Dr. Joe C. Rutledge, MD

We've had to take our daughter to Children's twice in her life and both times have been a very positive experience. The staff was very good with her and put a lot of effort into making her feel comfortable and not afraid. She received good care and I left feeling grateful and relieved. The downside is, this hospital is the emergency hospital for children all over the region so the most serious cases are triaged first, so less life-threatening injuries or illnesses can end up waiting a very long time. It's also not perfect, I was taken there as a child and was given a misdiagnosis but luckily, that has not happened with my child or anyone we know. It is a very good hospital but no hospital is perfect. It remains my first choice if my daughter is seriously ill or injured though. more

They recently remodeled and reorganized, so, I think things have gotten better in the last year. I brought my son into the Ear, Nose, and Throat clinic for his sleep apnea, and they were wonderful!! We never waited, they were so organized, and they treated my son like a little prince...He had surgery there about a month later, and we had the same experience. He didn't have as much fun at that visit...:) So, I highly recommend the E.N.T. part of Children's. more

i feel awkward reviewing children's hospital's e/r in a not-so-favorable light, but i'm saying what i've seen based on my experience with them. in a nutshell, i won't go there again unless it's something that's really child-specific and that i don't think any other hospital can adequately handle. for stitches, dislocations, ear infections, high fevers, etc. i'm sticking to swedish. whenever i've been to children's, the wait has been SO long, even with an empty waiting area. the check-in process takes a long time and is usually done by someone on the surly side. more importantly, last summer my baby was misdiagnosed so badly that the doc (at children's) who saw him 2 days later for the same ailment was almost pissed, asking where he was seen previously. and she was shocked to find out that he was seen right there at children's. i know that there's triage and that they'll take the really sick kids first - that's a given. but the last few times i've had to take one of my kids there, the wait was really really long for something that took about 8 seconds to fix. and when i asked when we'd be seen, the staff was dismissive and wouldn't give us an answer. more

We had to take our kids here a few different times, and each time we were more than impressed! The atmosphere is extremely family and child friendly. The decor will make any child feel at ease as it is fun and welcoming. The staff is wonderful in so many ways. They truly care for your child and for you. They are warm and gentle, and have smiles for everyone. Children's Hospital also has several types of specialties including oncology, heart specialists, neourology, and waaay more. For any of your child's medical needs, big or small, I highly recommend Children's Hospital of Seattle. more