Hyun Bae, MD

I was recommended it to Dr. Bae by my boss who is also a physician, so I trusted his opinion. He said Dr. Bae is «the best.» I am young and used to be extremely active until this excruciating back pain took over my life. No matter what I was doing, even laying down, I was in horrible pain. Dr. Bae quite honestly gave me my life back.
Initially, he treated me as conservatively as possible, having me try injections, and even seeing another surgeon for his opinion. I ended up going through with surgery with Dr. Bae. I’m 7 weeks post-​op now. Dr. Bae and his PA, Lisa, were extremely attentive. They checked on me multiple times after my surgery while still in the hospital.
A couple weeks after surgery, I ended up in the ER because I over-​exerted myself & my pain came back so strongly. Dr. Bae let me come in the following day even though he is so busy. Lisa also responds very promptly via email with any answers to questions and/​or concerns you may have. I’m still recovering everyday, but I wouldn’t trust anyone but Dr. Bae with my back.

Dr. Bae as a surgeon was great and we couldn’t expect more from him, he was absolutely WONDERFUL! However stay away from his useless office staff. Both people at the front desk have 0 manners and are lacking in education (especially Hugo). They have no idea what «customer service» means and are absolutely obsolete and very rude. Every time we come here the wait is over one hour sometimes even two. The billing department is also terrible. For example, Hugo (the receptionist) says there is no charge and a month later we receive a bill in the mail and when confronted they claim it’s an error. I think it’s a scam to see who actually falls into the game and ends up paying more and more bills (dr. Bae probably isn’t even aware of it).
The only one in his office that was absolutely brilliant and always keen on helping is Lisa Cano, she and Dr. Bae are probably the only reason as to why we agreed on still coming.

Dr. Bae installed a Prodisc artificial cervical disc at my C5−6 two months ago. I had talked to 5 other ortho surgeons prior to this about my neck and arm pain. I am 65 years old, had spondylosis and radiculopathy from degenerated C5−6. Three surgeons recommended fusion (wouldn’t do artificial disc) and the other two offered this and artificial disc. I chose Dr. Bae because of his publications in the field, his excellent reviews, and his calm and forthright demeanor during the diagnosis/​intake office appointment. I dismissed the negative Unilocal reviews about bedside manner, concluding these were people who had trouble trusting people, requiring people to spend an exorbitant/​unnecessary amount of time with them in order to gain their trust. I didn’t want that. I wanted a doctor who is plain and direct, and professional. The surgery went well, no complications. I could have gone home the same day, but chose to stay overnight at Cedars Sinai. I had slight/​moderate pain for a few days, and then just some limited movement and discomfort for another few days. I only took one pain pill during this period at home. In 12 days I was back swimming and playing tennis, and within a month I had no pain left at all, and wonderful extra neck movement from the artificial disc. Dr. Bae basically gave me a new life, and I am grateful to him for it. I also loved the compassion Dr. Bae showed prior to my surgery in the surgery prep room at Cedars. He came in and just held my hand for a bit, and exuded an ease, confidence and comfort level you won’t see many surgeons exhibit. I know; I’ve had many surgeries in my life. Dr. Bae’s Surgery Fellow, who assisted the procedure, and visited me afterwards, praised Dr. Bae’s skills in a reverential way, which is what you would expect with a surgeon of Dr. Bae’s caliber.

After 30+ years as a police officer, my back was really messed up. I went to Dr. Bae to see if there was something he could do to help me. He was wonderful but after an MRI, X-​rays, etc… it was his opinion that surgery was needed to fix me.
Surgery was at Cedars and they were great. Dr. Bae went in to my C-​7, T-​1 and fixed it. While he was there, he noticed that I had a potential worse problem just above it at C-​6, C-​7 so, he fixed that too.
I woke up with blood running down my forehead (screws to hold my head in place during the surgery) which made me look like Herman Munster LOL, but there was ABSOLUTELY NO PAIN.
My surgery was in late 2010 and I am still pain-​free with no limitations.
Thank you Dr. Bae, Lisa (PA) and Julie (#1) for your excellent work.
BTW, I have referred several other police officers and firefighters to Dr. Bae and they all have the same opinion.

I couldn’t have picked a better Dr. for my disk replacement. For over two years I suffered with debilitating neck and shoulder pain due to a damaged disc C5-​C6. I saw two surgeons here in Las Vegas and tried all the nonsurgical treatments (anti-​inflammatory medications, acupuncture, two rounds of physical therapy and epidural steroid injections) to no avail. Both local surgeons eventually recommended spinal fusion. NO WAY, I said.
For over a year, I spent hours researching alternative treatments and that’s how I found Dr. Bae. On June 2015, I had my initial consultation. When you enter Dr. Bae’s office the first person you will interact with is Julie, Dr. Bae’s medical secretary. She is incredibly efficient, helpful and skillful at communicating with nervous patients like myself. When you meet Dr. Bae the first thing you will notice is how confident and forthright he is. First, he examined my medical history and MRI images, he showed my husband and I where the prolapsed disk was pressing against the spinal cord and then he explained (in plain language) what could be done surgically to free up the nerve. Both my husband and I were extremely impressed with Dr. Bae’s minimally invasive approach to surgery, his communication skills and sincere desire to stop my pain. The surgery, insurance coverage, hospital stay, follow up care, etc was all made possible by his wonderful PA Lisa. Lisa was instrumental in coordinating the «long distance» planning of my surgery in Santa Monica — most of it through email and phone calls. She was SUPER quick replying to all of my questions! Thank You Lisa.
Seven weeks ago, Dr Bae replaced my degenerated disk with a Mobi-​C cervical disk and I’m feeling fantastic. I Just completed the first week of physical therapy here in Vegas and for the first time in years I’m starting to live free of pain. If you are struggling with a spinal condition, trust Dr. Bae and his amazing team!

Brilliant and easy to relate to.

Dr Bae changed my life by giving me back my vitality and eliminating my pain. I am a 47 year old athletic female that suffered 3 herniated discs at the same level (L 4 – 5). I had two microdisctectomies prior to arriving at THE SPINE INSTITUTE that did not hold, I felt better for a while and then suddenly the disc would re-​herniate. Dr Bae worked with me (and my insurance company) to get me the disc replacement that would eventually fix me back up. He is so wonderful, I never doubted his decision or his skill. I had many questions that he answered patiently and thoroughly. His office is wonderful, his PA, Lisa, is fantastic. Yes, sometimes there is a wait but that is not the norm (in my experience). I’m very, very pleased to say I’m back to my original activity level and pain free!!!

Dr. Bae and his team are very professional and highly competent. After searching for a surgeon and really doing my homework, I settled for Bae. I was extremely impressed with his credentials (you can google them) and I made an appointment to see him.
After my initial visit, I instantly felt comfortable. I didn’t feel pressured, I just felt I found the right guy. I called his office back a week later and scheduled my L5 s1 fusion/​decompression surgery that I sort of already intuitively knew I needed. I then just went along with my intuition that «this was my guy.»
As I sit here writing this two weeks to the day post operation, I can only give my utmost gratitude to Bae and his team.
Thanks so much, and keep up the wonderful work! I am feeling better each day.

Ok so if you have done your homework, you will learn very quickly that this guy is as good as it gets. I saw «all» of the best guys in town (@500 per appointment) and let me tell you flat out if you want to have or are considering a cervical disc replacement, this is the guy to see. Period. 4 days post op and although my throat is a bit sore it is amazing how little impact my surgery was. He has done more artificial disc replacements, than anyone. Unless you want to simply fuse your neck, there is not a better solution in the LA area period. I will write more later. Do your homework, watch the videos online. This guy knows his craft.

I’ve had degenerative disc disease most of my adult life. In my mid 40’s I decided to get into shape to reduce the side effects of a bad L5 and in doing so started to get sciatica 5 yrs into my fitness obsession. I went to my first ortho who did nothing but put me on Vicodin (which I refused to take) and prescribed me physical therapy. That only made my situation worse. I had 2 epidural shots which seem to work momentarily but eventually wore off. Then I found dr. Bae!!! This man is an amazing surgeon and doctor! His staff is the best, his bedside manner is great, he’s a life changer and I can’t recommend him to enough people! He’s also into cutting edge technology with the use of stem cells for spine rejuvenation (I think I’m saying that right). Anyway, if your suffering and your quality of life is affected def go see him… it’s worth the time to have your life changed for the better! Thank you Dr. Bae!!!

I went to him last week, after spending 2 hrs and 45 min, I walked out with wrong diagnosis, his stuff are very roud and unfriendly specialy his nurse, he spend about 3 min with me and walked out and refer me to someone in his office to give me a epidural ‚(I gusse my 450 $for his 3 min was not enough for him, just like that. DO NOT GO TO HIM, he is a waist of time, with no bed side manner.

If I could give Dr Bae and his team more stars, I would. Today I am post-​op day 4 (anterior cervical disc replacement and hybrid fusion on another level) — I feel amazing. My arm, hand, shoulder and scapula pain was gone since post-​op day 1. I have minimal incision pain, a resolving sore throat and some muscle spasms which are expected, but overall I feel much better than prior to my surgery. Dr Bae and his team exceeded all my expectations. I can never thank him and his team enough for giving me a new chance to live a good life– quality of life is very important. :)

I just returned from my first visit with Dr Bae today, 5 weeks after two fusions, L-3−4,4−5.
Believe me I tried for two years to avoid surgery but after 3 epidurals I was in so much pain I had no other choice. I went to others for their opinions but when I met Dr. Bae I knew I had the surgeon (fine carpenter) that I wanted to take the risk with. Well… the minute I opened my eyes after surgery I knew the devil that had lived in my back was GONE! I’ll be honest, the first few days required a lot of pain meds but after a week I felt so much better. I did everything that was asked of me and now I am feeling so grateful for the magic that Dr. Bae performed on my spine. Lisa is his PA. She is a great complement to Dr Bae and she was always available (best by e-​mail) for any questions or concerns. You know you have made the right decision when you walk in to the hospital the day of your surgery and every member of the hospital staff tells you… Dr. Bae… he’s the best!

I thought that I would always be in pain.
I had back problems since I was a teenager,
Dr. Bae couldn’t see the problem, in my MRI but could see
that I was in excruciating pain. He sent me for bloodwork
and a biopsy which confirmed that I had an infected disc and
an absess in my psoas muscle. He removed the infected disc,
Drained the absess and worked with an infectious disease specialist
To find the right antibiotics to make sure the absess didn’t come back
8 weeks later, I walk better than I ever have and am completely pain free.
His PA, Lisa Cano, kept my family posted every step of the way.
I feel so lucky… I feel 20 years younger and starting exercising again.
Thanks Dr. Bae!!!
Lori D.

This is one of the worst doctors I have ever had the displeasure to watch in my own opinion. My sister was battling breast cancer and was having excruciating pains in her neck and back. The doctor walks in to see my sister for less then two minutes. He said, «it was a slipped disk, take this shot and you will be out of pain by the end of the weekend.» Trusting his reputation based on his own celebrity endorsements, she thought she would be in competent hands. This was not the case. Her pain continued to grow. Seven months later after no answers from Bae’s office (they would not release her records) she found out her cancer metastasized to her neck and spine. His lack of attention, attitude, and flat out arrogance contributed to losing time with my sister that I will never get back. Think twice before going to see this doctor. Again, this is just an opinion, but I wouldn’t send my worst enemy (don’t have any) to him. Please be advised.

I went to see Dr Bae after doing a lot of research on spine surgeons. I found Dr Bae to be the most qualified surgeon in SoCal. The first time we met Dr Bae made me feel comfortable and confident with the decision to operate on my C5−7 discs. The surgery went perfectly and 7 weeks out from surgery I am definitely improving. Dr Bae’s bedside manners were awesome and even had my Dad commenting on how nice and profession he was.
His staff is professional and curtious. His right hand Lady Lisa ROCKS! Super nice and caring. I was extremely nervous about the impending surgery and she eased my concerns.
Obviously you can’t please everyone but I am definitely on happy patient. I am a local firefighter and the injury I have is very common in my industry. I have recommended Dr Bea to a number of my coworkers.

As you see I don’t spend a lot of time on Unilocal anymore, now that I’m mobile but not completely pain free, I must share that Dr. Bae took the time to call me regarding my last review. Wow that just made me SMILE, so with that being said, I will be calling, my Insurance today to make sure I AM COVERED CORRECTLY, I will do all the things I was SUPPOSE to do the first time around and have him perform my surgery…;-)

I finally made an appointment with Dr. Bae and that decision and the surgery that followed has changed my life. I feel incredible, pain– free, and filled with gratitude to him. I am a new person, with hope again for all that life has to offer. That sounds dramatic, I know, but when you’ve been in pain for so long, it’s true. Dr. Bae thoughtfully considered my medical background and integrated it with my lifestyle to come up with a personalized solution for me. He is intelligent and caring, you couldn’t find a better doctor and surgeon. He deserves the highest praise!

Thank you Dr Bae for giving me back a pain free life.
I can’t believe that it’s only been two month since the
surgery and very very happy with the results.
Would recommend Dr. Bae to anyone with a back problem.

OK, amazing surgeon. The BEST there is. Amazing hospital staff.
Billing person is an idiot, and has the personality of a leather shoe. When a patient speaks with your billing person prior to a procedure and asks what the total out of pocket including deductible is going to be, you give them a number. Not an explanation. Speak a language we understand so that there are no surprises. Please, Dr. Bae, get a billing rep that speaks the same language you and the rest of your staff do; that of an experienced professional with a friendly, down to earth and hospitable attitude.
Also, staffing at Cedar’s office has to get it together. When a patient comes in a few weeks post op for follow up in immeasurable pain, do not make them wait an hour past their scheduled time to see you. This is not worthy of a surgeon the caliber and experience of Dr. Bae.
I hate to give this incredible establishment only 3 stars, but sadly, the devil is in the details…