I’m excited to announce that starting in March of this year, I will be relocating my practice from UW Medicine – Northwest Hospital Medical Center / The Sports Medicine Clinic, to The Polyclinic. I have strived to become the best shoulder surgeon in Seattle, and I believe that many of my current patients are believers now too! After developing my practice for four years at Northgate and in Ballard at The Sports Medicine Clinic, the offer to move and become part of a larger organization both physician run and governed was very appealing. I firmly believe that I will be able to provide more cost effective care, more efficiently to my patients at my new location which is something that is very important to me. This also will give me the opportunity to help more people as The Polyclinic has a larger referral base. So to sum it all up, I am really excited to be able to make this change!
Not only that, but I will be able to still practice according to my philosophy of patient care; namely that a patient can receive the best shoulder care in Seattle given by the best shoulder surgeon in Seattle in a patient friendly manner that does not make you feel like you’re just “another number”. I have never believed in long waiting lists to see me nor in making patients wait several months for a surgical intervention. As I am frequently fond of saying in clinic, I work in customer service, and I understand that. This attitude really embodies a lot of what The Polyclinic believes which is why I am happy to be moving there.
I also think this would be a great place to answer questions regarding my practice:
Why haven’t you told me about this in clinic?
In short, I cannot. I am contractually excluded from soliciting my patients “directly” if I choose to leave UW. However, if YOU have any questions, I am more than happy to answer them, and discuss this as YOU have rights as a patient to understand where and how to find your preferred care provider.
Where will you be seeing patients?
I will be available for my patients at the Polyclinic Madison Center, 904 7th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, Tuesdays and Fridays for clinic appointments. My clinic will run from 7:30 AM until 5:00 pm. I will be at Madison Center Thursday morning until noon as well.
Thursday afternoons I will be available at The Polyclinic Northgate location, 9709 3rd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115, to help be available to all my northside patients:
Where will you be operating?
I will do all outpatient surgeries at the First Hill Surgery Center (FHSC), located next to Swedish in downtown Seattle. All inpatient surgeries will take place at the Swedish Orthopedic Institute (SOI).
When will you officially leave The Sports Medicine Clinic?
My last surgical day will be February 16th. I will stop seeing patients on February 23rd.
When will you start seeing patients at The Polyclinic?
My goal is to begin seeing patients the first week of March.
What is your weekly schedule going to be?
While obvious still up in the air, it seems to be solidifying around this:
Monday – 1st, 3rd, and 5th of the month : Outpatient Surgery at First Hill Surgery Center (FHSC)
Monday – 2nd, and 4th of the month : Inpatient Surgery at Swedish Orthopedic Institute (SOI)
Tuesday – Full day clinic at The Polyclinic – Madison Center
Wednesday – Outpatient Surgery at First Hill Surgery Center (FHSC)
Thursday – Morning clinic at The Polyclinic – Madison Center, Afternoon clinic at The Polyclinic – Northgate
Friday – Full day clinic at The Polyclinic – Madison Center
What will happen to my electronic medical record (EMR) from UW if I choose to see you at The Polyclinic?
This is one of the few times I’m actually happy that we have EMR. I can easily log in and see all my previous notes, and notes from even your UW primary care provider.
Will you still take my insurance?
Most likely, yes. The Polyclinic will take most insurances products EXCEPT:
- Amerivantage Classic Medicare or Amerivantage Specialty Medicare
- Boeing UW Accountable Care Network
- BridgeSpan Everett Clinic Network
- BridgeSpan Evergreen Health Partners-Virginia Mason Network
- BridgeSpan MultiCare Health System Network
- BridgeSpan UW Medicine Network
- Coordinated Care Ambetter
- Molina Medicare Options Plus
- Molina Marketplace Health Exchange Plan
- Regence BlueAdvantage (there is also a local Blue Cross Blue Shield group called Blue Advantage Administrators from Arkansas and Kansas – this is not the same insurance – we can accept Blue Advantage Administrators)
- Regence ActiveCare Everett Clinic Network
- Regence ActiveCare Evergreen Health Partners-Virginia Mason Network
- Regence ActiveCare MultiCare Health System Network
- Regence ActiveCare UW Medicine Network
And even if you have questions about this, do not hesitate to contact me, or my new office at (206) 329 -1777.
How do I make an appointment?
Call us! Our new number will be 206-329-1777.
What about your awesome team?
While I was contractually excluded from asking her to join me, Melissa made the independent decision to come along and stay with us! So my awesome nurse, first assistant, and friend will be along for the ride!
