Medicine Goes Space Age at Wooster Community Hospital

  • By Lisa Amstutz
  • October 9, 2012
  • 367
                        
Medicine has come a long way since the days of leeches and laudanum, and many of today’s technologies look like something straight out of Star Trek. Wooster Community Hospital’s new Da Vinci Surgical System is a case in point. Intricate surgeries can now be performed by four spider-like robotic arms while the surgeon views a 3D image and manipulates the arms at a separate console. This is known as robotically assisted surgery. “It’s a little R2-D2,” said Lori Hartzler, OR/Sterile Processing Manager at WCH. “When I started here (in 1983), everything was done with open incisions. We moved to laparoscopic in the late 1980s and now to robotics. Medicine is constantly evolving.” Marketing/PR Manager Dave Rhoad said the hospital has added many other new technologies in recent years. These include WCH eCare, an online patient portal where patients can view their test results, request appointments, refill prescriptions, and pay their bills; low-dose imaging; heart catheterizations performed through the wrist; and hip arthroscopy, now offered by Dr. Anne Marie Chicorelli. In addition, WCH received Stage 6 Recognition from HIMSS Analytics for their IT work with the adoption of an EMR (Electronic Medical Record) system. “All of these services/recognitions, whether they have the same "wow" factor or not, impact patient care and access to information in dramatic new ways,” said Rhoad. “Tech-wise, we’re very far ahead for a small community hospital,” Hartzler noted. “When equipment gets outdated, we have no problem upgrading.” For more information on robotically assisted surgery and other technologies at Wooster Community Hospital, visit www.woosterhospital.org or call 330-263-8100.


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