PacificSource grant provides Billings Clinic with new robotic surgery equipment

Billings, MT - A generous $200,000 grant from PacificSource is helping Billings Clinic bring in new state-of-the art robotic surgery equipment to help lung cancer and pulmonology patients.

The new equipment, called a digital C-arm with Cone Beam CT capabilities, pairs with robotic bronchoscopy equipment and gives care teams real-time tridimensional imaging, allowing them to evaluate smaller and more complex lesions with improved precision during lung biopsy.

This means safer, earlier and more accurate diagnoses. Additionally, the advanced imaging provided by the Cone Beam CT allows for precise targeting and sampling, which can lead to more accurate evaluations and potentially faster time to treatment for patients. By being able examine deeper into a patient’s lung tissue, this technology will be critical in early detection of lung cancer.

“At PacificSource, we are dedicated to enhancing health care accessibility and quality for our communities,” said Erik Wood, Montana Market President for PacificSource. “Our recent contribution towards the Cone CT scanner at Billings Clinic represents a significant step forward in improving diagnostic capabilities for oncology patients. This advanced technology will enable earlier and more precise detection, ultimately leading to better treatment outcomes. We are proud to support initiatives that bring cutting-edge medical advancements to Montana.”

PacificSource is an independent, not-for-profit health plan that, in addition to serving more than 600,000 people in the Northwest, invests more than $1.3 million annually back into the communities it serves through volunteer work and donations such as supporting the new scanner at Billings Clinic. This new equipment will allow Billings Clinic to help more patients across the region each year and set up the program to conduct additional clinical cancer trials. It will be installed at Billings Clinic and ready for clinical use as soon as the summer of 2025.

“We’re grateful for PacificSource’s commitment to bring this modern technology to Billings Clinic,” said Billings Clinic Pulmonologist Bruno Rodrigues, MD. “It’s going to help us take care of more people and, by helping to detect potentially serious illnesses earlier, will help to save more lives. In the future, it will also allow us to perform treatment to lung cancer, delivering medicines directly to the nodule”