CARTI’S NEW SURGERY CENTER The how, the why, the tech

By KD Reep

CARTI’s new 57,000-square-foot, extended-stay surgery center at its main campus in Little Rock is the cherry on top of an 18-site network of Arkansas locations.

An independent, nonprofit provider, CARTI was opened in 1976 as a specialty provider of radiation-based cancer treatment. It now offers comprehensive hematology/oncology services at 13 locations across the state, radiation therapy at five and diagnostic radiology at six. Its new surgery center was built to advance cancer care in Arkansas with its da Vinci surgical robots, private rooms and more.

AMP visited with CARTI leadership — President and CEO Adam Head; Dr. Scott Stern, chief medical officer and head and neck surgical oncologist; and Dr. Yara Robertson, medical director of surgery and breast surgi- cal oncologist — about realizing the vision of the surgery center and what it means for cancer care in Arkansas.

AMP: How was the vision of the surgery center realized, and what makes it unique?

Head: One thing we have consistently heard from our patients is, ‘I wish I could get my surgery done at CARTI.’ In March 2020, a team of CARTI leaders visited Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to tour its extended-stay surgery center. We’d found our answer. Nearly three years and a global pandemic later, the CARTI Surgery Center opened its doors, becoming the first and only dedicated cancer surgery center in Arkansas. Today, we offer the most technologically advanced surgeries possible — all within the CARTI system and at our flagship Little Rock campus.

AMP: With this center being the only one in Arkansas, and one of only a few in the nation, what does a surgery center like this mean for Arkansans?

Stern: The CARTI Surgery Center is a gamechanger for the patient experience. This facility is equipped with six large operating rooms, including two equipped with minimally invasive surgical robots, three procedure rooms, 14 pre-op/post-op rooms and eight private recovery suites. It is a ‘mega surgery center’ that will lead to significant benefits for our patients — improved safety, reduced risk, less pain and faster pathways to recovery, to name a few.

AMP: What makes this new center state-of-the-art? And how does it remain that way into the future?

Head: The CARTI Surgery Center was built for the future. We’ve dramatically increased our robotic surgery capability, giving patients priority access to the most technologically advanced surgeries available. Our two da Vinci robots allow extremely technical surgeries to be done safely and efficiently. These tools give our surgeons magnified, high-definition views, ensuring remarkable accuracy and less invasive procedures. The technology and the tools may change, but our goal remains the same: to support our patients and their families during their cancer journeys. From our innovative interventional radiology suites to calming recovery spaces, we designed and built every detail of the CARTI Surgery Center with their safety, comfort and healing in mind.

AMP: With such attention on artificial intelligence and robotic technology, how can CARTI balance technology with personal, one-on-one care?

Stern: We’ve seen firsthand how leading-edge technology can enhance patient outcomes. That said, we firmly believe nothing compares to the personalized, patient-centered care and overall experience our expert team provides. The CARTI Surgery Center’s operating rooms were designed to ease patients’ anxiety with ample windows, color-changing dimmable lights and music. This soothing experience extends throughout the facility.

AMP: What distinguishes the CARTI Surgery Center?

Robertson: Cancer surgery can be a draining and overwhelming experience with multiple procedures, pre- and post-op visits or visits to multiple campus locations. The CARTI Surgery Center eases that burden by keeping their care within one system, in a setting they are already familiar with and comfortable in.

AMP: How does this new center impact the efficiency of care for CARTI patients? Does it also impact the amount a patient pays?

Stern: It offers significant time and monetary savings, primarily from our process and procedure efficiencies and improved patient outcomes. The resulting benefit is much greater than cost reduction alone. For our patients, it’s a more manageable and less stressful experience — allowing them to focus instead on their health and recovery.

AMP: What affect will the center have on women’s oncology?

Robertson: A significant driver behind the CARTI Surgery Center was women’s oncology. For example, let’s take a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. Patients previously had to travel to different physicians and campuses for these procedures. Now, the entire care team — the surgical oncologists, plastic surgeons and related physicians — is available under one roof. It streamlines the surgical process and patients’ recoveries, enhancing their overall experience. CARTI will soon offer even more women’s services with the addition of a gynecologic surgical oncologist.

AMP: What’s next for CARTI in terms of providing treatment options to Arkansans?

Head: The CARTI Surgery Center is the latest step in our mission to make trusted cancer care accessible to every patient we serve through compassion, innovation and purpose. We will continue to look for ways to meet our patients where they are and make their cancer journeys smoother, including moving ahead with plans for The Bridge, a multi-faceted support services center at our main campus that will begin construction soon.

AMP: What should readers take away from the addition of the surgery center to the CARTI portfolio?

Head: The CARTI Surgery Center is for our patients. They are the reason for everything we have sought to do and change in cancer care over the last 47 years. We are given the very high calling of taking care of people who are going to endure about as much stress as someone will ever experience. Our heartbeat is walking alongside patients and their families in those difficult and uncertain moments and providing them with the most trusted cancer care available. CARTI’s mission is making trusted cancer care accessible for every patient we serve through compassion, innovation and purpose. The CARTI Surgery Center is one more step toward that mission. It was specifically built to care for those affected by cancer and all those whose diagnoses or conditions could somehow touch cancer.