Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre has surpassed 3,000 robotic-assisted surgeries, marking a milestone for a program that hospital leaders say has become a key part of the facility’s ongoing transformation.
Since introducing robotic-assisted surgery in 2021, Mercy has expanded the program to include approximately 20 surgeons across eight specialties, including general surgery, bariatric surgery, urology, gynecology, gynecologic oncology, urogynecology and colorectal surgery. The hospital currently has four robotic systems and provides robotic surgery coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mercy President Joe Manopella described the milestone as part of what he calls a “renaissance” for the more than 100-year-old hospital, which opened in 1913 and has long served Rockville Centre and surrounding communities.
“When you look at a hospital with such longevity, over 110, 15 years in this community, founded in this community, and all of the great work it has done over that period of time, the renaissance perspective was bringing back that sense of pride and community that people had when they thought of Mercy,” Manopella said.
Manopella said the hospital’s transformation has centered on investments in facilities, technology and staff, while maintaining Mercy’s longstanding mission of providing care to the community.
“It was investing in the facility. It was investing in the people. It was investing in the equipment,” he said. “It was looking at and getting out there and letting the community know what we’re all about.”
In May 2026, Mercy earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group and a Five-Star Overall Hospital Quality Rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Manopella said those achievements reflected a broader effort to improve quality and patient experience.
“It took us literally a little over three years to get to where we needed to be,” he said. “Our mission was to be the best that we could be, to get the word out there how good we are, offer up new advanced services, invest in our facilities, invest in our people, build a very strong culture.”
Dr. Shan Ahmed, Mercy’s chief medical officer, said the robotic surgery program has played a major role in that effort by allowing the hospital to provide advanced technology in a community hospital setting.
“What’s special about this robotic platform is it really ignited our operative areas, our nurses, our doctors, every member throughout the building in delivering world-class medicine at a community hospital,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed said the 3,000-surgery milestone is particularly significant because of the size and scope of Mercy’s program.
“When you talk about that number 3,000 in the period of time that we’ve had this program at a small community hospital, that’s the impressive part,” he said. “We came out swinging home runs.”
Robotic-assisted surgery allows surgeons to perform procedures with enhanced visualization and precision. Ahmed said potential benefits include smaller incisions, less pain, reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery times.
“The benefits are the precision, the ability to decrease complications,” Ahmed said. “The technology has brought us to a level that if you become an expert on it, it is only going to improve our skills and how we deliver medicine.”
Mercy officials said the program required significant training and oversight before surgeons perform procedures independently. Physicians undergo proctoring with experienced robotic surgeons and must demonstrate competency before operating without supervision.
“It’s not about the speed at all,” Ahmed said. “It’s about executing safety first.”
Manopella said reaching 3,000 procedures represents the work of many people throughout the hospital.
“What the 3,000 means for me is really, it means it’s all about them,” he said. “It’s all about their hard work and their desire to do this with us.”
Looking ahead, Ahmed said robotic surgery will likely continue to evolve and become more common throughout health care.
“I think this platform is going to be in every operating room across the country and the world,” he said. “It’s just going to be the way things are done.”
For Manopella, the hospital’s future will continue to build on its history.
“You should never forget about the past and what you’re all about,” he said. “Let’s remember that. Let’s remember the people who did that. Let’s build upon what was done and let everybody know that.”
