Need new Primary Care doctor in Seattle

September 23, 2019 2:50 PM

I've gone to several primary care doctors at the Polyclinic over many years and am getting supremely tired of what I call "5-minute medicine", which consists of short, dismissive answers, not answering my questions in any depth, and recommending medications I don't need. I'd like to switch to a different organization and need recommendations for good primary care physicians in Seattle.

Guidelines for answers:
1a) In the city of Seattle proper. Downtown-ish or West/South Seattle preferred.
1b) NOT at Swedish (this is out of network with my insurance) - I'm definitely willing to consider UW Medicine clinics but would love to be directed to specific people
1c) Currently accepting new patients
2) Preferably female, although I have some wiggle room here if they are not a cishet male.
3) Concentrates on adult patients, so probably prefer Internal Medicine over Family Medicine as area of focus
4) Age 50 or younger so they don't retire on me, but not fresh out of school either
5) At least somewhat open to HAES (Health at Every Size) philosophies and aren't going to give me "lose weight" as the solution to every problem
6) Willing to have an actual conversation about alternatives to medications that I feel are overprescribed (e.g., why prescribe statins when there are concerns about risks and when my cardiac calcium score is 0)
7) Awareness of menopause beyond just prescribing medications for it
8) Willingness to actually have a conversation about health concerns instead of automatically prescribing medication, including being able to explain to me WHY a symptom occurs and/or how it's related to other things going on in the body
9) NOT someone who is primarily a naturopath or an alternative medicine practitioner, although I'd be open to someone who includes those approaches alongside of mainstream Western medicine if they balance it with a scientific mindset (I am on the skeptical side of the spectrum).
10) LGBT friendly (I am a cis bi woman)

posted by matildaben to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

I go to Janna Cuneo at Dr. Shalit's office:

https://www.doctorshalit.com

Janna is RAD. They are a great office.
posted by nikaspark at 3:04 PM on September 23, 2019

I go to the Polyclinic and share your views, somewhat. Some people pursue so-called "concierge care", which would likely give you more personalized care, in exchange for additional expense. Several links to such offerings in Seattle are available at the bottom of the linked article.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 3:33 PM on September 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

I love Amy Fasig. She is a western med friendly naturopath. She's in Queen Anne but I'd travel far to see her. We talk, at length, about my health and wellbeing at every visit. She cares a lot.
posted by k8t at 6:39 PM on September 23, 2019

Pretty much anyone at Country Doc would fit this bill generally.
posted by tristeza at 7:57 PM on September 23, 2019

More of a general recommendation than a specific one, but it might be worth seeking out a doctor with a DO rather than an MD at the end of their name. Same level of credentials, but DOs also had to go through osteopathy training and are, in general, more specifically trained to approach health and medical issues holistically than MDs usually are.

Then again, my most recent PCP was a DO, and we were NOT a good match, so this isn't exactly foolproof. Just something to consider.
posted by helloimjennsco at 7:04 AM on September 24, 2019

I also go to the Polyclinic and have had good experiences there. I don't think my doctor is accepting new patients, and she's over your age limit anyway, but when I've gone to random doctors there because mine wasn't available they've all been good.
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:59 AM on September 24, 2019 [1 favorite]