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Choice Dermatology LLC
12
Ridge Street, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 • (908) 766-SKIN (7546)
New
Patients
Welcome
Choice Dermatology
offers excellent care in medical,surgical and cosmetic dermatology.
Our office focuses on quality treatment, timely service, and personalized one-on-one care
with the dermatologist during the entire visit.
•
Diagnosis and treatment of
disorders of the skin, hair
and nails
•
Microscopic interpretation
of skin biopsies
•
Surgical excision of benign and
malignant skin lesions
•
Cosmetic services including BOTOX
injection, dermal fillers for deep
wrinkles, and chemical peels.
Now Accepting
AmeriHealth
BlueCross BlueShield
Aetna • Oxford
UnitedHealthcare
Medicare
NJ NEUROSURGEONS OFFER TIPS FOR
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SPINE SPECIALIST
Atlantic NeuroSurgical Specialists (ANS) educates
patients about the importance of choosing the
most appropriate specialist for back surgery
Every day, over 15 million Americans experi-
ence back pain. Of those 15 million, more than
600,000
back surgeries are performed each
year. With back pain on the rise, the number of
physicians performing back surgeries has also
increased, making Failed Back Surgery Syn-
drome (FBSS) a lot more common. On average
80,000
Americans suffer from FBSS. So the
question arises, how do you choose the right
specialist? In order to help patients find the
right specialist, the neurosurgeons at Atlantic
NeuroSurgical Specialists (ANS) have launched
an awareness campaign to include tips for
choosing the right specialist for your spine.
First and foremost, patients must understand
that just because someone says that they are a
spine specialist does not mean that their claims
are valid. Some of the most common failed
back surgeries are a result of quick-fix solu-
tions, performed by physicians without the
proper training. Understanding a physician’s
background, education, and reputation are all
important when choosing your specialist.
•
Make sure your spine specialist is ade-
quately trained:
Most people would be
surprised to find that there is no require-
ment of surgical training for someone to call
themselves a “spine specialist.” Although a
medical license is required, medical licensure
only sets the minimum competency require-
ments to diagnose and treat patients; it is
not specialty specific. Most patients would
also be surprised to know that their doctor
performing spine surgery may not even
have undergone a surgical training pro-
gram. Don’t trust the surgical management
of your spine and spinal cord to a doctor
with no formal surgical training, who may
have just attended an industry-sponsored
weekend course on some new technique.
Neurosurgical residencies last 6-7 years with
surgical technique and spine surgery being
taught throughout. Orthopedic residencies
last 5 years with surgical technique and
exposure to spine surgery. At the end of
that training, orthopedists interested in
spine surgery and some select neurosur-
geons pursue advanced fellowship training
in spine surgery.
•
Consider a fellowship-trained physi-
cian:
Fellowship training is an additional 1-
2
years of training devoted to a specific
area of expertise. This program allows
physicians to train with recognized experts
in their specialized field. For neurosurgeons
this is an additional year where their expert-
ise can be fine-tuned, often with new
advanced technology. It is uncommon to
find multiple experts with advanced spine
fellowship training in one group. At ANS, 5
neurosurgeons are fellowship-trained in
spine and hold national recognition in their
specialty. They combine their expertise to
improve outcomes and patient care. As
such, ANS was one of the first practices in
the Northeast to participate in a national
outcomes database looking at outcomes in
spinal care.
•
Your spine specialist should dedicate
over half of his/her practice to spine
cases:
When choosing a spine specialist,
you’ll want to consider the newest and
most groundbreaking treatment options. If
the doctor of your choice is dedicated to
handling spine cases, it is more likely that
he/she will be trained on the most current
treatment options available. Additionally,
you’ll want to look for the surgeon’s suc-
cess rate. The more successful a spine sur-
geon is, the better a patient’s chance for a
successful clinical outcome. ANS provides
patients with the most contemporary treat-
ment options, and has the largest experi-
ence in the state with advanced minimally
invasive spinal surgery with nationally
ranked clinical outcomes.
•
Choosing the right type of back spe-
cialist:
When patients hear the word “neu-
rosurgeon,” many think “treatment of
brain disorders.” Although this is true,
what most don’t realize is that neurosur-
geons specialize in treating all aspects of
diseases affecting the nervous system and
supporting structures including brain,
peripheral nerves, and spinal disorders. In
fact, neurosurgeons focus on the spine
throughout their entire education, with a
select few devoting an additional year to
fellowship training. That means that a neu-
rosurgeon may spend as long as 8 years in
intense surgical training mastering the art
of diagnosis and treatment of spinal disor-
ders. Dr. Jack Knightly of ANS adds, “This
includes not only knowing how to safely
perform complex spinal procedures (includ-
ing spinal instrumentation and fusion pro-
cedures), but equally as important, when
these procedures should be performed.”
Neurosurgeons are also trained to manage
problems involving the spinal cord itself,
such as tumors that impinge on the spinal
cord or arise from within.
For the average patient, both neurosur-
geons and orthopedic spine surgeons are
equally well qualified. When choosing the
best specialist for you, it is important to
understand your diagnosis and then choose
the specialist who has the most experience
treating your condition. “You should feel
comfortable that all of your questions are
answered and have trust in your physician,”
adds ANS neurosurgeon Dr. Scott Meyer.
Atlantic NeuroSurgical Specialists is the
largest private neurosurgical practice in NJ.
Holding national recognition in their specialty,
ANS neurosurgeons are affiliated with leading
hospitals and health care systems and per-
form the most minimally invasive spine sur-
gery cases throughout the state.
Don’t put yourself at risk. Trust an ANS
neurosurgeon to diagnose and treat your
delicate spine.
For more information visit
www.ansdocs.com or call 973-285-7800.
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Providing care for adults, families, children
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For More Information, Please Call or
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245
Route 22, Suite 305, Bridgewater, NJ
908-429-9300
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