I was incredibly pleased with my care at Advanced Women's Health. The staff is accommodative and responsive and the Providers are highly educated and up to date while offering kind, thorough care. ... More

I was incredibly pleased with my care at Advanced Women's Health. The staff is accommodative and responsive and the Providers are highly educated and up to date while offering kind, thorough care. Their office is warm and inviting and I leave feeling reassured that my medical needs have been addressed and I have been listened to completely. Furthermore, they offer complete female care including holistic pieces such as nutritional support, counseling, massage, skin care and aesthetic services. Every female looking for excellent support in medical care should have this type of experience.
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I feel the need to respond to Kristine C's review of my business. I remember she and her beautiful daughter very well. First let me say that in any business you will not be able to please every... More

I feel the need to respond to Kristine C's review of my business. I remember she and her beautiful daughter very well. First let me say that in any business you will not be able to please every client or customer. It is impossible for all personalities to mesh. We pride ourselves in caring for our clients as if they were family, and to that end, especially with pregnant or breast feeding mothers, we err on the side of caution. The medication that this client describes has a warning that it does pass through the breast milk and make cause an unwanted affect on the baby. It is also contraindicated in the first trimester of pregnancy because of fetal affects. The medication can be taken if the mother stops breast feeding and expresses her milk and then resumes breastfeeding when she has completed the medication. When our instructions were questioned, we called two pharmacies to see if the warnings on this medication had recently changed (because often instructions change before we get notice from drug companies), but were told the warnings still applied. Patients are also given the option not to treat until they are finished breast feeding. As for drug company "kick backs," there are strict state and federal laws prohibiting pay backs to providers for medication prescribing. In addition, the medication prescribed is the only medication that treats this particular condition, and in our office, is prescribed in the generic lower cost form. I am sorry that anyone feels rushed when they see a provider. In our office we allow 30 minutes for a complete physical or annual exam. Sometimes clients take 20 minutes and sometimes they take 45 minutes. We give clients the time they need within reason, as others have appointments and expect to be seen on time. When clients bring young children to their appointments (and many offices request that you do not bring children), it sometimes becomes difficult to have conversations and perform exams as children become bored. As Kristine knows, I have performed exams with babes in the mother arms so that the child does not become frightened and remains safe. Our medical assistants are well trained and compassionate to our clients. They make every effort to follow up on problems and assure that the clients are satisfied with their care. Kristine was right about one thing, there are no MDs in our office. We are a Nurse Practitioner owned and operated medical office. In Washington State Nurse Practitioners can practice independently with full prescriptive authority. We have been in Tacoma since 1998 and in Gig Harbor for the last 3 years. We offer primary care, gynecology, nutritional counseling, marriage and family counseling, massage, and esthetician serves. We care for females ages 5 older and pride ourselves in our comprehensive care. I hope Kristine finds a provider who will fulfill her needs.
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I have to revise my earlier review of this business. I went to see Pamela Corrall in early 2006 for a routine appointment. I was rushed. She was a nice person, but definitely wanted me to get... More

I have to revise my earlier review of this business. I went to see Pamela Corrall in early 2006 for a routine appointment. I was rushed. She was a nice person, but definitely wanted me to get moving quickly. I was kept in the room for a while, then when she came in, it was routine questions, wham bam, this is it, here's your Rx. Hurried. Today, I went in for my annual with Darla Smedley. I appreciated her niceness and what I thought was her experience. Short visit though too. After doing my overall physical, annual etc, they found that I might have something that I would need an Rx for. This is where the problem started. Their Medical Assistant called me back to say that they were going to call in the Rx to my pharmacy. Since I have a medical background, especially in breastfeeding and I am nursing my 15-month old, I questioned the drug being proposed (all I asked was "Is it safe for nursing mothers?"). The MA had a TOTAL COW and told me that Darla was 20 years as an L&D nurse and I "should *NOT* question" her knowledge, experience and authority!!!! For a simple question??? Not only that, BUT they wrote down my health information in the chart wrong, saying that I had told Darla that I was 5 months postpartum and NOT breastfeeding. This was especially stunningly shocking to me as I took my 15 month old WALKING daughter in to my appointment not 3 hours earlier and Darla and the rest of the staff had played with her!!! I asked this know-it-all MA if she had remembered me from 3 hours earlier with my daughter, and she said yes. I asked her if 5 month olds could walk and talk. DUH!!!! It was like she was in total denial....she told me that in order for them to prescribe medication for this, that I would have to IMMEDIATELY stop nursing my daughter (and they call themselves "advanced" in women's health care????) if I wanted to get this ONE Rx (they were not willing to subsitute with the other safe and effective med that I suggested for this condition). Having been around the healthcare profession for quite a while, and being a patient educator in women's health myself (enter the DUH factor here), I called one of my colleagues, the head MN, RN, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant at my hospital, who is also one of the foremost IBCLCs on the West Coast. She checked everything out, and sure enough, both meds are safe to take, no weaning or pumping required. I then called this office back to relay the info *with medical evidence references* and they said me and my MN, IBCLC colleague were dead wrong. More importantly, I was told that we were wrong BECAUSE DARLA WAS AN L&D NURSE FOR 20 YEARS AND "JUST KNEW BETTER." Not willing to look at the research, not willing to be current in the field, they rely on old info and unbending ways, and probably a drug company kick-back or two. This MA treated me VERY rudely, and they didn't even remember me and my daughter 3 hours after we left their non-busy office. When she called back again, I told her that I remembered that I had been prescribed this medication 5 years prior when I was nursing my son and everything was fine. She told me that my OB MD (mind you, none of these women are MDs or OBs in this office) didn't know what she was doing then and that Darla was better than her because (ugh, sorry for the repeat), "Darla was an L&D nurse for 20 years." And all of a sudden, she was uncomfortable prescribing this med to me, so she decided to Rx me with the med I had suggested previously, which the know-it-all MA told me wouldn't work (and now all of a sudden it does??). MAYBE Darla has been away from L&D nursing so long, has gotten too lax, and hasn't bothered to reeducate herself about current evidence-based research like we have!!! MAYBE her MA has a God complex and treats people like crap because she's just rude. Please let this be a warning to anyone considering this office or these providers that this treatment of patients and other professionals in the field is highly unprofessional and potentially harmful for any person expecting up-to-date, quality care. BUYER BEWARE!
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I have been attending this doctors office for some while now. The receptionists are very nice and the office is decorated in warm, soothing colors. The nurses are well trained and the few times ive... More

I have been attending this doctors office for some while now. The receptionists are very nice and the office is decorated in warm, soothing colors. The nurses are well trained and the few times ive been in here with urgent problems they have always rushed me right back and never made me wait. The doctor is great and never rushes me, she has taken up to an hour with me before and did not act rushed or annoyed at all.
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Advanced Women's Health (with locations in Tacoma and Gig Harbor) is a fantastic choice for a primary care physician and/or gynecological care. I have had a tough time finding a decent clinic or... More

Advanced Women's Health (with locations in Tacoma and Gig Harbor) is a fantastic choice for a primary care physician and/or gynecological care. I have had a tough time finding a decent clinic or physician to meet my needs. I just wanted someone personable and attentive, but it has been almost impossible to find something like that here in Tacoma. With this place, you have a choice of several different ARNPs who are all fully qualified and capable ladies. It's especially nice that you can take care of both regular care needs as well as the yearly exams and any other specialized women's health care at the same location (there are separate practitioners for each). I was referred to this place by co-workers who all raved about their great attitudes and the facility itself. Upon arriving for my first visit, I also found out that AWH has other services on site - massage therapy, nutritionists, personal counseling, even waxing services! Where else can you go take care of your yearly exam and get a quick eyebrow wax while you're at it? :) PROS: Convenience, Professional yet personal attitude, multiple services on-site CONS: No MD's on site
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