I recently experienced a sudden, one-sided hearing loss and contacted Swedish Otolaryngology Specialists for help. In our initial conversation, they were patient and professional, taking as long as necessary to understand all of my symptoms. They told me that since my condition might need prompt treatment for the best outcome, I should come in as soon as I could, and then they scheduled me for an appointment the same afternoon. I arrived at the clinic a little early, and judging from the waiting room, it was a pretty busy day. But they were also apparently running on time, because I was taken back to a room almost exactly at the time of my appointment. The medical assistant took my vitals and other preliminary information, and it was only 2 or 3 minutes before Dr. Peterson came in to see me. Dr. Peterson was really outstanding. Great bedside manner: friendly and patient, but also efficient. She performed a thorough, comfortable exam, then clearly explained the most likely causes of my hearing loss. Without alarming me, she also explained the possibility that the hearing loss could be permanent, an unlikely outcome but one that research had shown could often be avoided with an immediate, short course of steroids. This is why they wanted me to come in quickly. I had several questions after that, which she answered in a way that was clear and pleasant, without ever rushing me despite the need to see a number of other patients. Several weeks later, after finishing the course of steroids, I came in for a follow-up audiogram (also a great appointment--on time, friendly and professional) and was happy to learn that my hearing had recovered completely. Overall, I couldn't have been more satisfied with interpersonal, professional and clinical skills of Swedish Otolaryngology, especially Dr. Peterson. Considering my experience, it's hard for me to understand the comments of the other reviewer who "suffered for 5 days" because Swedish didn't return her phone call. If they told her they would call her back, then sure, they should have called her. But anything could have happened--the receptionist might have taken down the wrong number or had some other emergency that caused her to forget--people are human. If I were so dizzy I couldn't take a shower, I sure wouldn't wait 5 days, or even a couple of hours, without calling back, trying another clinic if the first one was too busy, or going to the ER. Take some responsibility for your own care. Just my two cents. read more

I was referrred by my primary to this so called ENT on First Hill. First, on a referral it states what the problem is that you are being referred for. So, why is it that I had to be called three different times after each appointment was made and scheduled that they call and cancel it? Because each time they had the wrong doctor who I was supposed to see for my stated probelm on the referral regarding my issue? Yes, that right! They don't say, "three's a charm for nothing!" So, after the third appointment time I was finally seen. But the managers in the First Hill ENT, Kiana, who I was in contact with had spoken to me as she was not pleased with how her department was running in regards to all my issues as a new patient. But, it gets better! As, I even spoke to Kiana (one of the clinic mgrs) in the clinic after I had my appt moved up without anyone calling me the same day as my scheduled appointment. She (Kiana) again said she was going to find out what happened. So I waited and waited and ended up calling her back regarding this next issue. I spoke to her and she said she would call me back. So why it is after a week she still has not gotten back to me and I am reaching out to her again? It is no wonder this ENT clinic as a very lower rating. I do NOT recommend going there at all! Why? They do not know how to schedule you with the right provider, they change your appointment time without calling to inform you, and the they lie to their patients. Do not go there unless you are ready to deal with conflict! read more

I was referred here for a consultation about an ear tube removal. Despite seeing negative reviews online, I made an appointment. I was prescribed antibiotics even though I was told my ears looked healthy. Doctor instructed me to take antibiotics for 7 days then as needed, this information was given to me physically on a paper as I left and documented in my clinical notes online. I went home, applied drops (which set me back $100 on top of visit fees) as recommended and suddenly had major ear pain. Contacted doctor next day who claimed to never have said to take them when documentation proved otherwise. When I sent proof they stopped responding. They are negligent and ended up causing an issue when I didn't have one in the first place. Do not waste your time, money or jeopardize your health here. read more

1st available appt was 3 months out. Now they call me less than 48 hrs prior to my appt and tell me the dr will be out due to illness and their next available is another month and a half out. I'm seeing them for a medic concern and it's taking nearly 5 months to be seen. Finding another Dr. Oh and they charge us for a cancellation when they can easily rebook that time. read more

Insane. They must have no doctors who work there. I was urgently referred and their definition of urgent seems to be a month or two from now. I don't know how I'm going to get by for a month with ear pain and not being able to hear. Some of their receptionists were nice, some of their receptionists were horrible and dismissive and seemed to not care at all. I don't know what to say this is my worst experience ever with a healthcare clinic. Is there anyone working there who wants to take patients?! If you have a problem with your ear, I suggest going to medical school and fixing it yourself it might save you some time. read more

Had been having issues that required a visit to an ENT and this was the nearest one to me. First visit was a screening to take a look at what was going on and see what further tests might be needed. Doctor referred me to get a CT scan. Front desk gave me paperwork at intake with instructions as to when and where I could get a CT scan. Once enough time had gone by, I scheduled my CT scan with Swedish Issaquah. A few days before my appointment with Swedish Issaquah, someone from their office calls me up and says my insurance hadn't approved. Apparently even though the paperwork had said i could schedule in Issaquah, Ballard, Redmond or Seattle, the insurance company had approved for me to go to Seattle Radiology (which in hindsight would prsent problems later). So I get my CT scan, then schedule my follow up to see my doctor at Swedish ENT to go over the results. I get there, and they didn't have my CT scan. The doctor small talked a little, went to talk to his staff and came back. He talked to me about the same things he talked to me during my initial visit. He also told me they were trying to get ahold of my CT scan so he could review it. It didn't show up in time. I was told I had to schedule a follow up to go over my results. Fast forward a few weeks, I filled out a request through MyChart to get a prescription filled through same office (the office says it can take up to 48 hours to get a response). I didn't get a response for another a total of 8 days from when I submitted my request, telling me I had to go in for an appointment. At this point, I reached out to my general practitioner for an appointment and asked for a referral to a new ENT. I won't be going back here. read more

I received subpar care at Swedish Otolaryngology. I was referred there for a septoplasty and turbinate reduction surgery. Not only did I receive next to no information about what recovery would be like, but during my acute post-op and recovery periods, I called the office and 9/10 times sat on hold until my call was disconnected. The MA answered all MyChart messages addressed to my doctor, and clearly did not take the time to look at my patient info (ex: I messaged about a concern post-op, and she explained that was normal as I had "nasal splints placed." The problem is that I in fact did NOT have nasal splints placed). Now 6 weeks post-op, I notice zero improvement I was encouraged to expect from my surgeon, but things actually feel worse. Go to anyone else for better care, attention to detail, and responsiveness. read more

My daughter (8) needed a hearing exam, per an urgent care md's recommendation. I scheduled with Swedish ENT and waited two months for her appointment. Jump to the morning of my appointment (today), and the office called and cancelled the appointment because the dr didn't come in to the office today. The next appointments available are in October. I went with a different provider outside of Swedish, and I now have an appointment on Monday next week. Look elsewhere! read more

I liked the provider I saw here but interacting with the staff was soften painful and frustrating. I decided to switch providers just to try to deal with different admin staff, and it was the right decision. read more

I started coming to this location due to convenience and I was seeking an ENT for basic cleanings. The first problem I noticed was getting a hold of anyone during their business hours when I called to schedule an appointment. There is a front desk, more than one receptionist and phone number to call for a reason. That should be a #1 priority. After I complained about the limited access to someone answering the phone, I was told there were working on it and they were aware of the issue. It has gotten a little better, but there is still improvement that needs to be made. I started seeing Dr. Sanchez for my routine cleanings. I was content. She seemed friendly and was gentle with my cleanings. Fast forward to a recent issue that came up where I had to have a CT Scan of my ear. I had the scan and called and wanted to get an idea of what the results were before I saw Dr. Sanchez for a follow up. I was told a nurse by the name of Lynn would call. I never received a call. I left a voicemail for someone to follow up since Lynn did not call. No one ever called back after I left the voicemail. Fast forward to my follow up appointment for my results. Dr. Sanchez gave me the news of possible surgery. Visibly upset, I did not feel any empathy or sense of concern about my feelings. What a disappointment. It's hard enough to find a provider today that has decent bedside manners. In addition, she promised she would call the next day to confirm her thoughts on the possibility of surgery after she reviewed some more test results. No call. Here I am having to wait the weekend without any information and visibly concerned about the possibility of this. Incredibly insensitive. Clinic manager: I hope you are reading this. If not, I will definitely be reaching out and you will hear from me. I am definitely getting a second opinion. I would not recommend this location. Unprofessional and unreliable. read more

Whoever just answered the phone is completely rude and disrespectful. Rather than laughing at me, you could have been nice and explained your process for seeing new patients. Because of you I will NOT accept a referral to this practice. read more

I had an acute episode recently regarding my ears in which I entirely lost my sense of balance and could not even function to do the simplist of tasks like showering. I contacted this clinic in the hopes that they would be able to work me into their schedule since it was such an extreme and debilitating experience. I have worked in medical both on patient care and medical billing for years now. I understand better than most people that schedules for specialists fill up and they are generally booked out months in advance. So I knew that I was asking a lot from the practice. I also understand though that other patients cancel on the same day frequently, even with specialists. I also know from experience that there is typically some time here or there for a quick workin type appointment for patients with extreme exacerbations. I typically am one to try and wait out the symptoms when I am not feeling well, but I felt this was an extreme scenario since I was entirely unable to function without the assistance of another person. When I called the clinic, the receptionist was actually very compasionate, as you should be to work in patient care. Obviously from her response to me, the decision as to whether or not a patient could be worked in was not up to her. She passed this responsibility up the chain of command to the nurse. Since the nurse was busy, as nurses typically are in the medical industry, the receptionist took down my number and said that she would have the nurse contact me. So I waited patiently. I waiting all day in fact.... actually I still have not received a call back from the nurse. This all happened on a Friday so by 5 oclock while I was still waiting for a call back, I had lost my opportunity to see any other provider. The acute episode with extreme balance issues left me completely in a debilitated state with extreme nausea so bad that I was unable to without assistance work, drive, shower, cook, or eat more than a few bites for 5 days! First off in the economic down turn that we have been experiencing for the past several years, anyone who works in medical has seen that consumers are choosing to cut their expenses first by cutting their medical. They are choosing to not see physicians unless they are in a situation that is so severe that it requires hospitalization or emergent care through an emergency department. There is still others that do seek medical treatment prior to becoming that sick, but do not have the financial resources to pay the remaining of their medical bills after insurance has processed and paid the claim. It is even more important now than ever in the medical industry that providers and ancillary staff consistenly deliver to patients and potential patients to keep practices open and reimbursement coming in. Factoring in that Swedish hospital performs more scheduled surgies in which patients can choose to push these off until they are financially recovered from the economic down turn, I would imagine the organization's revenue stability laregely rests on their specialty clinics to keep a steady stream of patients and thus steady revenue. Second, we are all in the industry of helping people. I strongly feel that if you are not equiped through the company to provide adequate patient care, you need to voice that to your company and not allow it to show in your patient treatment. I also feel that if you have lost the compassion to work with patients, then it is time you switched to a position where you will spend less time dealing with the patient. Whatever the exact reason for the nurse to have neglected calling me, the fact is that this clinic took the patient out of patient care. I would not recommend this practice due to the considerable suffering this caused me for 5 days as a result of their total negligence. read more

Probably one of the worst experience I have ever had. When I first called in about my one sided hearing loss the receptionist right off the bat had an attitude. She asked what was wrong and I told her and then she kept saying so you had "sudden hearing loss" I told her "I guess" but that it had been going on for about 10 days. She said right away without asking any other qualifying questions a nurse would have to call me back. The nurse then called me and got more information. Right away she said I should have come in within three days. This made me nervous right off the bat. Then we scheduled an appointment for the following Monday. Then she proceeded to call me back three more times asking more questions and decided to have me come in the next day instead (Friday). Nothing like instilling fear in your customers. Fast forward to the day of appointment. The nurse already knew it was tough scheduling the appointment during my work hours as I jut started a new job but she insisted because of my situation. So I left work and headed to the appointment. I was right on time and then to my surprise I was at the wrong building. I tried calling 4 times and no one picked up the phone. How was I suppose to notify them? When I finally got there. About 12 mins late they told me I had to reschedule. I told her that was not okay and poor customer service. The receptionist was very rude. She then let me speak to the next person in line and she was saying I would have to wait until 130! This is absolutely ridiculous. They did not try to work with me and didn't understand that I had arrived at the wrong office. Plus I still had 15 minutes remaining in my appointment. What a joke. You think they would have some compassion, im sure it's not the first time someone ended up at the wrong building! Probably won't be coming back. If you want to keep your customers hire better receptionists and train your nurses to not instill fear and insist customers they come in and adjust their schedules. People have jobs and other time commitments in order to survive. read more