Bringing Robotic Mastectomy to a Regional Health System Expands Access

Kay Yoon-Flannery, DO, MPH, FACS, chief of Women’s Oncology at AtlantiCare in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, brought robot-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy to AtlantiCare, making it the first health system in the tri-state region to offer the da Vinci Single Port (SP) procedure. In this conversation with CancerNetwork®, she discussed why keeping this advanced care close to home mattered for patient adherence and regional access, and how word of mouth among patients and a close-knit community of adopting breast surgeons is helping the technique reach more institutions across the country and, ultimately, more patients who might benefit.

Transcript:

I was so proud to be able to bring this technique to all our patients where I live, where I treat my patients, and where my friends and family members live. It took a village, and AtlantiCare has been at the forefront of bringing not only the talent but the technology to make everything available to our patients. The breast surgeons who’ve adopted this technology in the early wave—we all talk to one another. We’re a tight group because we’re learning from each other’s experience and helping one another. As I was launching this program, I’ve also gotten a great number of requests, phone calls, and meeting requests from other surgeons in other areas and institutions who are interested in bringing this technology to where they are. We’re helping one another; if you don’t currently have this technology but your patients are interested, we’re talking to one another and helping them bring it on so that, ultimately, we do this together as a community of dedicated breast surgical oncologists and to bring everything available to all of our patients in our nation. It’s been a fulfilling experience, I should say, but also very exciting to be able to do this.

Reference

AtlantiCare first in region to offer robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy using da Vinci Single Port system. News release. AtlantiCare Health Network. July 13, 2026. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/3w5tz4ux