(This article was updated January 27, 2026) - St. Joseph’s Hospital-South has received reaccreditation as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC). SRC is a leading national, independent, external evaluator of programs and services of surgeons and hospitals.
The designation signifies that the Riverview hospital’s robotic surgery services provide the highest quality of care to patients. St. Joseph's Hospital-South's surgeons are specially-trained and experienced in robotic surgery and use the robot in colorectal, general surgery, gynecology, gynecologic oncology, thoracic and urologic procedures. Robotic surgery can provide St. Joseph's Hospital-South surgeons with superior dexterity, enhanced vision and improved surgical access compared to conventional minimally invasive surgery or traditional open surgery. The surgeon-guided robot navigates a precise approach to areas that traditional surgical instruments are unable to reach.
St. Joseph’s Hospital-South was originally accredited in 2021 and received reaccreditation in late 2024. The reaccreditation process is done every three years and the current reaccreditation is through 2027.
Bartow Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa and St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz are other BayCare hospitals with Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery accreditation by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC).
To earn Center of Excellence designation in robotic surgery, the hospital underwent a series of inspections and visits where all aspects of the surgical program were examined and scrutinized and health outcomes of patients were reviewed. The inspection and visit process involved physicians, nurses, administrators and any others involved with robotic surgery at the hospital.
Since 2016, St. Joseph's Hospital-South has performed nearly 4,000 robotic surgeries. In 2025, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South set its yearly hospital record of 1,107 robotic surgeries. Its second-highest was 739 in 2024. St. Joseph's Hospital-South's third highest yearly total of robotic surgeries was 416 in 2023. The jump from 416 in 2023 to 1,107 in 2025 represents a 166% increase in that three-year period. In 2025, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South added a third robot to meet the growing demand for robotic surgery.
The four interactive arms of the robot are over the patient on the operating table. The surgeon operates the robot from a console. The console has a gray hood. The console has a high-resolution screen that projects 3-D images of the surgical site. The surgeon guides the surgical instruments from the console. The surgeon manually guides instruments utilizing their hands and fingers. When the surgeon moves, the arms respond precisely to those movements in real time. The instruments work identically to the movement of a human arm, human elbow and a human wrist, however with an enhanced range of motion
“I am fully in control of the robot, robotic surgery is not automated,” said Dr. Donovan Tapper, chief of surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital-South and a general surgeon who has performed hundreds of robotic surgeries at the Riverview hospital in the last six years.
Dr. Tapper uses the robot in surgeries of the gallbladder, colon and for hernias and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).
Benefits of robotic surgery used by St. Joseph’s Hospital-South surgeons include:
“As a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery, it means that St. Joseph’s Hospital-South as a facility is prioritizing patient safety and quality metrics by offering the latest technology in minimally invasive surgery,” said Jelissa Corry, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South director of surgical services during the hospital's period of unprecedented growth in robotic surgery. Corry is now BayCare director of system quality, safety and education for perioperative services.
“We are doing everything we can to keep patients safe and give them the best experience possible,” she said. “By achieving this designation it means we have met strict criteria for both safety and efficiency practices. So, if you are having a robotic surgery, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South is where you want to get it done.”
St. Joseph’s Hospital-South performs robotic surgeries in colorectal, general surgery, gynecology, gynecologic oncology, thoracic and urologic procedures.
