Lakewood Ranch Medical Center will now be able to perform robotic-assisted surgery during emergencies, not just scheduled operations, after adding a third surgical robot to its operating rooms.

The hospital announced Monday, Aug. 10, the addition of the da Vinci 5 Surgical System, manufactured by Intuitive Surgical. The system joins two older da Vinci Xi platforms already in use, according to Bradenton Magazine.

The practical effect for patients: more surgeons will have simultaneous access to robotic tools, and surgical teams will have the flexibility to use robotic assistance in urgent cases rather than defaulting to traditional open surgery or transferring patients to another facility.

CEO Jason Madsen said the addition keeps advanced surgical care close to home for recovering patients and their families. In a July 30 profile with Your Observer, Madsen framed the broader investment strategy: "In a place like Lakewood Ranch, our plan is to provide 80% to 90% of what a community needs."

The da Vinci 5 features more than 150 design upgrades over its predecessor. The biggest: force feedback. The technology gives surgeons real-time data on how much pressure they're applying to tissue, paired with high-resolution 3D imaging and computing power that Intuitive Surgical says is 10,000 times greater than the Xi model.

The hospital says robotic-assisted procedures generally mean smaller incisions, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery compared to open surgery.

The addition caps a stretch of heavy capital spending at the medical center. Parent company Universal Health Services completed a $120 million, five-story tower expansion in April, and Madsen said in a July 30 interview that the hospital is also investing $1 million in urology surgical technology and expanding its neonatal ICU and orthopedic robotics programs. Da Vinci systems cost approximately $2 million each, Madsen said at the time, though the newer da Vinci 5 may carry a different price tag.

Lakewood Ranch, now home to more than 80,000 residents, ranked first nationally among multi-generational master-planned communities at mid-year 2026. The hospital has not announced a date for the first procedure using the new system.