Dr. Philip Michael Bretsky, MD

Dr. Bretsky is great, very patient and really gives you as much time as you need to discuss issues and the future. Staff is great as well

One of the best doctors you can find. I went for about three years. Approaching age 65, I read his fine print about Medicare, which directed me to call the office. Turned out he would only accept Medicare if I joined his concierge practice. His sales person tried very hard to get me to pay $1000 a year for the privilege of staying in his practice. Which begged the question, if it's such a good deal, why the sales pressure? I would think that a caring doctor would be loyal to his patients and continue to work with them. I have seen Medicare statements and looks to me that doctors earn at least $150 for short visits. Multiply by 3 or 4 per hour and you have a pretty decent income, I would say. I have also found that Medicare pays doctors very quickly and fairly. Looking back, I was surprised that the practice wanted to take my credit card before even taking my temperature. Financially driven? I don't know. I guess he wants to be paid, but where is the trust? I miss his… diagnostic skills, positive attitude and encyclopedic knowledge of health and medicine. But I don't get sick often enough to need whatever "concierge service" really means in his practice. I think the main benefit is you get to see him or one of his helpers a lot more quickly than the rest of his patient population. Maybe he is worth an extra fee every year. I am sure a lot of people would feel that way. For me, it's the lack of full disclosure about the reality of how he "accepts" Medicare--and the lack of loyalty--that are the side effects I did not expect when joining his practice.

The bad experience began when i first arrived in the office. I had to sign a ton of paperwork, which is fairly usual for a doctor, but this was very different paperwork. I had to sign a waiver giving the office permissions to keep my credit card on file, and to charge that card for "whatever my patient responsibility is after insurance". So they do not ever send bills or contact the patient, they just blindly charge your card and leave you and your EOB to figure out the charges. Also, if you ever need a prior authorization for medication, they charge you $15 for their staff to make a phone call! I have NEVER experienced this with a doctor in my 33 years. After waiting about an hour past my appointment time (yes, I had an appointment and still waited this long), I met with Dr. Bretsky for about ten minutes. He was nice enough, and seemed interested in helping me. I had thrown my back out (for the second time in five months), and was in very bad pain....in fact I had not… even gotten off the couch until this appointment (the fourth day) because it hurt so badly. I had all my records sent over and explained to the nurse I have digestive issues for which i take medication and I also have a family history of stroke and high blood pressure. Dr. Bretsky prescribed me steroids, celebrex, and flexural. He also ordered an MRI, which will cost me about $500. Upon going home I read up on celebrex as I am always wary of new medications. The first articles to pop up were "Why is celebrex still prescribed?" and went into great detail about the bad side effect of the drug, the other options out there, and why celebrex is only appropriate for a small portion of the population. In addition, it causes a 32% increase in vascular events such as stroke (again, i am predisposed to have these, so do not need an increase), and an 81% increase in upper GI issues. I was needless to say concerned, and so i called the office to ask if I might be able to receive another medication, perhaps hydrocodone (the only one i was familiar with as my previous doctor prescribed it for my back). The office was closed when i let the message around 5pm. They did not get back to me until 2:00pm the following day, all the while I was in pain on the couch. I was so grateful to finally get their call and then what I was told was "Dr. Bretsky will not be prescribing the hydrocodone and if you are concerned about the side effects you can just take ibuprofen". WOW, could not be less helpful, no recommendation on alternative, nothing. In addition, I had informed the nurse I had taken 800MG of ibuprofen and it barely touched the pain. That is the maximum dose allowed, so I guess for the large amount of money I paid for the visit, what I get is sitting on the couch in pain, and taking the maximum dose of ibuprofen every day, to no avail. Thanks Dr. Bretsky and mediocre staff, can't thank you enough for your money hungry, test-ordering, unhelpful way of doing business. I had JUST asked CIGNA to assign him as my primary, but clearly that will be changing and I will be bringing in a letter revoking their authorization to charge my card so that I do not run into any future problems after paying for this visit.

Dr. Bretsky is the kind of Physician one hopes to find, but rarely does. He is an up-to-date Doctor who cares about his patients and their well being. He is interested in having healthy, happy patients and having long-term relationships with them. I'm happy to be his patient.

Dr. Bretsky resolved a digestive problem that had bothered me for over a decade. He diagnosed and treated it correctly on the first visit. He has a great personal style, vast knowledge of medicine, and runs a warm, friendly office that is spotlessly clean. I found him by reading reviews like this one, and feel very fortunate to be in so much better health now.

Prompt, friendly and thorough. Calls you personally with your lab results. Sounds simple but sort of sets a new standard. Recommend him to friend and family all the time and they have had great experiences too.

Very caring and thorough. Listens to me and doesn't rush. The staff is equally as wonderful. No hesitation in recommending him.

I recently saw Dr. Bretsky for an issue that had been troubling me for some time. He listened carefully to my concerns and explained what the possibilities could be. He called me personally to go over my lab results and then again later just to see how I was doing. He is a throwback to what doctors should be and I recommend him witout reservation. His office staff is helpful and got me in right away. The office is brand new, nicely appointed and very comfortable.

Dr. Bretsky took care of me while I was having surgery at Cedars-Sinai. He provided amazing care. He was thoughtful, reassuring and spent lots of time explaining things to me. I think other doctors could learn a lot from him.

Dr. Bretsky has the best bedside manner of any doctor I've ever met. He takes the time to discuss any medical concerns and fully describes any tests I have to take. The staff are also friendly, warm, and informative. They got me into an appointment with short notice and Dr. Bretsky calls back personally whenever I have questions about my medication. Highly recommended and worth a long drive from the South Bay