Meet Neurosurgeon Mark Bilsky

Mark H. Bilsky, MD

Spine Neurosurgeon

Titles

William E. Snee Endowed Chair; Vice Chairman of Clinical Affairs, Neurosurgery; Chief, Multi-Disciplinary Spine Tumor Service

Clinical Expertise

Metastatic and Primary Malignant Spine Tumors; Benign Spine Tumors (Schwannoma, Meningioma, Neurofibroma); Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumors (Ependymoma, Astrocytoma); Brain Tumors

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212-639-8526
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., (Eastern time)
Accepted Insurance Providers

Dr. Bilsky accepts the following list of insurance providers. Select your insurance provider to see more details.

Aetna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (City of NY retirees only, starting 9/1/23)

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield New York

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS

Blue Cross Health Plus

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Carrum Health

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

Cigna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Empire Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO, DSN

Empire Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Empire Plan / NYSHIP (Blue Cross/UnitedHealthcare split plan)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Fidelis

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

First Health

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Healthfirst

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier I (EPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier II (EPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

Horizon Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Magnacare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

MVP

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

Payor Type: Other
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): TBD

Oscar

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO/EPO

Oxford

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Qualcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

UMR

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS

United Healthcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

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Contact and Location

  • Speaks English
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Find a Convenient Location

Memorial Sloan Kettering has locations throughout New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester. These locations offer many services, including screening, chemotherapy, and medical testing.

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About Me

Education

MD, Emory University

Residencies

Neurosurgery - New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center

Fellowships

Neurological Surgery - University of Louisville

Board Certifications

Neurological Surgery

I have been a neurosurgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering my entire career, since completing neurosurgical residency and spine fellowship in 1995. I specialize in the care of patients with primary and metastatic tumors of the spine and spinal cord.

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I am the director of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Multidisciplinary Spine Tumor Center, which evaluates and treats over 1,500 spine tumors a year. Our goal is to create an individualized treatment plan for each patient that is most effective for improving neurologic function and mobility, stabilizing the spine, controlling tumor growth, and ultimately improving quality of life. Every member of our team specializes in spine tumors. This group of experts from different areas meets weekly to discuss individual patients’ cases and optimize the delivery of timely, coordinated care. These efforts have helped us develop treatment models that include advanced radiation techniques, surgery, and interventional procedures. These models have been adapted by many centers worldwide.

I operate on more than 150 spine and spinal cord tumors each year, but the majority of patients can be effectively treated non-invasively with stereotactic radiation therapy, an advanced type of external radiation therapy that delivers extremely precise, very intense doses of radiation to eliminate tumors. Additionally, many patients can benefit from proton beam therapy, which uses proton particles instead of x-rays to kill cancer cells and keep nearby tissue healthy. Sometimes radiation is combined with percutaneous kyphoplasty, a technique in which a radiologist inserts bone cement into a vertebra through a minimally invasive procedure in order to provide support and relieve pain.

For patients who require open surgery, we have made enormous strides in treatment. We’ve developed and refined tumor-specific surgeries, such as separation surgery, that are much less invasive and require shorter operating times than previously used techniques. Combining separation surgery with radiosurgery has revolutionized our ability to provide effective tumor control, reduce complications, shorten hospital stays, and return patients to systemic therapy quickly.

I am the author of more than 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and a lead author of the book Tumors of the Spine. I have delivered over 300 lectures across the United States and internationally. I am also on the editorial board of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, Neurosurgery, and Annals of Surgical Oncology.

I often meet people at a really complicated time in the course of their illness and know that placing trust in a new physician is not easy. For those reasons, I consider it an absolute privilege to be a part of their care and work hard to make them feel cared for and safe.

Outside of work, I love spending time with my wife and daughter. We are all avid runners, although they are significantly more talented than I am. Over the past five years, I have also been involved in efforts to prevent sports-related concussions.

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Best Doctors (2005-2020)
  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctors (2005-2020)
  • America’s Top Doctors for Cancer (2005-2020)
  • Patient’s Choice Award (2011-2012, 2014)
  • Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2011-2015)
  • Super Doctors, New York Times Magazine (2008-2016)
  • Orthopedics This Week: Top 28 spine surgeons in the US (2014)
  • Willet F. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence, MSK (2014)

Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

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Clinical Trials

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Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

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Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Bilsky’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

See all on PubMed

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Mark H. Bilsky discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • DePuy Spine
    Intellectual Property Rights
  • Globus Medical
    Intellectual Property Rights

If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2021 through disclosure submission in spring 2022). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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