Vitreoretinal Associates of Washington

Whoever is in charge of scheduling here has dropped the ball again. About a week and a half ago, I called and scheduled an appointment for my mom. The scheduler and I agreed on today, December 11 at their Bellevue location. We show up, and suddenly the doctor has changed. I tell the receptionist that I specifically remember scheduling an appointment with Dr Francis. I wrote it on my calendar, it’s in my phone, the confirmation call the night before said Dr Francis in Bellevue on December 11. Turns out he’s in Seattle that day. The number of times that VRA has let my mom and I down for something as simple as scheduling is astonishing. They had over a week to call me back and fix the issue. They should know where their docs are going to be on which days. I don’t work there. They do. The responsibility of knowing the schedule falls on them. The time, gas, and money I’ve lost because of scheduling mishaps like this is disappointing because the rest of the staff, as I said before, are fantastic. But you have to get your scheduling straightened out. And if you make a mistake, just own up to it and call me back. Don’t just assume it’ll fix itself. Because it didn’t. Seattle to Bellevue and back to Seattle, in the middle of the day on a Friday, because of someone else’s inability to properly do their job is not something anyone should have to do.

I would not go back to the VRA Associates in Mountlake Terrace. Dr. Samuel Barloon was very rude and was not concerned about my floaters which are very black and very difficult to see. When I asked him what can I do he said very rudely «What do you want me to do take it out now.»
I guess if I had something more serious he would have been more concerned with my situation. I would definitely find someone else to take care of my eyes

This review is specific to the Bellevue location, and Dr. Barloon. I was referred by my general eye doc in Spring of 2014 when I had some strange plaque looking substance on my retina. You don’t mess around w/​eyes so I took it seriously also. I got in the next day and had Dr. Barloon for the duration of my diagnosis. He is a phenomenal doctor to work with. He clearly knows his field and is outstanding at diagnosis, treatment and sharing information at your level. While examining you, don’t feel worried when he spouts off into to his assistant, because he then breaks it down for you to understand at a basic level. He spends time inquiring about symptoms, etc and makes you feel comfortable & confident.
The clinic is nice, and your wait time can be lengthy – but it’s a specialist clinic, and they’re clearly well sought after. The assistants (most aside from a couple) are very well versed in the field and are very helpful. I was lucky to be referred to Dr. Barloon and appreciate all his work!

For most of 2013 I visited the Vitreoretinal Associates Seattle location and I was very happy with Dr. Craig Wells. My insurance wrote a referral to them, specifying an end date and number of visits, typically the Doctors office lets me know if I am running out of the number of visits so that I can request an extension on the referral. Towards the end of my treatment, I called Vitreoretinal asking to confirm I still have coverage and I was transferred to someone in their Bellevue office, I believe her name was Jennifer. She said she looked at my referral and it covered 2 more visits. Without a courtesy call I started getting bills from a collection agency who, when I called them, said I owed $ 2500 to Vitreoretinal. I called Vitreoretinal, asked them what happened and why I was told to move forward with my visits when I needed a new referral, basically expecting an apology for them not calling and especially for not having their records updated with correct information prior to my last visits. Long story short, my insurance wrote a new referral, faxed it to them, but they are still harassing me. I’m shocked at how recklessly they handle their bookwork, which comes down to inept employees. I now visit another group of Doctors that have competent employees. If a Doctor can not have their bookkeeping updated and correct, how can they be trusted with your health. I will never trust Vitreoretinal Associates and I suggest you avoid them, finding another Doctor with ethical and competent employees, is very easy in the Seattle area.

As good as it gets is right. Having been turned down by 4 specialists over a three year search, Dr. Robert Francis treated my retinal problems with ease. The facility is wonderful, great & caring staff — the closest thing to a miracle for me.