The Massachusetts Medical Society wishes to be recorded in
strong opposition to H.1182, A Resolve Providing for an Investigation and Study
by a Special Commission Relative to Robotic Surgery.
H.1182 would create a special commission to examine robotic
surgery and develop best practices and principles, create certification for new
application of robotic surgery, and promulgate guidelines for surgeon training
and experience. The Medical Society formally adopted policy explicitly opposing
this practice.
Established standards of care and best practices in any
facet of medicine are important to maintaining high quality care and promoting
patient safety. Government commissions are not the proper venue to establish
standards of care or best practices. First, a committee comprised of
legislators, patients, and professional society representatives does not have
the expertise for such an undertaking- especially given the subspecialized,
highly-technical nature of the practice. Second, the wonders of medical
advancement prohibit the creation of static standards of care as they cannot
take into account new and evolving technologies, techniques, etc. Third, the Board of Registration in Medicine
and tort law already provide means by which to establish a legal standard of
care. Fourth, surgeon training and determinations of requisite experience for
any procedure are best left to medical education programs and to individual
clinicians and their supervisors to provide sufficient flexibility to ensure
that all surgeons are properly trained and experienced.
Standards of care and best practices should
be established by practitioners in the field, should change with advances in
technology, and should be free from the political process- all to maximize
quality of care and to provide the utmost patient protections. For these
reasons, the MMS strongly opposes H.1182 and statutory codification of best
practices and guidelines.
