Edmonds Family Medicine

My family and I’s experience at EFM have been great so far! I usually get my care from UW but I’m trying to get out of there bec there are too many fees (facility fee since is a hospital and some resident/​fellow fee since it’s a teaching hospital) and I also want to be closer to our new neighborhood. I established care when I was 8 months pregnant as I also need a doctor for my newborn baby. Our PCP is Kristen Parker, DO and she’s been great as well as her medical assistant, Emily. I work as a medical assistant at UW and I am very particular with the type of care my family and I receive and so far, I am very happy with Dr. Parker. One of the doctor I work with referred me to his wife who is the head of Richmond Pediatrics but I chose to stay because so far, there’s no reason for us to switch.
I especially like the fact that they do follow up calls to see how you’re doing. Beginning this month, my son got sick. We went to EFM urgent care and saw Dr. Thomason and she was also great. There was something going on with my 8 month old sons leg as he wouldn’t bear weight and cry whenever you touch his leg. Dr. Thomason made sure that she did everything she could to see what was wrong and told us upfront if she feels comfortable or not doing something. She suspected septic joint but the clinic is not capable of diagnosing for sure so she called Seattle Children’s Hospital and spoke with the MD there who had us come over. She arranged all that for us so when we arrived at the hospital, they already knew we were coming and sure enough, it was septic knee and I’m glad we caught it right away! Thanks to her for being proactive!
Not being able to see Dr. Parker that day, her MA, Emily contacted me a few days after to see how we’re doing! I also want to mention that I went to the ER Christmas morning at Swedish Edmonds and Dr. Parker’s MA called me after a few days to check on me. Those little follow up calls makes a lot of difference and it makes you feel like they do care. So far, I’m satisfied and would refer friends and family to them!

I’ve been going to the EFM for many, many years, about over a decade. Dr. Susan Thompson has always been great. A little over 6 years, I was diagnosed with severe depression and she has taken very good care of me in the past.
However, recently I was late to pick up a RX at my pharmacy for my antidepressants due to schedule and work conflicts with the pharmacy hours; my bad. I called to get a refill from the on-​site doctor (not my PCP), and he denied my request for an emergency refill. I’ve been out for a few days now, and I’ve been experiencing the side-​effects from the withdrawal: constant dizziness, paresthesia, and sadness.
Dr. Thompson, on the weekends, is not available to give an emergency RX, and the on-​site doc refuses do so because their policy does not allow them to fill RXs on the weekends, no matter how many times they’ve done this service for me in the past, which has saved my ass a handful of times. I’m very disappointed in the way the receptionist handled my distress, and the lack of compassion from the staff.
Also, the on-​site doc refers me to my upcoming appt in two days, to wait to fill my RX till then (all while continuing to experience these awful side effects). Meanwhile, the appt may be cancelled because I have an outstanding debt to the clinic (less than $ 1k).
So, does this mean that I can’t get my RX to treat my depression because it’s the weekend, and potentially because my medical bills have accumulated and their patience is running thin? I’ve had this outstanding debt for about 6 months and I’ve made payments.
This is not the comprehensive care or attention that I expect from my health care provider.

I’m wondering why with SO many bad reviews, this place does not offer zero or negative stars. I only gave it one so I could write a review. DO NOT COME HERE EVER! They have doctor’s that work there for 3 months, obviously a reason they are there for ONLY 3 months, and use their analysis!!! Are you kidding me??? Medicine is politically motivated and money motivated! This place fits this description to a ‘T’. Exponentially!!! They don’t give a damn about the actual person. They ONLY care if they are following procedures to get you in there to get your money!
I’m unfortunate that I’m self employed, therefore cash pay. I would GLADLY pay for a good doctor! I have been going there, off and on, for 6 years. Have NOT met a doctor I even like. And they are continuously trying to change my meds when I’m working 2 jobs, work out ⁴⁄₅ days a week, run half marathons, feel great, no complaints! Why why why? I last met with some overweight, mind made up, not even qualified to be a doctor. Why on earth would I take ANY suggestions from some man, Greg Bates, when he OBVIOUSLY does not even take care of himself! I’m thinking what a waste of my time. Then when it comes time to pay, 250 $ for a fat, diabetic (obviosly diabetic because of his weight), that works there for 3, yes I said 3 months. And then these so called doctor’s, take his advice on MY CONDITION!!’ HE IS AN ANRP, NOT EVEN THE SCHOOLING TO CALL HIMSELF A DOCTOR! I have MORE schooling than that just in a different genre. I swear after my appointment I had heard it all! NOPE!
Then they wanted me to make ANOTHER appointment!!! Of course they did, at $ 250 per appointment, they are worse than car salesman trying to sell you a junker!
If you want to be treated like you are nothing… This IS the place!
Edmonds Family Medicine… Karma is a bitch! I will continue my search for a GOOD doctor, you have zero inventory! 6 years I have tried to find a good one there with NO luck! You are probably funded by welfare, and it’s SO obvious.
Sleep well with all the patient’s that have probably committed suicide from YOUR shitty service! If I had time, I would dedicate my life to closing your non service! But I have 2 jobs, I don’t have time now. But I WANT EVERY PERSON TO KNOW YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEM!
P. S. Edmonds Family pharmacy just busted for a pharmacist who was doped up at work! 11/​12/​2015!
Good work EDMONDS FAMILY MEDICINE!!!
LOL!
I’m going to create a facebook page to close this place! Keep an eye out, I know there must be thousands of people who have received the worst service in the world, and would love to be heard!!!
Please email me directly at
. I would love to hear your horror story because if you have been here, you have one!
Thanks in advance!!!
Sincerely,
Cat Carey

I rarely get sick but when I do… it’s not good. I don’t like who I am, I’m irritated, I’m very impatient and zero tolerance for no nonsense. Not good, right?
This is when I know I need some type of remedy. Usually, I shrug and ignore my symptoms but when my breathing is being challenged, I have to go to my usual stop.
This place is top notch on my list. For those who cannot wait for longer waits in the ER or other clinics you’ve been in the past.
This is on my good list.
I pick up the phone and say how ill I am and my symptoms, they give me an appt (it’s the best way to go about) «OR» walk in and wait a little bit but not ER long wait that is. Promise!
I go in, check in… momentarily, few questions from MA and Dr. comes in, takes a look at me but in my case, I always end up with the breathing treatment for 10 minutes, which they do right here. Nice, right? Then, i AM Outta there with my prescriptions. Quick fix and I mean it! This place hasn’t failed me. I’ve been here multiple times and works best so far.
They take majority of insurances but always good to ask and ask about copay as well. Btw, there is plenty of parking and it’s free. Just be mindful of designated parking spots tho.
I hope this helps.
Sharing is caring…

***UPDATE (commenting back to Kari A.-EFM Community Outreach Coordinator):
Thank you for your comment. I find it pretty odd that you’d comment back to my review when there have been others before me reviewing the clinic & voicing their frustrations as well. Hm. In any case, my brother DID do a follow-​up visit & he was carelessly prescribed MORE meds that made him even more sick. Also, please re-​read my previous review because you’re ignoring a lot of what I had to say. It was nice of you to reply, but I find your response generic & not genuine.***
— — — — — — — — — —
After reading the reviews, I’d have to say I agree with a couple of them. EFM is hit or miss, or at least with the nurses in my experiences. All of the doctors have been great (right now, my daughter is Dr. Horiuchi’s patient, & she’s awesome!). Dr. Parker & Dr. Tan have been great as well. The issues I have with this clinic is the wait time & one of the nurses.
When I was pregnant, Mary-​Ann was assisting Dr. Horiuchi & she was amazing! So personable, thorough & kind. Now, my daughter has been stuck with this condescending & rude nurse, Leeanne.
I didn’t want to get too personal, but this woman had the audacity to get irritated with me, during one of my daughter’s wellness exams, after I asked her kindly to fill in the vaccines’ booklet. Look, I know it might be such an annoying task & you may have had a bad day, but don’t have an attitude with me while I’m holding my baby. Let alone throw a little fit by shoving the stool against the wall, don’t think I didn’t notice that gesture either. Since then, I’m not sure if she’s holding a irrational grudge against me or if she always has an attitude with patients & their parents. My daughter won’t be due for another wellness exam soon (maybe another month or two), but I’ll have to update this post again when that occurs.
In any case, I’ve been going here for years (since I was a kid), & so far, not too bad… Oh but, I will mention this–
My 21 year old brother has been recently diagnosed with grade III anaplastic astrocytoma cancer. I don’t know who Dr. Tesch (sp.?) is personally, nor does he want to have the pleasure of meeting me, but when my brother was experiencing migraines & they began getting worse & worse to the point that they were disabling him from his every day activities, Dr. Tesch (sp.?) assessed it as my brother experiencing a migraine & prescribed him some very strong migraine medication (given he had NO prior migraine history). The migraine medication then made my brother extremely sick (i.e. Vomiting, lethargy, loss of bowel control, etc etc). The pressure from all of that didn’t help with the already rapidly growing tumor in his brain.
Weeks pass by, my brother had a craniotomy (@ Swedish Cherry Hill; they are amazing by the way), rehabilitation, radiation consult appt., etc. My brother & his girlfriend recently went in the other day for a follow-​up with Dr. Tesch (sp.) & from what they told me when they confronted him with questions as to why he lazily diagnosed my brother for having «just a migraine», he told them that migraines «are onset for someone his age». Really? I find that bullshit. He had NO prior history. Just because his age played a factor, you’re going to dismiss the abnormal symptoms he was displaying?
I wish the doctor referred him to a specialist to get a CT scan that day (as I have heard from other individuals who show migraine «symptoms», they have always been referred to a specialist for a CT scan to be performed), rather than let him get progressively worse then finally him going to the ER to finally have them do a CBC & CT scan, & them spotting the tumor…
At first I was trying to make light on EFM about some of my good experiences with certain doctors, then I realized, well I should at least inform others about my brother’s experience too…
So take it or leave it. This can be read as an informative review, but let this serve as a warning too.
In any case, thank you for reading.
Take care, my friends.

I have been coming here for a few years since my doctor moved here from Kirkland (Dr. THomassen). She gets 5 stars — for thorough appointments and spends quality time with you. She remembers things about your personal life and family. She has you leaving with clear instructions on what the next steps are and makes sure you understand. Very caring.
The office staff at the front are not the most welcoming and I don’t understand the check in process. There are several people sitting at the desk, yet there is a sign in sheet as well. Why not just look up and welcome patients instead of having them sign in, sit down and call them up when you had time in the first place!
The seating area in the lab space is a joke. So crowded you trip on others as you head in to get a blood draw.

Be careful what you say when being examined; you will likely be charged for multiple «office visits» in the same session. How do they sleep at night?

I love Dr. MaryJo Kintner. She is an amazing physician, definitely paid attention in medical school and really cares about her patients. It takes a bit to get into see her and when you do, she is usually a little behind but that is because she takes as much time is needed with each patient. She doesn’t «turn and burn» in 15 minutes like some of the others. She genuinely enjoys her job and taking care of people.

If you are actually in pain do not bother going here. I made the mistake of opening my L and I claim here and they treat you like a drug attic. I am 24 years old, work the most physically demanding job as a laborer in the union and have had back issues for 2 years. I re injured it working a chipping gun and got prescribed oxycodone 5mg and do not want to take more then the recommended dosage. I still cant sit for more then 5 minutes at a time and had to stay up all last night walking around. If i sleep i wake up with my back spasming and locked up within an hour or 2. I called them this afternoon to let them know i need something stronger and just want to sleep or even sit for that matter. They told me that is the strongest medication they have and to come back in tomorrow. Come back in for what? To get more money? They already found the inflamation and problem. I wish I could put them in my shoes and they would be at the ER whining like a little 12 year old because they just sit and do paperwork all day. I am a hard worker and put in sweat blood and tears everyday at work so if it hurts this much do your job and help. I do not abuse painkillers or am a drug attic. I probably make more then the physicians there coming in at 123,000 a year working 60 hours a week every week with a 3 hour commute. Yet I get treated like Im dumb and not actually in pain. Do you think I enjoy this? I would love to be at work right now and earning money but the doctors are so worried about abuse of painkillers I have to sit in pain instead. I hate this druggie generation who works mall jobs and lives with mommy and daddy abusing drugs. You screw people like me over.

This clinic is a great.

Suspecting I had a urinary tract infection, I went to Edmonds Family Medicine. I made it clear I’d had one before and it felt just like this. Dr. Gallaher asked if there was any way it could be a STD, and I said no. I told her two months before I’d had a full exam and all results were negative and it wasn’t a possibility. I was sent to the lab, thinking I was going to leave a urine sample. I was called in to give blood and I said no, there was no reason for that. The nurse came back and said the doctor wanted the bloodwork done. At this point I was thinking she must suspect something more serious, like cancer. I had the bloodwork done. In addition, she told me I needed to have an ultrasound. Before the ultrasound took place, it was confirmed I had a UTI. I went ahead with the ultrasound only because my appendix ruptured two years prior and I wanted to be sure that wasn’t causing problems. After receiving the bill I was assured my insurance would pay for $ 700, I continued receiving bills, including one for $ 100 for a Chlamydia test! I called to dispute this charge and was told the doctor thought it should be done because of my symptoms. This is infuriating. I told her not to do the test. Not only that, but she never told me I was having bloodwork done or why it should be done, or even what they were looking for with an ultrasound. This was underhanded — since when is it okay for doctors to run tests a patient has specifically asked not be run and not tell them about it? The charge to diagnose the UTI I knew I had going in cost over $ 1000. I’d never recommend EFM.

I’ve been going to this clinic since I was a young teenager. Overall, my experience has been very hit and miss. Occasionally it feels like the doctors are listening to you, and actively trying to solve your problem. Other times they pick up keywords, prescribe you something random to cover your symptoms (with an odd dosage), and send you on your way.
Today I went in to get screened for sleep apnea, and I learned that my tests have come back showing that I’ve been pre-​diabetic for 2 years! WHAT? No one ever contacted me; my doctor never brought it up in subsequent appointments. Nothing was EVER mentioned about it until today, and it wasn’t being treated as a result. The test result sheet they mail to you said nothing about this condition. I wasn’t shocked so much to know I’m pre-​diabetic; I’m a poster child for the disease, but more the fact no one ever said anything to me about it.
I used to sing the praises of Dr. Sim, but not anymore. I come in regularly (twice a year, usually) and sometimes more than that if I am sick, or need a medication change. I don’t know if it was swept under the rug, or lost in the shuffle, but that is no excuse to not inform your patient about a condition that they have. Period.
So far my experience with Dr. Tan (who I switched to) has been excellent. I’ll update this review in the next year if anything changes.

Dr. Sims is a great Doctor. Shes quick, honest, to the point, and doesn’t beat around the bush. I go to her for all my «woman» needs and she is always making sure Im educated and informed on new things and I feel like I can be honest with her. Moving to Woodinville, but will still come and see her.

Went in for the first time back in April 2013 and my treatment was expedient and courteous. Because my first experience was so positive, I went back a year later when I suspected I had a more serious issue-​gall bladder disease. I half expected them to refer me to specialist without much effort, but much to my amazement I did not leave the clinic until labs and an ultrasound were done to confirm diagnosis.
I received a call after hours when the on-​call doctor when he discovered that my labs indicated liver failure. Ultimately I had surgery and that too was a positive experience. I am grateful to the staff and doctors for their thorough procedures and excellent care.

It cost me $ 2,500 to find out I had an ulcer and an ovarian cyst. Why and I mad about it? Because when I went in I said, I think I have an ulcer, I may also have an ovarian cyst. «oh no, that can’t be it. let’s run tons of tests» Including a pregnancy test that I repeatedly refused. It was on my bill, never got any results back, but I was billed for it!
Huge HIPPA violation that I reported as well.
I could go on, but I will spare you. Don’t go here, it is a shit show.
Dr. to avoid: Christine McCorvey, Debora Sciscoe

I’ve been here several times because it’s so close to my house, but I’m not sure if I want to keep coming back. Overall, I’m just not impressed by anything I’ve seen here. I want to feel confident that I’m going to a good doctor with facilities that are modern enough to provide good care. I don’t get that vibe here.
Walking in the door, my first impression was that the facilities seemed kind of old and rundown. Not a huge deal, but it was enough to make me wonder how modern their equipment is. The service at the front desk has always been fine, and the wait times always seemed reasonable. Some of the nurses were great, and some of the nurses obviously lacked interpersonal skills. But honestly, none of these things matter a ton, as long as the doctor is good.
So, I did like one doctor here… but I think he might’ve gone somewhere else. Unfortunately, I haven’t been real impressed by my most recent doctor. The first time I came to see him, he was very abrupt and didn’t hang around for more than 2 – 3 minutes. The next time I went, he diagnosed the problem and sent me to a specialist for treatment (the specialist actually laughed at his diagnosis because my problem doesn’t even remotely resemble the one he diagnosed). Neither of those experiences make me feel very confident about going back to him.
Now I’m debating whether I should try another doctor at this location or go somewhere else. I think I might go somewhere else.

My boyfriend is scared of the doctor so he doesn’t have his own. He needed a place to get in and be seen on weekend without an appt. His insurance reported this was the closest place he could go to our house. We lazily made our way in on a Saturday afternoon and were able to get in and get seen relatively fast. The actual clinic was something we had driven by a million times but the building holds many different businesses and this is located on the lower floor.
The receptionist greeted us immediately upon arrival and of course had him fill out new patient paperwork. He waited only a few minutes before being called back to get his blood pressure etc. I did find it slightly odd that they do this in a curtained off room right off the waiting room but maybe this makes the speed you are seen faster. Following this and a short wait we were shown to the exam room. We waited a bit for the doctor, but not too long. I found the doctor to be super helpful. He even offered him suggestions about future doctors which might work well with his fear of doctors. He encouraged him to come back for a follow up, but wasn’t too pressuring. We left with prescriptions, a referral for physical therapy and encouragement to come back to be seen for a long term issue.
Overall I was pretty satisfied with the experience. I would definitely go here if I needed an urgent care appointment and didn’t have a different type of insurance. My boyfriend with his fear of doctors likely won’t be back and has a million excuses why, but that was not my experience.

They suck. Years, and I mean years ago (2008), I went to the clinic with severe anxiety/​depression. I was working at the time and had health insurance. They coded it as «pre-​existing condition» which I asked them not to. So here it is 6 years later and I am being slapped with a law suit because I didn’t pay the extremely high rate of $ 685 for an office visit to be diagnosed with something I already knew I had. I just needed new meds.

I’m not quite sure why this place has gotten such bad reviews. I’ve been coming here for years now and have received nothing but AMAZING care. The doctors are always so eager to help and you can usually make an appointment day-​of. I HIGHLY suggest Dr. Angela Yue. She’s always fully engaged with her patients and makes an effort to ensure you understand all the medical terminology brought up. Oh and not to mention she’s never late :)
The only time I had a less-​than-​exceptional experience was when I made an appointment for 5:30 in the evening. I’d avoid making appointments anywhere between 4-​closing. You’ll probably get stuck waiting a while.
Their walk-​in clinic is also super convenient!

My family and I have had nothing but great experiences here. No matter what has happened. My family has been for normal colds, vaccines, etc. They also checked us out after a major accident.
Seems like it is never a big deal to get us in to see a doctor. All the doctors we have seen there seem great.