General Surgery

Compassionate Care Results In An Excellent Patient Experience
Scheduling an appointment for general surgery may make you anxious, but our care and attention to the details of your procedure and recovery are sure to reassure you. Our staff members will walk through all of the details of your upcoming operation, including pre-operative procedures, what to expect upon arrival, anesthetics, and what will happen following your surgery.

Here are some common General Surgery procedures performed at Northwest Specialty Hospital.

• Colonoscopy
• Hernia Repair
• Hemorrhoidectomy
• Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
• Diagnostic & Operative Laparoscopy
• Gallbladder Removal
• Esophagus Repair for Acid Reflux
• Surgical Cancer Treatment

Treatment Process

Evaluation
Initial evaluation begins with the team reviewing personal and family health history while exploring the ways acid reflux is impacting our patient’s quality of life. Every effort is made to provide complete information on the resulting symptoms that the patient is experiencing.

Diagnostics
We utilize the latest imaging technology to view esophageal tissue and evaluate the structure and appearance of the gastrointestinal system. From there we can perform an array of testing, including pH testing, esophageal function testing, and an in-depth cancer assessment to help formulate an individualized treatment plan.

Treatment – Non-Surgical
Sometimes things as simple as lifestyle alterations, medications, and other changes can greatly impact the severity of acid reflux symptoms. Our staff works with non-surgical patients to implement these treatment paths.

Treatment – Surgical
To assess a person’s candidacy for anti-reflux surgical treatment, an evaluation with routine diagnostic tests will be required. These may include an upper endoscopy, high resolution esophageal manometry and impedance, and ambulatory pH testing. Additionally, some patients may require a barium swallow and/or gastric emptying study. Combined, these studies help your physician understand the anatomy and function of the upper digestive tract and will determine if surgery can be safely performed with an expected benefit to the patient. The surgical approach is specifically tailored to each patient based on results of these diagnostic procedures.

Dr. Dirks grew up in Coeur d’Alene, ID. He is a graduate of the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID with a BS in Biology and a minor in Spanish. He attended medical school at the University of Iowa Roy J. & Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, IA. He completed the University of South Dakota general surgery residency program in Sioux Falls, SD. He finished his training with a fellowship in bariatric surgery at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon. During his fellowship he was trained in bariatric surgery with the Legacy Weight and Diabetes Institute and advanced foregut and colorectal surgery with The Oregon Clinic.

Dr. Dirks resides in Coeur d’Alene, ID with his wife and four daughters. He enjoys skiing in the winter and spending time hiking, biking, and time on the water in the summer.

Dr. Dirks is trained in the entire spectrum of benign and malignant digestive diseases. He has completed accredited fellowship training programs. Fellowship training is beyond what is required in standard residency training and is the highest level of surgical training attainable. Dr. Dirks has completed this rigorous training in order to become the highest level expert in the medical and surgical aspects of gastrointestinal diseases.

Dr. Richardson grew up in Mammoth Lakes, CA. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno where he was a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Alpine Ski Team. He completed medical school and General Surgery Residency at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He then went on to complete an advanced surgical fellowship at the Minnesota Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery, the only fellowship program in the United States or Canada accredited in Advanced Gastrointestinal/Minimally Invasive/Bariatric Surgery and Flexible Endoscopy.

Dr. Richardson is trained in the entire spectrum of benign and malignant digestive diseases. He has completed accredited fellowship training programs. Fellowship training is beyond what is required in standard residency training and is the highest level of surgical training attainable. Dr. Richardson has completed this rigorous training in order to become the highest level expert in the medical and surgical aspects of gastrointestinal diseases.

Dr. Sarkis has been in practice in North Idaho since 1997. He has a special interest in the management of benign and malignant diseases of the breast and is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. Dr. Sarkis performs endoscopy and a variety of minimally invasive, as well as more traditional surgical techniques, to diagnose and manage diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Sarkis received his medical education at Saint Joseph University School of Medicine in Lebanon. He completed his surgical training at Saint Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center of New York and at New York Medical College. He is board certified by the American College of Surgeons. He joined Minimally Invasive Surgery in 2001 to serve patients seeking state-of-the-art diagnosis and management of diseases of the breast and gastrointestinal tract. He offers minimally invasive, as well as more traditional surgical interventions for a variety of disease states.

Dr. Smith earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1984. He received his surgical training at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston which he completed in 1990. He has been active in surgical practice since that time, first in Austin from 1990 to 2012, and later in Seattle from 2012 to 2022. Dr. Smith is an active member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. He currently has office hours available for in person or tele-health visits.

In addition, he has a special interest in hereditary cancer management, having developed and led the Polyclinic Hereditary Cancer Risk Clinic in Seattle from 2012 to 2022. He received further cancer genetics education and certification through the City of Hope in 2019. He currently leads a monthly high-risk conference to review details of patient care with a team of providers for patients at high risk for various cancers. This part of his practice deals with assessing and managing various levels of cancer risk, with genetic risk being among the highest level of risk.

Brian E. Kazmierski, PA-C graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science from the University of Washington School of Medicine. He obtained his Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies with a focus on General Surgery from the University of Nebraska Medical College in 2001. He has been with Surgical Bariatrics since September 2001 and continues to provide excellent care for each of our patients.

Jonathan L. Saxe, PA-C, DSc, graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois. He then received a commission in the U.S. Army where he served as a military police officer before attending the Interservice Physician Assistant Program, earning him a Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  He later went on to complete a general surgery fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center in Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, and was awarded a Doctorate of Clinical Science with a focus in General Surgery from Baylor University.  He joined the surgical team at Northwest Specialty Hospital in 2019 after retiring from 20 years of active duty service.

Amanda K. Simpson, PA-C, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from Biola University in La Mirada, CA. She then went on to complete her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies at Pacific University in Hillsboro, OR, and is also about to earn a Doctorate of Medical Science from Pacific University with a focus in healthcare improvement. She rotated with the team at Northwest Institute for Digestive Surgery during her clinical training as a physician assistant, and was thrilled to be added as a member of the team in 2021.

Mikal Burley, PA-C graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Vermont. He obtained his Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies with a focus on General Surgery from Oregon Health and Science Univesity School of Medicine in 2013 and currently practices at Minimally Invasive Surgery Northwest.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

750 N Syringa St #103
Post Falls, ID 83854

Phone: (208) 415-0151
Fax: (208) 777-1591