Thank you to Dr. Merkow, PA Taylor, and the entire East Bay Brain & Spine team for your outstanding care and expertise. Learning I needed a neurosurgeon was one of the most frightening moments of my life. But from the very first consultation, Dr. Merkow's clarity, compassion, and confidence assured me I was in the right hands. He carefully explained my diagnosis and treatment plan, and I immediately knew he was the surgeon I could trust. I'm forever grateful --for this team, for this journey, and for saving my life. Thank you. read more

After 10+ years of daily difficulty in standing/walking/back pain i had little hope of getting my life back. I was pretty sure no one could fix me. Dr. Merkow and the East Bay Spine & Brain Institute said they would help. And they did! Thank you Dr. Merkow. If you've been dealing with back pain, i highly recommend you call right now for an appointment. read more

Poor Quality, lack of information to patient regarding preparation for follow-up care. There was a distinct lack of helping the patient get ready for what care is needed at home after surgery! read more

While Dr.Merkow may be a good surgeon - clearly he has SERIOUS issues with staffing. Perfect example- his staff was to submit a CT referral 30+ days ago but didnt do it until yesterday so my CT that is scheduled in 2 days (waiting 5 weeks to get appointment) will 1) have to be changed or 2) I will have to pay out of pocket and wait to be reimbursed. The staff does not EVER answer the phone and they dont return calls. They have no investment in patient care and will ruin this business at this rate. When you do talk to them they say they are "short staffed" . So disappointed. read more

I have had numerous spine surgeries unfortunately and was at the end of my rope. I met Dr. Maxwell Merkow with my MRI & CT Scans, he pulled them up on 3 Large Screens and pointed out the problem areas and said he could fix them. We Scheduled an Outpatient Surgery that day and after he opened me up he found more issues and went in deeper, after a 4 hour surgery I woke up and knew instantly he hit the correct areas, broken Facet Bone, Protruding Vertebrae and a 3 Level Nerve Canal Cleaning and some scar tissue removed. Dr. Maxwell Merkow is an amazing Neuro Surgeon and I highly recommend him. Absolute 100% 5 Stars from me. Thank you Dr. Merkow. read more

It's been a year since my surgery, just celebrated another birthday, just want to say Thank You Dr. Merkow for saving my life

Dr. Merkow is a gifted neurosurgeon. He performed a 7 hour Lumbar 4/5 spinal fusion surgery on me recently. He implanted three plates, eight screws, two rods, a disc spacer and a ground cadaver bone implant. My 3 star review has nothing to do with his skill as a surgeon. My complaint lies with the treatment I received from him after I came out of the surgical anesthesia. I was moaning, weeping and writhing in pain for an hour, like a convulsing lab rat, while he watched me suffer. My family was also in tears. He was trying to decide if I deserved strong pain meds. He views narcotics and opioids as "The Devil." I respect the "Opioid Crisis" in America. They should NOT be given to healthy people. But, there is a time and place for them. Post surgery and end stage cancer patients should be excepted from the ban. Shame on you, Dr. Merkow! read more

Dr. Maxwelll Merkow combines expertise and a willingness to listen and discuss pre and post op questions. He is an excellent surgeon and a very kind person. Dr. Merkow completed a very extensive 8 hour brain/craiotomy surgery for my husband in Sept. 2020. The tumor was the size of an orange and took up 40% of his skull. Now 5 months later my husband is walking 3-5 miles a day and has very little cognative issues. He is even back to playing golf. We call Dr. Merkow a miracle worker! His staff is very friendly and professional. We have never had to wait more than a few minutes when we arrive for an appointment. Thanks are not enough!! We are forever grateful!! John and Cindy read more

I can honestly say that Dr Meroe saved my life. Hard diagnosis for me to swallow but felt he truly cared about me and gave best options for treatment. Thank you so very much from my entire family! read more

Dr. Merkow not only saved my son's life once, but he also did it twice in a six-month period of time. My son was very lucky to have been in the emergency room at John Muir Hospital, WC when Dr. Merkow was there and attended to him. Post-surgery, I read up on Dr. Merkow and visited with him. He is a brilliant and extremely gifted surgeon. He is also very empathetic and completely understands the needs of his patients and their families. My wife and I are indebted to him for what he has done for us and for our son. He has given us a bit of hope while we were facing a rather hopeless situation. He rocks! BTW, his PA Ehsan Ejaz and the rest of his amazing staff - Kyleigh, and Yadira and of course Sally are awesome. When they say they will do something, they do it! It is a shame that I can only assign five stars to Dr. Merkow and his team when they deserve five thousand stars! read more

If you need a neurosurgeon, find another doctor. He left me in incredible pain after spine surgery and then dumped me on my poor family dr to deal w\ my unbearable leg pain that did not exist before surgery. read more

Great Doctor found out my wife had brain tumor he removed it with no complications confident thank God for his expertise.

I was diagnosed with an un-ruptured brain aneurysm. After meeting with one neurosurgeon I decided to get a second opinion. I am so thankful I did! Dr Merkow is awesome! So very knowledgeable and skilled - he, and his staff, truly cares about their patients. After an 8 hour surgery to clip what wasn't an "average " aneurysm I'm happy to say I'm doing great! I'm not sure I could say that if I did not have my surgery performed by Dr Merkow. read more

Consulted with Dr Merkow after 6 months of pain, numbness, and muscle spasms (not to mention insomnia) from herniated lumbar disc. Dr. Merkow spent oodles of time with me/husband reviewing the MRI: treatment options, the benefits/risks of surgery, including a frank discussion of quality of life issues with either decision. I relied not only on his medical expertise but his compassionate wisdom to guide me through the difficult decision to undergo surgery. Surgery was more complicated than expected requiring a couple days in hospital rather than out patient, but the outcome was successful nonetheless. Fast forward 5 months when I found myself with another herniated disc, this time cervical/neck; consulted again with Dr. Merkow, and again he guided me through the same process to a surgical repair. This time, other factors played into my decision: i was so worried why i had another herniated disc in such a short period of time, but Dr Merkow reviewed my entire spine MRI and assured me it was not related and unusually coincidental. Also, my concern of the timing of surgery being only 2 months from my son's wedding, wondering if it was the right time or if I should postpone. Again, Dr. Merkow counseled me not only with his medical expertise of recovery expectations but also on quality of life issues living in pain and not enjoying my son's wedding in pain. He would respect my decision either way, of course! My decision was to move forward right away to get out of pain asap....again, slight complication post-surgery, but good outcome nonetheless. I danced without pain at my son's wedding, and am now pain free 1 year later! I write all this to say that Dr. Merkow is both an extraordinary neurosurgeon who never rushed me through office visits whose empathy and expertise guided me through some difficult decisions in 2019. I hope I never see him again, other than in the grocery store (LOL!), but it is nice to know he is there for me if ever needed again. One small complaint: the office charged me $50 to fill out my work's FMLA paperwork with each surgery....seems like that should be covered by the total billing? But, maybe insurance won't let them bill for that, not sure? read more

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Merkow. I needed 4 & 5 fused. He took his time explaining everything in great detail and was very compassionate about my problem. I have been living in pain for year's so when he said there would be a 75% chance of it working I decided to finally have it done. It was the best decision I have ever made. I've been a very active person all my life and now can do all the things I used to do. read more

I was told he is a good surgeon and only does surgery if it's absolutely needed which I liked. But I went to see him after a car accident and wasn't impressed. It took 6 weeks to get an appointment and they don't tell you that you meet with his PA and he comes in at the end. Dr. Merkow was in the room for 2 minutes only! I had questions and he had superficial quick answers and tried to rush out. Nothing against the PA he seemed pretty thorough but I didn't wait 6 weeks for a 2 minute consult for something that's a big deal. He may be a great surgeon but his bedside manner and communication is lacking. read more

Dr. Merkow's office assistant was absolutely arrogant, rude, and unsupportive.

Best doctor ever. Kind, intelligent, compassionate, and an excellent communicator. I was extremely lucky he was on call when I had my accident. read more