upgrade the equip-
ment became clear,
it also became
apparent that 4K
was within the hos-
pitals' reach. "There
was about a
$200,000 difference
between getting 4K
and going with
another HD system,"
says Mr. Bean. "That's not a huge difference in the big scheme of
things."
In all, 9 ORs got the 4K treatment, 5 rooms in one of Marshall
Medical's hospitals and 4 in the other. "We were going to do just one
facility in one year and the other in the next," says Mr. Bean. "But then
we looked at the advantages, and we had to acknowledge that our
physicians work in both places." Case volumes had to be maintained
at both Marshall Medical North and South, he jokes.
The Reading Hospital SurgiCenter at Spring Ridge in Wyomissing,
Pa., made a similar leap of technological faith in its half-million dollar
decision to purchase ultra-HD video tower systems for its minimally
invasive specialties. "Before we took the final step, we compared the
extra expense of 4K to the cost of HD," says Jeffrey B. Frank, MD, a
gynecologic surgeon and one of the center's physician-owners. "One
step shorter would have saved us money, but we wouldn't be at the
cutting edge. I said, 'I want the better technology.'"
It's made a noticeable difference, he says. "The comparison between
the new equipment I have, and the not-so-new equipment at the main
hospital is night and day," says Dr. Frank. "I'm ecstatic. A year out, it's
1 1 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6
• INSIDE JOB Cynthia L. Monk, MD, performs a laparoscopic cholecystectomy with
4K's assistance.
Marshall
Medical
Centers
