by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 6 September 2017
Fremont isn’t known for its attention to practical or conventional concerns, but another major one – health care – can now be met quite well in our little community. This summer UW Medicine opened a Primary & Specialty Care Clinic in our neighborhood, ideal for those who live and work here and need preventative family medicine. Best of all, while the clinic provides a new home for long-time Fremont physician Dr. Martin Cahn, it also brings us more medical practitioners, dramatic upgrades in available services, and more art, all right here at the Center of our Universe.
Dr. Cahn, & More
UW Medicine has opened clinics, like the Fremont Clinic, around the region. Like this one, most were formerly private practices partnered with UW Medicine. Once his practice, now Dr. Cahn serves as Director of the Fremont Clinic, and UW Medicine has taken the larger, more professional space in the Burke Building for his office, providing space for more services along with parking right outside the door.
The new arrangement benefits Dr. Cahn and a majority of his original staff, who moved with him, as well as his patients. Bronwen Raymer serves as the Clinic Manager, and has since before the move. She explained that with a private practice, “so much of your energy has to be concentrated on staffing, insurance coding, etc. The number of payers we have, with each insurance company having different requirements, it adds up.”
Under the umbrella of UW Medicine, the Fremont Clinic staff gets support from a central business office, able to take on paperwork including having professional coders tending to the insurance companies. This leaves Clinic staff free to serve the patients. “We are a liaison between the patient and the insurance,” Raymer said. “We do whatever we can to be transparent,” she explained, to give patients a general idea of the cost of services. They can provide quotes to those who self-pay, along with a 30% discount to patients who pay for services directly. The Clinic can also get prior authorizations for treatment, using the invaluable talents of Beverly Mills who has worked with Dr. Cahn for 10 years and knows how to get information. “She brings a lot of hard won experience,” Raymer praised.
Also, with the move to UW Medicine, the Clinic has expanded, providing patients with many more options. The Fremont Clinic has a lab and digital x-ray. “We don’t do a lot of processing on-site,” Raymer explained, but they can send out photos and lab work, and get most results the same day to save patients time and worry. “It’s a great asset for the neighborhood,” she observed, “You’ve had to go to Ballard for an x-ray or a blood draw,” until now.
Additionally, the Fremont UW Medicine Clinic saves patients time by having more practitioners located here. Of course, Dr. Cahn has experience in all facets of family medicine, working with patients of all ages, along with an awareness of new advances in technology and working with patients to take control of their health. But he’s now joined by Amy Cheng, ARNP, an adult nurse practitioner with a holistic approach to serving patients, and interested in looking at how nutrition, physical activity, work, family life and mental/emotional health can affect a patient’s health. Also at the Fremont Clinic, patients can consult with Dr. Sharon Brown Kunin, a Doctor of Osteopathy as well as a board-certified Family Medicine practitioner. Dr. Brown Kunin brings to her practice training in all aspects of family medicine, osteopathic medicine and preventative care, along with an interest in global health care.
In addition, the UW Medicine Fremont Clinic has welcomed Dr. Erik Lilja, a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. His practice includes surgical care of the ankle and foot, along with non-operative management of foot and ankle complaints. He’s been in practice fourteen years and formerly was management member of the Seattle Foot & Ankle Clinic.
“Don’t go it alone,” Raymer recommended, “Come in and see us. We can help connect the dots, give a referral and see you after to coordinate your care.” To further assist, the medical practitioners and the patients, the Fremont Clinic has four outstanding medical assistants: Paula Delles, Selamawit Tewolde, Kimberly Becerra, and Yelena Gavralova. Overall, the Fremont Clinic can meet the healthcare needs of our community, from primary to specialty care. “We could get you in same day, or the next day. We have room for more new patients,” Raymer said, and, “we see a wide age range, from babies to the elderly, in all stages of life.”
“Whatever you want to talk about, during your appointment,” Raymer said, “we’re here to listen.”
‘The Crown Jewel’
Raymer has been working with Dr. Cahn and the Fremont Clinic for a year, seeing it through transition from a private practice at Fremont Village Square to the UW Medicine Primary & Specialty Care Clinic at the Burke Building. “He has a really loyal following,” Raymer observed about Dr. Cahn, “going back 20 or 30 years with some patients. They keep coming back. They think of the Clinic as their health care home.” She knows that for some, the shift may take time to adjust to, but the additional services – and staff – will make a big difference.
Raymer has been with UW Medicine for three years, ever since Graduate School. Before that, she worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer, serving at NeighborCare Health doing care coordination for school and mobile clinics. She’s brought a great deal of experience in coordinating and supporting staff and patients to the Fremont Clinic.
However, she acknowledged that most patients will directly with the terrific front desk team of Patients Services Specialists at the Fremont UW Medicine Clinic: Mills, Caitlin Brennan, and Mariko Anderson. “I’m a little biased,” Raymer admitted, when talking about the staff in the new clinic. “I think everyone at the clinic is really loving and caring,” she bragged.
As to the location, in Fremont, Raymer observed how, “It’s a really wonderful place to live and work.” She hopes those who call Fremont ‘home’ will consider the Clinic for their primary care, and learn to rely on it. For those who work here, “on your lunch break, you can go to the doctor,” she said, saving employees’ time and the hassle of going Downtown, to First Hill or to Northgate just to see a doctor.
“Building this clinic was an investment in Fremont,” Raymer observed about UW Medicine, “The neighborhood is growing.” With more health care options available and accessible here, Fremont becomes a more sustainable community. And, as she observed, “I think we are the crown jewel of the ambulatory network,” of the UW Primary & Specialty Clinics.
‘Here For The Community’
Of course, being in Fremont, the UW Medicine Clinic features original art work in the clinic. While visiting, be sure to check out the framed piece by Laura Van Horne in the waiting room. The metal art, in the hallway, has been created by Corrie LaVelle Ebel. And, the large wood panels created by Erick Waldman, of Plank and Grain, separate the waiting room from the lab and x-ray department.
“We are here for the community. We are your partner,” Raymer said, “We have access to some of the best experts in the network.” It makes the Fremont Clinic ideal for primary care. “Our providers can stay late,” she explained, “We hate turning away patients. We don’t want to see you go to the emergency room.”
“If you don’t feel quite right, come and see us,” Raymer recommended. “I’d love patients to think of us as their health care home,” she explained, “and to look to us for help navigating the rest of their health concerns.”
For more information about the UW Medicine Fremont Clinic, visit the website – or stop by the clinic in the Burke Building at 400 N 34th, on the N 35th St side (at the place the Art Cars park during the Fremont Fair!)
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©2017 Kirby Laney. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.