In this era of value-based care, hospitals are focused on reducing costs, improving outcomes and enhancing the patient experience. As robotic-assisted surgery plays an increasing role in surgical care, hospitals should look for opportunities to align sites of care with the right equipment and care teams.
During a Sept. 16 webinar sponsored by Intuitive and hosted by Becker's Hospital Review, James Miller, Vice President of Operations and Perioperative Services at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa., and Martin A. Martino, MD, Medical Director of LVHN's Robotic Surgery Program and Executive Surgeon Leader, discussed its system wide robotics service line and how its outpatient strategy has helped drive growth in overall surgical volume.
Five takeaways from the webinar:
1. LVHN's multi-disciplinary robotic surgery program performs procedures in 11 specialties, including general surgery, bariatrics, gynecology and surgical oncology. Established in 2008, the program has grown to include 11 da Vinci systems with 54 surgeons trained on the technology. "The foundation [is] general surgery and gynecologic onoclogy," Dr. Martino said. "We're looking forward to approaching 20,000 [robotic] cases in the very near future."
2. Many studies have documented the clinical benefits of robotic surgery for patients — shorter hospitalizations, reduced pain and quicker recovery times — but there are also key operational advantages. At LVHN, robotic technology significantly improved the accuracy of case scheduling and reduced stress on surgeons. "We've provided consistent OR times and very accurate timing," Mr. Miller said.
3. A robotic leadership team was established to design a site of care strategy. It focuses on the quadruple aim: improved patient experience, better staff experience, superior outcomes and lower cost of care. "We made a promise to really focus on clinical differentiation in the market and focus on growth in all volume and procedure types," Mr. Miller said.
4. LVHN developed a Center of Excellence for robotic surgery and highlighted its robotic leadership through an aggressive marketing strategy, according to Mr. Miller. The Center of Excellence expanded access to robotic surgical care for patients and provided improved education, training and telesurgery capabilities to care teams.
5. Equipping its ambulatory center with standardized da Vinci systems enabled LVHN to shift low-acuity cases out of Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown, which increased the amount of higher index cases that can be performed at its flagship facility. "Throughout this, we've lowered costs to our payers and consumers," Dr. Martino said. "Better care costs less and that's what we've been able to do with this technology."
Click here to learn more about Intuitive and here to view the full webinar.