Tanner Health System’s surgical services department recently celebrated surpassing its 1,000th robotic-assisted surgery case since launching the robotics program in March 2013.
Tanner was one of the first health systems in the region to offer robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery when it installed its first minimally invasive surgical system, the da Vinci Si HD by Intuitive Surgical, one of the most advanced and widely-used robotic surgical systems available at the time.
“Tanner has done a remarkable job embracing new technology that helps us deliver a higher quality of care to our patients,” said Megan Grilliot, MD, a board-certified gynecologist and the medical operations leader for Tanner Women’s Care. “Through these advanced procedures, our patients are seeing better outcomes. They’re going home sooner. And they’re getting back to the life that they enjoy.”
Dr. Grilliot performed the first robotic-assisted procedure at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton in 2013. She said that the program’s growth over the years serves as an indication of its success.
Since its launch, Tanner’s robotics program has grown to include 11 robotic-trained surgeons performing dozens of minimally invasive procedures for general surgery and specialties including urology, gynecology and more. And rather than having a single robotics team, Tanner’s entire surgical services team is trained for robotic-assisted procedures.
One of Tanner’s surgical services physician team leaders, Christopher Powell, MD, a urologic specialist with West Georgia Urology, performed Tanner’s 700th minimally invasive procedure in February of 2018.
“These are incredible tools considering what they enable us to do, the immense advantages they provide surgeons and the benefits they provide our patients,” said Dr. Powell.
The da Vinci surgical system enables surgeons to perform complex and delicate procedures through small incisions with a great precision, resulting in minimal scaring, shorter hospital stays, faster, less painful recoveries and — ultimately — improved surgical outcomes for patients.
And Tanner’s surgical services continues to focus on expanding its robotic program to offer minimally invasive surgery to patients further throughout the region.
Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton is now home to two da Vinci robots, which includes its newest da Vinci Xi along with the da Vinci Si HD. In addition to its program’s expansion in Carrollton, Tanner looks to extend its robotics program to the new state-of-the-art surgical services unit at Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica in the future and offer a program just as robust.
“Our aim is to not only serve our communities’ patients, but also to provide them with the very best in terms of care,” said Dr. Powell, who also completed the 1,000th surgical case. “That’s our commitment to our patients, and it’s what drives us to truly be a leader among healthcare facilities in west Georgia and east Alabama. Having this surgical technology for our patients is evidence of that.”
For more information about Tanner’s da Vinci surgical systems or the minimally invasive surgery options available at Tanner, visit SurgeryAtTanner.org.