If I could give Dr. Merkow and his staff a 20 star rating I would. Kind, patient, efficient, thorough, and always available to help. I was in need of a lumbar fusion, scared and not sure – I knew after meeting Dr. Merkow that I was in the right hands. He gave me my life back. I cannot thank him and his staff enough. Taylor his PA is great, I highly recommend them all. Thank you a thousand times.

Dr. Merkow, the office staff, and the entire surgery team at East Bay Brain and Spine are unpretentious and have been awesome in all regards. The level of care and compassion I received, from my initial diagnosis of a cavernous malformation in my right frontal lobe, through a successful craniotomy, and stereotactic microdissection, and now including my four-month post-surgery follow up appointment with Dr. Merkow has always exceeded my highest expectations.

There are multiple examples from my recent odyssey I could provide to illustrate the high level of professionalism, without sacrificing a comforting personal touch, that I experienced with the entire team at East Bay Brain and Spine.

One of the more memorable experiences occurred as Dr. Merkow was winding his way through my extensive list of questions at my pre-op meeting in his office. Dr. Merkow paused, leaned back in his chair and obviously thought carefully in answering my question as to what action he would recommend had I been a family member. It was extremely refreshing to witness the obvious high level of empathy Dr. Merkow exhibited during this exchange.

I was also impressed with the commitment to Community that Dr. Merkow expressed in our meeting that day. This was perhaps the most important point in helping me decide to have my surgery with Dr. Merkow at the John Muir Health Walnut Creek Campus. I had also considered having my surgery performed at UCSF where I had obtained a second opinion. After weighing all the pros and cons I chose Dr. Merkow and East Bay Brain and Spine.

Looking in the rear view mirror, there is nothing I would have done differently, especially my decision to choose Dr. Merkow and the East Bay Brain and Spine Team. My experience was positive and I was completely at ease through the entire process. My health and my life could not have been in any better hands.

If God were to present me a second challenge of equal or greater consequence, I can unequivocally say that I would once again have complete confidence and trust in Dr. Merkow and his outstanding team at East Bay Brain and Spine to resolve the challenge.

Dr. Merkow provided care and guidance, working with my team of physicians to come to a diagnosis in a complicated case. The confidence I had in Dr. Merkow’s advice and human kindness helped me through a difficult time… Thanks Doc, I’m on the mend!

Dr. Merkow was professional, but approachable, kind and spent the time needed to explain about my surgery, why I needed it and what to expect. He did great work on my skull. I’m feeling better every day. I am so happy I choose him to perform my surgery. In fact a few months later my husband needed emergency surgery and Dr. Merkow was able to fit him in and now my husband is doing great. We highly endorse him.

Dr. Merkow is very pleasant and easy to talk to. He allowed time for me to ask questions. I didn’t feel rushed at all.

Both staff and Dr. Merkow were friendly and professional. My diagnosis was explained clearly and understandably. I felt valued as a patient, and adequate time was spent with my issues and the recommendations for ongoing treatment.

Dr. Merkow is the ONLY surgeon I would recommend for neurological care or surgery. He is a top-notch surgeon and displays a warming caring attitude toward his patients.

Thanks for everything! I love having my life back.

Dr. Maxwell Merkow is a magician! I was diagnosed with lumbar stenosis and suffered sever back and leg pain for more than 10 months. Finally I was referred to Dr. Merkow and he pinpointed the source of my pain was due to a Thoracic Myelopathy. It was so sever that I can be paralyzed from the waist down at any moment. Dr. Merkow scheduled and completed my operation in less than a week. He gave me the chance to have a quality life again. His office staff is efficient and professional.

Dr. Merkow came into the hospital on his Sabbath and did and urgent spinal surgery on my multi-handicapped son and was reassuring and attentive to me in describing how his spine had split due to an undetected fracture from 6 weeks prior. He was so concerned that it be done urgently because of potential damage to the spinal cord. He clearly offered me an alternative approach, but I just new they weren’t viable and too risky.

Dr. Merkow performed ACDF to relieve cervical spinal compression for me. He was very thorough in explaining the results of the scans and answering my questions. He spent the time I needed to get comfortable with a procedure I was pretty nervous about. He is a calm, reassuring, and most importantly, very competent neurosurgeon. The results of my surgery have been wonderful…I notice continuing improvements on a daily basis.