Dr. Michael Klein, M.D., F.A.C.S., was recently awarded the 2023 Spine Advocacy Award, given to a member of the North American Spine Society who has made exceptional contributions to the federal advocacy efforts on behalf of patients and members of the society. He has been a member of NASS since 2009, and serves on multiple organization committees. His work as co-chair of the SpinePAC advisory committee earned him this recognition. Dr. Klein was presented with the award during the NASS annual meeting in San Diego, California in October 2023. Congratulations, Dr. Klein!

Today's guest post comes from our consultant, neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Kaloostian. Dr. Kaloostian's experience with neuronavigation and the placement of spinal screws allows him to comprehensively evaluate post-surgery spinal plaintiffs. Please call the office for more information or to request his CV.

By Paul Kaloostian, MD, FAANS, FACS

Neurosurgery is always a pioneering field, and constantly changing. New technology advancing the field has improved patient outcome and minimized patient morbidity in both brain and spine surgery.

One such advancement is use of neuronavigation guidance for placement of spinal instrumentation. There are numerous systems in place utilizing navigation guidance with a...

Welcoming October in with our masks and pumpkin necklace.

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Deanne Nyland, MD., Chair of the Division of Otolaryngology Department at Mercy San Juan has jointed MRK as a consultant.

Dave Manske, MD., has recently been elected President of the Lipscomb-Chapman Alumni Society at UC Davis Health, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. One of his first acts was to facilitate a name change to the Lipscomb-Chapman Alumni Society to honor those who have served the department for so many years. All members of the Lipscomb - Chapman Alumni Society Council are Davis trained residents who are working or have worked in the Sacramento area. Dr. Manske will serve as President for two years. Congratulations Dr. Manske.

Michael R. Klein, Jr, MD received word today that the Governance Committee and the NASS Board of Directors have selected him to receive the North American Spine Society's 2020 David Selby Award for contributions to the art and science of spinal disorder management through service to NASS.

MRK welcomes Raul Calderon to MRK. He is a recent graduate of California State University Sacramento with a BA in Political Science. We would also like to welcome's Kaylee Mcroy-Utush, Audrey Denny and Ayah Awwad to MRK. They are new record reviewers. They are recent college graduates who are planning on attending medical school, PA school and nursing school.

June saw our return to work in our new office in Gold River and the first time everyone was together in the new space. Overall we are adjusting to the new norm fairly well. Somewhat uneasy to see Governor Newsome return to daily noon reporting as the COVID-19 cases are rising. Concerned for all of our fellow citizens because of the new statistics and the risks for everyone as we return to our previous level of functioning. Wishing everyone a safe holiday and remaining focused on our ability to stay safe and stop the spread of COVID.

Next week the MRK case managers will return to work in our new location in Gold River. This will be the first time that most of the staff will be in the office since March. We will maintain social distancing and follow safety protocol. The case managers and Tracy Cox our office manager did a fantastic job of moving our operations to their homes and maintaining service as usual. We look forward to seeing you at our new office.