Value proposition of robotic thoracic surgery in high volume centers

Several articles in the March 2019 issue of the Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery on Robotic Thoracic Surgery address the financial cost, resource utilization and value of robotic thoracic surgery. The value of robotics, as it compares to the previously established minimally invasive approach of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), appears to be one important issue for the practicing general thoracic surgeon and the health system looking to adopt this technology in our field. For surgical procedures, value can be defined as the cost relative to outcomes and quality, as compared to alternative approaches/procedures