St. Joseph Ranked Top 5 California Hospital for Vascular Surgery Outcomes

Press release from Providence:

Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka is pleased to announce that Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting doctors and patients, has awarded the hospital with a top 5 hospital ranking in California for quality in vascular surgery outcomes.

o determine this year’s State Ranking recipients, Healthgrades evaluated clinical performance for nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide focusing on 18 key specialties across a mix of chronic, urgent, and surgical specialty areas. Hospitals recognized as among the top 5 in their state by Healthgrades are providing patients with consistently better-than expected clinical outcomes.

“Being recognized as one of the top 5 in California for vascular surgery is a tremendous achievement that speaks to St. Joseph Hospital’s ongoing commitment to high-quality care. Hospitals receiving a #5 ranking in their state have a proven track record of delivering superior outcomes for the patients in their community,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science, Healthgrades.

Vascular surgery is a treatment option for patients who suffer from vascular disease, which affects the body’s arteries, blood vessels, veins, and tiny capillaries that carry blood. It also covers the lymphatic system—the small vessels through which a fluid called lymph, containing infection-fighting white blood cells, travels from the tissues into the blood.

Pictured in attached photo, left to right: Cassie Smith, RN, Sonia Amann, RN, Ashlie Wooden, RN, Michael Palmer, MD, Lancey Johnston, RN, Ryan Samuelson, RN, Revery Majd, RN, and Marisa Monzon, RN. (not pictured is vascular surgeon, Huy Trieu, MD)

At St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Huy Trieu, MD, and Michael Palmer, MD, are surgeons who perform the vast majority of vascular surgeries at the hospital. According to Dr. Palmer, in addition to standard vascular procedures, he and Dr. Trieu started performing a new procedure in 2019 called TCAR – or Transcarotid Artery Revascularization. TCAR is a is a minimally invasive procedure that can clear blockages and open a narrowed carotid artery.

“TCAR is a minimally invasive stenting procedure that has the lowest documented stroke rate for carotid stenting ever recorded,” stated Dr. Palmer, who’s been a surgeon in Humboldt County since 1989. “This is enormously beneficial for patients at high risk for open surgery. We do the procedure in our cath lab and most patients go home the next day.”

“To have these exceptional vascular services and procedures available in Humboldt County is an incredible asset to the health and wellbeing of our community,” said Darian Harris, chief executive, Providence in Humboldt County. “This recognition speaks to the immense clinical capability available at our Providence facilities as well as the unwavering commitment of our clinicians, caregivers and leaders in providing outstanding, high-quality care for our community on the North Coast.”