J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 2 3
Once we started doing a lot of outpatient joint replacement cases, patients went
back to their communities, where they could be seen walking around with their
canes, and chatting about how they'd had surgery just a day or two earlier.
And of course their neighbors would say, "I didn't know you were in
the hospital."
"Well, I wasn't," they'd explain, adding that, "they use this robot, you see …"
We've actually done much less advertising in the last 6 months, because our
patients are doing the job for us. Potential patients are now seeking us out,
wanting to know if the robots might be able to help them, too.
5. Staying ahead of the curve
Buying into orthopedic robots now will position your facility to tap into new
markets by adding the capability to do outpatient total joints — one of surgery's
hottest procedures — just as demand for hip and knee replacements is set to
explode in the coming years. The technology lets surgeons perform joint sur-
gery faster and more efficiently, and will help attract and keep orthopedic sur-
geons who want access to cutting-edge tools. It will also raise your overall pro-
file and increase your market share by making patients aware that you offer the
newest and best technology.
If you don't invest in robotics, you may eventually find the justification stem-
ming from a negative rather than a positive. Surgeons and administrators who
are late to the game will eventually have to scramble to prevent more and more
cases from leaking out of their facilities and into the ORs of early adopters.
OSM
Dr. Nessler (revise60@me.com) is the director of ortho-
pedic surgical services at CentraCare Surgery Center in
St. Cloud, Minn., and a partner in the St. Cloud Surgical
Center and St. Cloud Orthopedic Associates.