Snohomish Family Medical Center

My entire family (immediate and extended) had been patients here for 30+ years. Our PCPs and the office staff actually knew us. When we had an urgent need, they always got us in immediately to be seen. When Western Washington Medical Group took over, the former excellent care began to deteriorate. My long-time provider actually suddenly left the practice and nobody thought to tell me or any of her other patients. The walk-in clinic AND the lab completely closed at one point and, again, the patients were not notified. Every time I call SFMC/WWMG, I'm either routed to voice mail or put on perpetual hold, being forced to listen to a short loop of the most awful "music" you've ever heard. Meanwhile, my blood pressure is rising! When I finally am able to speak with a live person, their attitude is that they are doing me the biggest favor. The front desk people are aloof and borderline rude. Just to get authorization for a prescription refill or the results of my lab tests takes a full week. Sadly, since the pandemic, everything from their customer service to the medical care has become so abysmal that I am now actively searching for a new clinic.

Any new patients that are entertaining finding a new family physician, think again. As my story is too long, these doctors think more about third world countries than living in United States. These doctors could care less about your condition. The best way to describe them is that they will only employ physicians who give up their lives to do Christian work in third world countries and carry a bible under the other arm and their wanton and wreckless disregard for the patients is careless here in the United States. I'd say if you feel the urge to practice medicine in third world countries, I would suggest that they go there and live permanently. I would be happy to show them the door out of the United States.

If you don't believe me, go ahead and waste your time and money. I hope anyone will read these comments before going. One doctor there almost killed me. Drs. Trotter, Bishop are the worst. Dr. Trotter has a terrible bedside manner and quite frankly could care less. It's doctors such as him that really need to either retire or go to the third world countries permanently.

Good luck and beware of this family practice.

They are no longer a walk-in, you have to schedule appointments. When I said "but you're a "walk-in" they said no they don't have walk-in clinic doctors in their practice anymore. I told them they need to update their signage and they said "it's just in the one place" [the MAIN STREET SIGN] and they'd "have to get a whole new sign". Uhm, isn't that false advertising!! Not to mention I literally needed a 5 minute appointment to get a form signed for school and it could be signed by a PA or RNP, and NOBODY would help me. TERRIBLE

This facility smells and is very stale feeling. I will not be continuing care here in the future.

Today I was told that the walk in was booked and discouraged me from seeing my doctor who was the walk in doctor. I have a upper neck problem and couldn't sleep. 3 weeks ago I had an ingrown toenail The nurse practitioner thought she was treating me. Telling me the toenail has been done and played with my toe and put topical cream on it and antibiotics to take. The next 3 weeks I could hardly walk Finally I went to a podiatrist of the same medical group and said I have an ingrown toenail and couldn't believe how the nurse practitioner didn't know what she was doing. It took the the pediatrist about 15 minutes to remove toenail and it was fixed. The primary care was terrible but specialists was excellent at pediatric center. Stay away from this place

Pushing unnecessary tests, not knowing what my insurance will cover, and not being helpful with getting prescriptions sent to different pharmacies. I'm done. Yet another doctor's office that makes me realize I'm going to either go medically bankrupt or die from something preventable because the medical system in this country is a dumpster fire and family practice doctors only exist for placebo effect.

I've always been very satisfied with their service. I've been going to this med facility for years. Their always willing to listen to any concerns or problems. I highly recommend....
Dennis W.

I took my father in to see Aja, (medical assistant) and Dr Eckley. They were a great team, and Dr Eckley was an absolutely amazing doctor. She took time to review his entire medical history and then discuss his symptoms, and discuss the possible conclusions for his symptoms. If you are looking for a doctor that is interested in actually taking care of patients, I would recommend her to anyone.

Update 2017: Be very careful about seeing doctors here. Twice now they have just written an arbitrary diagnoses that interferes with our ability to get life insurance. I suggest if you do business with this office, you get a copy of your records EVERY TIME you see them to make sure things aren't being added to your medical records incorrectly. In our case, they are just making things up. Remember that what they put in your medical records is forever and can affect you way down the road. And yes, we may end up suing them if our life insurance application is denied due to their incompetence. We wouldn't see them again if they were the last doctors in Washington. It's just not worth the legal hassle we're about to have to embark on just to get life insurance.

Update: I wrote the original review in 2011. It's now 2015 and I have left SFMC and followed Dr. Starr to Providence in Monroe. Dr Rommen had been my doctor for years but he just sort of checked out. He stopped listening or taking my health seriously. Between him and his nurse, I had some fairly serious things just slip by them. I've dropped the rating down to one star because of the two great doctors they had, one left and one stopped being great.

Original review: This is really kind of a mixed bag review. 5 Stars on some things, 1 star on others.

Dr. Starr and Dr. Rommen are 5 star doctors. I highly recommend both of them, they are competent and have a great bed-side manner. Both are compassionate people who actually listen to their patients and care about you as a person.

They are a Christian clinic, which would get them 5 stars - EXCEPT, they are turning away Medicare patients. I actually watched a very elderly man come out of the lab there for the last time, he was talking to his escort about having to find a new doctor because they are no longer taking Medicare patients that don't have one of a few different Medicare Advantage plans. In my book, that's not what Jesus would do. If secular doctors can afford to take Medicare patients, surely Christian doctors shouldn't be turning away the disabled and elderly! They lose a lot of stars on this one. Bad Christian witness. Very bad.

They rotate their doctors into the field doing missionary work. Again, this would be a 5 star thing - IF they weren't turning people away in their own country. If you can't take care of the people in your community who are in need, don't be paying your doctors to leave the country for a year and take care of others. We have so many people in need right here at home, and third world countries aren't the only place in need of good Christian witness. Billing yourselves as a Christian clinic, putting a giant wall of missionary work you are doing up, and then telling people you can't afford to treat them because they are old or disabled - that doesn't make Christians look very good. More lost stars. (This also means that at some point, your doctor will go into the field for a year leaving all of his/her patients to find a new doctor in their absence.)

Dr. Trotter. Worst. Bedside. Manner. Ever. On a good day he is socially awkward. On a bad day he's downright offensive. There is also at least one nurse there who is bad. I don't know her name, we just call her Nurse Ratchet.

Lori - Amazing nurse. Sweet, good sense of humor. 5 Stars.

5 Stars for having a walk-in clinic that is open during off-hours and so you can go in when you don't have an appointment.

5 Stars for having an on-site lab.

Basically, they need to either stop calling themselves a Christian clinic or live up to a Christian standard. Lose one doctor and one nurse, then I'd give them 5 stars. Right now, consider this a 2.5 star review. It broke my heart seeing that elderly gentleman leaving the clinic and his physician because he didn't have the right kind of Medicare. :(

I had been going here for 10+ years and was always just okay with their mediocre service because I liked the Dr I saw. But I'm finally transferring out after experiencing my last dose of their awful customer service. I work in a medical office myself and know how to give great customer service and know how to talk to patients when they are upset about something. The front office person I talked to today was so utterly rude after they made me wait 3 hours to ever get an answer (via phone call) returned as to weather or not I could get a simple prescription refilled which would have relived the massive amount of discomfort that I was experiencing. That being said, I won't be returning here and taking my health care elsewhere.