Dr. Hulst did my hip replacement and it was the best experience I have ever had with a surgery. He is very intelligent and kind. He cares about you and listens. I recommend him to anyone needing the type of surgeries that he performs. Exceptional surgeon! I had my surgery at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, which was fantastic, too. read more

Dr. Hulst walks in with a smile, makes me feel at ease and really listens to why I am there. He spends the time to be able to give me plenty of options to choose from to resolve the problem. I had my knee replaced by him in 2013 which was a huge success. I was back on track working out and teaching group fitness in a little less than 3 months after. If you are like me and want a doctor that understands living an active lifestyle and wanting to get back to it, Dr. Hulst is your man! read more

My goal in spending so much time on this review is hopefully to be helpful. It took me months to select a surgeon and it was a long and difficult process. In my experience, many surgeons seem to be "assembly line" surgeons and because of my age and other health factors I needed more care than that type of physician could / would provide. Dr Hulst replaced my hip in August of 2021. I'm 67 and was born with hip sockets that weren't fully formed. I had the other hip done in 2007 and since that time have come to find that my surgeon at Virginia Mason (Dr Ray Robinson I believe) was "a legend in his field". He's since retired but because of my experience with him I guess my standards were pretty high. Seriously, both times I just wanted full mobility afterwards and ease with the process. I've been active for most of my life and I hoped to continue. First off, this process with Dr Hulst was amazing. I found him to be as good and maybe even better than my former surgeon was. Whew. That's saying something. Just a few bullets - My surgery took place mid-covid when Overlake Hospital was cancelling everything considered non-essential. I couldn't walk, but my surgery was still considered elective (not "life and death" like covid was). Despite this, Dr Hulst got me in and somehow kept me from getting booted. That was a feat in itself. - From the moment I stepped in his office Dr Hulst was very detailed and appeared to be very skilled. He was making everything seem so easy. (And today I can say that it was). Before surgery he generously gave me the time I needed. I had a lot of questions (major surgery after all), I needed explanations and he wasn't in a hurry.at.all ... until I was finished. Then he literally ran out the door. (he has his priorities straight :) ). He made it very easy for me to ask questions and spoke in terms I could understand, not surgeon lingo. More importantly, I didn't feel stupid even though he's 1/2 my age. - My age was a concern to me. I also have a very low white blood cell count resulting in not much immunity. Lastly, I live alone. For all these reasons I needed different care post-surgery than a classic 30, 40 or 50 year-old would need. None of this appeared to be a problem for him. - There were some unforeseen complications when he opened me up. They weren't caused by anything he did - when he cut through my bone, it bled way too much. This resulted in an extra day at Overlake which he magically arranged (mid-covid) without putting any stress on me. I don't know how he did it but he handled all this with what appeared to be such ease, skill and professionalism. He pivoted easily and moved quickly to arrange the changes that needed to happen at Overlake as well as with my post-op care. He communicated openly with me, but kept any stress all this may have caused him away from me. - Today, my hip feels like nothing ever happened and surprisingly, I could have said the same thing back in October 2021. I have full mobility and am doing all the things I was doing before. After looking in hindsight, I'm realizing now I'd even recommend Dr Hulst to my kids. That's saying something. I didn't ask for this level of care but it's so rare these days. In looking back and feeling as great as I feel now, I'm still very surprised. I've had some disastrous care (wrong treatment, appointments that run on a hospital's quota system and physicians giving me "in and out care"). Dr Hulst isn't like that. From my experience and from the things I've heard from others, he's in that rare, top 1% in his field and because of this I'd recommend him to anyone without blinking an eye. Karen G Sherwood Bellevue WA PS I've been in sales all my life and know how important recommendations are. When a physician this great comes along, well, it brought a level of hope and assurance to me as well as my family that isn't common - we don't often see it these days - I also wasn't paid or even asked to send this review :)) Lastly, don't be deterred by his office staff. They're very, very difficult to say the least. They're unresponsive, even when working towards a deadline. They're very rude when you do manage to get a call back and they can't wait to get off the phone and they'll just ignore it when you call or leave a message. Since I was very nervous about having major surgery, this was so maddening and so frustrating. Surprisingly tho, now that it's in the past and I feel so great, for me Dr Hulst was very much worth it. As I said, I'm pretty sure he's in the top 1% in his field and at this point it's the outcome that matters to me. read more

1) Dr. Hulst recommended a knee replacement for me when I had an extruding meniscus but did not have bone on bone; there were less drastic remedies I would have pursued if I hadn't trusted his recommendation or if he had fully disclosed the high percentage of problems that occur, even for relatively young patients in good physical condition. I later learned that research shows that 1 in 5 patients are dissatisfied with the results. 2) Dr. Hulst mentioned "minimally invasive procedures" online, so I asked about how his work compared to that of a friend's doctor who used minimally invasive techniques. He downplayed any difference-said that knee replacement surgery always involved cutting into bone. I was left with the impression that he did essentially the same thing this other doctor did, but I later learned that other doctors use computer guided surgical techniques and do not remove ligaments, unlike Dr. Hulst. It turned out that his surgery was far more invasive than my friend's surgery from her doctor, and I would not have proceeded with him had he truthfully and fully answered my question. 3) After I scheduled multiple appointments telling him about all the pain and post-surgical problems I was experiencing and that I couldn't put weight on my knee, he repeatedly told me my X-rays looked good and I was just one of those people who gets a lot of scar tissue. He didn't offer to run any tests to diagnose my problem. I finally sought help from other surgeons and discovered that most won't even see you until a year after the initial surgery. So when you hire a surgeon like Dr. Hulst who doesn't run any tests when things go wrong, you are really in a hard place. It is even worse with a surgeon like Dr. Hulst who is regarded highly by other doctors, because those others think the patient must be the problem and disregard what the patient says. That happened to me with two subsequent "second" opinions. Finally I found a surgeon who treated me with respect, Dr. Christopher Boone, and who was willing to run diagnostic tests and come up with ideas on how to surgically fix my problem. 4) After finally getting metal allergy test results from a test ordered by my new doctor, I discovered that I was allergic to the nickel prosthetic Dr. Hulst used. Dr. Hulst never asked me in advance if I might be allergic to any metals, nor did he suggest testing for it when I was having serious problems afterward. Since this happened to me, I have learned of countless others who have had to have prosthetics removed because of a metal allergy. Some studies show that 20% or more of the population is allergic to nickel, yet Dr. Hulst never mentioned that possibility. If I had known about the allergy issue ahead of time, I would have willingly paid to be tested since insurance doesn't cover the test (or paid extra for a titanium prosthetic because they can last ten years longer than nickel prosthetics, a critical issue for a relatively young patient). The consequences of an allergy can be awful-constant pain, inability to walk, and no ability to get relief until you can find a second surgeon who is willing to order diagnostic tests and can eventually fit you in on their surgical calendar. And then the replacement prosthetic requires removal of even more bone, as well as installation of more metal in the shin and upper leg to hold it in place, which entails recovery issues and pain that are estimated to be 70% worse than the initial surgery. 5) After finding out the test result that I was allergic to nickel, Dr. Hulst called me but made no apology. Even after I later sent him a letter informing him in detail of how his practices had caused me substantial avoidable pain and permanent damage with the expressed intention of helping him become aware of these practices so that he could make changes to prevent others from being damaged as I had been, he made no response to my letter nor gave any other indication that he was going to do anything different to avoid causing similar damage to future patients. read more

I cannot thank Dr. Hulst enough! This amazing surgeon did the impossible for this 80 year old knee in my 39 year old body. I have had 4 surgeries on my left knee including an osteotomy, meniscus repair, ACL hamstring graft from a ruptured ACL, hardware removal (all by another great Proliance surgeon) but Dr. Hulst preformed my Total Knee Replacement. Severe osteoarthritis, fragmented bone between my joint, and lack of cartilage made me a candidate even though I'm a bit young, but Dr. Hulst did the impossible. He was able to press in my prosthesis instead of having to cement it due to the damage and the previous osteotomy. He was extremely professional, impeccably well educated in his craft and at 9 weeks post-op, I have regained almost 120 degrees in flexion and one lacking 1 degree in extension! I cannot remember the last time I was not suffering from joint pain, but since his surgery, I have only had the very minor pain from healing. I will be eternally grateful for this doctor giving me my life back! I did my first 5k (walking of course, let's not get too crazy) 6 weeks post-op and my time was 50 minutes (16.6 min mile) so I wasn't just talking a stroll.Highly recommend this surgeon for any knee problems as he is definitely an expert in his field! read more

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So this is the service experience that finally got me to start a Yelp account. I've had a disappointing series of doctor experience in recent years (not related to this visit). I went to see Dr. Hulst for a knee injury. I selected him without recommendation and wanted to give others something to go on if they find themselves in a similar situation. He hit all the right notes. Clear communicator, good listener, positive, relatable, pragmatic. His assessment felt on point, and his recommended treatment was neither overly aggressive (he is a surgeon after all ... I'm always leary of that) nor was it overly conservative (I would have been quite frustrated with a dismissive, "might want to see a PT and to do some band exercises". I am an active athlete, feel like I know my body pretty well and he was respectful of that. Best medical field experience I've had in a while and felt compelled to share. read more

Dr. Hulst did a Hip replacement for me and I can not be anymore happier. After limping around for over two years with a cane my hip pain increased more and more to the point where I could barely move around and I was in constant pain. I was scheduled for my surgery at the end of February 2020 and looked forward to getting my life back again. The surgery went well and I was prepared by his staff for what I had to do as far as recovering afterwards. The first week after surgery was probably the hardest but as I recovered the constant improvement everyday fed my desire to get back on my two feet again. I went from having no future or even a light at the end of the tunnel to having a bright light that got bigger and brighter everyday. It has now been seven weeks and my cane spends most of it's time collecting dust and I can not be any happier. I really want to thank Jonah Hulst with giving me back my life, he could not have been anymore professional or nicer to deal with. Thank you Dr. Hulst Don read more

Dr. Jonah B. Hulst is one of the BEST doctors in my practice. He's very knowledgeable, professional, caring, honest and he will spend all the time with you until he will find the solution to your problem. I recommend him!!! read more

I just had a total knee replacement by Dr Hulst in August and couldn't be happier with the results. I'm healing faster than my previous knee replacement surgery and am in less pain. Dr Hulst is so professional, knowledgeable and thorough. AND he's a great guy. I highly recommend him. read more

Dr. Hulst performed my hip replacement surgery at Overlake Hospital. He is a young experienced and fully present surgeon who offered me various options to the hip replacement. After 9 months of trying the options, my pain was getting worse and had now gone to bone on bone pain. I had surgery at 2 pm on a Tuesday and was going home on Thursday morning. The surgery went well, the nurses in OR and on the surgery floor provided compassionate, professional care at Overlake Hospital. The Surgeons at Proliance Orthopedic are very committed to their patients, but I was Blessed to have Dr. Jonah B Hulst as my Surgeon and would highly recommend him for your surgery needs. I had the anterior approach done and I was amazed at the pain control I had, and my mobility. Dr. Hulst was my second opinion after seeing an older robotic doctor in another office who simply said I needed to have my hip replaced and handed me a card and walked out the door, not saying thank you or good bye. No one should have to be treated like that, try Dr. Hulst first! read more