West Hills Hospital Neurosurgery Institute

• Mission statement:

The primary goal of the West Hills Regional Neurosurgery & Spine Institute is to provide the highest level of service, satisfaction and sensitivity in the delivery of neurosurgical care. The patient is the focus of our existence and we will make every effort to utilize our skills for the medical and surgical benefit of our patients, without regard for personal or professional gain. We will demonstrate a cohesive clinical and fiscal operation, which makes us the premier provider of neurosurgical treatment in the area. Our objectives are to become the standard for quality patient care, to expand market share, and to ensure patient name recognition and loyalty.

• Possible box (optional):

According to the U.S. Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), “Neurological surgery is a discipline of medicine and that specialty of surgery which provides the operative and non-operative management (i.e., prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, critical care and rehabilitation) of disorders of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their supporting structures and vascular supply; the evaluation and treatment of pathological processes that modify the function or activity of the nervous system, including the hypophysis and the operative and nonoperative management of pain.”

• Physician Bio 1:

Dr. Michael Schneier, certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons, received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and did his neurological surgery residency at the Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During his training, he received numerous research awards including the Davidoff Scholarship in consecutive years for Outstanding Resident among all training and research institutions in New York City.

Dr Schneier received special training and certification in spinal reconstruction as a fellow at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he also served as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine and supervised the spinal trauma program for a major multi-state regional trauma center.

Active in the practice of neurosurgery since 1996, Dr. Schneier holds patents for dynamic spinal implants, is a textbook contributor on the subject of spine stabilization, reviews for the journal SPINE and is particularly interested in neuro-oncology and reconstructive spinal surgery. He is a member of Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, ARGOS International Spine Society and other associations.

Dr. Schneier retains active privileges at West Hills Hospital & Medical Center, DISC-Marina Del Rey and St. John’s Hospital. He has published numerous articles on neurosurgical topics, and continues to lecture and teach at various levels.

• Physician Bio 2:

Dr. Amir Vokshoor is a board-certified neurosurgeon whose specialty is a multi-disciplinary approach for treating spinal problems using minimally invasive methods. He is currently a director of the Spinal Institute at St. John’s Medical Center in Santa Monica, as well as a director of the Innovative Spinal Surgery Program at Diagnostic and Interventional Spinal Care (DISC).

Dr. Vokshoor earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia of the Virginia Commonwealth University where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his neurosurgery residency training at the Ohio State University and obtained additional advanced training at the University of South Florida. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Spine Society and the California Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Dr. Vokshoor’s expertise lies in the treatment of the entire range of adult spinal disorders from disc degeneration to complex reconstructions for tumors. He continues to advance the field of spinal surgery through numerous contributions to peer-reviewed journals, and has particular interest in dynamic stabilization of the spine through motion preservation, considered the next frontier in spinal surgery.

• Physician Assistant Bio

Dean Wilson, B.S., PA-C, is a Neurosurgical Physicians Assistant who has been active in the practice of neurosurgery for over 10 years. Prior to joining West Hills Hospital & Medical Center as the Neuroscience Service Line Director, he served as the Chief Neurosurgical Physician Assistant at the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute of Cedars Sinai Medical Center and Staten Island University Hospital. He received his degree from Howard University and completed his internship at St. Vincent's Medical Center in New York. He is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and is a member of both the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the California Association of Physician Assistants.

• The Institute:

For over 40 years, West Hills Hospital & Medical Center has been serving Southern California from its central location in the San Fernando Valley. The hospital has stayed abreast of all the important advances in medical treatment and technology, even as its dedicated doctors, nurses and other caregivers have kept current with continuing education.

Past, present and future are in proper balance at West Hills. The past represents the foundational truths about the hospital and its mission, a mission that has never changed: Serve the community one patient at a time, treating each one as family. The present holds the promise of continuing advancements, in both theory and practice.

And the future? At West Hills, we’re busy building the future right now.

The future is now

West Hills Hospital & Medical Center is in the midst of a $60 million expansion that will include a state-of-the-art Emergency Department, new Critical Care units, specialty treatment areas and the new West Hills Regional Neurosurgery & Spine Institute. With world-class expertise in cardiovascular surgery already, and the new neurosurgery unit in the works, West Hills is positioning itself as the region’s top site for top specialties.

The Institute’s offices will have three examination rooms, with three neurosurgeons on staff. In addition, there will be one full-time specialist in anesthesiology and pain management, with another on-call. In addition, a full-time, specially-trained physician’s assistant supports the staff.

The energies and resources of this new group, to be headed by renowned neurosurgeons Dr. Michael Schneier and Dr. Amir Vokshoor, will be focused primarily on combating the neurological consequences of aging. This means treating any and all degenerative processes of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), as well as the peripheral (the nerves themselves), including

• diseases of the cervical and lumbar spine,
• failed backs and failed spinal surgery
• traumatic and pathologic spine diagnoses, and
• image-guided surgeries on tumors of the brain and spine.

A “fresh outlook”

Dr. Vokshoor is looking forward to “bringing a progressive, fresh outlook to the neurosurgical program at West Hills hospital.” An important part of that new outlook is educating patients and helping them understand that there are alternatives to surgery for relief of spine related pain.

Sometimes surgery is called for; often it is only one of several options. It is important that patients understand their choices, and be advised that there may be both operative and non-operative treatments for their particular spinal disease. The treatments range from traditional and minimally invasive surgery (“operative”) to a series of special spinal injections (“non-operative”), as well as modalities still under development.

Another “fresh” idea is Dr. Schneier’s determination to be available for immediate consultations, as well as for building relationships within the medical community that will best serve the patient. “I’ve been building these kinds of relationships in the medical community already,” says Dr. Schneier, “but for West Hills we envision a center of excellence for the treatment of neoplams of the brain and spinal cord, operating in collaboration with oncology and radiology groups.”

“A commitment to excellence”

One invaluable benefit of having a world-class neurosurgery unit is that West Hills can now bring its ICU care, ER care and its perioperative services care up to 2007 neurosurgical standards (and beyond, of course). “With ongoing education and a commitment to excellence,” says Dr. Vokshoor, “each and every area will meet the requirements.”

Furthermore, with such prominent physicians as Drs. Schneier and Vokshoor at the helm, the new West Hills Regional Neurosurgery & Spine Institute may encounter opportunities to serve as a hub for research, known as an “IDE site.” An Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) allows an investigational device to be used in a clinical study to collect safety and effectiveness data. The Institute could conduct neuro/spinal implant investigations and then publish its findings, further cementing its stature as a leading neurosurgery center.

With first-rate staff, state-of-the-art technology and open communication with physicians in general practice and other specialties, the West Hills Regional Neurosurgery & Spine Institute is well positioned to fulfill its mission to deliver state-of-the-art neurosurgery and spine surgery in a safe, compassionate manner.