ArticleValue in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research2017
Do Robotic Surgical Systems Improve Profit Margins? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of California Hospitals.
Article in Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Allowable robot-related material cost as a contribution margin threshold for financial sustainability of robot-assisted urologic surgery.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Article
- White paper on effective preacquisition evaluation of soft tissue robotic surgery platforms for healthcare institutions.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Efficacy and Safety of Robotic Surgery vs. Open Surgery for Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma: A Comprehensive Review.Cureus · 2024Review
- Optimizing outcomes in colorectal surgery: cost and clinical analysis of robotic versus laparoscopic approaches to colon resection.Journal of robotic surgery · 2022Article
- Postoperative abdominal free air: How much and when is enough? Report of two cases.SAGE open medical case reports · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe aim of this study was to examine the association between ownership of robotic surgical systems and hospital profit margins.
methodsThis study used hospital annual utilization data, annual financial data, and discharge data for year 2011 from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. We first performed bivariate analysis to compare mean profit margin by hospital and market characteristics and to examine whether these characteristics differed between hospitals that had one or more robotic surgical systems in 2011 and those that did not. We applied the t test and the F test to compare mean profit margin between two groups and among three or more groups, respectively. We then conducted multilevel logistic regression to determine the association between ownership of robotic surgical systems and having a positive profit margin after controlling for other hospital and market characteristics and accounting for possible correlation among hospitals located within the same market.
resultsThe study sample included 167 California hospitals with valid financial information. Hospitals with robotic surgical systems tended to report more favorable profit margins. However, multilevel logistic regression showed that this relationship (an association, not causality) became only marginally significant (odds ratio [OR] = 6.2; P = 0.053) after controlling for other hospital characteristics, such as ownership type, teaching status, bed size, and surgical volumes, and market characteristics, such as total number of robotic surgical systems owned by other hospitals in the same market area.
conclusionsAs robotic surgical systems become widely disseminated, hospital decision makers should carefully evaluate the financial and clinical implications before making a capital investment in this technology.
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