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Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30am Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Santa Monica Primary Care

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Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica Primary Care

Santa Monica Primary Care is an independent, full service Internal Medicine practice located in Santa Monica, CA. Dr. Philip M.

Santa Monica Primary Care is an independent, full service Internal Medicine practice located adjacent to Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Bretsky first established the practice in 2008 in Century City, California. Following two years in Century City, he moved to Santa Monica in 2010 and the practice was renamed Santa Monica Primary Care. Our office provides both outpatient and inpatient healthcare for patients. Dr. Bretsky is on staff at two local hospitals: Providence Saint John’s Health Center, and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He also takes care of patients at nearby Skilled Nursing centers such as Berkeley East, Seaport 17, Rehabilitation Centre of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Healthcare. If needed, this enables Dr. Bretsky to maintain continuity of care for patients from the office, to the hospital, to the rehab center, and back home. Our office is staffed with carefully selected and highly trained people who do their best to provide you with a friendly, positive experience in our office. Leading the team is Marian Henry, who brings over 20 years of business and management experience across many fields to deliver a standard of administrative excellence to our office. Santa Monica Primary Care provides a comprehensive range of services that help our patients maintain their overall health. We offer our patients annual wellness exams, acute and chronic illness management, preventive and diagnostic skin procedures, cardiac stress testing, in-office ultrasounds, sports physicals, travel medicine, and vaccines. We believe that patients should be able to center their care around our office, which is why we offer extensive services in-house. This allows our patients more time to spend enjoying their health outside of a doctor’s office and more time with their friends and family.

03/05/2026

Check out "Trojan Connects : Beyond the White Coat MDs Reimagined," a medical panel I was a part of. You can find it on my youtube at https://youtu.be/Vl76q5b7_fs

03/03/2026

Looking for a doctor? You can now find us on Health Track Rx
https://www.healthtrackrx.com/find-provider/

02/24/2026

10years named as a Super Doctor for Internal Medicine in Southern California Super Doctor Magazine!

Here's a link to the magazine: https://www.nxtbook.com/mspc/mspc/superdoctors_southernca/index.php?startid=S-15 #/p/S-14

02/20/2026

As we discuss in our February 2026 Newsletter, COVID-19 cases in our Santa Monica clinic have increased from their (expected) Fall low rates. However, the burden of illness has not been overwhelming and certainly not to the degree that we saw during the height of the pandemic. For instance in 2022 we had 35 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and this past January we had only 3.

COVID infections display a seasonal distribution with two distinct peaks (Table below) - the largest being in the Winter months (November/December/January) and a second in mid to late summer (July/August). This pattern is why we have a recommendation in the Fall to have the COVID booster in September or October and in the Spring to time the vaccine in April or May for those most susceptible to severe illness (typically those over aged 65 in the Fall and again for those over age 75 or with comorbidities again in the Spring) with COVID infection.

The Los Angeles County Health Department stopped reporting daily incidence and mortality rates for COVID-19 in October 2023 and ended weekly press-release updates in February 2024. The CDC’s COVID Data tracker has been decommissioned and replaced with less precise indicators such as wastewater viral activity levels, hospital admission data and test positivity rates. Similar to our data above, test positivity rates reported by the CDC do show an upswing in January, but below the August 2025 peak of 12%. ED visit rates, hospitalization and mortality rates all show the same pattern (link: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/php/surveillance/index.htm).

For a disease that doesn’t get talked about, it still exacts a toll on the US population - albeit causing far fewer deaths than major causes like heart disease (20-22%), cancer (19-20%) and accidents (6-7%). Nevertheless, we can estimate that were about 540 deaths weekly from COVID-19 in early January.

02/19/2026

As we discuss in our February Newsletter (link: https://drbretsky.com/february-2026-newsletter/), Influenza A cases in our Santa Monica clinic have surged. We have seen cases even amongst those who received the 2025/2026 seasonal Influenza vaccine. Historically, in Los Angeles, we have seen the highest rates of influenza during the week between Christmas and New Years - but it appears that this flu season has extended into the first months of 2026.

Our observational findings in the clinic do match up with what our Infectious Disease Laboratory colleagues are seeing nationally. Influenza A/B activity has been elevated through late winter, consistent with peak flu season. The laboratory we use to test our clinical samples has shown that positivity (about ~13.5 %) remains high, especially for Influenza A/B, suggesting continued circulation. Broader surveillance reports (as we discussed in the newsletter) indicate higher flu activity than normal early in January, with elevated hospitalizations and Emergency Department visits in multiple states, reflecting a robust flu season (link: https://www.healthtrackrx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SeasResp-Feb7.pdf)

CDC surveillance shows influenza activity remains elevated nationally with many respiratory visits attributable to flu this season with Influenza A (especially H3N2 subclade K) has been the predominant virus circulating this season. Vaccination remains central to not only prevention but also to decrease the risk of severe illness when infected, even as strains evolve (link: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON586)

Web: https://drbretsky.com/february-2026-newsletter/
Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/bretskymd/p/february-2026-newsletter-hepatitis?r=6r6av9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

10/31/2025

Our October newsletter highlights the significant impact of paternal age on Autism Spectrum Disorder, revealing a 2.2 fold increased risk for fathers aged 50 and older, surpassing the association seen with Tylenol. This information underscores the importance of understanding risk factors in public health discussions. Stay informed and explore the full findings on our website or Substack.

Web: https://drbretsky.com/october-2025-newsletter/
Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-177494162

10/29/2025

Our October 2025 newsletter is now available.
Web: https://drbretsky.com/october-2025-newsletter/
Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-177494162

Because of the number of patient questions we’ve received about Tylenol safety, this month’s issue takes a deep look at the White House’s recent and scientifically unsound claim linking Tylenol use in pregnancy to autism.

We examine the single study being cited, contrast it with six larger systematic reviews, and discuss why genetics remain the dominant factor in autism risk.

As always, we close with practical updates on Fall 2025 vaccines — including the latest data on influenza, COVID-19, and RSV protection — and a look at COVID seasonality from our Santa Monica Primary Care data.

Your questions continue to shape these newsletters — thank you for engaging thoughtfully with complex topics.

10/21/2025

Many of you know that my father, Dr. Peter W. (“Pete”) Bretsky, passed away this past January in Penzance, Cornwall, (UK). We were seeking a way as a family to remember him and honor his legacy — and we are deeply proud to share the creation of the Peter W. ("Pete") Bretsky Jr. Scholarship in Geosciences at Stony Brook University.

The scholarship celebrates his lifelong passion for paleontology, teaching, and mentorship — ensuring future generations of students can continue exploring the earth sciences he loved so much.

Our heartfelt thanks to Stony Brook University, the Development Office, and Dean David Wrobel for their support. We also thank the Simons Infinity Investment Match Challenge and the New York State Endowment Match Program for amplifying this impact.

We are deeply grateful to every one of you who donated and helped make this possible.

📖 Read the story: https://sbmatters.stonybrook.edu/family-honors-professor-peter-w-bretskys-legacy-through-geosciences-scholarship/

💝 Contribute to the scholarship: https://alumniandfriends.stonybrook.edu/site/Donation2?df_id=2660&2660.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T&designation=6261

09/16/2025

COVID infections show a seasonal pattern with two clear peaks: the largest during the winter months (November–January) and a smaller one in mid-to-late summer (July–August).

This is why vaccine guidelines recommend that patients at highest risk for severe illness receive a COVID booster in both the Spring and Fall of each year.

Here at Santa Monica Primary Care, we’ve once again seen an August uptick in cases compared to the Spring and early Summer. Looking back over the past three years (2023, 2024, and 2025), the sharp rise in July and August is consistently seen.

Historically, we can expect a brief reprieve in early Fall, followed by the expected Winter rise—similar to other respiratory viruses such as RSV and Influenza.

We cover this seasonal pattern in more detail in our September newsletter:

👉 https://drbretsky.com/september-2025-newsletter/

09/12/2025

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) historically has been a major cause of bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and young children. With improved RSV testing (we have rapid antigen testing for RSV in our office) and an aging US population, we now recognize that it is a major cause of hospitalization in older adults as well.

In the United States, a single dose of RSV (Arevxy, mResvia or Abrysvo) is recommended for all adults over the age of 75 as well as those 50-74 if at increased risk (heart/lung disease, immunocompromise, or living in a nursing home). Similar guidelines can be found in the UK and Australian vaccine recommendations.

One of the more interesting features of its epidemiology is the consistent pattern of infection and disease. Whereas other respiratory viruses cause epidemics at irregular intervals or exhibit a mixed epidemic/endemic pattern, RSV produces a sizable epidemic every year in large urban centers. These typically occur in the last fall, winter or spring but never during the summer.

There is no revaccination recommended as yet. Ideally the RSV vaccine should be given late summer to early fall (August to October) before the RSV season starts.

We cover RSV vaccine recommendations and its epidemiology in more detail as part of our September newsletter.

Newsletter Link: https://drbretsky.com/september-2025-newsletter/

09/11/2025

Unlike the current debate surrounding Fall 2025 COVID-19 boosters, recommendations for a 2025/2026 seasonal influenza vaccine remain unchanged.

In the United States, everyone over the age of 6 months is recommended to have a flu shot. Both the UK and Australia have essentially the same guidance.

Interestingly, the UK prioritizes pregnant women such that their vaccination window begins September 1st, with the remainder of the population eligible beginning October 1st.

For Australia, the vaccination window is March and April due to their location in the Southern Hemisphere. The WHO GISRS system (Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System) uses Southern Hemisphere data to inform Northern Hemisphere vaccine formulation (and vice versa).

We cover seasonal influenza recommendations in our September newsletter.

Newsletter Link: https://drbretsky.com/september-2025-newsletter/

09/08/2025

Our September 2025 newsletter edition is entirely devoted to the 2025/2026 seasonal vaccines - specifically COVID, Influenza and RSV.

Newsletter Link: https://drbretsky.com/september-2025-newsletter/

In it, we review some of the historical decisions in US Healthcare (moving vaccinations from the physician's office to pharmacies) as well as recent events (the disbanding of ACIP) that immensely complicate this season's vaccination efforts.

We have little expectation for the current administration to provide meaningful vaccine guidance for at least the next three years. As such, we also review COVID booster recommendations (detailed in the table below) from the UK and Australia.

Address

1301 20th Street, Ste 230
Santa Monica, CA
90404

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5:30am
Thursday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 5:30pm

Website

http://drbretsky.com/

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Our Story

Santa Monica Primary Care is an independent, full service Internal Medicine practice located adjacent to Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Dr. Philip M. Bretsky first established the practice in 2008 in Century City, California. Following two years in Century City, he moved to Santa Monica in 2010 and the practice was renamed Santa Monica Primary Care. Our office provides both outpatient and inpatient healthcare for patients. Dr. Bretsky is on staff at two local hospitals: Providence Saint John’s Health Center, and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He also takes care of patients at nearby Skilled Nursing centers such as Berkeley East, Seaport 17, Rehabilitation Centre of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Healthcare. If needed, this enables Dr. Bretsky to maintain continuity of care for patients from the office, to the hospital, to the rehab center, and back home. Our office is staffed with carefully selected and highly trained people who do their best to provide you with a friendly, positive experience in our office. Leading the team is Marian Henry, who brings over 20 years of business and management experience across many fields to deliver a standard of administrative excellence to our office. Santa Monica Primary Care provides a comprehensive range of services that help our patients maintain their overall health. We offer our patients annual wellness exams, acute and chronic illness management, preventive and diagnostic skin procedures, cardiac stress testing, in-office ultrasounds, sports physicals, travel medicine, and vaccines. We believe that patients should be able to center their care around our office, which is why we offer extensive services in-house. This allows our patients more time to spend enjoying their health outside of a doctor’s office and more time with their friends and family.