BURLINGTON, VT –Today, Paulette Thabault, Commissioner of the Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA), approved Fletcher Allen Health Care’s Certificate of Need application (CON) for a $1.6 million robotic surgery system.  The total cost of the project will be approximately $1.75 million including the equipment’s cost and installation.

The da Vinci Robotic Surgical System will allow surgeons to perform minute, complex operations that can reduce complications and length of stay in the hospital, in addition to facilitating a quicker recovery period outside the hospital. Fletcher Allen plans to use the robot primarily for prostate and gynecological surgeries initially, but will expand its use to other surgical procedures in future years.

“We are very pleased with the commissioner’s approval,” said Melinda Estes, M.D., president and chief operating officer.  “The da Vinci system will eliminate the need for patients to travel considerable distances for this type of care.  Acquiring this system is another milestone along the way to fulfilling our vision of being a national model for the delivery of high-quality, academic health care for a rural region.”

“I am also pleased that community support will fund a major portion of this purchase,” Dr. Estes said.  “We have received donations to cover approximately $800,000 of the total cost.  It's a wonderful example of philanthropy having a direct impact on our ability to provide high-quality health care."

“Robotic-assisted surgery is quickly becoming the standard of care for certain procedures,” said Samuel Trotter, M.D., director of Urology at Fletcher Allen/UVM.  “Patients will benefit by getting the most precise surgery possible, will experience less pain and scarring, and will recover more quickly.”

Robotic surgical units combine advanced robotic and computer technology.  This allows a surgeon seated at a console a few feet from the patient to control robotic surgical instruments while viewing a three-dimensional image of the surgical field.  The high degree of precision provided by this technology allows smaller incisions and less invasive procedures.  The equipment has a range of motion that exceeds that of the human hand, extending the surgeons ability to perform technically precise maneuvers not possible previously. In use across the country, these properties have been shown to lead to speedier recoveries by patients.

With BISHCA’s approval, it is expected that the purchase and installation of the equipment will be completed within six to eight weeks.

About Fletcher Allen Health Care

Fletcher Allen Health Care, together with our partners at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, is Vermont’s academic medical center.  Our mission is to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve by integrating patient care, education and research in a caring environment.  Fletcher Allen serves as a regional referral center -- providing advanced care to approximately one million people in Vermont and northern New York -- and as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.  With more than 30 patient care sites and 100 outreach clinics, programs and services throughout the region, Fletcher Allen is committed to being a national model for the delivery of high-quality academic health care for a rural region.