Toni Brayer, MD

Toni Brayer is an internal medicine physician.

How the vaccine and autism scare was a fraud to make money

Meds

January 13, 2011

Most parents and all pediatricians are aware of the 1998 study published in The Lancet by Dr. Andrew Wakefield that mentioned a causal link between measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and the increased incidence of childhood autism. It shook the medical community and created an international movement of parents questioning the extensive combination of immunizations that are given to children. Could these immunizations be the cause of the increase in …

Extra fees may save private practice primary care

Toni Brayer, MD

Physician

June 17, 2010

I was interested in an article in USA Today about the growing number of physicians, especially primary care doctors, who are boosting their revenues by requiring patients to pay new fees for services that insurance doesn’t cover.

No longer is your insurance payment “all-inclusive”. These fees can include annual administration fees, no-show fees, medical report fees, and extra fees for email or phone consultations. If private practice medicine is going to …

Primary care shortage solutions after health care reform

Toni Brayer, MD

Physician

April 27, 2010

The new reform law which is called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will be a huge disappointment to the millions of previously uninsured people who finally purchase insurance policies when they try to find a doctor.

Primary care physicians are already in short supply and the most popular ones have closed practices or long waits for new patients. Imagine when 2014 hits and all of those patients come …

Health costs are high, and here’s why

Toni Brayer, MD

Physician

April 16, 2010

Health costs are high because the body is complicated and doctors and patients hate ambiguity. The cost is high because a missed diagnosis can lead to death and a large lawsuit. The cost is high because we have many specialists that view the body in tiny pieces and want to feel 100% correct about their piece.

Let me give you a real life example.

My patient, Rick, is a brilliant attorney. He …

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Health costs are high, and here’s why

Primary care needs to be valued first before it can be saved

Toni Brayer, MD

Physician

March 9, 2010

I went to my physical therapist yesterday for knee treatment and we talked about the fact that Blue Cross is cutting their reimbursement to the point that the cost of providing care will not even be covered. All I could do was lament with him and listen.

One insurer even told him (the owner of the business) to just “make the sessions shorter and don’t give as much care.”

Clearly the insurance …

Hospitals and doctors should still pay attention to word of mouth

Toni Brayer, MD

Physician

February 19, 2010

The organizations that rate hospitals and doctors have proliferated as the internet has become mainstream over the past 5 years. I’m sure you have seen some of these: U.S. World & News Report, Consumer Reports Health, Health Grades, Leapfrog, Hospital Compare, Americas Best Doctors and 100 Best Hospitals.

My local magazine lists the “top doctors” along with full page paid ads and promos that are very compelling. The questions is, do …

Why the Mayo Clinic is refusing to see Medicare patients

Toni Brayer, MD

Policy

January 25, 2010

Medicare, the government insurance company for everyone over age 65 (and for the disabled), pays fees to primary care physicians that guarantee bankruptcy.

Additionally, 70 percent of hospitals in the United States lose money on Medicare patients. That’s right, for every patient over age 65, it costs the hospital more to deliver care than the government reimburses. That is why Mayo Clinic has said it will not accept Medicare payments for …

Radiation exposure from excessive imaging tests after a heart attack

Toni Brayer, MD

Conditions

December 31, 2009

Hopefully, by now, people are realizing that more is not necessarily better. A new study reported at the American Heart Association 2009 Scientific Sessions showed that patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) receive large doses of ionizing radiation per hospital admission.

They looked at patients treated at 55 academic hospitals and found, on average, each patient received seven studies per AMI admission. The studies included chest X-rays, chest CT, head CT, …

Are nurse unions using the H1N1 flu pandemic as a bargaining ploy?

Toni Brayer, MD

Policy

November 5, 2009

Only in the United States could a virus like H1N1 bring out the worst in medical politics and greed. We are facing a pandemic that requires coordination, communication and the best of medical practice. But what are we getting? Strikes, lawsuits and anything but putting patients first.

The California Nurse Association (CNA), is taking this opportunity to call a strike on three large Catholic hospital chains (which comprise a total of …

How teamwork can improve patient care

Toni Brayer, MD

Physician

October 26, 2009

I spent the entire day in meetings today. One would think that is a boring or unproductive way for a physician to spend time, however these meetings made me proud to be a doctor and proud of my colleagues in medicine.

The morning was spent with nurses, respiratory therapists and quality experts who came together to celebrate success with patient safety and quality initiatives that have saved at least 151 patient …

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How teamwork can improve patient care