HDR Brachytherapy Equipment Financing

One deal for the afterloader and the vault

Most lenders will fund a Flexitron or a GammaMedplus but balk at the shielded suite and construction. We put the afterloader, applicators, planning system, and vault work on a single schedule, so you close once instead of chasing three invoices.

Structured for the source exchange cycle

An Ir-192 source is swapped roughly every quarter, and the physics QA never stops. We size payments around real HDR cash flow, not a generic 60-month template, so the schedule fits how the suite actually earns.

All credit profiles considered

Newer centers and practices with challenged credit still get funded. With more than 500 lenders on our desk, we match your file to the one most likely to approve it, not the first that says no.

Section 179 and bonus depreciation up front

HDR gear is heavy capital, and the tax treatment matters. We structure deals so your CPA can apply Section 179 and 100% bonus depreciation in the year the suite goes into service.

An HDR program is built around a remote afterloader that drives a single high-activity Ir-192 source through transfer tubes into applicators positioned in the patient. The Elekta Flexitron and the Varian GammaMedplus iX are the two systems you will see most in US centers, with the Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG SagiNova a third option. The afterloader is only the start. Prostate HDR needs interstitial needle templates; gyn cases need tandem and ovoid or ring applicators, and often a Syed template for interstitial work. The source itself is high activity and gets exchanged roughly every quarter because Ir-192 has about a 74 day half-life, so the program carries an ongoing source and QA commitment. You also need a treatment planning system, usually Oncentra Brachy for a Flexitron or BrachyVision for a GammaMedplus, plus a well chamber and electrometer to calibrate every new source. None of it runs without a shielded HDR suite: lead or concrete shielding, an interlocked door, area monitors, and an NRC or agreement-state license. When a practice prices all of this out, the afterloader is often the smallest line. The construction and shielding frequently cost as much as the machine. Financing that treats the suite as one project, rather than a machine plus a separate construction loan, is what keeps the timeline intact.

A few HDR and brachytherapy deals we have structured recently. Figures are representative of real approvals; every file is priced on its own merits.

• $410,000, Elekta Flexitron with Oncentra Brachy planning. Freestanding radiation oncology center, 9 years in practice, 712 credit. Approved at 5.79% APR, 60 months, 10% down.
• $285,000, Varian GammaMedplus iX afterloader. Hospital-affiliated cancer center replacing an aging unit, 14 years in operation, 748 credit. Approved at 5.49% APR, 66 months, 5% down.
• $540,000, full HDR suite (afterloader, vault shielding, and planning system). Newark radiation oncology center building its first HDR program, 6 years in practice, 690 credit. Approved at 6.24% APR, 72 months, 15% down, with progress draws for the vault construction.
• $225,000, Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG SagiNova afterloader. Gyn-focused practice upgrading its brachytherapy capacity, 11 years in operation, 705 credit. Approved at 6.49% APR, 48 months, 10% down.

The Newark deal is the one practices ask about most: one schedule covered the Flexitron and the shielded suite, so the center did not have to run a separate construction loan alongside the equipment lease.

HDR brachytherapy bills well because it is technical, physician-intensive work. Channel-based HDR delivery is reported with CPT 77770 through 77772 depending on the number of channels, applicator placement adds codes such as 57155 and 57156 for gyn or 55920 for prostate, and treatment planning and physics consultation are billed on top. A center running a steady prostate and gyn schedule can service a mid-six-figure afterloader on a fraction of its brachytherapy revenue, which is why these programs tend to reach positive cash flow quickly once patient volume is established.

The tax side is just as important. Under current federal rules, Section 179 lets a practice deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment in the year it is placed in service, up to a cap of roughly $2.5 million, and 100% bonus depreciation is again available for equipment placed in service. For a $400,000 afterloader and planning system, that can mean deducting the entire cost in year one rather than spreading it across a depreciation schedule, which materially lowers the effective cost of the equipment. The exact treatment of the shielded construction versus the equipment differs, so confirm the split with your CPA. We structure the deal so the paperwork supports whichever approach your accountant chooses.

The reason HDR projects stall is fragmentation. The afterloader vendor points you to one lender, the construction firm wants a separate loan, and the planning system shows up on a third invoice. Each application is a new credit pull and a new closing. We collapse that into a single structured deal. As a broker with more than 500 lenders, we are not trying to fit your project into one institution's box; we match the file to the desk that is comfortable with radiation oncology capital and construction draws. That matters most for newer centers and for practices with challenged credit, where the first lender to see the file is often the wrong one. We also size the payment to how an HDR suite actually earns, around the source exchange cycle and real patient throughput, rather than dropping it into a generic template. The result is one application, one schedule, and a timeline that keeps installation, physics commissioning, and your first treatment on track.

What does brachytherapy equipment financing usually cover?

The afterloader (Elekta Flexitron, Varian GammaMedplus iX, or Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG SagiNova), the treatment planning system such as Oncentra Brachy or BrachyVision, applicators for prostate and gyn cases, the well chamber for source calibration, and the shielded HDR suite construction. We can also fold in the initial Ir-192 source and installation.

How much does an HDR brachytherapy setup cost?

An afterloader with a planning system generally runs from about $200,000. Once you add vault shielding, room construction, applicators, and dosimetry equipment, a full HDR suite commonly reaches $400,000 to $600,000. We finance the whole range.

Can the vault and shielding construction be financed with the equipment?

Yes. That is the part most lenders avoid, and it is exactly why practices come to us. We arrange the afterloader, planning, and the shielded suite buildout on one schedule, with progress draws for the construction if needed.

What rates and terms are available?

Rates start from 5.79% APR for qualified practices, with terms typically 48 to 84 months. Pricing depends on the practice's credit, time in operation, and the mix of equipment and construction. Rates are not guaranteed and are quoted per file.

Do you finance newer centers or practices with challenged credit?

Yes. We work with all credit profiles and with practices that are early in operation. With more than 500 lenders, we match your file to the desk most likely to approve it rather than declining on the first no.