Swedish Medical Center

Flagrant ambivalence, incompetence, or both?
Scheduled a consult at SQA to receive a referral to sports medicine for a hand injury (flexor tendon). Was provided a referral to someone who doesn’t accept my insurance. Called SQA to inform them of the error. Was promised a call back to follow up with me. No phone call. I called SQA back next day and restated my first message. Was promised a call back. No phone call. Called the next day. When explaining myself for the third time, I was interrupted and spoken to like a misbehaving child. They begrudgingly forwarded a referral to my insurance for approval next day. Followed up with them two days later (because at this point, I didn’t expect any diligence). All they could tell me was that it was sent and I just had to wait until they heard back… Well, three days later I called my insurance, who had no record of ever receiving anything. Called SQA. Turns out they sent it to the wrong insurance division. They acknowledge the error nonchalantly and promised a phone call to follow up once resolved. No phone call. I called back 2 days later. They forwarded the same referral (this time to the correct insurance division — good job guys) that day and told me that they’d call back to follow up with scheduling. No phone call (shocking, I know). Called 2 days later. They confirmed my referral was approved (which I already knew from talking to my insurance). They gave me the number to the specialist I was referred to and told to call them myself (at this point they just wanted to be done with me). I called the specialist, who had not received a copy of the referral from SQA (big surprise). Paid SQA a visit today and was assured the referral was sent. Called the specialist again… guess what, no referral. Called SQA again. Was told they would call the specialist and call me in 30 minutes. After an hour, I called back. This time I was told they were «on the phone» with my specialist as we speak and that they’d call back as soon as they’re off. Which leads us to present. Pretty sure I won’t get a phone call today. Pretty sure I will call back again. Pretty sure my injury will heal by the time I actually get an appointment to see the specialist. But just in case anyone forgot, this is a sports injury to a tendon. If these things heal improperly, bad things can happen (chronic issues) and I could be stuck with a handicap for the rest of my life.
Bottom line: its been fifteen days and 2 hours since my consult (and just as many phone calls) and I’m still waiting just to make an APPOINTMENT to be seen by a specialist. All the items discussed above requires a rudimentary application of time management skills and modicum of professionalism and communication skill. There’s no wonder there are always 4 – 5 people ahead on the waiting line when you call them: when you can’t manage your own office, everyone starts doing it for you. This place needs leadership. Bad.

7 months ago a guy goes to this place with a (medical hindsite) case of ischemic colitis; black and bleading from the anus.
Dr (?) Owen in its brilliance can only ask if he had been sticking things his ass… he was shocked… then asked if I had eaten anything odd… the answer was no. then had stool samples done at home… great. got a call ;” its negative «said a chipper voice.“negative for what» he asked…“parasites“said the chipper voice
he told this Own creature he had not eaten anything but crackers for a week.
he left the office with this Owen creatures advice of «if you fell the life force sliping away, go to the emergency room»
which is what one used to say to a women during a heavg flow (in 1960) he being male had to ask a women what it meant.
left this office with blood and shit in my shoe .
Impression:thinking;the proess of utilizing information and actual thought (which takes individuality and perception of others) are not the same yet do mix
Not in Dr Owens case; apparently since 1960 since that was the last time that ‘advice’ was given.
Fini

Dr Chan is my primary care physician and I went to her a few weeks ago for high fever and abdominal pain. She ordered lab work as part of a differential diagnosis and then did not come back to work from Tuesday until Friday. I had to call 3 times to find out my results, which someone reluctantly reported to me. There was no follow up. The clinic manager promised to call back and never did. I ended up in the emergency room Saturday morning and was admitted for three days. They have a terrible care model and employ many part time doctors with no management plan for coverage of patients. I will not be back and I recommend you find a group of professionals who are patient focused, too. This clinic is not.

I couldn’t find any reviews or feedback on Dr. Morrison online before taking my son in for his annual exam. He and his nurse are so patient and gentle, I couldn’t be happier. Swedish provides the best care in Seattle. Totally worth having to schedule appointments weeks in advance or waiting an extra 15 minutes to see the doctor!

Very modern and clean hospital. Registration was a breeze and the personnel was very professional.
Very qualified physicians. Parking is very close.
There is even a starbucks in their lobby.

I have had mediocre experiences here… but they are close to work so I continue to take my family here. Yesterday my family was involved in a car accident. My 16 yr old son was driving — the car was totaled. At the seen the first responders evaluated him, and said that an ambulance and emergency room visit was not necessary but to call my primary and have him checked out. I called the office immediately, the receptionist was empathetic and sweet, she put me on hold twice while she spoke with nurses, she came back and offered me a time at 3:15, which I gladly accepted. (it was 2:00) At 2:24 I received an irritated voice mail from a nurse telling me that my son could not be seen because the receptionist didn’t know what she was doing and shouldn’t have booked his appointment, and if I was really concerned I should have just gone to the hospital. I started trying to find another doctor to go to. (But they have been my families primary for the past 3 years) At 2:58 I receive a call from an extremely apologetic receptionist. She said the nurses said she would book the appointment — but the doctor said no and made them cancel. The only time I will be returning here is to collect my medical records

My doctor was Jennifer M Klein and this was my first time going to this location, and going through this medical center. I would not recommend Jennifer or her office. I had nothing but problems with them filling my prescriptions correctly, and Jennifer herself was quite rude, judgmental and condescending during my visit.
My visit was to refill one specific brand name prescription, and we discussed that I did not want the generic brand for insurance and personal reasons. She agreed and everything seemed fine, except for when I received the wrong medicine in the mail a week later. I called the office and they admitted they made a mistake. This resulted in an overall 3-​week delay in me receiving my medication.
Lastly, while I was meeting with Jennifer and we were discussing my medical and personal history, she became very condescending towards me. The topic of medical discussion I’ll keep private, but her attitude lacked kindness or helpfulness and instead was very rude and judgmental. Overall it was not a comfortable patient-​doctor consultation.
If you have another place to choose from, go there. Otherwise be prepared for multiple errors and judgmental faces from this place.

I’ve been a patient at Swedish QA for several years, and if I were writing this review last year, it probably would have gotten four stars. The quality of care hasn’t changed– I’ve been very pleased with my doctor the whole time that I’ve been coming here. However, lately, it seems impossible to get an appointment with your PCP in a reasonable time frame. It used to be I could call and get an appointment within a few days, now it’s usually at least a week. I’m not sure if they are just accepting more patients, with my chronic pain, it’s important to have continuity of care and when I have a flare up and have to see a new doctor because the regular one doesn’t have an appointment for a week or two, it’s a bummer.
The other issue I’ve had that seems concurrent with the possible influx of new patients is billing. Sometimes they will take a co-​pay, and other times they won’t. I found out the other day that apparently that info hadn’t been entered correctly into my account. I received a bill for a service date that I’d already paid the copay for, but they insisted that it must not be a copay, even though it was for the same amount. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t just refer me to someone who actually did know what the bill was for. I ended up having to call billing and apparently, the copay I paid had been applied to an earlier visit, without my knowledge, so the bill was indeed for the copay that I thought had been taken care of (but that they said «must be for something else»)
I will likely keep coming here, at least for now, as I don’t want to switch providers again, but I will be keeping better tabs on their billing and hoping that I don’t need to schedule any last minute appointments.

You could go in as prepared as possible for the cost of your visit, and somehow walk out with a $ 800 bill. Doctors upcharge at whim without telling you there will be a higher cost– if you take more than 5 minutes of their time, you are charged for a specialized visit. Good luck arguing the bill.

Horrible. The doctors are always late. You schedule an appointing and the doctors show up an hour later. They keep you waiting and then they rush you thru so they can catch up. The admin staff is super rude. They NEVER call in refills and the doctors are NEVER on time. This place used to be good but in the last year has been awful, don’t go here is HORRIBLE!!!

Parents. Don’t send your teens to get health care here! A few months ago, my daughter (who is almost 18), went in because her foot was swollen, and she was in pain. They took an x-​ray and told her there was nothing they could do because she had an extra bone in her foot. I took her to a sports medicine doctor who said she didn’t have an extra bone. She had tendonitis. So, apparently the doctors don’t remember their anatomy and physiology. A few days ago, she went in to get her flu shot. She had been told she could just show up. When she did, she was told she had to make an appointment. They also looked up her file and told her she needed three other vaccines (one of them being varicella). She asked why, and what was varicella, and they told her «not to worry about it». THIS IS WHAT THEY CONSIDER INFORMED CONSENT. I found out because they called me the next morning and asked if I wanted the vaccine or the titer. I proceeded to tell them what I thought of what was going on, and listed out a number of complaints. Their only response… was to call me and ask when she had had chicken pox.
They seem to think that kids can get health care on their own after they are 14, but that somehow these same kids WAVE their rights to informed consent.
Take your teens to a facility which respects your teens. They also will push birth control on any teen as soon as the parent leaves the room — also with no thorough explanation of options or possible side effects. Unfortunately, so will the school nurse and any health care practitioner. Apparently, they all think the worse thing that can possibly happen to a teen is pregnancy, and not the LONG list of side effects that come with many of the birth control methods. Once again, your teens have NOT waved their rights to informed consent to their medical options.
(We walked over to Safeway and got our flu shots without an appointment, and with a 10% off coupon for each of us for a future shopping date. My daughter does not need the vaccines they were «special ordering» for her. After 10 years of going to this clinic, you’d think they’d have her records straight.)

Wonderful place. Dr Sherman is amazing. Love her. However, I switched to her after first seeing Dr Chatherine Wheeler. Dr Wheeler’s bedside manner was awful. She was rude and not caring at all about my concerns. Avoid her. Other than that, this is a great Medical Center and Dr Sherman is wonderful.

I came here for the first time to get a physical with one of the female doctors. Worst doctor’s visit ever.
The doctor gave me, at most 15 minutes of her time because she had to leave the clinic early for whatever reason. She conducted none of the routine examinations one expects from a physical and was dismissive of my concerns. She made me feel like I was wasting her precious time. Because she had to leave, she encouraged me to schedule another appointment with her in the future. I couldn’t believe it.
The office itself seemed disorganized and inefficient. Terrible experience, and I highly suggest going elsewhere.

I was really impressed with Swedish Queen Anne. Dr. Kathleen O’farrell was very thorough and professional. No wait time to be seen. The only thing I wish they did was tell me what procedures were covered by my insurance and what ones aren’t. I think this is pretty common in the medical field, but my dentist always lets me know ahead of time. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and will return again.

I’m not really picky when it comes to doctors. Blame the insurance company that only allows me to see certain doctors in-​network, then of course searching for a good family doctor within this guideline is… Well we all know how hard that can get!
So to better explain, I’m not picky about choosing a doctor but picky as heck when it comes to care and service provided by them. This being said, I was used to what general population go through with doctor’s office; you call Only when you’re in dire need of a medical attention, so I don’t have to deal with their mediocre care too often.
Without sounding like a crazy patient nor a sales pitch to sell this Doctor (as I’ve seen and experienced falsely Unilocal’d doctors first hand), I love my doctor!
I’ve been seeing her for almost 2 years now and I swear it gets better everytime I see her, pun intended*. Dr. O’Farrell takes her time with me even though my visits are filled with BTW and Oh I almost forgot to ask yous as she’s just about to walk out of the exam room, literally she’s got one hand on the door knob… She understands and lays options for me to make sure that I as a patient makes the choice based on her knowledge and experience. Last thing a patient wants to hear is for them to now see someone for something blah blah blah, when healthcare cost itself is choking us, preventing us to get seen by a professional in timely manner, you know with the whole early prevention and all…
I love my doctor. I can tell her practice has gotten bigger since it’s harder for me to schedule same day apppointments. I don’t know about you, but I can wait for her schedule to open up than to see someone else, of course unless it’s something urgent. If end results from patient financial stand point is same (e.g. copay and deductible) then why should I settle? She opened up my eyes on how hard it is to find a good doctor and I shouldn’t settle with some random doc who doesn’t even want to know about my reason being here, ahem cough cough. Seriously, cough!
She used to practice in Millcreek then later moved to Queen Anne.
I used to see her in Millcreek then followed her to Queen Anne.
If she moves again, I’ll follow her. Well, unless she tells me that my devotion is creeping her out.

Went here for the first time yesterday. The front desk/​reception people are very nice and helpful, no complaints there. The offices are tidy and clean. The intake nurse and doctor, however, left something to be desired. The nurse shoved the thermometer into my ear so hard that it still hurt the next day, when I winced because of the pain he said «did that hurt?» and shoved it into my ear again! Not to mention this guy was impersonal, terse, and generally moving at a tweaker’s pace. The doctor acted like he didn’t have time for quick questions and like I was wasting his time, when I made it clear that I had a set of simple questions that needed answering and that was it. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go to a robo-​doctor, where they’ve got 5 minutes for you and that’s it. Don’t schedule you’re appointments so close and compromise patient time.
I think I’ll look for a different doctor’s office. I hate to say this, but Group Health was far better. Hell, I’ve had a better experience with the constantly rotating intern staff at Planned Parenthood.

We joined this clinic a few months before our daughter was born, and selected Dr. Clara Chan as her pediatrician. She was born at 7:55 am in Ballard this past August, and Dr. Chan came to see her that same early evening. It felt like she was genuinely thrilled to meet our new addition and excited to watch her grow with us… such an awesome feeling. Each check-​up since has been hassle-​free, comforting, relaxed, and highly informative. The nursing assistants are really sweet as well.
The clinic’s scheduling is a little wonky… make sure you schedule early, and don’t expect the most enthused scheduler. BUT, Clara is worth it.

I’ve gone to a variety of the doctors in this office since I moved to Queen Anne in 2005.
Dr. Clara Chan — She’s my and 5 month-​old my daughter’s primary physician. You couldn’t ask for a better doctor, she’s knowledgable and caring. About 18 hours after our daughter was born, Dr. Chan came to the hospital to giver her a check up and see how we were doing.
Dr. Mia Wise — The first doctor I had in Seattle. If you can see her, she’s definitely recommended.
Dr. Fernando Irizzari — Pretty good, but not my favorite. I have a couple of friends that were happy with him though.

I used to go to a large OB-​GYN clinic on Capitol Hill, but I switched to this smaller Queen Anne Swedish clinic when I moved over to this hill. I work at SPU and so this location is literally perfect for me and easy to get to.
Dr. Jeanne Cawse-​Lucas was recommended to me by a couple of my coworkers and she is probably the best doctor I’ve seen in a long time. She’s very professional, but easy-​going; she is knowledgeable about women’s health and women’s issues and she’s easy to talk to; she also dresses very cute, which shows me more of her personality when she’s not a «doctor». :)
What I also love about this clinic are the different services/​physicians that they provide (from their website):
— Family Medicine
— Newborn and Pediatric Care
— Adolescent Medicine
— Adult Care
— Geriatric Health Care
— Immunizations
— On-​Site lab and X-​Ray
— Patient Education
— School, sports and annual physicals
— Wellness and Preventative medicine
For example, I suddenly came down with a serious virus that made me extremely sick within hours and I was at work. Our campus nurse called the clinic and they were able to squeeze me in that afternoon with a specialist physician in Internal Medicine. I really appreciated that I could see a different doctor without having to go through any paperwork troubles or insurance issues.
I love this clinic, their staff and their doctors and will continue to recommend friends here. :-)

I’m very happy with my PCP, Dr. Clara Chan. I think she’s competent, compassionate and intelligent. I couldn’t be happier with her. I also think the clinic itself is good too, it’s located on the top of Queen Anne, it’s nice and clean and they take care of people of all ages, including kids. I also really appreciate that I can access my labs, etc online and that I can email with my provider (or her representative).
My only complaints — when you try to schedule an appt online the people are morons, it literally took 5 or 6 messages to convey a date and time that I wanted to be seen. I also wish they did prenatal care here.