We have a unique philosophy that separates us from the usual medical office. We strongly believe in a direct and honest approach with as much transparency as possible.

There was a recent medical study that tried to determine whether patients preferred a somewhat hidden or indirect approach or a more direct and honest approach. In other words, did patients prefer not knowing everything and just trusting the doctor or did patients prefer being told the facts, straight out, and then taking an active role in their care?

As you would expect, some patients preferred the direct approach and some patients preferred the hidden approach. That shouldn't be a surprise, but it does mean that some medical practices will be a good fit with some patients but that those same medical practices will NOT be a good fit with other practices.

In this practice, we favor the honest and direct approach. We find that the unique environment of the San Francisco Bay Area correlates well with this approach. We provide the good and the bad news and we allow patient participation in the decision process. Unlike many practices, we provide written information about medications and treatments (also available here at this website) and additional, voluntary written information about such business matters as Dr. Anderson's financial disclosure. Again, we prefer an honest and transparent approach.

Our goal is to help an individual with his or her neurological or pain management condition.

Very rarely, patients come to us and prefer a different approach. We strongly believe that success in healthcare depends on a strong physician-patient relationship. Should any patient wonder about alternatives, want to consider a different approach or simply want a second opinion, we are pleased to provide referral information to other neurologists or pain specialists in the area. A patient in our practice should NEVER be concerned about asking for a second opinion or for alternative ideas.

Because we focus on treating the WHOLE person and not just a symptom, we do ask for quite a bit of information from patients. Please download our new patient questionnaire and complete it at your convenience.

Please also review our patient agreement and consent.

If you are coming to us for chronic pain, please take a moment and watch our introductory chronic pain video.

We welcome you and we hope to make a positive difference!

New patient form PDF - regular type
We use color in our handouts to help keep track of important information. Most patients prefer to print these documents in color. If you would prefer to save ink/toner, you may certainly print our forms in grayscale and draft modes.

Large type new patient form for visually impaired now available. Click here for the large type new patient form.

Patient agreement and consent PDF
Honesty in communication is essential. Most all offices have a page or two of "fine print" that you need to sign before you can be seen. However, we wanted to make the print large enough to read. We also would like you to have time to review it before you sign it. Please do read it as it contains very important information. Again, we strive for honesty and clarity in our communications.