Cost-effectiveness of robotic surgery in gynecologic oncology

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Robotically assisted surgeries have flourished in the United States, especially in gynecological procedures. Current robotic systems have high upfront and procedure costs that have led many in the medical community to question the new technology's cost-effectiveness. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent research continues to find that robotically assisted gynecological cancer treatments have comparable outcomes to traditional laparoscopy and similar or better outcomes than that of laparotomy in the cases studied. However, robotic surgery costs remain higher than that of traditional laparoscopy. SUMMARY: Under the current reimbursement climate, practicing physicians and hospitals should collaborate on identifying cost-effective uses of robotic systems and pushing manufacturers to lower purchase and procedure costs to a level that may be accepted by all stakeholders.