Michael Quirke: Evolution Healthcare's Hospitals CEO on the increased use of robotic surgeries

Robotic surgeries are taking off, bringing positive outcomes for the health sector. 

Evolution Healthcare says it's more than doubled the number of robotic surgeries in the past two years at Wellington's Wakefield Hospital. 

It says it's on target to complete more than 300 this year, up from 243 last year. 

Evolution CEO Michael Quirke told Mike Hosking efficiencies are increasingly being found as the technology develops, with new generations becoming less invasive. 

More importantly, he says, the enhanced outcomes are creating an outstanding result for both the patients and broader health systems. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Health matters. We're seeing big demand for our surgical robotics program.
So Wakefield Hospitals in the Capital, of course, just completed
its eight hundredth procedure, which is a two hundred percent
increase in the last couple of years. Michael Quirk is
the CEO of Evolution Healthcare Hospitals and as with us, Michael,
morning to.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
You go it, Mike, great to be here. Thanks.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
How much more efficient is a robot than a surgeon?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yes, good question. Look, the efficiencies are increasingly being found
as the technology develops. So the robots aren't for all
procedures by any stretch, but for those that it has
been working on over a number of years and indeed decades.
Now the new generation robots are seeing much better efficiencies,
they're less invasive, and most importantly, the enhanced outcomes. Excuse

(00:47):
me that we're now seeing an outstanding result for both
the patients and the broader health system.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Really what sort of procedures and the number of procedures
not numerically, but the range of increasing and dramatically.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, well, initially we saw a lot of urology work
being the sort of the initial for a for this robots.
But what we've seen since is a move into general surgery, gynecology,
set and neck, and the E and T and it's
even in cardiac surgery now as well. So as you
can see the expanding ability of these robots as the

(01:25):
new generations come along just means more and more. This
has been part of our health system that we need
to adopt.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Does the risk profile change at all in the same
operation using an old team versus a machine?

Speaker 2 (01:39):
No, it doesn't. And look, these robots are only being
deployed when the risk profile is actually safer for the patient.
And again we have those enhanced health outcomes which medical
literature is increasingly showing, and that's what's driving the mood
to these robots.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
How do people handle it? Because it would most people
going into at some point of medical contact, they'll go, right,
you're having this proceed and by the way, it's a robot.
Do people freak out?

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah? Look, look there's definitely apprehension for some of our patients.
We always walk them through just what the surgery is
going to be. And when you walk into the theater
and you understand that the console itself where the surgeon
is not next to the theater table where the patient
is That can be a bit jarring for some, but
ultimately the pre op education that we do and the

(02:27):
assurances that we give and the outcomes that we can
now show mean that the patients are always prepared and yeah,
undergo surgery from there?

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Where is the doctor? Because what I'm fascinated and is
robotics versus remote So, in other words, the doctors in
Timbukti and you're in Auckland versus the doctor being in
the next room.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, good question. Look, the console is in the theater itself.
The robot, the robot with its multiple arms are set
up over the patient via ports and most commonly this
will be within the patients abdomen for general surgery, urology
and gynecology and the like. But the surgeon himself or
herself will be at the side of the room and

(03:11):
I'll be able to see the room and be controlling
the theater with the theater team around, and the innethetist
will be at the head of the patient as well.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Good stuff, mate, I'm nice and so I appreciate it
very much. Michael Quirk's fascinating area, isn't it robotics and
technology and all that sort of stuff. Anyway, chief executive
officer of Evolution Healthcare Hospitals.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
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