Peter Caravella, MD, a general and robotic surgeon with Las Vegas Surgical Associates, shared a few key ways that robots are changing ASC care for the better at the annual California Ambulatory Surgery Association stakeholder meeting.
Robots are offering patients improved clinical outcomes, lower conversion rates to open procedures, faster recovery, higher patient satisfaction, less postoperative pain, a decrease in opioid use and lower infection rates, according to a news release about the meeting shared with Becker's.
Appropriate reimbursement for robotic care is going to be an important factor in driving migration to the ASC setting. Currently, payer structures don't cover robotic innovation. With greater usage, Dr. Caravella is hopeful that robots in the ASC setting will reduce overall healthcare spend.