Seattle Mag
The Joint Replacement Surgery Boom
Baby-boomers are driving an increase in joint replacements and less-invasive surgeries.
Victoria Williams remembers sitting in her car, crying after a disappointing visit with an orthopedic surgeon. She had been told nothing could be done, but if she came back in about 20 years, joint replacement surgery might be an option. Williams, only 40 at the time, was suffering from excruciating pain; the joint in her…
The Medical Home Revolution
A new way of interacting with physicians feels like a throwback to some golden age of health care.
The idea alone horrified Group Health family doctor Harry Shriver: Answer his own phone—without a nurse screening calls first? Give patients his e-mail address? It’s not that Shriver, now Factoria Medical Center chief, considered himself too important for such mundane tasks. It’s just that from the moment he walked into the clinic, he literally went…
Joseph Gruss, Visionary Craniofacial Surgeon
The world-renowned craniofacial, plastic and reconstructive surgeon is based at Seattle Children's.
Today, Puget Sound is considered one of the preeminent regions in the world for the practice of craniofacial and reconstructive plastic surgery, and Joseph Gruss is the visionary who made that happen. Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Gruss was recruited to Seattle initially by Harborview Medical Center in 1991 and joined Seattle Children’s…
What to Expect After Joint Replacement Surgery
The hardest part of a joint replacement, experts say, comes after the surgery.
While most patients focus on the surgery itself, that’s the easy part, says orthopedic surgeon Thomas Cross, D.O., of Federal Way Orthopedic Associates (a Franciscan Medical Group Clinic). It is the recovery and rehabilitation after joint replacement surgery that ultimately determines the patient’s satisfaction with the procedure. “My job takes two hours; your job takes…
Patient Perspectives on Joint Replacement
These locals have first-hand experience with joint-replacement surgery.
The Mountain Hiker Newcastle resident Carolyn Love, 63, has had both of her hips replaced in the last five years. Married, with two grown daughters and four grandsons, Love hikes Cougar Mountain and does Zumba, weight training and aerobics. “Having hip replacements has made a world of difference,” says Love. “I no longer wake up…
Sideline Savior
How Dr. Cora Collette Breuner, adolescent specialist, helped a patient to cope.
A painful sports injury that refused to heal sent Woodinville high school senior and star athlete Audrey Brezak to Dr. Cora Collette Breuner. But it was rapport that led her to stay on after her initial treatment ended. Brezak says that in addition to helping her heal physically, Breuner helped her deal with the crushing…
Adolescent Medicine: Raising Healthy Teens
This increasingly important specialty is fast becoming a parent's secret weapon.
The kids are pretty much past the cute stage when they see Dr. Leslie Walker. Not for her are chubby babies cooing during checkups, toddlers playing with her stethoscope, 6-year-olds proudly showing off how many letters they can read on the eye chart. Nope, she gets the sometimes surly or silent crowd, the ones with…
Health Care On Demand
Not only are hospital and clinic amenities changing—the way we access our primary care doctors is being redefined. Both Seattle-based Qliance and Virginia Mason’s Lewis and John Dare Centers offer care where monthly or quarterly fees get you 24/7 access to your doctor and other medical services. Qliance operates clinics throughout the Puget Sound region,…
Our Favorite Patient Perks at Local Hospitals
OB Speed datingSwedish Medical Center offers sessions to help prospective parents meet and select an obstetrician. Concerts in the LobbyAlmost as good as concerts in the park. Volunteers at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center and Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue ease hospital jitters with piano concerts. Overlake has violin players and a harpist, too. Talking…
The Pampered Patient
Clinic makeovers and more personalized amenities are transforming patient care.
Remember when hospitals and clinics were drab, impersonal places with harsh, fluorescent lights, cluttered hallways and mass-produced rubber-chicken dinners? When drab gray and blah beige were the dominant color schemes? Things have changed, thanks to a boom in hospital construction and a philosophical shift toward patient pampering that goes way beyond valet parking and online…
Local Bars with Patios and Great Summer Cocktails
Summertime and the outdoor drinking is easy...
Day after day of bright yellow rays and temperatures creeping almost into hot territory are leaving me and most Seattle folks dazed and blissful. Not only are these halcyon days charming to walk around in, sit around in, ride around in, and wear less around in, they’re also wonderful for drinking outside. While I’m not…
Whatever You Do, Go Outside This Weekend: A Special Summertime Must List
MUST GO OUTSIDEOlympic Sculpture Park Summer KickoffThursday (7/12) – Beginning this week and continuing every Thursday evening through the summer, Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park features a rotating lineup of fun, including food trucks, live music, wine tastings and other special events. This evening, Eduardo Mendonça’s Show Brazil! and the VamoLá Drum & Dance…