In an interactive session at Becker's 11th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, James Miller, CRNA, president of the Northampton Region of Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network and senior vice president of the Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence, discussed the importance of a robotic surgery program in a competitive healthcare market.
Mr. Miller highlighted the growth of Lehigh Valley Health Network's program, which currently uses 16 da Vinci robotic surgical systems across 11 specialties, since its launch in 2008. He emphasized how data has driven the program's growth and success, as well as the value of aligning the vision of this initiative with the health system's broader strategy. Key results of the program, including less pain for patients, improved outcomes, higher reimbursement and consistent operating times were also shared, in addition to future plans, such as deeper market analysis, leveraging new technologies and evaluating infrastructure needs.
Editor's note: Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
Key takeaways:
1: An intentional, coordinated strategy is crucial for the success of a robotics program.
James Miller: "We made sure that we had a solid vision and it was aligned with our network's view, our executives' view, of where we're going. We executed on that vision and strategy, collaborated and worked very closely with front-line staff in the operating room, our anesthesia team, our surgeons — we made an effort to really educate people about the 'why' behind the program."
2: Aligning program goals with surgeons' incentives, such as those in RVU models, can drive efficiency and volume.
JM: "In the model that we set up, our surgeons' turnover time is zero because their next patient is actually in the operating room; as they finish this one, they move right into the next one. That's how they can do 12 general surgical procedures on a da Vinci system a day. The surgeons that do this, their times, their predictability and their cost — it's phenomenal."
3: Leveraging data analytics and benchmarking — and sharing it with key stakeholders — can optimize program growth and infrastructure.
JM: "We share our data with Intuitive Surgical, and we work with their market access team very extensively to make sure that we're growing our programs in the right way."
4: A continuous improvement mindset and focus on desired outcomes are essential.
JM: "We don't want to just do robotics for the sake of doing robotics. We want to do it because we believe in it and there are better outcomes from a clinical standpoint, as well as from a value and outcomes standpoint."