Overlook Medical Center in Summit has implanted a nerve-stimulation device for rheumatoid arthritis patients, a first for any hospital in New Jersey.

The SetPoint System, approved by the FDA in 2025, targets adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have not responded to or cannot tolerate standard biologic or targeted drug therapies. Neurosurgeon Ronald Benitez, medical director of endovascular neurosurgery at Atlantic Health, performed the first implant in February 2026, as first reported by WRNJ Radio.

The small device works by stimulating the vagus nerve for one minute each day. That brief pulse activates neural pathways that help regulate the body's inflammatory response. Clinical data from the pivotal RESET-RA study showed meaningful improvements in disease activity among RA patients, according to an Atlantic Health statement.

SetPoint Medical, the device's maker, describes it as the first neuroimmune modulation therapy available for people living with RA.

Elliot Rosenstein, a rheumatologist and co-director of the Institute for Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases (IRAD) at Overlook, said the treatment could help patients who have exhausted other options. He explained that the connection between vagus nerve stimulation and autoimmune relief likely runs through the spleen's immune functions.

"We do know that the spleen helps to fine-tune immune responses that can affect autoimmune reactions to the tissues in joints … and these can be modified by stimulating the vagus nerve," Rosenstein said in the statement.

Benitez called the device "a game-changer for patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis." He said it shows how neuromodulation can help restore patients by stimulating important nerves in the body.

The treatment is now available through Atlantic Health rheumatologists at IRAD, which is based at Overlook in Summit. No information on cost, insurance coverage or patient eligibility screening has been published. Residents interested in the procedure can contact Atlantic Health or the IRAD at Overlook Medical Center.

SetPoint Medical is also evaluating its neurostimulation platform for other conditions, including multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease.