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Posted: Feb 10, 2026 2:34 PMUpdated: Feb 10, 2026 3:47 PM
Ascension St. John Jane Phillips Adds New Surgical Robot Technology
Nathan Thompson
Bartlesville’s Jane Phillips Medical Center is adding one of the most advanced surgical robots available, expanding access to minimally invasive procedures in northeast Oklahoma.
Ascension St. John Jane Phillips Medical Center has added a new Da Vinci 5 surgical robot — just the seventh in Oklahoma. It was used for the first time on Tuesday.
Hospital president Tanner Holt says demand for robotic surgery quickly outpaced expectations after the hospital received its first robot last year.
“We had the most highly utilized robot in all of Ascension — across the entire United States,” Holt said.
That demand led to more than 520 robotic surgeries in a 12-month period, forcing surgeons to share limited operating time.
“Our surgeons could only do robotic cases every other week, and that was a volume inhibitor for them and for patients,” Holt said.
Holt says robotic surgery now leads nationwide for many general surgery, OB-GYN and urology procedures. The new system allows weekly access to robotic surgery and is expected to attract more physicians to Bartlesville.
“This is a big physician attractor," Holt said. "It’s the latest and greatest technology when it comes to robotic surgery.”
The Da Vinci 5 also means faster recoveries and shorter hospital stays for patients.
“A lot of these patients are going home the same day instead of staying three to five days,” Holt said.
Dr. Brent Steward, general surgeon at Jane Phillips, used the Da Vinci 5 on the first procedure Tuesday morning.
“We are extremely excited to have such state of the art technology at our hospital," Steward said. "There is not a better surgical robot in the world for what we do and we have it right here in our hometown.”
The new robot was delivered last week and is now being integrated into surgical care at Jane Phillips Hospital.
Photo courtesy Intuitive
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