Edward W. Braun, MD, FAAFP, DABFM, AAHIVS
Midtown Medical Center
Tampa, Florida
Dr. Edward Braun’s experiences are those uniquely of a specialist. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and serves as Diplomat for the American Board of Family Medicine. He is also credentialed as an HIV Specialist with the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Dr. Braun is a solo physician working with a part-time nurse practitioner and a part-time physician assistant. His practice also employs an office manager, two front office staff, one biller, three medical assistants, and a research coordinator working onsite. Says Braun, “We serve a predominately middle class, working, insured patient population. Although we see patients from age 16 to 100, they are mostly middle aged. We see elderly patients as well as teenagers. Our current patient population is aging, but our new patients seem to be a younger generation; many seeking PrEP.” In cooperation with pharmaceutical manufacturers, Dr. Braun has been involved with many medical studies with published results.
Dr. Braun attended medical school at the University of South Florida and did his residency at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach specializing in Family Medicine. Dr. Braun’s professional path began working for several years in an Emergency Room. He then spent a year working in corporate America providing care for employees and retirees of a large corporation as the Medical Director overseeing two very busy clinics located in the Tampa area. Dr. Braun then spent two years building a practice with another Primary Care Provider. He then opened his own practice. Dr. Braun has been treating people living with HIV since 1999.
“Many friends and patients who were HIV positive motivated me to explore the potential for caring for them. Then, I discovered that there was a great need for compassionate care in the community.”
Dr. Braun says the most rewarding part of his job is being able to help someone who is very ill to get to a better state of health; also, to provide emotional support and encouragement to someone who is struggling. Dr. Braun said “One of the greatest obstacles is dealing with insurance companies that continue to place obstacles in the path of good medical care for presumed financial reasons.”
In practice, Dr. Braun likes to provide immediate feedback to his patients when they arrive for their office visits. Patients are instructed to have their labs drawn prior to their office visits. That way, their visit can be spent providing results and discussing future needs or plans. “I have patients come to the office for a visit when a prior authorization has to be completed. During the patient’s visit, I can call the insurance company or complete the necessary forms. After collecting the appropriate co-payment, we bill the insurance company for the office visit and the time spent with the patient to complete the administrative work required.”
Looking to the future, Dr. Braun hopes we have conquered the management of HIV and it becomes a simple process of adjusting medications to maximize the benefits and minimize any potential side effects. He envisions a time when more time is spent administering vaccinations and prescribing medications to prevent the disease and less time treating the disease. With the advent of PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), the practice has become much more involved with helping to stop the spread and transmission of the HIV virus than was possible previously.
Dr. Braun also performs injections of neuromuscular modulators and filler agents to help people with their outward appearance and self-confidence.
Asked why he is a Member of AAHIVM, Dr. Braun says, “I joined AAHIVM to show my support for the community and legitimize my knowledge base when dealing with HIV+ patients.”
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