MAY 20218ROBOTIC SURGERY: WHERE TO FOCUS IN 2021Christopher W. Macomber, Chair of Robotic Surgery, Allina HealthByWith 2021 just getting underway, I found myself struggling with how to author a non-clinical article on "robotic surgery" that would interest someone in the midst of a pandemic and charged political climate. But as a surgeon,I couldn't imagine anything more fun than discussing the economic and operational aspects of robotic surgery.Given the enormity of this topic and the sheer amount ofcapital and resources robotic surgery encompasses, I thought it would be most beneficial to focus on a few key areas that my organization, a large Midwest health care system, and I, the chair of the robotics program, are looking at for the upcoming year:1. Expansion of robotic surgery into the ambulatory surgical center (or ASC) market.2. Enhancing data analytics and developing key performance indicators (or KPI's) for robotic surgery--working towards determiningthe "value" of robotic surgery.3. Developing methodology for the evaluation and incorporation of new robotic surgery and technology platforms coming to marketin the future.As part of this article, I make two key assumptions around robotic surgery. First, I believe that most hospitals and health care systems have, at this point, recognized that robotics is a necessary component of their surgery service line offerings to patients. Second, based on personal experience and some available literature, many patients recognize the use of advanced technology such as robotics as a distinguishing factor when evaluating where to receive their health care and with what surgeon. With those assumptions in mind, I feel the above topics are three of the more critical areas that will need to be addressed in order to drive continued growth and innovation in robotics.Shift to Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC)Of the many forces impacting the ASC market, two, in particular, are accelerating interest in robotic surgery In My Opinion
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