Opinion ID: 1998760
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Earl Mills, M.D.

Text: Dr. Earl Mills treated Ms. Changkit on approximately twenty-five occasions from May 1994 until April 1999. During this five-year period, Dr. Mills was consistently of the opinion that Ms. Changkit was disabled. Id. On November 13, 1998, Dr. Mills wrote: It is quite clear that this lady is neither getting worse or better except for maybe her left knee where the pain has been quite prominent.... [A]s far as her back is concerned she remains totally disabled for work in any capacity. She is still a candidate for lumbar spinal surgery.... However, we cannot guarantee her the outcome of any operative procedure involving her back. She is not a candidate for rehabilitative modalities nor a candidate for any work efforts. In a letter dated April 5, 1999 discussing Ms. Changkit's condition, Dr. Mills stated: As you are fully aware, it has long been established that Ms. Changkit suffered a work injury on 10/04/1993. As a direct result of that injury, she sustained trauma to her L5-S1 disc level, a site of prior surgery in 1992 from which she had essentially recovered and returned to her full time job.... Let me categorically state that the natural history for someone who is recovering or has recovered from back surgery and has returned to full time work is simply to continue progressing. In the case of Ms. Changkit, her work injury of 10/4/1993 inflicted upon this patient a combination of severe lumbosacral sprain and once again a disruptive injury to the L5-S1, disc/disc space. That degree of disruption indeed did promote osteophytosis (Bone spurs) of L5-S1, with impingement....[ [2] ]