UPDATE: WISH Center/Renton, WA from Valley Medical Center

To: all WISH Center patients at Renton, Washington From: Valley Medical Center, Renton, WA Knowing many of the WISH Center patients are regular readers of this blog, Valley Medical Center would like to update all of you on the situation with the sudden closure of their offices. Like you, we were also surprised at the sudden closure of the WISH Center. More importantly, we continue to be disturbed by the lack of communication to patients by the WISH Center. Valley Medical Center is proud of the past work done by a team of doctors and staff for bariatric surgery and the stellar record we have for successful outcomes. It is our responsibility for the compassionate care of patients once they receive hospital services. However, the experience patients have received recently is unacceptable. Please also understand, the WISH Center is a private organization who leases office space and Valley Medical Center credentials WISH physicians to use our facilities as they meet quality standards. The WISH Center is NOT a partner or joint venturer with Valley Medical Center. WISH is responsible for all day-to-day operations. They hire staff, make appointments, and facilitate communication pre-operatively and post-hospital stay with their patients. This is no different than any of the over 400 private physicians' offices we work with at Valley Medical Center. Valley Medical Center is working to be the patients advocate in this situation. We have been told by WISH they are currently closed due to financial considerations. WISH has not told us when or if they will re-open. Until that occurs, Valley Medical Center wants to reassure patients who have made any down payment for hospital services that we will refund any monies in which services have not occurred. In addition, once this current situation is resolved, Valley Medical Center expects to return, as soon as possible, to delivering quality bariatric services, but we will only do so when we are assured that the highest standards and most sophisticated programs are in place. If you have questions about your payments to Valley Medical Center, please contact our offices at 425-228-3450 and ask for Admissions. Any questions you have for the operations of the WISH Center are to be directed to their main office in Chicago at 800-646-4774 or with their attorneys at Winthrop Weinstine at 612-604-6613. Once again, we at Valley Medical Center are greatly disturbed at the experiences some patients have encountered in the last few weeks. We hope to help you complete your care in the near future at the highest quality standards as we have provided for years.

I don't mean to be short, but can someone get us our records? And there are people posting on the WA forum and the main message board about needing post op care and refills and the surgeons are not responding to pages and messages. What is your advice for them as well? Thank you for taking the time to update on this board.

Although it isn't directly your responsibility, I appreciate you posting this message. I think its helped clear up a bit of the mystery for some patients (especially those who haven't yet heard what's going on). I'm not a Wish Center patient, fortunately, but I can imagine the frustration of everyone involved. Again, thank you for trying to help these people as best you can. Lori

I have a question up for grabs from anyone. How do we patients who have already had WLS with Dr. A and Dr. Strain get to our patient records so we can work with other Drs if we need to? I want my medical records for my primary care physician and don't know how to get them. Any suggestions? Karen Thompson successful WLS 09-15-2004 (2 years ago today - prior to closure)

My question exactly, for weeks now! The answer I got was that the surgeons have to get them for you, but they are not returning calls or messages.

That is one of my concerns, too! Plus... I keep saying this but I feel taken by the cash we had to put down for all this post op care, and we aren't getting any!

I know I am being redundant and possibly annoying...but I feel taken too...for over fourteen thousand dollars and guess what I got my first bill (from my lender) today, for a surgery that is....was supposed to happen Thursday....I want my money back!