Finances
Da Vinci was the first company to enter the surgical robotics sphere. The majority of their systems have been installed in the United States where private health systems can generate the necessary income. In the UK the financial constraints of the tariffs per patient have restricted the introduction of robotic systems mainly to adult urology where there is an uplift of the tariff for robotic prostatectomy surgery. New competitors to Da Vinci are starting to emerge with Cambridge Medical Robotics being the first to achieve the necessary licence for distribution in the UK. Their financial model is much more affordable in the NHS environment. Most robotic systems are introduced into hospitals with a significant element of charity funding. The 3 models described below compare several approaches to funding a CMR system. Currently the favoured option A is a managed 7 year contract. The following table describes the components of Model A option: It is essential to match the costs of a robotic programme to the tariffs which the NHS receive for each procedure. The following tables explore these tariffs in greater depth.