AN integrated business embracing public and private health-care services has doubled the availability of cancer treatment in Western Australia.
The opening of the $20 million Shenton House health-care centre in Joondalup last month marks private company Genesis Care’s latest expansion into the state.
The health-care provider, which specialises in treating cardiac, cancer and sleep patients, is one of two cornerstone tenants in the centre.
As well as stumping up part of the building costs, Genesis Care has also invested about $10 million into state-of-the-art cancer treatment technology for use in the centre.
The company’s cardiac service in Joondalup – Heart Care Western Australia – is also relocating to the centre, which will include a sleep laboratory.
Founder of Genesis Care Dan Collins told Business News the new capacity for cancer care at Shenton House and the company’s other expansions in the state, had doubled the availability of cancer treatment in WA over the past two years.
When cardiac and sleep treatments were taken into account, Mr Collins said increased availability had improved by about 75 per cent.
The company is responsible for running the state government’s radiotherapy services out of Royal Perth Hospital and Bunbury’s regional cancer centre, which opened in 2011.
It has also been contracted to provide services out of Fiona Stanley Hospital, when it opens in 2014.
Shenton House was developed jointly by Genesis Care, the other main tenant – Perth Radiological Clinic – and the Anglican Diocese of Perth, which owns the land.
It is primarily a facility for private patients but has the capacity to take an overflow of public patients.
Mr Collins said Genesis Care’s earlier partnership with the state government and commitment to treating public and private patients meant the best treatment was available to all, regardless of location.
“(The government) provides the capital through the buildings and we provide the people, the technology, the process and the structures to make it happen,” he said.
Genesis Care’s business model is founded on establishing specialist services across Australia and running the company as a network.
Mr Collins said that resulted in the benefit of a much larger wealth of knowledge and expertise.
“It has the benefit of tapping into resources across the state or country – deep skill sets and technology that may not be available in that location,” he said.
“What we’ve been able to do is bring world-class, quality resources such as rare doctors and medical teams that are hard to put together in the west.”
Mr Collins said the network model had helped Genesis Care remain a viable and profitable business.
“Because we are able to combine scarce resources more effectively, we’re able to maintain a sustainable business and at the same time afford the state savings – we also have some scale now so that assists as well,” he said.
The agreement with the state government for the provision of cancer services came two years after Genesis Care entered WA with cardiac services in 2007.
Mr Collins said it was a result of the government recognising it needed to partner with the private sector to provide adequate care on the scale it was needed.
