UW Medical Center - Northwest — Local services in Seattle

This is in regards to the emergency room. Overall I had a bad experience and will definitely avoid this hospital and would not recommend it to anyone I know.

Paying for parking: Telling friends and family that there is paid parking at a hospital always gets to laugh, and then I tell them I’m serious. People cannot believe it. If all other care was at least the same as every other hospital around, someone may not choose to go to this hospital simply for that reason.

Privacy/Discrimination During my visit I was placed in a room that was split into three smaller rooms by 2 curtains. The man in the “room” next to me was visiting for pain in his arm. He told the nurse that he often drinks for the pain and is suffering from alcoholism. I listened to this man’s entire testimony about suffering from alcoholism as the nurse asked questions. We were only divided by a curtain and it felt very invasive to his privacy. The man continued to try to talk about the pain in his arm but the nurse simply gave him a recommendation for an alchoholic’s help website and sent him on his way. I know that there is a stigma about people coming in for pain to receive medication. But as someone who was literally in the same room, the nurse didn’t even try to find out what was wrong with his arm. He left untreated.

The wait: I understand that it isn’t always realistic to get help in a timely matter. But I was in this emergency room for 3.5 hours for a minor sprain. After 2.5 hours I began having panic attacks which is also not directly the fault of the staff. But I began feeling forgotten about. All I needed was a size 7 boot and a paper signed saying I was not allowed back at work for a week. At around 3 hours, a nurse came in and asked me what happened. I was confused as I had already seen the doctor and explained my injury. But she listened and then got up to leave, so I stopped her to ask what the estimated wait time was. She said “well we have a lot of sick people here so we really can’t say”. The doctor came in about 10 minutes later to get me my boot and I finally left. There seems to be real communication issues here. Not to mention I was also told previously to pee in a cup for a drug test and then the nurse that came in later told me that they definitely didn’t need it.

Rude interaction over the phone: After leaving the hospital and heading back to my place of work with my signed job injury paperwork, I discovered that the paperwork was filled out incorrectly by the doctor. He signed the portion of the form stating that I was cleared to return to work on a certain date. But he did not fill out the portion saying that I was NOT clear to be at work until that date. Since I work for King County, they are very meticulous about the required paperwork and could not accept it. I called the hospital and asked if they could fix their copy and email me a copy of it. That seems like a very simple request and something I had to write to. But the person over the phone scolded me for not knowing that the paperwork wasn’t filled out correctly. She told me “make sure the paperwork is filled out correctly next time before you leave”. I have never seen one of these forms before and I am in a lot of pain. How am I supposed to know if it’s filled out correctly? Isn’t that literally the job of the hospital? She told me she could probably not help me and that I would have to come back which was an absolutely ridiculous ask as I had to pay for a ride to the hospital to begin with and this was a very simple mistake on behalf of the medical staff. The paperwork ended up getting faxed to the county but she made it seem like it was a massive ordeal.

Overall, if you are at all in a position to go to another hospital I would recommend doing so. It feels like there is no central communication here and you are just a number made to sit in a chair for almost 4 hours while paying...

This place is amazing. They literally saved my life. I was here in 2010 for emergency surgery and was well cared for. In Jan 2012 I fell incredibly ill and sought care at NW ER because of the quality of care I had received in the past (even though I live closer to another hospital). I was triaged within 10 minutes and was told there was no bed open but I would be brought back ASAP. I went to sit in the waiting room and lost consciousness within 5 minutes. Staff immediately came to my aid and brought me back, moving another patient into a hallway (sorry whoever you were). I was given medication to treat pain and nausea as well as fever reducer within 15 minutes. I was admitted after a bunch of tests and a CT scan.

After a few days in general patient care I was moved to ICU as my liver and kidneys were shutting down and I could no longer communicate coherently. Started dialysis and it was determined I had to have my spleen removed and one of the docs took the very high risk and preformed the surgery that saved my life even though they told my family I had only a small chance of survival through the surgery and they urged them to transfer me to UW main campus although we all knew I wouldn't survive another few days. Turned out to be a rare blood condition that required immediate chemo. Chemo nurse was exceptional and sat with me through each round (3x a week for 5 months). I was in the bed for 5 months and couldn't walk due to this. Physical therapy was great and would find ways to modify exercises so I could do them. After 6 months my insurance decided I needed to be transferred to a nursing home but the hospital told them it wasn't happening until they said it was safe which was another 2 weeks beyond the insurance co's deadline.

Through my 6 month stay I was always treated with complete and total respect, they allowed me to hang onto what dignity I could in this situation and always involved me and my family in the care choices. I feel everyone here had my best interest in every decision. My chemo nurse still calls me to see how I'm doing and staff truly cares how I am doing to this date. I have been back for other problems since when I couldn't get into a doctors office because of a weekend or after hours and was treated just as well. I would never go anywhere else in Seattle for Emergency Care unless I...

Every time I called for a friend there, the static was absolutely awful - no conversation was possible. When I called to speak to a nurse or social worker, all I got was a chance to leave a voice mail.....which I have done on almost a daily basis and which were never returned. When I finally left a voice mail today that was more critical and pointing out that it had been over a week since I left the first voice mail (with several others as days passed), I finally got a return call, and she seemed rushed and pre-occupied. When I have asked legitimate questions, they either did not know or acted as if it was just too bad and such a shame the system is like this. When the call ended, I know no new or additional information about my friend.

I called to see if I could mail some clean underwear to the patient, as it had been 10 days since he was admitted, and he had requested some. They hung up on me all 3 times I asked. I called main office, was connected to security and they checked to see if OK and had no answer.... just and 'I don't know'.....shouldn't they?

10 days, I've had no real contact with anyone that can answer valid questions or can give me any information on my friend (I am listed as OK to discuss w/ me).....just the runaround or actually being hung up on. Obviously, I am very frustrated by this.

While President Trump wants to DRAIN THE SWAMP, I think it's equally valid to propose 'DRAIN THE HOSPITAL-DOCTOR-NURSE-SOCIAL WORKER' system....at least from an outsider's perspective. I'm sure they all do a great job directly with the patient, it's the external communication system that sucks and so frustrating...I've spent hours on the phone, leaving countless voice mails, getting no return calls, and when you do finally talk to someone, they agree and commiserate at how frustrating the system is.....but nothing changes......to date, I know nothing new, updated or anything else about the questions I have on my friend that are very valid....wasted time.......might as well flip a coin for answers.......

WARNING: The patient might live, but you might have an infarction or stroke and die with all the unnecessary hassle and frustration and irritation in dealing with this hospital by...