Generic Medicine

Ive been to be a couple of clinics in Bellingham for check ups over the years. Im used to feeling like an obligation rather than a patient, and having the staff tell me what’s wrong with me without hearing my input as to how I am feeling.

My experience at Kinwell was honestly the first time I've ever felt confident leaving the doctor. They listened to all of my problems, broke down each one systematically, and gave me advice, if not a full blown solution for each ailment. It was incredibly refreshing.

The only problem I had was the scheduling, where the corporate office assigned me a doctor without checking if they were available. This caused me to have to wait an extra month to get a check up. This is not representative of the actual person working in Bellingham who rocks and fixed that issue as soon as she noticed it. This was also a significantly smoother process than any other clinic ive been to in Bellingham (unfortunately).

If you want to make an appointment, make sure you call them directly and not the corporate number as the people in this clinic are the best.

It has taken me a while to finally leave a review because I was pretty upset after what transpired. I have been in search of a new primary care physician for quite some time, in Bellingham. I was happy to come across Kinwell Health and after reviewing the physician bios, I immediately called to make an appointment in early March 2024. My appointment was scheduled for April 19th. I knew the doctor I selected didn't take Cigna and I was told-when I made the appointment-that it was okay for me to self-pay for the office visit. On March 25th I called the office because I had not received any new patient paperwork. I was told all that would be taken care of during the visit. I again asked about self-paying and I again was told that it was NOT a problem.

Well on April 18th, less than 24 hours before my appointment, I received a call that my appointment was being canceled because they did not accept my insurance. I explained that I asked, not once but twice, about self-paying and was told that it was not a problem. The young woman on the line apologized stating that yes, that was previously the case, but as of March 27th they had changed their policy and would no longer accept self-pay patients. When I asked why they waited until the day before my appointment to contact me, the young woman said, "well I just got back from being out of the office for a few days".

I understand that policy changes happen. However, I found it incredibly unprofessional to have been contacted less than 24 hours before my appointment to tell me of a policy change that started late in the previous month. A policy change that came AFTER I had scheduled my appointment and AFTER I had asked twice about being able to self-pay.

I can say, even if-at some point-they start taking my insurance, I would not go to Kinwell Health. While the competence of a doctor is vital, the professionalism and competence of the office staff is almost equally essential. The office staff can make or break a patient's experience with a medical office and the Bellingham staff definitely damaged my initial experience before I even walked through the front door.

Being in Healthcare, one of the challenges we face as patients is time with your physician to set a quality path of health moving forward. Moving back to Bellingham following 23 years of being away, the other challenge is finding a provider in the area period. After many attempts to find the right provider, I feel I have found the one for me. Sandy provided time to get to know me as a human and a patient. She knows the challenges I have faced and my motivation for a future filled with healthy habits and time with my family. If you too are feeling vulnerable to a life of illness and are about to give up. I recommend trying this clinic. I am motivated and feel I have a clinical ally! So excited to see what is next for me with her support and care.

I was disappointed with my care here. Ended up paying $88 for an unhelpful visit.

Compassionate, kind care from doctors (and an excellent doctor's assistant) who really care about patients. I received some bad news during my visit and both my provider and her assistant sat and talked with me about both the diagnosis and my feelings around it. I didn't feel rushed or "like a number". Healthcare so rarely focuses on the "care" part...but it does at Kinwell.

Should have read the reviews prior to coming in. They aren’t helpful. You are most definitely just a number to them. We just moved here and this is where I was trying to be seen. Horrible experience in Washington. You would never get treated like this in idaho. I felt like I was working with a robot. No compassion. No empathy. Mask so far up her face she couldn’t even see me. Don’t go here. Find a doc facility that cares and your more than just a number.
Edited to add: I went back in to give them the benefit of the doubt. Turns out it’s just one specific front desk gal. The providers are great so far and everyone else seems great minus that one.

Rebecca Sadwick Shaddix opted not to leave a text review of Generic Medicine

Accepts very few Insurance plans. I'd call ahead and ask.

This clinic was great. The staff and doctor were both friendly and great with my young kids. I was able to make a same day appointment to get my son seen before leaving on a big road trip later that day. The doctor talked to my toddler like he was a real little person and not a baby, explaining what she was going to do during the exam and asking his permission before performing anything. The clinic is very new, super clean and has quite a modern almost upscale feel. I would be happy to return here.

I made a new patient appt at 7:30 am. I was called at 10:45 them saying Dr is working from home this afternoon and they needed to move appt to a virtual phone or nurse practitioner. I told them to forget it.