"The surgeon who said everything looked fine -- now my mother is on dialysis, in decline, and will…read morelikely never recover." In December 2024, my 82-year-old mother underwent spine surgery by Dr. Vingan, Chief of Spine Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center and a lead physician at North Jersey Brain & Spine. The sequence of events surrounding that procedure is fully documented -- and deeply troubling. Just eight days before surgery, her ejection fraction (EF) was documented as 37%. Then, without any cardiac intervention, a new echocardiogram appeared listing 51% with the vague comment "looks better." The report was unsigned, missing details on her pacemaker, right ventricle, and lacked any comparison to prior studies. According to the American Society of Echocardiography, EF measured via Simpson's method has a typical reproducibility of ±5-7%. A 14-point jump--without intervention--is far outside expected variability. When her condition worsened post-op, an independent cardiologist re-tested her EF: it had returned to 37%. That was only the beginning. At 5:59 a.m. on the morning of surgery, her labs came back showing a GFR of 17 -- Stage 4 kidney failure. Dr. Vingan was consulted and documented her creatinine and BUN levels in his notes. He conveniently omitted the GFR. No nephrology consult was documented. Her nephrologist later confirmed -- on video -- that he was never contacted for clearance. The surgery proceeded. The EMG ordered to justify the procedure did not test the spinal nerves at the surgical levels. Still, Dr. Vingan implanted a Coflex interlaminar device at L2-3 and L3-4 -- directly above a prior fusion at L4-5. Coflex is contraindicated in patients with osteoporosis, prior fusions, or advanced age. The manufacturer warns of segmental collapse, restenosis, and instability -- all of which were later confirmed in her MRIs. After surgery, she was discharged. She returned with oxygen saturations as low as 76% and massive pleural effusions -- a life-threatening complication that, if not caught at rehab, would have resulted in respiratory failure. She was readmitted to Hackensack and remained inpatient for 45 days with post-surgical complications. During that 45-day hospitalization, Dr. Vingan saw her once and said "everything looks good." He never followed up again. A post-surgical EMG was performed. Despite numerous requests for the results, the report has never been released. In her MyChart, it appears only as "EMG" -- with the findings section completely blank. After discharge, she returned to Hackensack ER over ten times with severe burning sensations, intense itching, back pain, and progressively worsening mobility. Eventually, the symptoms were acknowledged as neuropathic in etiology. Dr. Vingan never saw her once. Today, she requires a walker with contact-guard assistance indoors, and relies on a wheelchair outside the home. She is also on dialysis three times per week. MRIs from Englewood and Holy Name confirm adjacent-level spinal collapse, severe stenosis, and nerve impingement. When I contacted Dr. Vingan directly about her deterioration, his only response was: "People are always looking for someone to blame." This isn't blame. This is the medical record. The documentation speaks for itself. Choose carefully.

Roy D. Vingan, MD charged my insurance company for 45 min saw him less then 15 min and charged my…read moreinsurance for 15 min and saw less then 10 min. Front Desk staff Rude. I Do not Recommend this place.

Dr Noto is smart, caring and empathetic professional. He listens to every detail and I never feel…read morerushed in his presence. Highly recommend.

I have been to many doctors over the years, but not many that I would take the time to write a…read morereview for. Dr. Noto is not only exceptional and thorough in his field, but he is also exceptionally caring and concerned about his patients. I am so glad I was referred to him! You will be too!

Not sure how he received any positive reviews. He is one of the rudest physicians my husband and I…read moreever encountered. Our first visit we had to wait for half an hour for him to come into the room, the office was empty, no other patients. Naturally we were a little bit mad and he obviously sensed it but the appointment went ok. However on our follow up visit he could barely contain his displeasure, spent all of 3 minutes with my husband, was curt, didn't like when we had questions, abruptly left us at the front desk, went back to his office and slammed the door. He really needs to works on his doctor/ patient relationship since that's how he makes his money.

I strongly regard Dr Horowitz and consider him highly competent, sincere professional, great staff…read moreand well run office desk. I have gone back to him four times over the last several years to alleviate my back pain. Dr Steven Horowitz effectively Alleviated my pain I thank him and I highly recommend him!. He deserves my highest recommendation.

So yelp asked me to update this. Apparently someone complained. Guessing it was the doctor who is…read moreworried this might hurt his practice. Well, that was the point. Here is some additional info. My boyfriend went here. After a treatment was administered incorrectly, he shared my BFs info (w/o permission!) with some friend that runs a free clinic. See, he must have known that something went wrong with his procedure, cause he was ready to send my BF to this free clinic when he called the doc the next morning complaining that he was numb from the waist down. Obviously, my BF saw through this shady charade, and went to a real hospital, where he found out that he needed surgery due to this guys poor ability to do his job. He had 2 surgeries (the first one failed) and now forever has pain, and has no feeling in one foot, among other scattered pains all due to one procedure gone wrong, by an unskilled doctor. so again I implore you, DO NOT GO HERE.

I've been going to Dr Goldstein for about one year. I have only good things to say about him and…read morehis staff. I would recommend him to anyone. He has help me alot. Tom Werner

I am deeply disappointed by my experience with Amedisys, and I feel it's important to share this to…read morehelp other families navigating end-of-life care. My mother is currently under their hospice services in a nursing home, and she made it very clear to me that she did not want to spend her final days there--she wanted to come home to be surrounded by family in a peaceful, familiar environment. We had everything in place: a new hospice provider ready to support us and a certified nursing assistant (CNA) lined up for her care at home, specifically for when she becomes unresponsive with no fluid or food intake during her last days. However, the hospice case worker from Amedisys strongly discouraged this move and influenced my siblings to keep Mom in the nursing home, even though it went against her stated wishes. When I asked why she was advising against something that would bring our family more comfort, she didn't offer a clear explanation. She emphasized that Mom was "comfortable" there, but this was only a short-term arrangement since we initially lacked the resources to bring her home--Mom had no other option then and adapted as best she could. Once our plan was ready, the case worker continued to push back. I directly asked what specific care Mom would receive in the nursing home that couldn't be provided at home, given that she will soon be unresponsive, with a full-time catheter, no fluid or food intake, and only basic needs like repositioning every few hours and medication. The case worker couldn't give a concrete answer--it came down to general statements without details. It seems this may have been motivated by financial considerations, as changing providers would mean Amedisys no longer billing for her care. This approach felt more focused on business interests than on the emotional needs of families or the patient's preferences. What kind of hospice prioritizes its own processes over what could provide the most peace in a loved one's final days? This doesn't feel like truly compassionate care--it's more like a service that overlooks family dynamics, and it has strained our relationships at a challenging time. If you're looking into Amedisys, I suggest considering other options. Choose providers that genuinely focus on patients and families above all else. I wouldn't recommend them. It's truly sad that my siblings agreed with this decision, leading Mom to spend her final days in a place she specifically said she didn't want to be.

Highly Irresponsible and lazy bunch of people. No co-ordination between team members. Make high…read morepromises, deliver nothing.

Dr. Goldstein is an excellent physician. He takes his time, is thorough and very knowledgeable…read more He is also very patient and enjoyable to work with.

From the owner: Medical Education SUNY Downstate College of Medicine,…read moreBrooklyn, NY  Fellowship SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY Anesthesia Pain Medicine  Residency Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation  Internship Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY Internal Medicine About Dr. Goldstein Asher C. Goldstein, MD, is a board-certified pain management physician, and the Chair of Pain Medicine at Holy Name. He has a practice in Hackensack. Dr. Goldstein takes a hands-on approach to treating patients, bringing an out-of-the-box style of thinking to his treatment plans. He uses his years of experience and education in the realms of psychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and anesthesiology to form a treatment plan for the whole patient, not just to treat particular symptoms.  Dr. Goldstein's expertise is in all-encompassing pain, and specializes in treating pain from immune dysfunction diseases such as LUPUS, Chron's and fibromyalgia. Additionally, he is inspired to help those with spine pain, not just to cover over the pain but to treat the underlying causes using the newest technologies available. He is board-certified in Physiatry with the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr.Okubadejo is an exceptionally skilled surgeon, he is the only surgeon I would ever trust to…read moreoperate on my spine. He has been my doctor for several years through multiple surgeries. He is very knowledgeable and caring. His staff is very pleasant and helpful. I would highly recommended Dr.Okubadejo and his practice.

From the owner: Dr. Okubadejo and The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care is committed to excellence by pledging…read moreto provide the highest quality of spinal care possible. Along with the treatment of immediate or chronic problems, we strive to integrate the doctrine of prevention in all our treatment plans as a way to alleviate possible future difficulties. Dr. Okubadejo is a board-certified, fellowship-trained spine surgeon with comprehensive experience in performing numerous spinal surgical procedures in the treatment of cervical, lumbar and thoracic conditions. He is extremely adept in dealing with degenerative spinal disease, deformity and all other pathologies of the spine.