Sutter Health announced the launch of the SAINT neuromodulation system at Sutter Center for Psychiatry in Sacramento, making Sutter the first in the greater Sacramento region to offer this advanced, FDA-cleared therapy for adults with major depressive disorder who have not responded to standard treatments. Developed by Magnus Medical, SAINT stands for Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy and is the first and only FDA-cleared, noninvasive brain stimulation treatment shown to achieve a 79% remission rate in case studies, often in just five days.
SAINT therapy is currently available for patients covered by Medicare and some private insurance carriers, with additional access expanding rapidly. Unlike traditional transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which typically requires daily sessions over four to six weeks, SAINT uses MRI-guided imaging and proprietary algorithms to deliver a highly individualized, accelerated protocol of 10 short sessions per day over five days. This approach allows patients to experience faster and more durable improvement, helping them return to daily life more quickly.
Sutter clinicians recently co-authored a case study showing that accelerated TMS protocols delivered over five days can significantly reduce depression and anxiety symptoms. Dan Peterson, CEO of Sutter Center for Psychiatry, stated, “Being the first non-academic health system on the West Coast to offer SAINT means we can deliver breakthrough, life-changing care to people who have exhausted other options.”
The launch aligns with Sutter Health’s systemwide strategy to expand access to mental health care and strengthen integrated behavioral health across care settings. The Sutter Center for Psychiatry’s interventional psychiatry program, which includes SAINT and TMS, benefited from a $2 million gift from the Thomas P. Raley Foundation. Those struggling with depression despite being on antidepressants can contact the Sutter Center for Psychiatry TMS line at (916) 386-3684.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/sutter-health-first-in-sacramento-region-to-offer-breakthrough-accelerated-tms-therapy-for-treatment-resistant-depression/