Addition Expands Access to Leading-Edge Procedures which Improve Patient Outcomes, Enhance Physician Recruitment
Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center will expand access to robotic surgical services in response to patient needs with the arrival of a second da Vinci XI robotic surgical system, which began serving patients Monday.
Robotic-assisted surgery in areas such as gynecological, urological, thoracic, colorectal, ENT and bariatric specialties can lead to better overall surgical outcomes for patients and reduce blood loss, complications, scarring and length of stay in the hospital.
With the second robot delivered and set to begin surgeries starting Monday, UVM Medical Center will have two robots in simultaneous use, more than doubling the number of these types of surgeries that can be performed in Burlington each year, advancing the UVM Health Network’s efforts to improve access to the highest quality specialty care, and supporting efforts to recruit talented clinical staff.
“Robotic-assisted surgery has become the standard for many procedures due to benefits such as shortened recovery times and hospital stays, as well as improved outcomes for our patients,” said Patrick Bender, MD, UVM Medical Center’s Chief Quality Officer. “Adding a second da Vinci surgical system will not only help UVM Medical Center meet increased patient demand for a variety of surgical procedures, it is also in-line with our mission as a teaching hospital and essential to our ongoing efforts to recruit talented surgeons, nurses and other clinical staff.”
Availability of robotic-assisted surgery is essential to attracting talented surgeons, nurses and other clinical staff, and for training medical residents at Vermont’s only teaching hospital. UVM Medical Center has recently recruited two cardiothoracic surgeons to meet patient needs in the region, both of whom will require use of the robots.
Procedures currently performed on a da Vinci robot have a shorter post-operative recovery time in the hospital, so doing more surgeries robotically would also help improve access to much-needed inpatient bed space, while getting patients home more quickly.
The additional robot will benefit patients by improving care, reducing recovery times and expanding access to high quality care. As the organization works to stabilize its finances, it must also consider whether a service adds to or subtracts from the operating margin, which is how nonprofit organizations invest in people, facilities and equipment. Largely due to cost avoidance from shortened length of stay compared to other types of surgery, the use of the additional robot is expected to generate a modest positive margin.
About the University of Vermont Medical Center
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 447-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high quality academic medicine to every community we serve.
For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter or visit our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSocialMedia.
Source: 5.8.2023. Burlington, Vt. – The University of Vermont Health Network UVMHealth.org
