Lexington Saint Joseph hospitals earn accreditation for robotic surgery

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ/Press Release) – Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Hospital have been accredited as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC).

SRP is a nonprofit, patient safety organization that develops and administers best-in-class accreditation programs for medical professionals and facilities around the world. Its accreditation program signifies a safe and high quality of care. The program also helps providers continue to improve care quality and patient safety.

“Earning this accreditation for our robotic surgery programs is excellent news for our patients and for the robotic team,” said Tony Houston, CEO, CHI Saint Joseph Health. “It means patients have the opportunity to choose highly experienced surgeons with proven quality outcomes, and that our team is committed to excellence to improving the health of all patients. We are proud to receive this accreditation at both of our Lexington facilities, and to be the first in Lexington to receive this designation. This is exciting news for us all.”

Robotic procedures allow for advancements in minimally invasive surgical procedures. Minimally invasive procedures require a small bandage-sized incision. Benefits of this type of procedure include fewer opioids, experiencing more activity post-operation, significantly less pain, minimal scarring and returning to normal, active life sooner.

Both Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Hospital are certified in robotic surgery for multiple specialties, including bariatrics, colorectal surgery, general surgery, gynecological surgery and urologic surgery. The system used at the facilities is called fourth-generation da Vinci Surgical Systems, which advances minimally invasive surgery across a wide spectrum of procedures.

To gain the SRC’s accreditation, the hospitals had to meet or exceed various comprehensive requirements. The inspection included patient interaction during the continuum of care, starting with the pre-admission testing and scheduling, and throughout patient preoperative education, their surgical experience and post-procedure hospital care.

The final step of the accreditation process is maintaining the recognition, and both facilities are continuing to evaluate patient experience and patient outcomes on an ongoing basis. The hospitals have a robotic surgery medical director who oversees monthly outcome reports that are reviewed at a quarterly Robotic Surgery Steering Committee Meeting, made up of Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Hospital health care providers who work in all areas that touch the robotic surgery patients during their time at the facilities.

To learn more about CHI Saint Joseph Health’s minimally invasive surgery, visit www.chisaintjosephhealth.org/lexington-surgery.

To learn more about the SRC accreditation process, visit www.surgicalreview.org/.