Telesurgery is one of the latest hot topics in the world of surgical robotics, but what is it exactly, and how could it impact the medtech community?
The Robotics, Telesurgery and Surgical AI Collaborative Community from the Society of Robotic Surgery defines telesurgery like this:
“The next frontier in surgical evolution is telesurgery, a revolutionary concept that leverages advanced telecommunication technologies. Telesurgery enables surgeons to perform procedures remotely, with the assistance of robotic systems and real-time communication.”
It’s an interesting concept that is actually being put into practice in some places. Let’s take a look at how telesurgery is making an impact.
The Global Impact of Telesurgery
We are already seeing telesurgery happen in India, China, and Japan.
In many cases, it is being used to meet the demand for skilled surgeons in parts of the country that are underserved. In western China, for example, the number of skilled surgeons is far lower compared to the eastern part of the country. With telesurgery, a surgeon located in the eastern part of China can perform surgery on a patient in western China without having to travel thousands of kilometers. This technology has the potential to help patients get the procedures they need sooner.
Japan also sees the potential benefit of telesurgery. Significant investments are being made to a telecommunications network that will more easily enable the seamless transfer of energy, sight, and sound for telesurgery to work.
Other countries—even the United States—are considering telesurgery options. For example, US-based Telos Health is looking to transform the way healthcare can provide for stroke patients. All too often, stroke patients do not receive the care they need in time, and this is a scenario where each minute matters.
How Could Telesurgery Affect Medtech Marketing & Sales?
There are a few different ways that telesurgery could impact the sales and marketing process for medical devices.
Increased Robotic Device Sales in Asia
In the near term, companies that have the ability to accommodate telesurgery could see increased robot sales in Asian countries, since they are already on the way to implementing telesurgery infrastructure.
This, in turn, may also lead to increased sales for products that are compatible with robotic devices. The marketing materials for several surgical robots that are on the market or coming to market emphasize that surgeons can continue to use many of their own tools. Having tools that are compatible with a robotic device means surgeons don’t have to completely switch over to a new set of tools–a major benefit.
Going forward, if a robot is telesurgery-compatible, that information will likely need to be included in marketing materials as more hospitals and surgeons seek out these devices.
Increased Competition Between High and Low-Cost Devices
We may see some of the major players in robotic surgery (who tend to have the higher-cost devices) see real competition from lower-cost, highly capable devices from around the world in markets that need telesurgery most.
The parts of the world that can really benefit from telesurgery are the smaller, more rural areas that don’t have specialists for miles away. These small, rural hospitals may not have the budget for the high-cost devices, but there are several telesurgery-enabled devices that are available at a lower cost that are still very capable of completing the surgery with great outcomes.
For example, SSI’s Mantra comes with a number of impressive features, and it’s being billed at one third of the cost of some of the more established robots in the U.S.
For higher-cost devices to compete in these markets, the marketing strategy may have to shift.
Disrupting Typical Physician & Patient Patterns
There are still a lot of regulations to overcome before telesurgery can become a viable option in the United States. Beyond regulatory issues, we also have to overcome issues like cost. It may be quite costly to equip rural hospitals with the premier telesurgery devices, though they are the ones that would benefit the most.
With that said, if telesurgery does eventually become an option in the US, it has the potential to significantly disrupt the patterns we see with both physicians and patients today.
For example, patients in more rural areas may have to travel an hour or more away to get specialized care for a particular procedure. With telesurgery, they would not need to do that. For physicians, hospital systems would need to group surgeons around the hubs where telesurgery control centers exist.
We are more likely to see large hospital systems make the move to telesurgery first. However, there are companies emerging like Sovato, which offer solutions that work across health systems.
Will there be enough interest and potential profits available for companies and healthcare facilities to focus on enabling more care in rural areas? Only time will tell.
Looking Ahead to the Potential Impact
In international markets, we will likely see the impact of telesurgery within the next few years. It may take longer for telesurgery to be fully adopted in the US, but we may see its impact within the next decade.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be important for medtech companies to consider how this can impact their business model in the future and start planning for it now.
Michael spends a great deal of time with the healthcare industry both professionally and personally, which gives him the perspective of what stakeholders on either side of the care equation need.
He began coding in 2008 and subsequently shifted his attention entirely to online marketing. Michael completed his MBA in 2018, focusing on the intersection of healthcare and marketing.
As the marketing manager, Ashley ensures that our clients’ marketing strategies are put into action. This includes content writing, SEO, online advertising, analytics, and interfacing with the tools, systems, and team members needed to help our clients accomplish their marketing goals.
