedures, they fully leveraged the expertise of remote specialists to provide guidance and solutions for patients amid rising patient volumes.

For Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy, establishing an effective compensation system can better help practicing physicians realize their professional value and deliver improved patient care. To this end,Huaxia Jingfang registered a physician group in Shenzhen, enabling physicians within the public healthcare system to engage in multi-site practice while maintaining their primary employment., and achieve greater returns. To better serve patients, Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy also adopts a patient-centered approach,Provide a multidisciplinary consultation and treatment model.Among the hospitals invested in and constructed by Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy, the patient journey generally proceeds as follows:

Taking head and neck tumor patients as an example, upon entering the comfortable environment of the lobby, patients consult at the service desk, where staff assist with registration and assess their needs. Subsequently, outpatient specialists meet with the patients to further complete their records, comprehensively collect information, and conduct diagnostic analysis. A multidisciplinary team comprising departments of surgery, internal medicine, radiation oncology, radiology, and genetic pathology collaborates to develop a treatment plan. Later, the expert team can refine the diagnosis and treatment regimen via an online platform.

The advantages of Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy areWith years of accumulated clinical experience, the Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy Team offers distinctive cancer treatment solutions and possesses in-depth expertise in both technology application and clinical implementation.. On the other hand, Huaxia Jingfang’s entry into the radiotherapy market helps address the current situation in which patients face difficulties accessing medical care.

Public oncology hospitals and radiotherapy departments in other general hospitals face a large patient volume but are constrained by limited space when seeking expansion. Private hospitals, despite possessing high-quality equipment, are hindered by talent shortages and struggle to establish medical trust.Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy liberates distinguished expert physicians from designated hospitals, enabling them to realize their professional worth while helping private hospitals earn patient trust. In deepening public hospital reform and meeting patient needs, it achieves a win-win outcome for all stakeholders.

This has encouraged continued investment from private entrepreneurs, ultimately creating a virtuous cycle that addresses the current unmet needs of patients and drives the advancement of radiation oncology.Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy aims to establish more than 30 medical entities within three to five years., while collaborating with medical schools to cultivate specialized talent, jointly develop equipment and technologies, and establish a comprehensive ecosystem encompassing online healthcare and other integrated services.

Following this round of financing, Huaxia Jingfang aims to promote the clinical adoption of domestic medical devices, assist the Radiotherapy Equipment Industry Alliance in extending core technologies of China’s large-scale radiotherapy and diagnostic equipment to frontline clinical practice; advance informatization and the development of online platform hospitals; and foster professional talent by collaborating with private universities to jointly train clinicians, medical physicists, and technical specialists in clinical radiation oncology, medical physics and technology, and nuclear medicine.

InIn terms of strategic layout, Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy plans to shift from the downstream application and treatment with radiotherapy equipment to expanding into the upstream segments.In the past, hospitals merely utilized radiotherapy equipment. In the future, Huaxia Jingfang aims to leverage the Radiotherapy Equipment Industry Alliance to advance the research and development as well as clinical application of core equipment, thereby addressing the shortcomings in radiotherapy technology. In terms of early screening, Huaxia Jingfang seeks to promote inclusive early screening programs to detect tumors at an earlier stage and better assist patients.

Huaxia Precision Radiotherapy has currently engaged in discussions with local governments in multiple regions.Some projects are already in the implementation phase.Looking to the future, Professor Xia expressed his hope that “patients would only need to travel one hour by high-speed rail to reach a radiotherapy center, where they could receive support from experts across China and enjoy an equitable treatment experience.”