GREENFIELD — Officials at Hancock Regional Hospital recently made the decision to purchase a different linear accelerator than originally planned.
The machine is used in radiation therapy for cancer treatment and is being purchased for the new cancer center expected to open in May.
Originally, hospital officials planned to purchase an analog version of the machine. After being approached by distributors, they chose to purchase a digital version, which will provide better patient care, they say.
The digital technology allows for better precision to minimize radiation damage to other areas of the body, said hospital chief operating officer Rob Matt.
The analog machine would have cost $1.86 million, and the digital costs $2.1 million. Officials were able to capture savings in other expenses, which allows the purchase to be made without costing much more than what was originally budgeted.
