Virginia Mason Medical Center Review

I came in with severe abdominal pain. I was admitted and well taken care of. The staff is so helpful and friendly, especially nurse Danae and pct Jade on floor 16. If I ever get sick enough to be hospitalized again, I will most definitely return here.

I have always received nothing but the best care and highly professional service at Virginia Mason. Been a patient for over 25 years and highly recommend to anyone seeking compassionate, responsiveness, and excellence in care and healthcare delivery.

I don't know how to publically nominate a Virginia Mason RISING STAR, and quite frankly, just a STAR, but yours truly, Michael Tomberg, M.D. is a class-act. Mike saw me back in 2013 for a severe, acute medical condition and what a wonderful human being you have in this true professional. Not only did he graduate from Princeton, he went onto Dartmouth Medical School and that couldn't be a better school (one could argue better than Harvard Med School). He reflects more than positively upon Virginia Mason. He actually listens to his patients and doesn't push a drug, or drugs at all (unlike many other doctors this day in age, who have made record profits and are contributing to the rise in opioid-abuse we are seeing in society). I've re-established care with Mike, as my PCP, as he embodies the core values of Virginia Mason, where truly patients can receive comprehensive medical care. Please nominate Dr. Tomberg for Top Doctor of the year/decade/century award. He's truly THAT good. And, I'm someone who has seen over 100 doctors in my short 31 years, from PCPs, to the most specialized of the specialized. Truly what I would call, a class act. Even being his patient, I can say, without bias, even if I had just a "chance encounter" with this individual, either through the medical system, or in public, he'd be someone who I'd want on my team. Not only on my team, actually leading the team. As you know, primary care is not necessarily a profitable endeavor, by a long shot, especially with doctors now choosing specialties and sub-specialties over the less profitable, primary care. Virginia Mason struck absolute gold with hiring this man. And I'm a better person, in more ways than just my improved health, for having him on my team, and for knowing him. He's a doctor who cares more than any other doctor I've run across. If 60 minutes had a top doctors segment, he should be on it. Virginia Mason is a world class facility. -Harrison

INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS/VISITING PATIENTS - DO NOT USE THIS HOSPITAL

I was admitted to this hospital in January with food poisoning and serious complications due to a pre-exisiting medical condition. The nursing staff were friendly enough, however I was left in the waiting area on an ambulance stretcher for 20 minutes in very poor condition whilst the administrative staff checked the validity of my travel Insurance. They would not provide me with any anti-nausea medication, fluids or help whatsoever until this was confirmed. Very poor compared to experiences I have had in other countries.

To top it all off, the completely incompetent administration staff then attempted to send all billing information and records to "BRITISH COLUMBIA, NEW ZEALAND". I'm sorry, but are you really that stupid? Not even a google search to see if this made-up address by one of your staff members even existed? This has resulted in delays in my insurance claim that have now spanned through until June because of information not arriving by mail. All attempts to get help from the Hospital's call centre have been met with a refusal to disclose any information by phone or email. Only in person or by mail.

Very very poor service.

I was down for surgery from Alaska. They treated my daughter and I exceptionally well and were very respectful and helpful. I would recommend them to anyone.

Dr. Leveque was very thorough during consult exam through follow up appointment. I was told I would be in for likely three days but was released just over 24 hours later with remarkable improvement.

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Virginia Mason is the best hospital on planet earth. The doctors as well as the PA/NP s, RN s, PCT s and everyone else that works there are all very professional, very very knowledgeable, very kind, very down-to-earth, and very loving and caring wonderful wonderful people.
They were named one of America s Top 50 Hospitals by Healthgrades. Wow!
They treat all their patients (I ve been a patient there since October of 2015) like a valued customer/patient and the care they offer is nothing short of Top Notch and World Class.
The fact that I m still alive today is nothing but a pure miracle and thanks to the good Lord up above and the wonderful people and gifted hands that He has blessed that have made this possible.
The doctors are never too busy to stop what their doing to shake your hand or to give you a hug to ask how you re doing and what else could they do to further assist. They are all absolutely Amazing Anazing People!
Thank you Virginia Mason!!! We Love You!

With never ending gratitude - Michael C

Decent hospital. The scheduling can be very slow for endocrinology department.

There customer service department is a joke and they have stated to me several times that advocacy for yourself is harrassment. If you try and speak up for yourself they will try and knock you back down. I was on the verge of suicide cause of the pain I was in and still am in pain and they offered no help for that mentally. Luckily I made it threw the worst of it but that was only after suffering and fight threw them to get what I needed. The list goes on with them it take a hour of writing just to explain the mental and physical headacheh they put you threw. The only reason they getting 2 stars is cause of there spine clinic and nutritional providers.

Absolutely a joke. My mother had surgery and the machine beeped for 45 minutes during our conversation while we waiyed for a nurse to come and push a button. Thousands of dollard a night lmao

Worst experience ever. Refused to check my grandma in, when we came back 49 minutes later they had moved her procedure back and hour. Asian woman who checked her is was rude, down right rude. But when two other Asian women came in her attitude completely changed with them. This is not how you treat patients

I receive all of my medical care here and highly recommend it

This place is amazing. The doctors actually care, provide excellent and vital services. Virginia Mason Medical Center also has charity account services to help those who need care, but are unable to pay some or all of their bills.

This hospital has saved my life, in every possible way a person can be, and I will always be grateful to them for what they have done for my family and I.

Thank you Virginia Mason, and Dr. Camille Johnson and her assistant Jo up on the 8th Floor of Buck Pavillion!

I had a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy with Dr. Flavio Rocha as my surgeon last June. It was a major surgery, and I was at Virginia Mason for a week. My recovery was excellent, as was every single person that helped with my care. It was as good an experience as it could have been, considering the circumstances.

Amazing doctors who actually care about you and your well being. The angry women who answer the phones are terrible but the doctors and nurses are top notch

Open heart surgery, valve replacement. Up and walking on day 2. Great staff. Great surgeons. The presurgery was very easy and relaxing. The post follow-up was great.

Great team w/ a mix of awesome care I'm starting to bounce back slowly... Thank you Virginia Mason your very much appreciated.

Great customers services/ professional staffs
Busy in morning & great food & prices .

Great staff . Clean facility. All around good hospital !

It is a ridiculous hospital that I have never been.
I broke my wrist in this year Jan and doctor put the cast on it for a month. After they removed my cast, I was told by going surgery because there's an angle problem after cast? It was costed me a fortune to have surgery in Feb.

In April surgery follow-up visit, I was refused to make my last follow-up visit because I didn't have insurance in May and cannot afford the bill, but the nurse who scheduled the appt confirmed me that the follow-up visit and x-ray are covered under my surgical treatment, so I agreed to make the appt work. After my last visit, I received a bill that costed $225 (#73110 $23, #99024 $0, and #99213 $202)
I was confused about two office visit codes #99024 and #99213 were billing in the statement. In my previous follow-up visits, I've never seen #99213 was billed in my account, so why #99213 was billed in my last follow-up visit?

Another unbelievable story was they billed #73110 $23 to my previous insurance blue cross. BUT they also tried to billed #73110 $291 to my Cigna after I told them I have covered under my new job. X-ray costs $291 with the insurance price??

I totally don't feel comfortable with it. Can someone tell that should I report it as medical billing fraud?

Had my kidney transplant here, great place and staff is the excellent.

The staff was very nice to me when they treated my burnt penii after the clam soup incident.

VM embraces a lot of patient-first, open communication, and lean workflows for their staff that make them truly different than the other hospitals in the area. I've seen several providers there and had a procedure, it's always been a breeze deailng with everyone from the front desk staff to the physicians. I had to wait a few extra minutes to see a provider once and was given free parking and an honest apology they were running behind, very impressed with how they treat their staff and patients.

Abysmal experience at an ER. Dog bite evaluation and treatment took maybe hour of actual medical procedure and three hours of waiting for paperwork , as staff described it.

A follow up appointment with orthopaedic was scheduled incorrectly which I have learned about on my way to it. I have not seen similar chaos at hospitals in post communist countries. This is insane.

I ll stay away as much as possible.

Horrible. Lack of good explanations, will not listen to you, horrible food and service, nasty staff. Would rather die than be stuck there a month ever again. Staff gets mad and pissy and would not even answer call light. Left me cold and wet and hours without pain meds.

Talked about me and my problems in hall outside my door in unlicensed venue. Spied on me without my knowledge or consent, confined me in straight jacket and soft restraints without my permission. They could have used meds and not tied me up. For god sake, I had two brain surgeries in two weeks, was confused and frightened, and they tied me up. Horrible place.

Am allergic to tape, they knew, but put sleeve on my arm over IV so I could shower then left and refused to remove from my arm quickly. Showed back up about hour and a half later and then did not even doctor blisters left From tape they left on me.

Would sue whole damn place if not for Dr Ajeto who was amazing! He saved my life twice at least and worked very hard to save me.

Be aware of what seeking care at Virginia Mason will do for your finances. I learned that Virginia Mason had sent me to collections for visits in years past that I was not present for or ones that I never even knew about while living in a separate state. Upon calling them they did nothing to rectify the situation even when I offered to pay for these small amounts just to get them removed. While many of the physicians may be outstanding, do not trust what can ruin your finances as a result. Merchant s Credit is the firm they outsource to. I implore you to google this organization and look at their tactics, many of which are discriminatory in nature and further ask yourself why Virginia Mason partners with them when they claim to be focused on the care and well-being of the patient. There are a lot of options regionally for amazing care in Seattle and western Washington and going forward our family will NOT seek any care at Virginia Mason even if it means traveling out of state. This is not ethical or right in any capacity and feels like that of unreal insanity. To think that at one point several years ago I actually recommended Virginia Mason for my father seeking treatment for cancer but never again. I can no longer say that they follow their mission and seek to improve one's sense of well-being and which prevent illness when they are creating illness on the back-end. Greed exists and it s sad to see the lengths they are willing to go to for $40.00 that was billed inappropriately.

This hospital cares very little for their patients. Cardiac patients shouldn t have to wait six hours to be discharged. I was here 9 days and watched six people wait 6 hours to get to go home. This is an outrage.

Nice staff that attended to me while I fell ill of the common flu

Very impressed on how well they handled my son's sinus condition

Very nice people there. I do wish getting appointments were quicker and sometimes slow to answer returns by telephone calls. Some calls were hung up recently. Very busy in all departments.

The hardest thing is too find your way around, but the staff is so nice always willing to help you find your way.

Healthcare in this country is utterly broken. I went in for a morning of outpatient testing. I was told to expect a total bill of about $2000. Although my tests went faster than expected, involved no special equipment or unforeseen addition, the final bill was approximately $6000.

Wonderful hospital, friendly staff and the doctors and nurses are world class. Can't tell. you. how happy I am with my new kidney. Thank you. to all. whose path I crossed while my husband and were out there . Mary Kuzara

Im sitting here in a dark waiting room with all the blindes closed decided to look out the window and immediately got scolded I was told its too hot to have them open... well its cloudy/rainy and a TOASTY 68 degrees feels cooler in here than out side guess i will sit here and write a bad revew instead ... hate this place

This is the worse hospital I have ever been to. The lack of transparency, responsiveness, and sense of urgency is beyond belief. I have zero trust in the staff. In the span of 3 days, staff dropped the ball twice on major things. It's unbelievable! Don't even think about going to this place. They don't even have basic communication protocols. They don't know how to take patient notes and simply don't follow through. I have to do all the follow through, remind people what to do and let from one shift to the other what was discussed and action items.

I have been coming here every 2 to 3 days, for the past 15 days. My uncle was in the critical care unit. He received excellent care. The entrance desk as you go in is another matter, the GALS who sit there seem to have authority issues, ugh I drive 2 1/2 hrs to get here from the Yakima valley. Consistancy on policy would be ideal. I have to sit outside until 10 am to get in, I have been going in sooner then this .

Excellent, the doctors, All employees were friendly and really care. My 1st choice if I need medical help. I drove 3 hours plus a ferry each way Worth every mile. I want to Thank them for making a bad situation bearable

I have always been impressed with the care I have received at VMMC. Whenever I have been to this campus whether for work on visiting family the staff is consistently wonderful. I feel like my family is always well taken care of and that the medical staff are advocates for their patient's care.

My experience from the time I walked through the emergency room doors was STELLAR! the lady who registered me was awesome and very concerned. the triage nurse was quick very concerned and got me straight to the back. Once in back in met my nurses jeniffer and Todd who were very nice and made me very comfortable the doctor ,DR MAAK is an awesome lady, she showed great concern and spoke very clear and to the point. I understood everything and felt as if I was around people who really cared about my well being. Last but not least was the R.N. named NANETTE. Nurse Nanette was definitely a team player and so sweet. With me being a sickle cell patient and 40 years old you pretty much know your body and where everything is and what won't work. I told her I was a hard stick due to being a sicklers and that she'd more then like would have to use the ultrasound to get an i.v. in for hydration and blood work. Not only did she listen which made things run extremely smooth and she got a line with ease ,she unlike a lot of nurses didn't get nasty and started feeling as if I was telling her how to do her job and because of this we made an amazing team and got thins done. I would definitely recommend this hospital to any visitors from elsewhere like myself should they need emergency medical attention!!!

Had an endoscopy and additional tests for gastrointestinal issues. Was treated with the utmost professionalism by all of the staff during my tests. I was informed every step of the way as to what would happen and coached very patiently through the procedures where i was conscious.and had to follow instructions as part of the tests.
I drove 70 miles through infamous Puget Sound traffic to get treatment here because of the national reputation of VM's gastroenterology department and Dr. Otto Linn and I am very glad that I did.

I check into the ER on March 1st with in a hour I had a room I have been on the 14th floor 4days and 5 nights so far. the staff is amazing here far above any hospital I have ever been at.

I have a serious stomach pain and I came here with a friend. I checked in through emergency and here i am waiting for more than 2 hrs to get to even a doctor. They suck. Real time.

I so enjoy all the staff and Doctors here! So helpful and patient with all my questions and received answers. Never had to wait more than 6 minutes!
Thanks

Great hospital, great staff, great experience. Flew 3000 miles to see them, well worth it,

I will never seek care here again. The care I was provided was ok, but I received a bill (after the initial clinic bill) for administrative fees (almost as much as the cost of my visit). They may be registered as a non-profit, but it is clear to me that profit comes first.

This place has the kindest staff! Dr. Kita is THE best!!!

Some of the top Doctors practice here. Friendly staff helps make you comfortable. Their restaurant has many food choices full salad bar to fresh made sandwiches. They are going green to be more efficient and recycle as much as they can. Lots of local produce.
Hotel hooked right to it for convenient stay, They pay the parking depending on what your doing there..Personally I pray you never have to find out if they are good or bad.

Typical corporation. Many horrible nurses. Many horrible phlebotomist. The people that check you in at the front desk are the rudest and worst of them all. Terrible food. Dirty hospital. Full garbage cans. However, Dr Brandenberger, a surgeon, is at the top of his game. He is a super star totally cool dude. He is so friendly, and works so very hard for his patients. Lastly, the nephrology doctors are super stars as well. They are very smart and don't miss a beat.

This hospital is the best in the us have had multiple surgeries,and have been treated like a movie stat

All of the people here have been verrry helpful, friendly and cheerful!!

Dr. Rothblatt & his team are so wonderful. His anestheisiology nurse and other professionals were bar none, the top of the line, in care & professionalism. I felt so safe with the three procedures that he did. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so careful and gracious and funny. Much love and many blessings to you all. You should be very proud. And I missed you, Karina. You are the bees knees. I pray that your husband recovers soon. God bless you all.

they are always pleasant and helpful love this place and my dr is also excellent Dr Gerbino

Dr Ross and his team saved my life 5 yrs ago and when I began to have the symptoms again I flew from CA and they took care of me right away. I do not trust any other place to take care of me, spend the $$ to fly and have a few days in town. I will be back on 4 weeks for my follow up. Very professional staff, punctual, kind and going extra miles for the pt.They have the Inn next to them or very old hotel cross the street with discounts or you can go to bigger five star hotels in walking distance. CA hospitals should learn from VMH! Thank you Dr Ross and Dr Law , team!

Easy to find, valet parking is available and there are five different parking garages as well. You pay to park. The hospital is spread out and wheelchair accessible. I would advise you to call and ask which area is best for you to park in that is closest to where your appointment is scheduled. The machines take cash and credit/debit cards.

Dr Scott Hanson a Psychiatrist had me in 4 point resteriants for five days in a row with out letting me out to move around because I didn t lie down to get a involuntary shot of antipsychotics meds which I think that was not even leagel to do

I called because I was a potential client and I'm a really nervous person so sometimes it takes a minute for me to get my thoughts out the lady who picked up the phone at about 9am Wednesday August 19th seemed she was in a bad mood or somthing which made me really uncomfortable as someone who has never been to this place or even the place before I felt I was bothering her she seemed to not like me and just said okay redirecting u and transferred really fast was a unpleasant exsperience the people the surgeon person I was redirected to seemed okay he was at least polite but I got transferred to a few people just to ask a few questions on what they can offer me as a client I'm really ticked right now..

I've come here for surgery often. Great friendly staff and doctors are competent. They don't have the God complex like most big hospital doctors do.

By far, my best hospital experience. Very professional and personable. We were treated with kindness and excellent care.

Avoid this place if you can. I regret ever wasting my time working with this place. They accidentally shredded my paperwork when I first sent it which dragged out getting the first appointment for weeks, lied about my insurance being approved before I scheduled surgery, refused to answer any questions I had, and the office staff is the rudest I have ever encountered. Even the surgeon was rude, dismissive, and would not answer questions until I actually scheduled the surgery. If you're trans, do not even consider this hospital, please. It was the worst I've been treated as a trans patient, and if you're trans, you understand how awful that means it is.

Absolutely had wonderful care from doctors, nurses, physical therapists, PCTS, radiology staff, pain management staff and everyone else. I have had 3 back surgeries since February 2015. I highly recommend Virginia Mason and my Neurosurgeon Dr. JC Leveque!

I heard that CHOP members get free healthcare. True?

My experience was unbelievably good and I am a seasoned RN. I was in Seattle for the weekend and I was treated in a caring and professional manner. My issue was cleared up efficiently and in good speed. Even the male RN I spoke to that Saturday morning before deciding if I even needed to be seen was great. If I didn t live in LA I d consider applying to work there. Very impressive staff.

We live in Idaho and use Virginia Mason because it works. They are so efficient and capable, it is worth the 6 hour drive to go there. We have gotten into our doctors within a day, where it can take weeks to see a doctor or get a test done locally; then, even longer to get it read. In addition we know things are done right. They honor our insurance, so it costs no more to go to V/M and get it done right.

Immaculately clean, efficient staff and every person in the ER from nurses, tech's and the Doctor was extremely nice and professional. Virginia Mason must treat their employees very well. 5 plus. The best hospital in Seattle.

I died here.
Mike

The staff are kind and professional here. I never feel like a number or lost in the shuffle. It is easy to get ahold of my doctor and I love the online patient portal. I had an excellent experience with a recent sinus surgery... Dr. Micahel Nuara is amazing. Never had any issues in the last 6 years. Thank you VM! I read some other reviews and have to laugh a little. Yes, parking cost $ anywhere near Seattle's downtown core and that goes for nearby hospitals as well.

Good service, alright food. Nurses need to work on not misgendering patients especially to their faces, which put me in a horrible mood as I was being discharged. She corrected herself but the hurt was still there.

Not a patient but my son is has esophageal cancer and will be having surgery. He is from another state. After reading your reviews I am concerned with his choice. May the Lord intercede..

First impression so far about this place is a 1 star. The operator who answered the phone seems to hate their job. I was looking to be pointed in the right direction to speak with someone, asking politely and I get rudely hung up on. I'm in customer service and I'm pretty sure you don't do that.

The amount of notice within the city is disappointing - you should have more than half a block to decide which lane to enter.

Freeway portion is good, especially speed trap info.

Fine for an emergency room visit, but for either conventional patient care or specialist visit, getting care is an ordeal on the best of days.

Physicians that are relatively new to VM will be enthused about providing patient care, but the longer a physician is with VM, the more demoralized they become; patient care starts being priority six or seven on a seasoned VM staffer's list of priorities. Then, like me, when you have internal bleeding, for instance, VM specialists will simply shrug their shoulders and say, "I don't know what's wrong with you. About all you can do is walk it off, I guess."

Dr. Kozlowski was absolutley fantastic in a time when I was pretty scared. His explanation of what I needed was so thurough that we knew right away he had a great gameplan and was genuine is his concern for my well being. Dr. Kuhr was also fantastic and made us feel way more compfortable with what was going to happen. Major Kudo's to both and thank you.

Some thoughtful, knowledgeable care providers can make all the difference after a car accident. Awesome!