Interesting article in General Surgery News shows open umbilical hernia repair saves both time spent in the operating room and money when compared to laparoscopic umbilical hernia repair. Both of these repairs have similar outcomes such as recurrence and infection. Dr. Reinhorn exclusively performs open umbilical hernia repairs. Check out the article HERE.
As healthcare costs continue to rise, it is important for everyone in the medical profession to understand the cost of the care that is being delivered. Additionally, providers need to take into account the quality of care that is being offered to patients. We are currently heading into an environment where the value of healthcare provided will be defined, measured and used to calculate reimbursement. For example, a recent trend in general surgery to perform umbilical hernias using a robot ignores the well being of individual patients and the population as a whole. In most instances patients must undergo general anesthesia to have a robotic procedure. This procedure is much more costly than open procedures and there is evidence that it is no better than open surgery. This kind of “advance” is only helping the manufacturers of these expensive machines. The article mentioned above does a nice job providing insights into a very complicated problem with our healthcare system.
At Boston Hernia, we think the responsible thing to do is offer the best value to our patients – better outcomes at lower cost no matter what technology we use.