BENNINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A new helping hand for surgeons is coming to Southern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, and could help lower health care costs while keeping patients closer to home.
While it’s not the first piece of robotic technology to come into a hospital in Vermont, the Da Vinci IV is the first of its kind at SVMC.
Dr. Seth Bernard, who oversees the hospital’s surgery department, says the technology helps him guide, visualize, and make more precise incisions during surgery.
“A lot of bigger surgeries are done in an open fashion. This is going to reduce those large incisions. It will cut down on healing time for patients. They’ll go home sooner, they heal quicker,” Bernard said. He’s spent months training on the machine and says it also increases connectivity to specialists in various fields. “While you’re doing an actual operation, you can get expert advice from somebody that’s hours away.”
Hospital officials estimate the machine costs around $2 million. But they’re not paying that up front — instead, they make payments based on each use of the machine.
“And our outcomes are as good as anyone. So, I think this is a win-win for the patients, for the hospital, and for health care affordability,” said Thomas Dee, SVMC’s CEO and president. He says not only will that keep costs low, but it’s also a useful tool for recruiting talent. “None of the young surgeons wants to step back in time. They want to come to the facility that has the best technology, and this allows us to be in the game.”
Officials say upwards of 6,000 patients search for treatment outside southern Vermont. Now, the hope is that they can stay closer to home.
“The last thing we want as ourselves or for our community or for our patients is for them to have to leave to seek the operation they need. So this allows us to bring it in-house,” Bernard said.
Doctors say the first use of the robot will be on Monday.
