BEGIN ARTICLE PREVIEW: According to doctors, the new program has helped patients receive the care they need, shorten hospital stays, and created better outcomes. COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Dorn VA Hospital in Columbia has started a new program with robotic surgery that’s making a big difference for patients. Doctor Kurt Fichtner is a surgeon at the Dorn VA Hospital in Columbia. He says they started their robotic surgery program earlier on in the year. “The robot was brought in November/December time frame last year. We underwent training and began doing some of our first cases in the January/February time frame,” said Dr. Fichtner. Even with the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Fichtner says he’s had 50 total cases himself and another five or six cases for the other surgeon who’s a part of their progr