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CHI FRANCISCAN HEALTH /// chifranciscan.org 2 Meet Our New Providers CHI Franciscan Health St. Joseph Medical Center 1717 S J Street Tacoma, WA 98405 P 1-888-825-3227 chifranciscan.org news briefs THORACIC SURGERY TEAM EARNS TOP QUALITY RATINGS FOR LUNG CANCER SURGERY Thoracic oncology surgeons at St. Joseph Medical Center have earned the elite three- star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for stage I lung cancer lobectomy (removal of an anatomic portion of the lung). It is the society's highest rating and only awarded to the top 5 percent of thoracic surgery programs in the United States. Thoracic oncology surgeons Baiya Krishnadasan, MD, and Nyen Chong, MD, perform a large volume of these operations at St. Joseph using minimally invasive techniques that can reduce pain and speed recovery times. The three-star designation reects results signicantly better than national average for 30-day mortality and length of hospital stay after lobectomy for lung cancer for the period from January 2012 through December 2014. "Our three-star rating rmly establishes the lung cancer surgeryprogram at St. Joseph Medical Center as one of the bestinthe nation," said Baiya Krishnadasan, medical director, thoracic oncology. CHI FRANCISCAN FIRST WITH NEW EPILEPSY TECHNOLOGY People living with medication-resistant epilepsy have new hope through a signicant advancement of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy. CHI Franciscan neurosurgeon Marc Goldman, MD, as placed the state's rst Aspire SR Generator in a young adult who has endured numerous seizures throughout most of his life. "About one-third of epilepsy patients have conditions that are resistant to drug treatments," said neurologist Seth Stankus, DO, of Franciscan Neurology Associates. "This new device automatically detects the steep climb in heart rate that precedes a seizure and stimulates the vagus nerve, which projects to the part of the brain implicated in seizures and can help prevent seizures from occurring. This is very exciting for our patients." The small FDA-approved device delivers mild, pulsed electrical signals to the vagus nerve to block seizure activity. Most patients experience a 50 to 90 percent reduction in seizures and report improvements in quality of life. To learn more, talk to your doctor or call Franciscan Neurology Associates at (253) 274-7505. 3-STAR RATINGS Society of Thoracic Surgeons LEON PLOWRIGHT, MD Gynecology/Urogynecology JENNIFER BANDA, CNM, ARNP Obstetrics & Gynecology Franciscan Women's Health Associates at St. Joseph Tacoma 253 2747501 KADAPALAKERE REDDY, MD Endocrinology DANA BAUMGARTNER, ARNP, FNP Endocrinology Franciscan Endocrine Associates at St. Joseph Tacoma 253 5656777 KATELAN LONGFELLOW, MD Neurology LORIN FREEDMAN, MD, PHD Neurology/Sleep Medicine Franciscan Neurology Associates at St. Joseph Tacoma 253 2747505