Leading The Fight Against Vascular Disease In Santa Clara County
Introduction: Leadership vs. Imitation
In medicine, as in life, leadership cannot be borrowed. It must be lived.
In Santa Clara County, South Bay Vascular Center & Vein Institute has spent decades forging a path as an independent vascular surgery practice—building, brick by brick, the trust of patients, families, and referring physicians across the region. Our mission has never been about chasing trends or money; it has been about fighting vascular disease with courage, compassion, and integrity.
Others may attempt to copy the outer trappings of our work—our blogs, our offices, our programs, even our accreditations. But patients deserve to know the truth: there is only one practice that has consistently led the fight against vascular disease in this community. That practice is South Bay Vascular. And that's why more indendent community physicians refer their vascular patients to South Bay Vascular than to all the other independent vascular surgical practices in the valley combined.
From Salaried Security to Community Service: Two Different Journeys
Many vascular surgeons in Santa Clara County built their careers within large, closed hospital systems. There is no question these institutions provide valuable training and offer stable careers. But salaried work within a hospital system is not the same as the courage, risk, and relentless dedication required to build and sustain independent practice.
At South Bay Vascular, we chose the harder road. We invested in facilities, equipment, accreditation, and above all—patients. Every decision we’ve made has been rooted in service to the community, not a guaranteed paycheck. Our goal is and always has been to earn the trust of our patients to serve as their doctors.
Some who spent the majority of their careers sheltered by salaried positions later attempted to cross into private practice. Without the hard-won experience of independence, they needed a blueprint. Unfortunately, our own generosity once opened the door to that blueprint. A former colleague came into our practice, studied our processes, forms, and procedures, and then attempted to replicate them elsewhere.
This history is not about personal grievance; it is about truth. The difference between us is stark: we pioneered the model of independent vascular excellence in Santa Clara County—others have tried to imitate it for financial gain.
Integrity at the Core of Our Mission
True leadership in medicine is not defined by titles or borrowed structures. It is defined by the choices a practice makes when no one is watching:
- Do you invest in your own nationally accredited ambulatory surgery center rather than relying on hospital availability?
- Do you commit to an on-site, IAC-accredited vascular lab so patients can receive accurate diagnoses without delay?
- Do you publish hundreds of original educational blogs to arm patients with knowledge—long before it was fashionable?
- Do you encourage second opinions when patients are told amputation is their only option?
South Bay Vascular has answered “yes” to each of these questions for decades. This is not marketing. This is lived commitment.
By contrast, copying forms, processes, or even website themes may create the appearance of leadership—but appearance is not reality. Integrity cannot be imitated.
Why “Leading the Fight” Matters
Vascular disease is devastating. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and critical limb ischemia (CLI) destroy lives, families, and futures if not treated with skill and urgency. Non-healing wounds and diabetic vascular complications often lead to unnecessary amputations—especially when patients do not have access to experienced vascular surgeons.
At South Bay Vascular, we have dedicated our careers to limb salvage and amputation prevention. We fight for patients who have been told elsewhere that there is “nothing more to be done.” Our record speaks for itself: legs saved, lives restored, families preserved. At South Bay Vascular Center "we offer hope when others say there is none"
To lead this fight requires more than credentials on paper. It requires:
- Decades of independent practice, unafraid of the risk and responsibility that comes with it.
- A willingness to invest in facilities that meet national standards, not simply to check accreditation boxes but to raise the bar for patient care.
- A proven culture of advocacy that encourages patients to question, to learn, and to demand better.
Others may now claim similar accreditations or mimic our programs. But they are responding to a standard we set. They are following a trail we blazed.
Patients Deserve to Know the Difference
When two practices appear similar on the surface, patients may struggle to know where to turn. That is why we urge families to look deeper.
Ask these questions:
- How long has your practice served the community as an independent vascular surgery center—not as part of a closed hospital system?
- Do you have a documented track record of publishing patient education for years, not just recently?
- Did your practice pioneer local programs such as amputation-prevention campaigns, medical mentorship programs, and public outreach on PAD?
- What was your practice’s origin story: was it born of conviction to serve, or was it a late-stage jump motivated by financial opportunity?
The answers matter. Because when your limb—and your life—are at stake, you deserve more than imitation. You deserve leadership.
The Weight of Experience
Our senior surgeon, Dr. Polly Kokinos, has been at the forefront of vascular surgery in Silicon Valley for decades. She and her colleagues did not step into independence as a late-career experiment. They built it, sustained it, and continue to lead it with every patient encounter.
This depth of experience shows in our outcomes. It shows in our growth. It shows in our partnerships with wound care centers, primary care physicians, and podiatrists. It shows in the trust families place in us when they seek second opinions. And it shows in the generations of patients who return to us because they know we care about them—not just about revenue.
The Cost of Cutting Corners
The tragedy of vascular disease is that it punishes delay and rewards diligence. In some instances, vascular surgery offices employ the help of physician extenders (NP's and PA's) to see their patients. As good as they may be, PA's and NP's are not doctors: A missed diagnosis, a misread ultrasound, or an unnecessary amputation can mean the difference between walking and never walking again. At South Bay Vascular Center, every patient consults with a board certified Vascular Surgeon before ever being prescribed a procedure. Experience matters!
That is why South Bay Vascular has never cut corners. We built an accredited vascular lab on site. We fought for our own surgery center. We staffed with registered vascular technologists. We maintained independence to protect our patients from bureaucratic delay and we fight every day as we lead the charge against vascular disease in Santa Clara County.
Imitators may eventually catch up to the form of what we do—but the spirit behind it cannot be copied. For us, these investments were never about competing with others. They were about protecting patients.
A Call to Patients: Demand More
If you are facing vascular disease, do not settle for surface appearances. Do not assume that every vascular practice operates with the same depth of integrity or the same mission-driven focus.
Demand to know:
- How long has the practice been independently serving your community?
- Are their surgeons deeply experienced in private practice pathways, or are they recent transplants from large salaried systems?
- Is their patient education authentic, consistent, and rooted in clinical authority—or does it read like borrowed content?
Your health, your limb, and your life are too valuable to entrust to anyone but true leaders.
Conclusion: Why We Lead
South Bay Vascular Center & Vein Institute is more than a clinic. We are a movement—leading the fight against vascular disease in Santa Clara County with courage, compassion, and integrity.
Others may try to mirror what we do. They may even succeed in copying the outer forms of our work. But leadership cannot be cloned. It must be lived, day after day, in the operating room, in the exam room, in the vascular lab, and in the heart of every physician who chooses patients over profit.
For decades, we have chosen that path. And we will continue to lead—because our community deserves nothing less. And for that very reason, we now serve patients in 4 offices; Campbell, Gilroy, Santa Cruz and Fremont.
If you or someone you love is facing vascular disease, trust the leaders who set the standard. Call South Bay Vascular at (408) 376-3626 to schedule your consultation.
