OR Manager - January 2018 - 26

Technology
Continued from page 25
The impact on operative time varies.
An inexperienced surgeon may need
up to 6 months to become proficient,
although some surgeons adapt more
quickly to the new technology. " We have
one general surgeon who just came out
of his residency, and he's faster doing
a robotic hernia repair than a laparoscopic
one because he's not used to
doing the latter, " Hooker notes. Use of
the robot translates to a shorter time in
the OR, she adds.
Anna Hooker,
MBA, MS
" We have had some
procedures shift from
laparoscopic or open to
robotic, but overall, in
recent years, we had
growth in the volume of
both robotic and nonrobotic
general surgery
procedures: an increase
of 23% and 10%, respectively, " she
says. " So it's not like one is pulling
from the other. They are related, and
there has been growth in both. "
With this growth, however, comes
additional expense for items such as
dedicated pans to clean the robot's instruments,
as well as new imaging and
other equipment needed to fit the robot.
" Investing in surgical robots is preparing
us for the future as more of the
residents come to us trained on robotics,
so they are more comfortable, and
they acclimate faster, " Hedrick says.
The technology also nicely positions
the hospital to offer remote consultation.
" We
are working right now with a
new integration system to be able to
record not only pictures but videos. And
there is a possibility for telemedicine, to
share procedures with other physicians
on a secure channel, without bringing
somebody else into the operating room
for observation. "
Perioperative leaders building robotics
business cases should tap people
with in-depth market knowledge, Hed26
OR
Manager | January 2018
rick says. It's important to know what
technology you need; for example, if
your surgeons aren't interested in single-site
multiquadrant surgeries, you
might want to look at Xi versus Si.
" Use your robotics company representative
to help develop your business
plan, " she advises. " They have all the
data on demographics and how many
robotics cases each hospital is doing.
They can tell you, in your service area,
which hospital patients are choosing
over yours, so you can really see the
volume that you are losing. Also, use
your business manager or your business
development specialist. "
Hedrick admits that crafting a business
plan isn't easy. " The ones we
did took at least a couple of months
to draft. There are a lot of data to compile, "
Hedrick notes. " But if you spend
the time, there's a good chance of
success. All three times I requested a
robot, I've gotten it, when other hospitals
in our system have been turned
down. If you make a strong case in your
business plan, it's hard to say no. " ✥
Susan London is a medical writer and
editor with London Medical Communications,
LLC, in Seattle.
Editor's Note: For tips on how to build a
business case for any major investment,
along with a checklist of the steps involved,
see OR Manager, February 2017,
1, 10-13.
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www.ormanager.com

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OR Manager - January 2018

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