Urology Clinic serves veteran population with innovative technology

  • Published
  • By Stacey Geiger
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The urology clinic of the Wright-Patterson Medical Center is a surgical specialty that provides services to TriCare beneficiaries and an increasing veteran population.

The clinic serves 1,728 patients per year and performs approximately 400 surgeries annually. They treat medical issues such as kidney stones, male infertility, prostate tumors, bladder tumors and urinary tract infections.

Four years ago, the urology clinic opened its services to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and now they treat veteran patients from the Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Chillicothe VAs.

Out of 4,181 patient encounters last year, 730 were referred from a VA.

“By seeing VA patients, it allows us to have opportunities to help a population that may have more diseases, are sicker and require a variation of different surgeries than the healthy active-duty population,” said Master Sgt. Stephanie Cates, urology surgical specialties flight chief.

According to Cates, this inflow of patients has improved the clinic’s medical readiness and preparation for civilian surgical cases.

Due to this increase in patient encounters, the urology clinic has begun utilizing new technology. Since April 2017, the Wright-Patterson urology clinic has been using a new surgical device—a robotic system called da Vinci Xi—to perform minimally invasive surgeries.

The da Vinci Xi is a system of robotic arms and surgical instruments operated by a trained surgeon. The surgeon uses the built-in robotic camera with video display to visualize the surgical site and make steady, precise motions.

"Our robotic program is thriving," said Maj. (Dr.) Toby Lees, chief of urology. "It's allowing quicker recovering times after surgery, less bleeding and ultimately better cancer outcomes."

Additional benefits to using the da Vinci Xi are smaller surgical incisions, shorter hospital stays and greater patient satisfaction.

The WPMC urology clinic is also equipped with telehealth, a system of communication using a camera to communicate virtually between the clinic and VAs. Because of this technology, WPMC urologists can diagnose and help treat patients from a distance.

“I conference in to those VAs and see patients,” said Lees. “There’s a nurse in the room at the VA and I’m able to interact with the patient through the nurse and save those folks a trip.”

Whether via telehealth or in person, the WPMC urology clinic provides patients with exceptional care, according to Lees. “We have patient safety champions in our clinic,” he said. “The idea of trusted care is emphasized through flight huddles, process improvement and metrics to help with all steps of patient safety.”

The WPMC urologists provide patients with multiple surgery options, from less invasive to more invasive methods, depending on the circumstances.

“[Urology] is a sensitive area,” Lees said. “We are able to help people feel at ease in getting care for these issues.”

For more information, stop by the Urology Clinic on the main floor of the WPMC.