7 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 9
I
sador
Lieberman,
MD, MBA,
FRCSC, was
involved in
the development of
the original Mazor
robot, and has been
one of the pioneers
and champions of
robotic spine surgeries
ever since. After a half-
decade of trial and
error in the product's development, he began using a robot for live sur-
geries in 2007.
"The first year I had 10 surgeries," he says. "The next year, I did
probably 30 surgeries. And then every year after that it's been between
150 and 200 surgeries using robotics." He estimates 10% to 15% of
spine surgeons currently use robots.
Dr. Lieberman has gained ample experience in the real-world eco-
nomics of spinal robotics. Here's how he crunches the numbers on
purchasing a $1 million robot: Let's say the average spine surgeon
does 300 spinal procedures a year, and that 1 in 10 patients runs into
an issue because of misplaced screws. The cost of a complication
with spine surgery is about $35,000. So at 10%, you've got 30 cases
with complications — which amounts to $1,050,000.
The Economics of
Robot-Assisted Spine Surgery
The massive upfront cost is offset by fewer revision surgeries, lower
infection rates, reduced lengths of stay and shorter OR times.
• PRECISION MEDICINE Isador Lieberman, MD, MBA, FRCSC, says the robot
improves the accuracy and speed of his screw placements, enabling him to see
more patients and perform fewer revisions.
Texas
Back
Institute
