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counters saw the cash flowing in
and the trend line rising, they
wanted to add a second robot so
the orthopedic surgeons doing
outpatient total hips weren't limit-
ed in the number of cases they
could do. Now we're up to 3
robots, including a robotic-assist-
ed navigation device. The first 2
paid for themselves in less than a
year, and the third took only
slightly longer.
We ended up doing more than
300 robotic total joints last year,
and the demand keeps growing —
I expect our facility to host 400 cases in 2017. We've also recently introduced
total knees as a service line and have 6 surgeons trained to do them robotically.
We're just now beginning to schedule cases, and I expect to see the same explo-
sive growth we realized with hips.
Intrigued? Let's drill down to a few more reasons why adding the technology
makes good business and clinical sense.
1. Little up-front cost
We've always embraced new technology at our multi-specialty surgery center,
and I knew robotics would provide an important step up to the care we provid-
ed. The question was what the return on investment would be. When I made the
request to our steering committee, they wanted a number. How many cases
would a robot bring us? I looked at our payer mix and the number of patients I
thought would be medically eligible, and estimated 300 in the first year alone.
The committee did a pro forma, came back and said it was a go — that if we
could get that many cases that quickly, the robot would be well worth the price.
• UP TO SPEED With a little practice, surgeons who've never used robots
may be able to do more cases in a given day.
Gerald
Nelson,
OPA-C
