About me
Dr. Wiesel is chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at MedStar Georgetown University, and a professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine, a position he's held since 1989. He specializes in treating patients with spinal conditions affecting the neck and lower back.
In addition to patient care, Dr. Wiesel is heavily involved in training the next generation of orthopaedic specialists through his academic and clinical appointments, earning many recognitions for his teaching abilities along the way. He is equally committed to advancing the field through his work with major peer-reviewed publications and professional medical societies. Chief among them are his longstanding positions as Editor-in-Chief, Seminars in Spine Surgery, (Saunders); Executive Editor, The Back Letter (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins); and Member, Board of Editors, Spine. Most recently, Dr. Wiesel served as senior editor for the second edition of Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery, a four-volume instructional manual released in 2016.
An active researcher, Dr. Wiesel has presented at many national and international conferences, and published widely with many academic articles, books and chapters to his credit.
Dr. Wiesel's Philosophy of Care
Throughout my career, I have focused on treating my patients as if they were members of my family. No matter what type of spinal disorder someone may have, my mission is always the same: Isolate the the problem, find the right diagnosis, and then come up with the most appropriate therapy to fix it. While surgery may be the ultimate answer, I always try the most conservative approach first.
Clinical areas of focus
- Cervical Myelopathy Surgery
- Lumbar Disc Disease
- Lumbar Laminectomy And Fusion
- Scoliosis
- Spinal Disc Replacement
- Spinal Reconstruction Surgery
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Thoracic Spine Instability
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Bone Density Disorder
- Cervical Herniated Disc
- Congenital Musculoskeletal Deformities
- Dorsalgia
- Facet Joint Syndrome
- Inflammatory Spondylopathies
- Intervertebral Disc Disorders
- Kyphosis
- Lordosis
- Lower Back Pain
- Lumbar Disc Disease
- Lumbar Myelopathy
- Muscle Disorders
- Neck Sprain
- Rib And Sternum Fracture
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Skull Base Tumor
- Spinal Disc Herniation
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spine Deformity
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylopathies
- Spondylosis
- Thigh Fracture
- Thoracic Radiculopathy
- Thoracic Spine Instability
- Vertebral Fractures
Procedures I perform
- Cervical Facet Joint Denervation
- Cervical Myelopathy Surgery
- Cervical Vertebra Reposition
- Fibula Osteotomy
- Flap Surgery
- Ganglion Cyst Excision
- Lumbar Laminectomy And Fusion
- Median Nerve Decompression
- Percutaneous Kyphoplasty
- Scoliosis Deformity Correction
- Spinal Disc Replacement
- Spinal Facet Joint Pain Treatment
- Spinal Reconstruction Surgery
- Spinal Spondylolysis Treatment
- Spondylolysis Treatment
Practice locations
Distance from Change Location Enter your Location
3800 Reservoir Rd NW
Pasquerilla Healthcare Center Ground Fl
Washington, DC, 20007
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Employee Health Plan
- UHC Passport
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO
- CareFirst EPO
- IH-Network Only Plus
- Blue Choice Advantage
- CareFirst Community Health Plan of MD
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- DC/MD SHOP QHP Small Business Plans
- Navigate
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- CIGNA SureFit (HMO)
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- United HealthCare Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- Aetna Premier 200PD
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- TRICARE East Select
- Aetna Classic 3500
- HumanaChoice PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Signature - Added Choice
- Private Health Care Systems (PPO)
- Optimum Choice
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- CIGNA HMO Open Access
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- IH-HMO
- IH-POS
- Lasso Healthcare - Medicare Medical Savings Account
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv. Special Needs Plans
- Choice Fund PPO
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CareFirst Maryland Point of Service Plan
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)
- Aetna Advantage 5750
- IH-Open HMO Option
- CareFirst Blue Card Program
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Choice POS
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Aetna VA Exchange
- BlueChoice Open Access
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PLUS PPO
- Aetna Advantage 6350
- BCBS Out-of-State Medicare Plans (Blue Advantage)
- IH-Open EPO Plus
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- OCI Direct (HMO)
- United Healthcare Select HMO-EPO/NPP Cardiac Global
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Magellan Complete Care of VA - VA Medicaid MCO
- CareFirst BlueChoice HMO
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO)
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- Kaiser Permanente HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- HighMark
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Basic
- CareFirst Federal Employee Program (Std. & Basic PPO)
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PFFS Plan
- Kaiser Permanente Select - Added Choice
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- AMERIVANTAGE/Amerigroup Community Care
- United Student Resources
- Optimum Choice & Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) Cardiac Global
- TRICARE East Prime
- Aetna Basic
- Choice POS II Open Access
- HUMANA/Choice Care Medicare Plans (Choice, Gold Choice)
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO) Cardiac Global
- Jai Medical Systems - Maryland Health Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- CareFirst NASCO
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
- Alterwood Advanatge HMO & DSNP Plans
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- IH-Indemnity
- CIGNA PPO
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- United Healthcare Choice
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Dual Adv
- Maryland Physicians Care MCO
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- United Healthcare Choice Cardiac Global
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- First Health PPO
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- CIGNA Connect EPO
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice 3-tier POS
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (POS & POS OA)
- TriWest Healthcare Alliance
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS)
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage - PPO
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- MD IPA (HMO) & MD IPA Preferred Cardiac Global
- Medicare Advantage - Advantra Value (PPO)
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Standard
- Police and Fire Clinic
- United Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans
- MultiPlan, Inc
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- United Healthcare Choice Plus Cardiac Global
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- IH-POS Plus
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Plus
- CareFirst Administrators
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- CareFirst FEP Blue Focus
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Kaiser Permaenete Signature - Added Choice Cardiac Global
- United Healthcare Navigate Cardiac Global
- OA Plus
- Sentara Health
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS Cardiac Global
- Tricare Reserve Select
- HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- United Healthcare Community Plan - VA Medicaid MCO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (HMO)
- POS OA
- CIGNA PPO Plus
- Beech Street PPO
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- IH-EPO Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Network OA
- Kaiser Permanente Select Cardiac Global
- Medicare Direct
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- Aetna Classic 5000
- Erickson Advantage Plans
- Aetna Advantage 6350PD
- Choice POS II
- IH-PPO
- CareFirst Dual Prime HMO-SNP
- First Health PPO
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD HMO
- BCBS of Michigan (BCN Advantage,Security Blue, Freedom, Medicare PLUS Blue Group PPO)
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PPO
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
- Geisinger Medicare Advantage
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Aetna Better Health of VA
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Core Essential (HMO)
- Aetna HMO
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, POS, PPO)
- IH-Open HMO
- IH-Open POS II
- Humana Gold Plus HMO
- Aetna Classic 5000PD
- Anthem BCBS of VA Key Care POS/PPO/Indemnity
- Options PPO Cardiac Global
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Medicare FFS
- NYC Medicare Advantage Plus
- Advantra Platinum (PPO)
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue SNP
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- Optima Family Care MCO - VA Medicaid MCO
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna Better Health of MD
- Humana Medicare Advantage - HMO Open Access
- United Healthcare Options (PPO)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
- IH-Open Network Only Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- IH-Open POS Plus
- TRICARE for Life East
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery
Residency: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (1976)
Medical School: Perelman School Of Medicine At The University Of Pennsylvania (1971)
Awards
- Volvo Award Acromed Award Outstanding Clinical Paper, The International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine AOA Honor Medical Society, Georgetown
Hospital affiliations
News and publications
- Book - 07/31/2015 - Wiesel, S.W.:Operative Techniques in Orthopedic Surgery (Four Volume). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 2015.