NAMES IN THE NEWS

Covenant High Plains Performs Its First Robotic Sacrocolpopexy

AUGUST 2023

Covenant High Plains Surgery Center (CHPSC) of Lubbock, Texas, announced in a release that Ryan C. Owen, MD, performed a sacrocolpopexy using a robot, making the ASC the first independent, freestanding surgery center in West Texas to offer the procedure with a robot.

A sacrocolpopexy treats pelvic organ prolapse, which occurs when the connective tissues or muscles within the body cavity are weak and unable to hold the pelvis in its natural orientation, according to the release. The traditional approach is an open surgery through a 6–8-inch incision in the abdomen, but robotic surgery offers the advantages of smaller incisions, faster recovery, less pain and decreased risk of infection. Patients generally go home the same day and return to normal life and work activities sooner than with an open surgery.

“I’m excited to offer our community the most innovative procedures using robotic surgical techniques, and doing so at the top-rated ambulatory surgery center in West Texas means the best possible outcomes and highest satisfaction for my patients—at substantially lower cost than a typical hospital stay,” Owen said in the release. “My patient went home before noon, barely four hours after the procedure started. This was something unheard of not too long ago, and now it’s available to everyone who needs this advanced level of quality care.”

CHPSC operates two freestanding, independent multispecialty ASCs in Lubbock with joint-venture partners Covenant Health System and National Cardiovascular Partners. Fully accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, CHPSC runs 14 operating and procedure rooms with more than 100 physicians on staff and serves patients from Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.