Bradley T Wrubel, MD

I would give Dr. Wrubel 4 stars, and the office 1 star, and so I decided on 3 stars overall.
I saw Dr. Wrubel a couple of times for a nerve issue back in mid 2014. I have seen many doctors for the same issue and so I feel somewhat qualified to make a comparison between them now. This doctor was fine, I would say above average. I had seen a lot of incompetent and lousy doctors before him that just wanted to prescribe a ton of drugs that I later learned were overkill and unnecessary. Dr Wrubel was less aggressive with his treatment recommendations, but wanted me to at least speak to a surgeon, but at the same time go do physical therapy for a while. The physical therapy eventually did solve the issue, and so I’m glad I didn’t go see a surgeon. My particular issue baffled a lot of people, so even though Dr. Wrubel didn’t have the silver bullet to fix it, he at least wasn’t pretending like he had it all figured out and/​or being dismissive like some other doctors I saw. The physical therapist he sent me to wasn’t helpful, but that was really more of a fault with my lousy insurance network. Eventually I found a really great physical therapist in another county that got me on the right track. (tip: do everything in your power to say off Medi-​Cal, at least in the Bay Area, even if you have to take out loans).
Meanwhile, the office and/​or their billing company has been sending me very alarming looking bills every few months since my visit (for things I know my insurance covered), and every time I call in, I find out they have made some kind of an error and they tell me to disregard the bill. I think they are just fishing for money, knowing that many people will just pay the bill and not bother to call in and question the bills they are receiving.

I encountered him at the hospital where I was taken for a TIA. He seemed fine
the one time he visited me in the ER. (The hospital arranged that.) I scheduled
a followup (per discharge instructions) but when I got to his office at the appointed
time, I was turned away because his clinic doesn’t take Covered California
insurance.
So, well, yeah. That’s the last I’ll see of him. Could have saved me a trip
if he had asked about insurance before setting up the appointment.

Horrible bedside manners. Did nothing for my son. Hardly opened his mouth in the visit. I would never go back!

Dr. Wrubel and his staff are all amazing. I was told to see a neurologist up here in Berkeley because I had a seizure disorder and ended up in the hospital multiple times and the nurse that treated me referred me to him. I couldn’t thank her enough, if you call him and need to talk to him unless he is with a patient or busy he will talk to you and if he can’t he will call you back as soon as he can. He is a very good listener and is always willing to help whenever you need him.

Dr. Wrubel is great! He was nice, easy going, and overall made me feel less stressed about being there. Miranda was the woman who checked me (I think her name was Miranda anyway because that’s what it said on my receipt) and she was also very friendly. The only reason I give 4 stars and not 5 is because I called today to follow up (as I was instructed by Dr. Wrubel to do) and Tia, the woman who answered the phone, was not very friendly at all. I am hoping I just caught her on a bad day. But being that Dr. Wrubel is the reason for visit, I highly recommend him.

Great Doctor, I recommend him. I visited Dr. Wruebel recently for nerve testing on the carpel tunnel in my wrists. I thought he was professional, kind and listened. He took the time to answer my questions (that I’m sure he’s heard ten thousand times) and explain the results on the report. I have no idea what Elizabeth M, above, is talking about. I can’t imagine the Dr. Wruebel was insensitive or made those comments.
After reading the reviews I had concerns about his office. But they were just as professional as any other Doctor’s office. I did not wait long and it all went smoothly. I did have to have my Doctor’s office call several times and then also actually fax my referral to Dr. Wruebel’s office. I think the computer system that Alta Bates uses with United Health Care may be slow and I noticed that not all Doctor’s offices have login access to UCH system. You may have to do your own follow up making sure they have your referral and any reports make it over to your primary care Doctor. Overall, it was a good experience.

I was referred to Dr. Wrubel by my primary care doctor. After reading the negative reviews on Unilocal,I almost asked for a different referral. However, I found the office staff to be pleasant and professional — they processed my forms quickly and efficiently, and got me into the exam room ahead of schedule. Dr. Wrubel was kind and thoughtful.

I find Dr Wrubel to be attentive — listens patiently, doesn’t rush, answers questions, is knowledgeable and caring. I am having a chronic condition that isn’t life-​threatening. I never feel that he isn’t concerned about me, or that he doesn’t take it seriously. A couple of times I’ve had between-​appointment questions, and he has answered emails personally and promptly. Most Dr.‘s don’t even do email at all. He shows concern, while having a gentle wit, which I like, maybe some people don’t appreciate it, or misinterpret it as cavalier. The waiting room and exam rooms are clean, clean clean — no ratty carpet — and the med staff are eager to do a good job. The receptionists are… ok. I’ve been in quite a few dr. offices lately, and this whole experience rates very high. The magazines could be better.

Dr. Wrubel is a tremendous neurologist. He followed me at Alta Bates in January 2010 after I was admitted with double vision and vertigo. It turned out I had encephalitis and viral meningitis. Dr. Wrubel got me headed in the right direction very quickly. He had good bedside manner, an appropriate sense of humor, and readily explains things in lay terms. My wife thought highly of him too. I strongly recommend him. Garrett S

Dr Wruble is fine. The office stinks. Somebody (a friend of one of the office staff!) was hanging out in the exam room they first put me in, then after they chased her out I sat in that exam room for a while & then they moved me to a different room. Dr Wruble was interrupted twice while he was seeing me; even he looked annoyed.

I’ve read the other reviews here and have to say that I think office staff in general (especially when they start going the Kaiser way of healthcare) sucks. On that note, Dr. Wrubel is good. He’s got a neurologist’s sense of humor (what that is — I don’t know but you can get him to chuckle with an almost straight face). Like LM, I have never found that he condescends. If you know your condition, he will respect that and just be there to help facilitate. He is very professional. I’ve only see him at his Colby practice and the Vale Road one, not at Telegraph.

Dr. Wrubel is great, his office staff, as everyone else has noted, is out to lunch. I have been billed for appointments that I paid cash for at the time and even after I called Georgia, his office manager, I still was receiving dunning calls and being threatened by a collection agency. In addition, the staff has made appointments for me when Dr, Wrubel isn’t even in the Berkeley office but in the San Pablo office. I sometimes wonder how his stroke patients deal with this level of incompentence, they probably blame it on themselves. The entire office staff seems as if they couldn’t care less about doing a good or even adequate job. It is pure Kafka.

When I had to find a new Neurologist as a result of switching Insurance Companies I was at a loss as to who to go to… was advised by one of my Dr’s to try to see Dr. Wrubel and am so glad she gave me this advise. He is very compassionate and a good listener and he doesn’t make my concerns feel trivial as some Dr’s do. When he sits and talks with me he gives undivided attention and I always leave my appointment feeling like I ahve been heard and my health issues have been addressed and all options considered.

I’ve seen him for migraines both at his previous practice at Colby Street and his current practice on Telegraph.
Overall, he is a good, knowledgable doctor who listens. His advice has always been sound. He also respects my knowledge about my condition and does not condescend. I had a misunderstanding with him once but was pleased he made the effort to work through it and give me the treatment I needed. Twice I have had great difficulty getting through to him on the phone where it took over two days for him to respond to urgent messages.
Other negatives I have had with him mostly concern his move to his new Telegraph Avenue practice.
The staff who work the front desk area and schedule appointments are less than professional. There were many mistakes where I had to repeat my name change and insurance information over and over. Then when I got to my appointment they said I didn’t have the right authorization to be covered and I had to reschedule. On top of that, they charged me and I had to go through a whole rigamorole to get reimbursed.

there needs to be more reviews on doctors in general, & hopefully mine are making a difference to someone.
i’ve never been in the market for a neurologist until recently, & really i didn’t know what i was in for. Dr. Wrubel was the doctor on staff the morning i went to Alta Bates for my little neurologic episode, so i kinda had to stick with his office when i got out of the hospital too.
first off, while in the hospital, his bedside manner left plenty to be desired. he steriley asked about my symptoms & conferred with the resident in tow as if i wasn’t there. later, when announcing my MRI results in front of my parents, he flatly told me it’s likely i have MS & how did i feel about that? when i asked when i could go home, (not an out of line question) he scoffed & asked if i wanted a REAL answer for that?
he was only reachable by cell phone during most of my treatment in the rehab center, & i didn’t see him again until i went to his office almost a month later.
there, the office staff was atrocious, arguing amongst themselves in heated tones, well into my appointment. the nurse quickly took my vitals then stomped out of the exam room to finish giving to reception staff a tongue lashing. the doctor came in & gave me a very ‘wait & see’ type option to my treatment, then left me with some pamphlets on MS drug therapies. (like i don’t have a million of those already.)
after i began an injectable treatment, most of my recent visits were with the nurse practitioner, who has really been the gem of this office. equally difficult to reach, even when given her direct line, she offered a lot more information & some much needed empathy .
it took 2 weeks to get my medical records copied & readied for me to pick up, & even when i called complaining of further symptoms of numbness & pain on the right side of my body, my call was not returned but the office staff until the next day (they put a voice mail box on often throughout the day) & even then i was forwarded to the doctor’s voice mail. upon reading my own records after i picked them up, i found a lot of details regarding my MRI findings & more within them that the doctor had not mentioned to me AT ALL.
bottom line is, i’ve heard great things about Dr. Wrubel’s partner in the office, Dr. Joanna Cooper, but given the unprofessional behavior of the office staff, the general disregard for my situation by the doctor & my general dissatisfaction for the whole ordeal, i wouldn’t go back.
i’m on the hunt for a great neurologist, so i’ll update when i find this elusive species. oh yeah, & i’ve already gotten started on seeing a UCSF doctor. letcha know how that goes too!