Robot-assisted surgeries have become increasingly popular over the past decade. Many hospitals in the United States have acquired robotic surgical systems and more are considering purchasing this equipment. The price of such machines can be up to $2.5 million. Given such high acquisition costs, it is important to study how the diffusion of this new technology affects the U.S. healthcare system. Using a unique database we compiled for hospitals in California, we will employ state-of-the-art econometric methods to address the following specific aims: 1: To examine hospital and market characteristics associated with hospitals' decision to acquire a robotic surgical system. 2: To explore how the acquisition of robotic surgical system affect the flow and cost of surgeries among hospitals within the same market as well as across markets with varying capacity of robotic surgeries. 3: To evaluate how the purchase of robotic surgical machines affects the financial performance in terms of operating expenses and revenue of hospitals. Findings from this study will inform policy makers how the proliferation of robotic systems affects surgical practice and costs in hospital settings and can also help decision makers at hospitals make more rational decision regarding whether to purchase robotic surgical systems.
An increasing number of Americans are undergoing robot-assisted surgery, a relatively new technology. Given the rapid technology diffusion and the high cost of the robotic surgical systems, the objective of our proposed research is to gain better understanding of how the proliferation of robotic surgical systems affect the U.S. healthcare system by examining hospitals' adoption decision and the impact of the diffusion of this new technology on hospitals' market share and inpatient costs of surgeries as well as financial performance. Using a unique database we compiled, we will employ state-of-the-art econometric methods to address these questions.
| Shih, Ya-Chen Tina; Shen, Chan; Hu, Jim C (2017) Do Robotic Surgical Systems Improve Profit Margins? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of California Hospitals. Value Health 20:1221-1225 |
