Published in:
01-11-2016
A comparative cost analysis of robotic-assisted surgery versus laparoscopic surgery and open surgery: the necessity of investing knowledgeably
Published in: Surgical Endoscopy | Issue 11/2016
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Background
Robotic surgery has been proposed as a minimally invasive surgical technique with advantages for both surgeons and patients, but is associated with high costs (installation, use and maintenance). The Health Technology Assessment Unit of the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital sought to investigate the economic sustainability of robotic surgery, having foreseen its impact on the hospital budget
Methods
Break-even and cost-minimization analyses were performed. A deterministic approach for sensitivity analysis was applied by varying the values of parameters between pre-defined ranges in different scenarios to see how the outcomes might differ.
Results
The break-even analysis indicated that at least 349 annual interventions would need to be carried out to reach the break-even point. The cost-minimization analysis showed that robotic surgery was the most expensive procedure among the considered alternatives (in terms of the contribution margin).
Conclusions
Robotic surgery is a good clinical alternative to laparoscopic and open surgery (for many pediatric operations). However, the costs of robotic procedures are higher than the equivalent laparoscopic and open surgical interventions. Therefore, in the short run, these findings do not seem to support the decision to introduce a robotic system in our hospital.