What Makes Our Clinic Different

If you believe in excellent medical care with personal attention provided by an experienced and world renowned surgeon and his caring staff, you have found the right clinic! Our goal is to give personalized, top quality medical care to each and every patient. Unlike other clinics, we do not overbook our schedule for office visits or surgeries. PATIENTS ARE NOT JUST A NUMBER TO US.  WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT EACH AND EVERY PATIENT  DESERVES PROPER TIME AND CARE.

SURGICAL CANDIDATES
1. We offer MRI and medical history review followed by a personal phone call from Dr. Schiffer himself with his recommendations. Many other clinics are currently using non-surgeons to determine whether surgery is indicated.

2. In order to save time and cost for patients, all diagnostic studies such as MRI, CT scan and
X-rays and preoperative tests are usually done in the patients’ home town prior to surgery.
We will be happy to provide necessary prescriptions as well as obtaining insurance authorization if required.

3. THREE DAY VISIT
Some clinics prolong patient stays for up to a week by requiring patients to have a course of physical therapy, steroid injections etc. At Dr. Schiffer’s clinic, it is only a three day visit.
Day One: Our patients are seen for a consultation with Dr. Schiffer that includes history, neurologic exam, review of radiologic studies and surgery discussion.

Day Two: Endoscopic surgery performed as an outpatient, under local anesthesia and conscious sedation and then patients are discharged within 2 hours after the surgery.

Day Three: A Follow up visit to the office for discussion of postoperative care. Patient can
return home after the follow up visit. Many of our patients decide to see our beautiful San Francisco/Bay Area.  Also, there are direct fast trains, just a few blocks from our clinic to downtown San Francisco. 



4. Unlike other surgeons who have recently started doing minimally invasive disc surgeries, 
Dr. Schiffer is a Neurosurgeon and a pioneer with over 20 years of experience in performing minimally invasive techniques in both lumbar and cervical spine surgeries. For lumbar disc protrusions, Dr. Schiffer is the only surgeon who combines Lumbar Endoscopic Discectomy and Thermal Annuloplasty to provide maximum relief for low back pain as well as leg pain.
He is also one of few surgeons who perform both cervical and lumbar spine surgeries, using minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Schiffer feels that discography is not necessary for diagnosis in most cases.

5. Dr. Schiffer can perform multiple level disc surgeries at one time which is not only cost effective for patients but also reduces recovery time. When patients have both lumbar and cervical spine problems, both surgeries are performed during one trip. Many other clinics perform only one disc surgery at a time even when patients have multiple level disc protrusions. Their patients are required to make multiple trips to resolve multiple disc problems.

6. Many other surgeons who claim that they perform minimally invasive disc surgeries frequently make large incisions, up to 18 mm. In comparison, Dr. Schiffer’s  incisions are only 2 mm for cervical endoscopic surgeries and only 4 mm for lumbar endoscopic surgeries and the incisions are closed with a Band-aid! Also, Dr. Schiffer performs his cervical spine surgeries with an anterior approach which enables him to safely remove both lateral as well as central disc protrusions or bone spurs. All cervical endoscopic discectomies are performed through the front of the neck without any bone removal. This approach allows us to remove all disc protrusions whether they are central (behind the spinal cord) or lateral in location. Many surgeons use a posterior approach which does not allow them to remove the central portion of disc protrusion or bone spur.

EXPLANATION: Because the spinal cord cannot be safely moved in order to remove a disc protrusion, those surgeons who perform cervical endoscopic discectomies through the back of the neck are not able to remove the central component of the herniation. As a result, they must resort to removing bone (foraminotomy etc.) in an effort to enlarge the spinal canal.
This technique frequently leads only to partial or temporary relief of the symptoms.

7. Dr. Schiffer does not own a surgical facility, therefore our ‘total costs’ are less than many other clinics. Our surgical facilities are contracted with your insurance company and they will  directly bill your insurance company and accept their contracted rates.

Our clinic offers interest free loans for up to 6 months or extended payment plans through a medical loan company. This will give you enough time to get reimbursed by your insurance company. Our experienced staff will get the surgery authorized if required and will also bill your insurance company and help you get reimbursed directly by them. For out of town patients we also offer complimentary hotel accommodations for the 3 day stay in the area.

8. Even though Dr. Schiffer can perform ALL types of spinal procedures (cervical fusion, cervical/lumbar laminectomy) which are more invasive and more expensive, he strongly believes in helping his patients with minimally invasive techniques to resolve their problem.
Dr. Schiffer himself has had three spinal surgeries over 20 years ago, none of which involved
a fusion. Many physicians seek out Dr. Schiffer when they need surgery for themselves. The majority of surgeons who perform invasive fusions on their patients frequently do not wish to undergo fusion themselves when faced with their own spinal problems.

9. Dr. Schiffer has been getting excellent results consistently for the past 20 years. Please read the testimonials from his patients. Unfortunately, many so called ‘‘expert spine surgeons’’ are relative novices in the field of minimally invasive spine surgery.

10. For spine surgeons, there are only two boards accredited by the American Board of Medical Specialties- 1) American Board of Neurologic Surgery and 2) American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Schiffer is board certified by the American Board of Neurologic Surgery. If you wish to investigate Dr. Schiffer’s record, please visit: medbd.ca.gov/lookup.html