MDNews - Mid Hudson

COVER FEATURE cooking from a recipe — 'Here's where you press button one; here's where you press button two, and everything is sort of the same.' The reality is that it isn't like that; medicine is an art as much as it is a science and a philosophy. My "Many people think medicine is like flying an airplane or majority of cases. Then, if surgery is needed, I aim to perform the smallest possible procedure rather than the largest." approach is always to do the smallest possible intervention and to avoid surgery when possible — which applies to the — Jeffrey S. Oppenheim, M.D., neurosurgeon at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center Making the Grade Based on several peer-reviewed objective measures, the conservative, patient-centric approach employed by Dr. Oppenheim and his colleagues is receiving high marks. For 2012, a leading health care ratings company ranked Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center above the national average in back and neck surgery – spinal fusion. The program received five stars, compared to the national average of three stars. "At Good Samar itan Regional The Suffern, NY, office staff of Hudson Valley Brain and Spine Surgery, left to right: Gina Diana-Bronson, Jenny Buono, Donna Baratta, Judy Ameen, Michele Hughes, Marjorie Roberts and Mary Blickley ensuring patients enjoy all the benefits of a minimally invasive procedure. The device may be used in a variety of operations, including anterior lumbar interbody fusion, posterior interlaminar fusion, posterolateral fusion and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. The design features an integrated bone graft enclosure and provides an alternative to pedicle screw instrumentation. 10 | Mid Hudson MD NEWS ■ MDNEWS.COM "We're one of the f irst in the nation to utilize the technology," says Dr. Oppenheim. "Because the minimal ly invasive procedure is performed through a very small inci- sion and with simple instrumentation, it is easy to tolerate and provides the same benefits as a traditional spinal fusion. Patients are able to go home the next day and return to activities much sooner." Medical Center, with five stars, we are the highest-rated for neck and back surgery," says Dr. Oppenheim. "When it comes to looking at objec- tive measures for quality of care, our measures are as good as, if not better than, those awarded to the brand name hospitals in New York City. "No one is bet ter t ra ined to perform spinal surgery than a board- certified neurosurgeon." By offering four such specialists, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center has created a world-class spinal surgery program. To learn more about the neuro- surgical services at Good Samaritan Re g ional Medi cal Cent e r, v i s i t www.goodsamhosp.org. ■

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