Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - boone memorial health (BMH) is committed to enhancing healthcare access and equity for the rural population of southwestern…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded a $2,202,000 Project Grant under the Congressional Directives program (CFDA 93.493) to Boone Memorial Hospital, Inc. in Madison, West Virginia. The grant funding will be used to purchase a da Vinci 5 robotic surgery system to enhance surgical capabilities and improve healthcare access and outcomes for the rural population of Southwestern West Virginia.

The da Vinci 5 system will enable Boone Memorial Hospital to provide advanced, minimally invasive surgical procedures locally, reducing patient travel burdens, shortening recovery times, and decreasing complications compared to open surgery. This advanced technology is expected to create up to 25 new jobs, assist in recruiting surgeons, and generate indirect economic benefits by attracting more businesses and enhancing local economic development in the region. The project aims to combat the opioid crisis by reducing opioid prescriptions post-operation and improve overall healthcare infrastructure and quality of life for underserved rural residents in West Virginia.

Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - boone memorial health (BMH) is committed to enhancing healthcare access and equity for the rural population of southwestern west virginia. Serving a community of more than 70,000 residents in boone, logan, lincoln, and southern kanawha counties, residents face several barriers in access to care, including such challenges as transportation, socioeconomic constraints, advanced age, and higher incidences of chronic diseases. This project, funded by a $2,200,000 allocation for the purchase of intuitive DA vinci 5 robotic surgery equipment, works to overcome these challenges by providing advanced surgical procedures locally, which are typically available only in urban centers. The introduction of the DA vinci 5 system at BMH will revolutionize the surgical care provided to rural west virginians by reducing pain, shortening recovery times, minimizing hospital stays, and decreasing infection risks, when compared to open surgery. This advanced technology will ensure that patients who cannot easily travel to urban areas have equitable access to high-quality surgical options. The DA vinci 5 system is at the forefront of minimally invasive surgical technology, offering enhanced precision, flexibility, and control for a wide range of procedures. Designed to enable better outcomes, more efficiency, and actionable insights, DA vinci 5 brings more than 150 design innovations and 10,000X the computing power of DA vinci XI. These advances support enhanced surgical senses, greater surgeon autonomy, more streamlined or workflows, and advanced data analytics to enable the future of surgery. Compared to open surgery, the use of the DA vinci system has been shown to reduce complications within 30 days post-surgery by 37%, shorten the average post-operative hospital stay by 2.12 days, decrease the 30-day mortality rate by 60%, and reduce the need for blood transfusions by 74%. Additionally, the risk of injury to surrounding tissues and organs is significantly lower, and operation times are shorter, potentially reducing pre-OP holding area wait times by nearly 20%. Since 2012, the use of DA vinci technology in west virginia has resulted in significant cost savings, avoiding an estimated $85 million in healthcare costs. In addition to saving costs on healthcare, the project is expected to directly create up to 25 new jobs at BMH, assist in the recruitment of surgeons, and generate significant indirect economic benefits by attracting more businesses and enhancing local economic development. By minimizing post-operative pain, the project also aims to reduce the number of opioids prescribed post-operation, contributing to broader efforts to combat the opioid crisis in the region. Robotic-assisted surgery is becoming the standard of care, with a projected increase from 8% in 2012 to 45% in 2023 in west virginia. Transportation issues are the primary reason for appointment cancellations in the region. By providing robotic-assisted surgery in a critical access hospital much closer to home, patients are less likely to be forced to cancel surgeries and post-surgery appointments due to transportation issues. West virginia has a significantly lower number of DA vinci systems per capita than the national average, further highlighting the need for increased access to this technology. In conclusion, the boone memorial health surgery enhancement project will significantly improve healthcare outcomes and quality of life for rural west virginians, ensuring they receive state-of-the-art surgical care close to home, fostering local economic growth, and strengthening the overall healthcare infrastructure in the region.