By Mike Harris Saturday, February 15th, 2025

The Sansum Clinic’s Foothill Surgery Center has become one of the first outpatient surgery centers in the country to start using the innovative Intuitive da Vinci 5 robotic system.

The $3 million investment was funded by a $1 million anonymous gift, $675,000 from community supporters and $1.3 million from Sutter Health, an integrated health system headquartered in Sacramento.

Sansum, a century-old outpatient healthcare clinic with 23 sites across Santa Barbara County, became part of Sutter Health in 2023. Both are nonprofits.

“This system places Sutter at the forefront of advancement in robotic surgery and in outpatient surgical care,” Dr. Kurt Ransohoff, president of Sutter Health’s Greater Central Coast market, said in a Feb. 14 press release.

“Sutter has a vision and a strategy to be a leader in medical innovation, and this investment confirms it,” he said.

The new da Vinci 5 robotic system at Foothill Surgery Center expands health care options in the community, Ransohoff said.

It also addresses access for patients who may be experiencing difficulties or delays in scheduling certain surgical appointments, particularly with key specialties, he said.

The system boasts more than 150 new design innovations, including enhanced imaging, precision, ergonomics, improved instrument handling and 3DHD visualization.

It offers a better experience for surgeons, thereby helping to improve the care and outcome, Ransohoff said.  

The new robotic system will allow the center’s surgeons to handle more complex procedures in urology, gynecology, and general surgery, he said. 

The innovative technology accompanies other advancements at the center including its minimally invasive spine program and advanced ENT sinus navigation technology.

“We are thrilled to be one of the first ambulatory surgery centers in the nation to bring the innovative DV5 robot to our patients,” said Tom Parra, area administrator for Sutter’s Central Coast Surgery Center Division. 

“By embracing advancements like the DV5, we continue to redefine what is possible in outpatient surgery and enhance the care we deliver to our community,” he said.

Regional surgeons praised Sutter for its acquisition of the da Vinci 5 system.

“Sutter’s commitment to surgical system innovation here on the Central Coast was one of the primary reasons I decided to move my practice to Santa Barbara,” said urogynecologist Benjamin Wisner, who specializes in robotic reconstructive surgery. 

General surgeon Benjamin Howard said, “The ability to operate with this latest robotic platform in the outpatient setting truly raises the bar for minimally invasive surgical care here in our community.”

Dr. David Raphael, an OB/GYN specialist, said he was excited “to have a state-of-the-art robotic system that allows us to provide surgical options that result in less pain, shorter recovery times and improved outcomes, so our patients can return to their lives healthier and faster than ever before.”

The Foothill Surgery Center is the largest outpatient surgery center in the Santa Barbara area, caring for more than 600 patients a month.

Three new operating rooms there were completed at the end of 2023, bringing the total to seven.

Sutter has six community-based markets in the state.

Five are in Northern California while its Central Coast market is its first in Southern California, a result of its partnership with Sansum.

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