{"id":19913,"date":"2016-11-18T17:22:56","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T22:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/robotic-surgery-revolution-or-gimmick\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T17:22:56","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T22:22:56","slug":"robotic-surgery-revolution-or-gimmick","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/robotic-surgery-revolution-or-gimmick\/","title":{"rendered":"Robotic surgery: revolution or gimmick?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Founded in 1995, Intuitive Surgical is the industry leader in robotic surgical systems that allow doctors to perform surgeries with the assistance of robotic technology.<\/p>\n

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Based on research that began in the late 1980s, the founders of Intuitive Surgical, armed with a war chest of VC funding began working on a prototype system code named \u201cLenny\u201d. It took 5 years, but the device, now known as the da Vinci Surgical System, was approved by the FDA in 2000. The company went public that same year.<\/p>\n

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The potential for such a device was enormous, doctors would now be able to perform surgeries more accurately after being trained on the da Vinci system. Advocates envisioned a world where patients in remote areas would no longer have to travel for surgery, doctors would be able to dramatically improve the utilization of their skills by performing more surgeries across the globe, leading to an overall increase in the quality of healthcare globally. This generated a lot of buzz in the medical community and among investors. Those bet on the success of Intuitive Surgical would not be disappointed. The company now has a market capitalization just under $27B, with $2.4B in revenue generated in 2015.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a>
The da Vinci Si Surgical System<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although the da Vinci system did not focus on allowing surgeries to be performed remotely, it did not take long for experts to test whether it was possible. Operation Lindbergh, named after Charles Lindbergh\u2019s first ever transatlantic flight is widely regarded as the first true remote surgery. Conducted by a doctor in New York on a patient in Paris in 2001, this operation symbolized a new era of possibilities the medical world.<\/p>\n

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Challenges<\/p>\n

Although the introduction of the da Vinci system and robotic surgery has been successful with sales growth increasing steadily since it’s launch, it did not come without its fair share of criticism.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a technology that is costing the healthcare system hundreds of millions of dollars and has been marketed as a miracle \u2014 and it\u2019s not.. It\u2019s a fancier way of doing what we\u2019ve always been able to do.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. John Santa, medical director at Consumer Reports Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a widespread belief that newer is better but our findings question that. People need to stop and critically analyze whether using this expensive technology will really add any benefit for patients,\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Jason D. Wright, chief of gynecologic oncology at Columbia<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far, robotics has not lived up to the hype for benign gynecologic procedures.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Barbara S. Levy, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Vice President for Health Policy<\/p>\n

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Opportunities<\/p>\n

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In order to fully leverage the potential of their device, they will need to pivot their business model towards adding value in other ways. Improvements to digital technology and the wide proliferation of digital access present many opportunities for Intuitive Surgical.<\/p>\n

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