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Medtronic / Building a Business Case for Robotic Assisted Surgery

The role of a startup specialist

By Sara Phillipps

Your hospital has taken the leap and invested in a new robotic system. Now, where do you start? Planning, process design, implementation, communication — there’s a lot to consider. We believe it’s critical to take a 360-degree approach in order to make the most of your investment and ensure long-term success. Enter, the Medtronic Startup Specialist.

Becoming another member of your team

The Medtronic Startup Specialist becomes a key member of both the hospital’s robotic team, as well as serving as the primary conduit to the full Medtronic team. They become part of the doctor’s team, an additional member of the nursing staff, and a vital member of the robotics committee.

The Startup Specialist, or as we sometimes call them – the “SUS” , becomes so integrated in the hospital’s robotic team that it might feel like they actually work for the hospital. 

Dr. Venkatesh Munikrishnan

Wearing multiple hats

First and foremost, the SUS is responsible for making sure everyone at the hospital is using the system correctly. They help coordinate training and proctoring for surgeons, as well as for the entire robotic OR team. Their other primary responsibility is working closely with the hospital to ramp up their robotic program, whether that is a brand-new program for the hospital or expanding an existing robotic program.

They work closely with the hospital robotic committee to develop KPIs for the system and the entire robotic program. When KPIs are in place, the Startup Specialist provides access to the detailed information needed to analyze if the program is working optimally. This can range from a number of procedures, to consult times, and safety data. From a patient safety perspective and from an ROI perspective, it is critical that hospital leadership have access to these data. The SUS makes sure they have it. The SUS is also by the doctor’s side in procedures, supporting both the physician, and the nursing and technical staff.

Dr. Venkatesh Munikrishnan

Serving as the hub to Medtronic’s full team

Medtronic is the first company with solutions across open, laparoscopic, robotic and digital – so the depth of knowledge at Medtronic in all these areas is an enormous benefit to our customer partners. The Startup Specialist is the point of contact to make sure the entire Medtronic team is aware of the hospital’s successes and challenges so we can bring the right experts in to support the hospital. The entire breadth of the Medtronic team across surgical specialties, marketing, and program management is at our customer’s disposal.

All of our Startup Specialists are focused on customer success. Their entire way of working is aligned to five of our Medtronic mindsets – they act boldly, they move with speed and decisiveness, they foster belonging, they’re always competing to win and they deliver results! For our hospital partners, having these dedicated and passionate advocates on their team is invaluable and a critical component to their robotic program success.