From a Van Along the 'Gringo Trail,' to a Very Independent Family Practice

No one in Dr. Peter Birnstein’s family was a doctor, but he always had an aptitude for math and science. “I started in pre-med at Cal Berkeley and continued from there. It just felt like the right fit," Dr. Birnstein explains. "I went to USC Medical School and stayed there for my internship, then went to Stanford for a year for ENT.”

If you are like most young doctors on this career track, you would likely feel compelled to go off and start your own practice. But Dr. Birnstein is not like most doctors. He headed straight for South America and started a drive along the "Gringo Trail” in a van. “It was sort of the hippie days, so I went traveling with a friend who had been in law school. I doubt a young doctor could take the same kind of hiatus today,” Dr. Birnstein recalls with a smile.

It turned out to be more than just a youthful adventure. “It was an entirely different kind of education. It was a great opportunity to learn about people of all different cultures and backgrounds," he reflects. "I became fluent in Spanish. What really stuck with me was that unless you make an  effort to really see things from another person’s point of view, you’ll be limited in what you can accomplish.”

Some members of his family were worried that Dr. Birnstein would never settle down. But once he returned home, he started an independent family practice.

Amazingly, today – a full four decades later – he is still running that same practice. Still independent. Still working hard to see things from his patients’ point of view.

“What I love about family medicine is continuity, getting to a level of trust. The most gratifying thing is when you have gotten through to the patient,” Dr. Birnstein says. “To see your patients go forward and succeed, to change how they take care of their health never gets old.” No wonder his
practice cares for patients over several generations.

Dr. Birnstein has been with CAP since 1991, and works on multiple CAP committees. “I chair the Medicine Subspecialty Peer Review Committee and also serve on the Closed Claims and Education committees."

He also teaches students from USC’s Keck School of Medicine. “Students spend a month in my office as part of their course in family medicine. My first piece of advice to them is to always put patient welfare first, no matter what. Second, put yourself in the patient’s shoes. Third, keep your
balance. It’s great to have confidence in your skills, but remember there is always more to learn," Dr. Birnstein says.

Despite his busy schedule, Dr. Birnstein likes to work out and play the piano, everything from Cole Porter and Beethoven to Stevie Wonder. His wife, Lauren, is a Superior Court judge for Los Angeles County and his son, Elliott, is a Gastroenterology Fellow at New York’s Sloan-Kettering Hospital.

Forty years later, Dr. Birnstein remains an adventurer. “The forces are all against my type of solo practice. But to have your independence and not be limited in the type of care you can deliver by some administrative body is great.”

His independent spirit and dedication to putting patients first is why his patients stay with him, generation after generation. “We have families who have been with us for three full generations," Dr. Birnstein said. “And soon we’ll see a fourth.”