Comments on: West Seattle health care: Swedish to open urgent-care clinic in South Admiral, after pediatric move to Junction

By: moji

moji — Sun, 18 May 2014 21:16:54 +0000

AMEN, healthcare employee!

By: healthcare employee

healthcare employee — Sun, 18 May 2014 16:57:18 +0000

Healthcare is a business. Swedish is probably increasing access in WS for their own purposes. More people here have private insurance than Medicare/Medicaid, and hospitals can’t survive on what the government pays. It’s the reason they built a hospital in Issaquah. They want you as their customers, but don’t expect them to go over the top for you. Providing parking is just not done anymore. If you see a parking lot next to a hospital or clinic, it’s either old construction or the parking lot is OWNED by another company. Parking on the hill, for instance, even directly under the hospital, is owned and run by Sabey. Hospitals in an urban setting can’t afford to be responsible for providing parking, too.
Doctors working full time and being available for you is rare, because, frankly, who can blame them. It’s too stressful to do it full time. The paperwork is horrendous. They have to justify every treatment they give and every minute of your visit. New documentation requirements are added monthly and there are 50 different plans all with different requirements. If you don’t get it right, they don’t pay. Your provider is stuck in the middle of this system.
The reduction in the quality of care you’re complaining about is part of a large battle going on for the healthcare dollar. Swedish can’t keep giving away freebies while they’re being strangled by insurance companies who still want to make increasing profits each year.
I suggest we continue to complain about the losses, but realize that it’s partly our own fault for allowing others to profit so brazenly from our need.

By: artsea

artsea — Sat, 17 May 2014 17:49:00 +0000

I’d consider using the parking garage under Jefferson Square if you are concerned about finding parking on 41st. Yes, it would cost a little, but there is a pedestrian doorway onto 41st. Maybe Swedish will be nice and arrange for some free parking spaces in the garage.

By: sam-c

sam-c — Thu, 15 May 2014 19:22:43 +0000

in addition to thinking of the parking with respect to sick kids in tow, but brand new moms. (you know, like moms who labor naturally for 12+ hours or so, and end up with emergency c-sections, e.g.). new babes go to the doctor a couple times in the first 2 weeks even if they’re healthy. hopefully this place may at least have ‘new mom’ parking so they don’t have to walk a few blocks.

By: WSB

WSB — Thu, 15 May 2014 17:39:06 +0000

In reply to parking.

Can’t speak to the current parking situation along 41st but note that the projects en route to that side of The Junction are NOT the low-parking projects – The Whittaker (~400 apartments plus Whole Foods etc.) is digging a garage for 600 vehicles, Spruce across the street (former “Hole”) has a sizable garage (its design was approved under previous owners and previous city rules), the 40th/Edmunds Alliance project will have close to a 1-to-1 ratio. The garage that’s being dug for the Equity Residential buildings at 42nd/Alaska/California is ~265 spaces for 200-ish apartments.

By: parking

parking — Thu, 15 May 2014 17:32:28 +0000

Parking will definitely be a problem at the junction site.

I actually came to point out the parking issue at the current Swedish location. They don’t provide enough parking at that facility, so their staff members and patients just park in the residential area behind it, taking spaces away from the people who live there. Its already tough for some residents since one street only allows parking on one side.

Would be nice to see Swedish, which has nearly $2 billion in annual revenues, pay up to provide sufficient parking at both the junction and California sites.

By: Emilie

Emilie — Thu, 15 May 2014 17:08:23 +0000

It is unfortunate that Highline chose to apply the “facility fee”. Obviously not a good choice for a first impression on the community… or a second or third impression for that matter. The additional fee was dropped quite some time ago and certainly is NOT supported by Franciscan.

By: wetone

wetone — Thu, 15 May 2014 15:53:40 +0000

Good luck finding any parking after all the old Huling property’s are developed as there will be roughly 600 new units less than a block away along with all the retail going in. Bad Choice for a clinic, even Highline figured that one out.

By: Franci

Franci — Thu, 15 May 2014 14:17:17 +0000

I really like the convenience of the new Madison Center Poly Clinic, it’s not West Seattle, but it’s only a hop, skip, and jump away.

By: trt

trt — Thu, 15 May 2014 05:53:52 +0000

Not sure how that group will do the “care team approach”. There are two Dr.’s we always request NOT to see because they have misdiagnosed our child and one of the other Dr.’s was visibly annoyed by the misdiagnosis.

By: ACG

ACG — Thu, 15 May 2014 04:27:48 +0000

There isn’t a ton of parking on the street there. My dermatologist is in that building and those 2 hour parking spaces on the street will fill up quickly with the volume of kiddos that go to Swedish’s children’s clinic. I hope there will be additional parking available in the garage. I agree, having to find parking or parking blocks away with a sick kid in tow will really stink.

By: Eric1

Eric1 — Thu, 15 May 2014 04:20:03 +0000

Yay… Something other than the Highline rip off place. I will never go there again after they charged me an extra $100 (not covered by my insurance) because of the higher costs of evening/weekend service costs and because not everybody pays. Uhh when else do people go to urgent care? And unlike emergency care, you don’t have to treat people if they don’t pay up.
.
It was cheaper for me to see an ER that is 100% covered the next time for some stitches. So much for urgent care taking the place or “non-emergency” care and not clogging up the ER. Hopefully the Highline clinic will go the way of the dodo.

By: WSB

WSB — Thu, 15 May 2014 03:38:58 +0000

In reply to Sue.

This is all I know. I wasn’t even looking for that level of detail – was just looking for confirmation of the children’s clinic move – finding out about the urgent-care clinic at the California SW location was a surprise. By the way, I did follow up and while they are working on hours, it won’t be 24 hours a day. – TR

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 15 May 2014 03:29:29 +0000

KM, I thought it was weird how they mentioned the parking out front. The block is 2 hour parking. However, when Highline was there, there was a level of free parking in the garage that was designated for Highline. TR, have the mentioned that at all? The way this was worded, it sounds as if it’s just street parking.

By: She

She — Thu, 15 May 2014 01:41:34 +0000

This has nothing to do with the Franciscans moving to town.