Medicare only pays for approved procedures in a surgicenter when the patient is discharged in less than 24 hours, so I doubt that a procedure mostly done on medicare patients would be covered as I believe 24 hour maximum is unlikely for a robotic prostatectomy. So a robot use is unlikely even if the doctor was a partner in the surgicenter. Now if it was a private hospital owned by the docs that is different but unlikely because the cost for the equipment to do a case is likely more than the reimbursement from Medicare. You do not make up a loss per case by doing more volume. As I understand it, Medicare considers a prostatectomy to be a prostatectomy whether it is done open or with a robot. Open is much cheaper for the facility.Many doctors have a relationship with facilities that do surgeries of various types. Surgery centers have lasers and robots, etc. Some are just referral relationships, but many are partnership interests. And yes, I do know it for a fact. So maybe not all, perhaps "most" would have been a better word choice.
I think your doc is an exception.
Can you verify most? You claim that most facilities that have a robot the docs are partial owners or get a kickback. Do you want to call Medicare and report this fraud? They give a finders fee.