A high-performing robotic-assisted surgery service line can help health systems improve quality outcomes through shorter lengths of stay and speedier patient recoveries, while also promoting financial health and patient and caregiver satisfaction.
Many health systems are working to develop or expand their robotic-assisted surgery programs to maximize these clinical, financial and organizational benefits. One such system is Englewood, Colo.-based Swedish Medical Center, which has one of the fastest growing surgical robotics programs in the Rocky Mountain region.
Between the first quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2019, the Swedish Medical Center Surgical Robotics Institute saw a 187% growth in volume. Clinicians at the institute have performed more than 5,800 cases since performing the system's first robotic assisted procedure in 2005.
"A commitment to quality outcomes, patient and physician satisfaction, and fiscal stewardship are foundational pillars for us," said Karl Leistikow, COO of Swedish Medical Center, which is part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare. "The robotics program is definitely a tool that we use to achieve all those goals."
To further expand its robotics program, leaders at the system have recognized the value of learning from peer organizations nationwide via networking opportunities and education conferences. Becker's recently spoke to three Swedish Medical Center leaders about why they decided to attend the Intuitive 360 users conference, the most valuable peer insights they gained and how the conference helped support the robotics team's drive and passion to expand the program.
Conference goals and preparation
The Intuitive 360 users conference is an annual event that welcomes about 1,500 healthcare leaders annually. Attendees have the opportunity to meet industry peers, share best practices and learn about future robotics trends. The conference also offers sessions for every member of a hospital's robotics team, including topics for clinical, operational and executive leadership.
Swedish Medical Center chose to attend the conference to help maintain their robotics program's rapid growth.
"We realized we could learn from other programs — some of which are considered top in the nation — and see if we could replicate their success," said Kian Modanlou, MD, a general and complex hepatobiliary surgeon at Swedish Medical Center. "We wanted to see where we had similarities, where we had differences and understand how people have overcome obstacles."
Swedish Medical Center brought nine members of its robotics team to the conference, including nurse leaders, executive leaders and surgeons. Dr. Modanlou said it's crucial to attend as a whole team, since the event offers valuable insights for every aspect of robotic surgery, which can help leaders return to their organization with a single, well-defined pathway for success.
To ensure they made the most of their time at the event, the Swedish Medical Center team also reviewed the agenda ahead of time and assigned people to attend relevant breakout sessions.
Key insights from the event
The Swedish Medical Center team said the opportunity to learn and share with peers at Intuitive 360 helped validate their current robotic-assisted surgical program strategy and identify areas for future growth.
For example, Dr. Modanlou said it was very helpful to connect with other surgeons who — like him — perform complex gastrointestinal surgeries. These peers shared tips on how they partnered with staff and hospital leadership to grow their programs, which Dr. Modanlou then brought back to his own organization.
Cari Cardenas, Director, Surgical Robotics OR, at Swedish Medical Center, also said role-specific breakout sessions were valuable.
"I was able to talk to peers who were in similar roles at other facilities and find out what was successful for them and what they had tried that were failures," she said. "I think these sessions confirmed we were on the right track and really made me come home with a lot more confidence in our program."
Mr. Leistikow said the conference helped him get a better sense of emerging technologies in the surgical space and how physicians feel about them. "This helps with future budgetary planning, because we're at the stage now where we're increasing robotics across multiple modalities and looking at brand new platforms like the Ion platform," he said.
Maintaining momentum
The conference not only helped Swedish Medical Center pave next steps for its robotic-assisted surgical program, but also created a newfound sense of camaraderie and motivation among the team.
"It was great to see confidence just flood across the team," said Mr. Leistikow of the team's dynamic after the conference. "We were engaged and energized coming back."
After the conference, the nine team members who attended formed a steering committee that meets twice a month. The committee develops and assigns team members with detailed tasks to support the program's growth and uses the meetings to help hold each other accountable, according to Dr. Modanlou.
"Spending that time together as a team was almost like a corporate retreat and aligned us with the same goal," said Dr. Modanlou. "We want to be one of the best robotics programs in the state. The conference got the inertia going on this, and I think we've kept it going since."