Virginia Mason Kirkland Medical Center

Reviews 5

MI

Michael May

I have a ruptured disc in my spine. I have been dealing with extreme pain since April. I have seen 3 different primary care doctors now and I have to explain my situation every time I go in. Its extremely painful to move around as the disc is pressing right on my sciatic nerves. I wake up in pain every night and can hardly work my desk job. The docs here have never given me pain meds for longer than 3-5 days. I explain Im at a 6 just lying down and it reaches a 10 when I have to stand up and move around. I have missed multiple months of work. I cant sleep. I have to rely on my wife for everything. They gave me a steroid shot over a month ago and their pain clinic has no availability for another steroid shot for over a month from now and they gave me pain medication for less than a week. I understand the epidemic in this country when it comes to painkillers but I am in so much pain I can hardly walk to the bathroom. Every time I go in everyone seems sympathetic and says call if I need help but when I call they say I have to go in again. No one on the phone seems to understand or care. At this point I dont know what to do. My next steroid shot is in over a month and my pain meds ran out a week ago. I can only make it 3-4 hours at work right now before having to go home because of the pain. I might lose my job. They have my mri. They know how badly Im in pain but they refuse to help me. I dont know what to do. Im in extreme pain every moment of every day. I cant sleep. My poor wife has become a professional masseuse trying to massage the tension out of my body every day and night when I wake up from the pain. I have extremely high pain tolerance by the way. My wife thinks Im a tank when it comes to pain and this is un-managable. I had a disc rupture 10 years ago and was on painkillers for 4 months. Had surgery. Stopped taking painkillers. It was simple and it was helpful. Right now Im breaking down just thinking about the next month and how Im going to get through it. They make me feel like a drug addict trying to get a fix. Im afraid to call them again for help and I really need help.

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Orton Howdy

Ive liked every doctor Ive seen at VM. That goes for nurses and CNAs, too. Unfortunately, the receptionists and/or scheduling staff are something else again. I have never encountered so many rude bullies as at VM. You get the sense of people who are powerless in their own lives, who are then given a tiny handful of power and promptly make a fist with it. The receptionists, for being basically Wallmart greeters with a keyboard, seem to have a greatly inflated sense of their place in the overall scheme of things vis-a-vis the skills patients actually come here seeking. God help you if you insist on being treated with dignity and respect. Thats not allowed. Talk to a scheduler on the phone and be prepared to be treated like the enemy by someone with all the customer service skills of a prison guard. Ive never had so many people who make you feel like youre bothering them. Apparently one highly prized skill here is the ability to interrupt and talk over a patient. These people really need to learn how to listen. Heres a hot tip: if you dont like working with the public, dont get a job where thats ground zero. Doctors should really go incognito into their own clinics sometime, just to see what patients have to put up with. People come to hospitals and clinics because theyre sick and in pain. They dont need attitude on top of it when theyre already feeling frightened and confused by a bewildering system that even in the best of circumstances can feel intimidating. I will miss my GP, who is awesome. But Im actively looking for a new medical group just exactly because Im sick to death of the scheduling staff at VM. These are people who, at every turn, want to "process" you instead of help you. Theres a culture of treating patients with contempt that seems to be not only tolerated but encouraged and Ive had enough.

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Tiffany Dunnington

August-I would like to update and say that, Virginia Mason called me personally and expressed how they would go about solving this issue for the future. They seemed genuinely concerned in my negative experience and offered to book an immediate appointment with Dr. Rothblatt. I did decline the appointment since I was going in that day to see another Doctor. Overall if VM does what it says it will do with re-training their front line staff, they get 5 stars again in my book. July-I am very disappointed to be writing a negative review since I have loved all the Medical Providers at Virginia Mason. Heres what happened, I booked an appointment in June for a Gyno appointment in Bellevue with Dr Rothblatt upon the recommendation of Dr. Kaine (Dr. Kaine is amazing!). I left work early and arrived early at the Bellevue VM only to discover that my appointment had not been "confirmed". I was so surprised since I had received a print out right when I booked the appointment at VM Kirkland. After talking over my options I booked an appointment with a completely different Dr. since Dr. Rothblatt was booked up for a month. I was so disappointed to not be able to see a specific Dr. that the Dr. I trust (Dr. Kaine) recommended. I think VM scheduling should be more thorough with confirming appointments since what I was told was that its just a click of a button to confirm a patients appointment. The scheduling should really match the bar that the providers set for Virginia Mason.

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bobby woodall

Ive been under care by the VA for the past 4 months. Im a veteran of the army and because I got into a car accident and missed work most of last year, my employer provided insurance hasnt kicked in. I had blood tests, heart tests, X-rays, MRIs, CT scans-everything came back normal but I felt horrible still. My friend recommended I call Virginia Mason. I called on Saturday and the RECEPTIONIST suggest I buy a glucometer, record the results and bring them to my doctor Had a VA appointment this morning but when I arrived at the VA I got "oh, my bad-its tomorrow morning. Havent had my coffee yet teehee" Of course I was livid at this-demanded my bloodwork then called Virginia Mason Got an appointment. Within the first two minutes it was decided that I was in fact diabetic. My BP is fantastic. Was prescribed metformin and made a plan towards healthy eating. I want to thank Virginia Mason for not just their efficiency but also for the patient care provided. My doctor has even spread out my appointments over 3 week spans to ensure I can afford the out of pocket care until my insurance kicks in Spotless facility, pleasant staff and I was in to see my PCP 10 minutes BEFORE my appointment. Huzzah

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A Private User

I have suffered from several medical conditions and injuries since birth in 1945. Needless to say, I have been under the care of many physicians over my lifetime in many clinics and hospitals all across our country. After being treated by doctor Yun Suhr (Yu-en Sir), for the first time in 2000, I have come to trust, admire and love this dear man. Although his practice is primarily internal and preventive medicine, every diagnosis Dr. Suhr has made on each of my conditions, has been confirmed later by specialists in that particular field of medicine. I would consider Dr. Yun Suhr the brightest and finest physician that has ever treated me in my 63 years Since moving to south King County, I find it no inconvenience to drive the one hour each way, to be seen by Dr. Suhr. Sonny Van Gelder – Auburn WA

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