LVMC Is First in SB County to Earn Prestigious Accreditation for Excellence in Robotic Surgery

After meeting stringent internationally recognized standards, Lompoc Valley Medical Center was awarded accreditation as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC).

The designation makes LVMC the only Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery on the Central Coast.

Robotic surgeries at LVMC are conducted by general and bariatric surgeon and Robotic Surgery Program Director Dr. Christopher Taglia, FACS, FASMBS, DABOM; general surgeon Dr. Peter Davis and general surgeon Dr. William J. Pierce.

“Achieving accreditation as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery is no small task,” Dr. Taglia said. “It means that Lompoc Valley Medical Center is providing the highest level of care for its patients. Members of the community can feel confident in the care they receive here.”

LVMC’s surgeons have conducted 450 robotic-assisted surgeries using the Intuitive da Vinci XI Single Console Robotic System between Sept. 20, 2021 and this week.

Surgeries conducted using robotic systems enable surgeons to perform complex surgical procedures in a minimally invasive manner and typically result in shorter hospitalization stays, reduced pain and discomfort for the patient, faster recovery time, smaller incisions and minimal scarring.

LVMC is currently also the only hospital in Santa Barbara County using robotic-assisted surgery for bariatric procedures.

The 20-year-old Surgical Review Corporation is an internationally recognized nonprofit patient safety organization. To achieve the SRC accreditation, the hospital underwent a rigorous assessment and inspection process to meet a series of standards and requirements, including the number of surgical cases conducted, the type of facility equipment, the level of patient education and more. All staff involved in the robotic system were evaluated.

SRC’s “gold seal,” according to the organization, “is synonymous with excellence in patient care.”

LVMC’s accreditation preparation was led by Bariatric Program Coordinator Cristina Ortega, RN, and Bariatric Program Clinical Reviewer Eileen Geraci, RN.

An SRC accreditation helps patients identify medical providers who have met strict standards for delivering high-quality medical treatment, including perioperative, surgical and long-term follow-up care.