St. Joseph Surgeon Earns ‘da Vinci Super User’ Status for Robotic-Assisted Surgery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 25, 2022

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Sam Skinner, Marketing & Communications
208.750.7377 office | sam.skinner@sjrmc.org

St. Joseph Surgeon Earns ‘da Vinci Super User’ Status for Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Dr. Sallee Jones has performed nearly 450 procedures using a da Vinci robot at St. Joe’s, including 50-plus in the last quarter

LEWISTON, Idaho – St. Joseph Regional Medical Center general surgeon Dr. Sallee Jones, PhD, DO, who is an expert in robotic-assisted surgery, recently became one of the region’s few physicians to earn the status of “da Vinci Super User” for her extensive experience with the industry-leading da Vinci surgical robot.

Awarded to surgeons who have completed at least 50 or more robotic-assisted procedures in a single three-month period, the da Vinci Super User designation is the highest status recognized by Intuitive, the developer and manufacturer of da Vinci.

During her career, Jones has performed nearly 450 surgeries using da Vinci technology, including more than 125 with the latest model acquired by St. Joe’s – the da Vinci Xi.

The da Vinci Xi assists Jones in performing delicate surgeries such as hernia repair, colon resection and gallbladder surgery and surgeon Geneen Bigsby, DO, uses the robot for gynecological procedures at St. Joe’s.  Robotic surgery is minimally invasive. Among the benefits for patients, the smaller incisions and fewer surgical movements can potentially lead to less pain, shorter hospital stays and recovery times, and reduced risk of infection and complications from blood loss.

St. Joe’s has been performing robotic surgeries using da Vinci technology since 2018. Last year, the hospital invested $530,000 to upgrade to the da Vinci Xi, with Jones performing its first operation.

“We congratulate Dr. Sallee Jones on earning the elite distinction of da Vinci Super User, and we are proud to have a surgeon on our team with so much skill and experience in robotic-assisted surgery,” St. Joe’s CEO Ed Freysinger said. “St. Joseph Regional Medical Center has invested substantially in robotic-assisted surgery and state-of-the-art technology that will benefit our patients, and Dr. Jones’ new Super User designation is evidence that patients who come to her and come to St. Joe’s for surgical procedures are being cared for by the very best.”

Jones said she has enjoyed witnessing advancements in robotic-assisted surgery in recent years and in playing a direct role in bringing the benefits of da Vinci-assisted surgery to St. Joe’s patients.

“Earning the status of da Vinci Super User is an honor I am proud of and one that I share with everyone at St. Joe’s who supports our surgical team and the use of this extremely effective and valuable piece of surgical technology,” Jones said. “We have helped establish St. Joe’s as a go-to facility for robotic-assisted general surgery in the LC Valley, and it is exciting to think of all the people we have helped over the years, thanks to our commitment to this minimally invasive method of surgery. We look forward to serving many more patients in the future.”

For more information about surgical services available at St. Joe’s, visit sjrmc.org/surgery.

About St. Joseph Regional Medical Center

St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, part of ScionHealth, is the largest full-service regional medical center between Boise, Idaho and Spokane, Wash. providing advanced-level specialty healthcare. Our commitment to providing safe, exceptional care for our community means having highly-skilled and certified physicians on our healthcare team and a quality facility with the latest in medical technology. St. Joseph has more than 120 board-certified physicians and providers, active in both primary care and specialty practice.  We seek to enhance the quality of life of the citizens we serve in our local communities through the promotion of health, by assuring compassion, sharing knowledge, providing technology and communicating a love for what we do. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center – Making Communities Healthier® by Continuing the Healing Ministry of Jesus.

For more information about St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, visit sjrmc.org.  For more information about ScionHealth, visit ScionHealth.com.

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