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and the practice of specialists perform- ing their own surgeries without the assistance of residents. According to Dr. Oppenheim, this allows Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Rockland County to offer care that is comparable, if not superior, to the care available in New York City. Exhaustive Evaluation When a patient is referred to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center for spinal evaluation, he or she completes a full consultation with one of the neurosurgeons. This includes a thorough history review and comprehensive examination of the pain and physical limitations related to the complaint, as well as current imaging studies. "We want to verify patients have up-to-date imaging studies," says Dr. Oppenheim. "I can't tell you how many times I see patients, perhaps to offer a second opinion, who have had a recommendation for surgery, and I look at their MRI scans, and they're a year old. It's like trying to navigate somewhere with a map that's very old. The roads may have changed. People heal." Once an accurate diagnosis has been made, Dr. Oppenheim and his colleagues tap resources for conservative care. The team partners with providers in the com- munity and on staff at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center to offer patients physical therapy, pain management tech- niques such as injections, and alternative medical therapies. Dr. Oppenheim and his colleagues also refer patients to a physiatrist on staff at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. The team is extremely cautious when introducing any pain medication treatment into a patient's care plan. Dr. Oppenheim explains that while neurosurgeons desire to achieve optimal levels of pain relief for their patients, they do not want to enable addiction A 3-D computed tomography reconstruction demonstrates a successful minimally invasive spinal fusion. Dr. Oppenheim reviews digital radiographic images in his office with computer technician Vicki Schwaid. THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE CARE THE EXPERTISE JEFFREY S. OPPENHEIM, M.D., neurosurgeon at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, brings to patient care is a unique blend of training at some of the country's top academic and medical institutions, a career dedicated to innovative neurosurgical techniques, and experience as a patient himself. Dr. Oppenheim graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude with a degree in cognitive neuroscience and went on to earn his medical degree at Cornell University Medical College. He performed his internship in surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center before completing his residency in neurosurgery at the same institution. Dr. Oppenheim then became chief neurosurgery resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Oppenheim is community focused in his practice. In addition to providing advanced neurosurgical therapy to patients in the Hudson Valley, he has served as a board member of the Medical Society of the State of New York, President of the Rockland County Board of Health and President of the Rockland County Medical Society. He has served as an instructor in neurosurgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons since 1995. A board-certified neurosurgeon, he is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the New York State Neurosurgical Society and the North American Spine Society.