Dr. Joseph S. Carey, M.D. is a Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon. He has served as a Clinical Professor at UCLA and is currently Clinical Professor of Surgery at UC Irvine. Since entering private practice, he has held appointments as Chairman of the Thoracic Surgery Sections at Santa Monica and Saint Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, Centinela Hospital in Inglewood, and Torrance Memorial Hospital and Providence-Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance. He currently has active staff privileges at Torrance Memorial, Providence-LCOM, Harbor-UCLA and Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach.

Dr. Carey has served as a member of the National Database and Standards and Ethics Committees of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and has served on the Society's Council on Quality Assurance and Patient Advocacy. As a member, he has addressed quality issues in thoracic surgery programs at a national level, and has served as visiting reviewer at hospitals in California as well as other states. He has managed quality improvement programs funded by private foundations, and has published papers on practice standards and processes of care in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.

Dr. Thomas J. Berger, was board certified in 1981 as a cardiac surgeon by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and has been involved, as an expert, in over 300 medical malpractice cases. Most of this experience has been since 1998, when his firm, Heart of the Matter Expertise, began to gain recognition, within the legal community, as the premier expert witness service for cases involving cardiac surgery and cardio-thoracic disease.

Areas of Expertise:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Cardiology
• Surgery - General
• Thoracic Surgery

Mission Statement
To see that the truth about every case, in which an associate of Heart of the Matter Expertise becomes involved, is uncovered and understood, whether this means assuring justice for a poorly treated patient or protecting the precious reputation of an unfairly accused physician.

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Dr. Jimmy Y. Chung, MD, FACS, CHCQM, is certified as a Surgeon by the American Board of Surgery, and in Health Care Quality and Management by the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians. Dr. Chung is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a founder of Surgical Associates of Monterey Bay and Vein Clinic of Monterey Bay.

Clinical Specialties include general, laparoscopic, thoracic, complex cancer surgery, and vascular surgery, including varicose vein treatment, with special emphasis on minimally invasive techniques for anti-reflux, gall bladder and breast surgery, endocrine surgery, and complex gastrointestinal cases.

Non-Clinical Specialties include Physician Leadership, Medical Staff Bylaws and Self-Governance, Physician Credentialing, Peer Review, Medical Records Review, Healthcare Legislation, Joint Commission Compliance, Organized Medicine, and Quality and Core Measures.

Professional Associations:

• Diplomate, American Board of Surgery
• American College of Surgeons
• American Medical Association
• California Medical Association, Board of Trustees
• Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
• Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)
• American Hernia Society
• American College of Phlebology

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Dr. Steven Forman, M.D., F.A.C.C. is a Managing Partner of Los Alamitos Cardiovascular and specializes in Interventional Cardiology with additional privileges in Peripheral Angiography, Angioplasty and Endovascular Diseases. Dr. Forman has additional expertise in venous disease, including endovenous laser treatment (EVLT), radiofrequency ablation and sclerotherapy for venous insufficiency.

Board Certifications:

American Board of Internal Medicine, Certified in Internal Medicine, 1994 (Recertification 2004)

American Board of Internal Medicine, Certified in Cardiovascular Disease,1997 (Recertification 2004)

American Board of Internal Medicine, Certified in Interventional Cardiology, 1999 (Recertification 2009)

Professional Societies:

American College of Cardiology, Fellow (FACC)

American College of Physician, Member

Society of Cardiovascular CT, Member

Los Angeles County Medical Association, Member

American Medical Association, Member

MRK Medical Consultants provides Medical-Legal Evaluations to help legal and insurance professionals reach appropriate conclusions about their client's situations. MRK provides a wide array of medical experts that offer objective review and analysis of personal injuries. Each stage of the process—research to review, analysis to opinion—is addressed in a comprehensive manner in order to help legal and insurance professionals reach appropriate conclusions about their client’s situations. MRK has over forty board certified physician specialists and many with subspecialty certifications. MRK provides physician experts to the entire State of California, the Reno/Lake Tahoe area and Las Vegas, and we travel to many areas of the United States. Physical therapy, registered nurses, physician assistant and billing review consultants are available services MRK provides. Oncall MD's in office daily to discuss your needs if you are unsure of what expert you need.

Edward W. Younger, III, M.D., Medical Director of MRK Medical Consultants, specializes in Orthopedic Surgery. He has extensive experience in total joint replacement, as well as reconstructive surgery of the knee, hip and shoulder. He was instrumental in bringing computer navigation technology to his hospital. He has served on the orthopedic trauma staff at Mercy San Juan Medical Center and serves on the Medical Executive Comitee at Mercy San Juan. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Society and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the California Orthopedic Association.


Dr. Michael R. Klein, Jr., M.D., specializes in Orthopedic Surgery and is a founding member and the first Medical Director of Northern California Orthopedic Centers. He is a senior member of the medical staff at Mercy San Juan Medical Center and was involved with the development of the orthopedic section of the Level II Trauma Center.

Dr. Klein is a clinical instructor at University of California, Davis, Medical Center, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and a member of the American Medical Association and the California Medical Association.

MRK's Areas of Expertise:

Orthopedics Neurosurgery / Neurology Rheumatology General surgery / trauma Emergency Medicine Internal Medicine Cardiology Geriatrics Sports Medicine RN Physical Therapy Chiropractic Orthopedics

Neuropsychology Podiatry Vascular Surgery Family Practice Anesthesiology Ophthalmology Optometry Urology Gastroenterology Infectious Disease Pulmonary Medicine Critical care Otolaryngology