Group Health Cooperative

I made the unfortunate decisions to join GHC. My god, anything that took Premera 1 week to handle takes 2 months with GHC. I’m definitly not using their service when I renew.

This place scared me a lot.
I only went here once. I had a broken foot and was eager to get my cast off. I was able to get an appointment here in Redmond quicker than in Seattle, where I was used to going. Plus, it was near where I was working at the time.
The person taking off my cast did NOT put me at ease. She had a hard time getting it off and did not seem to know what she was doing. I have no idea who she was or what kind of training she had. I think she had to call in help at one point. I thought she was going to cut my leg off.
This place seemed very run down to me. Very seventies décor. It even SMELLED old. I would never, ever come here again.

Yeeeaaahhh, remember that thing I said that if it happened I would doc them another star?
It happened.
They called again asking for money. Fuck this shit, I am paying it and boycotting these assholes forever.

I agree with the negative reviews. I had a virus flu and I was vomiting so much that I arrive at 3 am. The nurse or staff, not nice, takes my pressure. The first time in my life that was hurting so much as she was pumping air to read it. I told her several times it is hurting. She tells me is normal. I told her no, this has been done lots of time and you put it wrong and it is not suppose to hurt like it feels like my arm is being cut with the pressure. She gave me a look with attitude and remove it and then did it correctly. And guess what it did not hurt after that!
Then I am called inside and the nurse asks me questions. Then the doctor comes and explains what I have and tells me the nurse will come back and give me a shot. Well she comes and does not clean my skin, proceeds to inject me and then does not put a band-​aid like every nurse does. I really felt this nurse like the other staff, except the doctor were incompetent, not caring, and especially this nurse did not follow health procedure because was lazy!!! Please train better these staff and medical personal. I say staff also because the receptionist could care less also. I have never returned here for an emergency.

I was on this healthcare for 2 yrs to long.
Physical Exams take 1 hr in waiting.
Prescriptions feel like I’m pulling wire out of the doctor’s asses.
Eyeglasses? Why don’t you just wear your day-​only contacts while you sleep?
ER. Blood in pee and temporary loss of vision in your parent is totally normal, please chill kids. I am also actually 10 and would like to be treated as such. I also don’t know that band-​aids are adhesive strips.
Back pain? Sports injury? Come back when you’re that disfigured 65-​yr old.

9:45 pm Easter Sunday. The peace of the home is shattered as blood curdling screams come from my oldest daughter’s bedroom.
I rush in to find blood gushing from her foot. It’s a nice long slice down the center of her foot, and frack, it looks deep
I grab the nearest clean sock, yell incoherently for the teenager to grab some gauze and a towel and get to the car, grab her and her foot, and head to the ER.
At this point I am already kicking myself for switching health plans earlier this year… it means a longer drive of blood, scream and tears to get to Redmond.
Her little foot was pretty swollen, and they did not want to stitch it like that. It was numbed and cleaned, iced and given little butterfly stitched with strict instructions to follow up at the Bothell clinic first thing in the morning.
9:50 am. We arrive for the first available morning appt. we are pulled in right on time, ready to go! We wait only a few minutes for the Dr. to come… she proceeds to wet a piece of gauze with water, wipe the foot, ask my daughter all of 2 questions and leaves to «make a phone call». So we wait.
30 mins later she returns to tell us to go the ER. uhm.ok. we are ushered out of there so fast, and told nothing. not even a band-​aid on the foot.
My normally calm, gentile nature is diminishing. This is *MY* baby we are dealing with here. WTH?
I call down to the Redmond ER on our way to find out what’s going on. All I am told is ‘xray” and ‘copay”…
…WHAT??! I’m going to be charged ANOTHER ER copay??? stop that train right there mister. I paid $ 100 last night, just paid $ 15 a few minutes ago, and I’m driving down to shell out another $ 100?
At what point does my daughter actually get examined? or possibly treated? When do i reach «diamond „service and get actual health care here?
We arrive just before noon.
And wait. There is not a single other soul in the waiting room at this point. We get to see some really ill looking fish and the lunchtime news. I observe one receptionist painting her nails. I observe receptionist number two continually flipping her hair for about 6 minutes. Either she is in desperate need of body and bounce conditioner or she has head lice.
12:30 called back to the little room. Where we wait. And wait.
At this point no one has told us A THING about what is going on, why we are here. One nurse comes in and asks a few questions.
and we wait.
Another nurse comes in and asks the same exact questions.
and we wait.
Dr. comes in and finally we get to some actual info. They want x-​rays, they are worried about foreign bodies and possible nerve damage.
Okay…not good news, but it’s news. Mommy can deal with facts.
And we wait.
Called for x-​ray. Where we wait. By this time, we have noticed a definite upswing in the number of people at the ER with us. It was a ghost town when we arrived, It is no longer!
Down the hall to our left we have, „can’t stop coughing“ guy. To his left we have „it’s either the flu or a brain bleed“ guy. Across the way we have „volcano vomit lady“ (think mount st helen’s), down the hall to our right we have guy who looks like he has the plague and somewhere in this place we have „I am channeling your dying cat“ lady, who literally is moaning ‘ooouuucccchhh“ over and over and over and over and over.
Xray done, we return to our tiny room with it’s bright yellow door. BRIGHT, flashback causing yellow.
It is freezing in this hospital. I have to track her down a new warmed blanket about every 15 minutes, and I am so cold I’m about to rip through my shirt.
About once an hour for the rest of our visit, someone new pops in, asks the same questions over again, allows crazy cat moan ladies screams to permeate with more volume, then leaves.
We are waiting for ortho. Time to determine if nerve damage is possible. Oh, but wait! The doctor isn’t going to examine her! All they do is call him on the phone IN HIS BOTHELL OFFICE!!! Where we JUST WERE! *gaah*
Finally, they come in to numb the foot. They start at 3:10pm.
and we wait.
They return at 4:15 to do the ‘real numbing». Mom has something to do! If you’ve ever had stitches this is worst part. My poor baby cried and twitched like it was the end of the world as that needle was inserted into her wound to numb it up. Whew, she survived!
So we wait.
4:50 they arrive to irrigate. 5:25pm finally gets her two loose stitches. It’s been too long since the injury for «real» stitches now. 5:30 I head to the pharmacy. 5:45 they dress the wound and bring her crutches.
The pool of friends and family I started has guesses of exit of 4:45, 5:30, 6:15 and 7pm.
At 6pm, we are free. 5 stars for my baby living, 0 stars for the waiting, uncoordinated care, lack of info, and unnecessary trip to ER