Amazing and talented person. The surgery result is going well. And the staff is the best. Always good at HSS !

Dr Cammisa, is the best, had previous surgery by him back in 2004, felt great after surgery, 18 years later back with Dr.Cammisa for more repairs - look no further, he's a lifesaver, he doesn't go for the more extensive- if he doesn't think you need it. I went for an opinion before the 1st surgery in 2004 w another doctor who was supposed to be the best in North Jersey - he wanted to implant the new swivel disc just on the market, I would be his 13th new patient for it, then heard of Dr. Cammisa, he says you don't need to do that, the less invasive surgery would be best, my back was great for 16 years, then old age and weight took effect. read more

How do you find the best surgeon for you? I met with at least five surgeons and Dr. Cammisa stood out from the start. My surgery results were even better than I could have hoped for and the surgery was not nearly the terrible experience I was told it could be. By the time I decided to have surgery I could not walk one block. The decision to have surgery was made for me. Right after surgery I found I could stand up straight and walk, totally without pain. And I was off the pain meds by day 8. Everyone on Dr. Cammisa's team was very professional. All calls and emails were promptly returned. I can't say enough good things about my experience with him and his team. My advise to anyone suffering from extreme back pain? Do your homework and pick a great surgeon (in my case Dr. Cammisa) and do it with a doctor who has a great team! Evie S. read more

I saw Dr. Cammisa to try to identify a pain in my leg which had been ongoing for about 8 months. After over 20 minutes in his waiting room, his staff decided to send me downstairs for x-rays. There was a wait for x-rays, then I returned to Dr. Cammisa's wait room and eventually was brought into an examination room where I waited an additional 15 minutes. In total this means I saw my doctor about 75 minutes later than my appointment time. Dr. Cammisa Jr. was brash and harsh. He came in with my x-rays and gruffly told me there was nothing wrong with me and I should go, strongly implying that I was wasting his time. I tried to show him my MRI results, which he begrudgingly glanced at and dismissed. I pleaded with him for some advice, because the pain was severe and multiple physical therapists had not helped. He told me "Look, I'm a surgeon, you don't need surgery. There's not much else to say." Hurt by his curtness and negative attitude, I left in a hurried daze, accidentally leaving the MRI results I had brought. Despite the fact that they had my name and phone # and my primary doctor's name and phone #, I never received a call from his office about them. Fast-forward to 3 months later, and it turns out I DO need surgery, something which a closer read of my MRI by a trained professional could have shown. Paraneal entrapment neuropathy, hypertorophy of short head of the biceps femoris. This was one of the worst I've been treated by a human being, especially one who is in a practice meant to help and heal. read more

Anyone complaining about wait time or bedside manner is a joke. This guy is the ABSOLUTE BEST in the business. When the nerve pain is so bad down your leg that you cannot walk, lay down or do anything for that matter, you're not talking about wait time or bedside manner. You want relief, and that is what I got. You dont go to Dr Cammisa because you need just any old back surgeon. You go to him because its your back and you want the best in the business operating on you. You dont go to a restaurant like Daniel and complain about portion size. Smartin up.... read more

Doctor Cammisa changed my life. He is world renowned and highly respected, and he earned it. He was Chief of Spine Services at the #1 Ortho hospital in the U.S. They are the best at what they do, but they are human. Dr. C did my complicated posterior multi-level lumbar fusion w/ instrumentation a dozen years ago, and while no picnic, I'd do it again 100 times. I waited two months to get in there and five more for the surgery. He took his time with me (2 hrs), was thorough and answered all my questions. He ordered other therapies and diagnostics to ensure surgery was the only option. The Discogram by Dr. S. Waldman (also 5 stars) revealed the extent of damage was far worse than initially diagnosed. The local surgeons both planned a single level fusion. Dr. C said, "We wonder why so many surgeries fail - that's why." (Over half of his practice is fixing other docs' mistakes.) I was grateful to be his patient. Many top doctors are a bit stuffy, it's true. Really smart people are like that sometimes. He is not a chit-chat kind of doc, he's a serious surgeon and scientist. I wanted him to fix my body, not talk to me. As for the rest of his office and personnel, they too, are busy, busy, busy. They were professional, courteous and pleasant most of the time, and I had a good relationship with everyone in the office. My life changed for the better, thank you Dr. Cammisa! To ES: Thank God he doesn't perform unnecessary surgery. To BK: Who complains about a faxing error in the rating of a world-renowned surgeon? Or a 20 min (or 2 hour) wait when people come from around the globe? That's why the wait is so long - he's in BIG demand. To DC: You needed a coddler, not a world-class surgeon. It is incredulous that any surgeon would do anterior approach without explaining it, or without your prior consent. Dr. Fantini would only be present for anterior approach, and they do not surprise you with that. Your statement "years later..." hints you were part of RANDOM STUDY, as I was, where the surgical approach is not known until immediately before surgery. Dr. Cammisa is not arrogant, he is serious. If you were as harmed as you think, he most likely told you to sue him, and you would have. It is not likely that even a single doctor would make statements like those that you claim without knowing the case. I'm sorry you are not happy, but that is the louder message here. read more

An America's Top Doctor, Dr. Cammisa is world-renowned, among the best spine surgeons in the world. Professional athletes, dignitaries, 'those who know' go to him. Much of his practice is fixing the mess of other doctors. He is a dedicated doctor/ scientist; he does not coddle or waste time on pointless chit-chat. That's fine - I want him to operate, not talk to me. He spent over 1.5 hrs on my first appt, answered (and copied) my list of 50 Qs, and explained that he would not operate until i exhausted all other options. The doctors i'd seen locally were ready for surgery w/o ever doing adequate diagnostics; they never bothered with some of the most basic, necessary tests or treatments. Dr. C never rushed, but explained thoroughly what/why/what if... I had peace of mind that i'd made a wise decision, and never regretted it. He and the fellow, Dr. Pigeon (now, too a top doc) did my multi-level lumbar fusion in 2003. My spine was a mess, so much that the planned 3.5 hour surgery took over 7 hours. I'm 98% improved, though the first couple years were slow-going. The office is extremely busy, but highly efficient. A pre-surgery motor vehicle accident complicated my condition, and led to more communication w/ the office. Never, not ever did i encounter rude staff. Severe/ chronic pain can change people, even temporarily. We become ultra-sensitive, can take things the wrong way, and get upset at perceived hurts, digs, etc. Or, perhaps we get what we give. My function and quality of life is great thanks to Dr. Cammisa. With a multi-level fusion and residual MVA damage, there are minor limitations. Long ago I resumed most activities, including heavy physical work, lift/carry/load firewood, heavy garden prep, lugging boulders and more. Sometimes i overdo it, but that was always the case. read more

I had a spondylolysis and spondylolysthesis repair in 2012 by dr cammisa and I think these reviews are nuts. I can't tell you how many surgeons I saw before going to him that spent half an hour with me and wanted to do a fusion (on a 25 year old) and when I went in for my first visit with him I spent over an hour with him and his PA and they knew me and my condition and background like the back of their hand. He also didnt want to do a fusion because my disks were healthy and he didn't feel comfortable discarding healthy disks. What I got was less invasive, something hardly anyone does, from the chief of spine surgery from the best ortho hospital in America. I can't complain. The man is attentive and focused and serious but still compassionate. I trust him with my life. Two years later I am sciatic pain free and I'm doing things I haven't done since high school. As far as I'm concerned he gave me my life back. read more

I'm sorry...I think the reviews on this Doctor are totally off base. This guy is remarkable...a real pro who is the chief of the spine unit at one of the most remarkable hospital facilities I could image. The service and care here is incredible...everything they do is "top notch". This doctor is Intense in his meticulous attention to perfection...if you're looking for personality you are probably focused on the wrong things. This guy is a consummate professional and we couldn't recommend any doctor or hospital more highly! read more

Dr.TF Atrociously negligent office staff. I tried to get a consultation with Dr. Camissa for L4-L5 spondilolisthesis. They demanded an unusual array of documentation, including all notes from previous consultants I had seen. This was hard to obtain, but I did and faxed them all the required materials. I had to call multiple times , without ever getting an answer as to wether all my documents were received. The most I got out of the office staff was " Manisha has your fax in her phone, but she is out of the office". I did not hear from Manisha until 3 weeks later , when she emailed me a reprimanding email, for not calling to schedule an appointment with Dr. Cammisa. With that kind of attitude , how much confidence can you have that you will be able to get the Doctor when you need him, say postop, after the surgery? While Dr. Cammisa may be a great surgeon, the support staff and the follow up is just as, or more important than his skills. read more

It would never have occurred to me to write a review on Yelp about a doctor but, after reading the two negative reviews, I felt compelled to add my two cents. Twenty five years ago, at the age of 41, I herniated a disc in my lumbar spine. After waiting a while to see if it would heal on it's own, I wound up at the office of a noted neurologist in Manhattan. It was a Friday and I was the last patient of the day. After his examination, he went into his office and I was able to overhear his conversation. "It's an emergency and you have to see him ASAP." He had called Dr. Cammisa's office and I was to be seen on Monday morning. Monday I was Cammisa's office and waited almost 2 hours to see him. After his exam, he scheduled me for surgery on Thursday. I didn't really like him and he DID seem a little arrogant to me BUT I was told he was the best! My surgery was scheduled late in the day on Thursday and took several hours. When I woke up in the morning on Friday, I was pain-free! I was able to stand up straight for the first time in months. Maybe his bedside manner was a little lacking but eight weeks later, I was back out on the basketball courts, where I have been ever since. I've had aches and pains, injuries and arthritis but I never had an ounce of back pain. Maybe I was just lucky. Or maybe I just had the best surgeon. I'll assume that it was both. It's definitely frustrating to wait to see a doctor and deal with an office staff that is less than efficient but that shouldn't be part of the rating. That works for a restaurant but not a doctor. I have to agree with Rick B. when he says "... you want the best in the business operating on you." I believe that Dr. Cammisa is just that - the best in the business. read more

Dr. Cammisa performed an anterior lumbar spine fusion and lamenectomy. My surgery was originally a posterior surgery. The day of surgery when I was already apprehensive as one would expect a young woman would be, and under the influence of IV narcotics the surgery was changed to an anterior surgery. Dr. Cammisa and Dr. Fantini promised "you wouldn't even be able to see the scar." Years later, This in fact is not the case and I will need to see a plastic surgeon if I ever want to make this better. I've visited other top surgeons from NYU and Mt. Sinai and they agree it was inappropriate to change the surgery lacking a medical reason to do this to a young woman. The day of surgery I weighed 130 pounds and by the time this ordeal was done 7 months later I weighed 90 pounds due to the abdominal issues I suffered as a result of my stomach being removed for so many hours during surgery. Dr. Cammisa has no bedside manner whatsoever. However, the problem lies not in that, but with his downright arrogance and lack of interest in his patient's recovery. His follow up visits are rushed and he lacks the appropriate follow up skills to carefully and closely review a patient's post op MRI's and progress. It is Imperative to a smooth and successful recovery to choose a surgeon that sees his work through. Dr. Camissa appears more interested in advancing his research for his benefit and not his patients' well being. It's one thing to be meticulous and it's another to do it at the cost of other people's well being. I've met several other people that had excellent results and much smoother recoveries for both them and their caretakers elsewhere. I strongly recommend choosing a different surgeon. If you do decide to see Cammisa be prepared to wait and wait and wait. Best of luck and please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about my experience. read more

I have a severe case of lumbar spine stenosis. Last Friday I faxed my MRI report to 3 surgeons in 3 different hospitals. I have one appointment this Friday (one week since faxing) and one this Monday. I am still waiting for Dr. Cammisa's office to respond. I have called several times. When they couldn't take the info I was offering, which they had requested, they said they would call me back....they never did. I always had to call them. Now today, when I called, they told me I was missing the 2nd sheet of the MRI report I had faxed last Friday (why did it take a full week for them to tell me that??? and only after I called?) Then I was told that someone informed me about the missing sheet 2 days ago...an out and out lie. I was then told that if I faxed that 2nd sheet today, the doctor would review it and let me know, by the end of next week, just if I qualified to be seen by him or an associate. I asked, if I was "approved", when could I have a consultation with him? She said he was booking for November! Six months away!!! I said forget it and hung up. I never did get to see Dr. Cammisa. I know the Hospital for Special Surgery has a terrific reputation and that probably would have been my first choice... but the office was totally incompetent and just too frustrating to deal with any further. Thankfully I have 2 other competent surgeons, with competent offices, to decide between. read more