CommonSpirit - WA

This new system is a huge disappointment. I get change is hard to adjust to but this system is not user friendly. I used to be able to schedule an appointment with any doctor and now it limits me to only my primary care doctor who is over a month out for appointments. So if I want something sooner with a PA or different doctor I have to call and wait on the phone. Today I called to schedule an ultrasound and was on hold for 59 minutes. I called radiology a few weeks ago to schedule a colonoscopy and was on hold for well over half an hour to then be told there were 1,200 people ahead of me trying to make appointments and someone would get back to me in weeks or a month. Why aren’t you bringing in temps to help with backlog!! Are you trying to get people to leave Virginia Mason to other medical facilities? I have been a patient there 50+ years!

The site is difficult to navigate compared to the old system. For example it’s unclear how to renew or refill a prescription. When I went through the pharmacy for a refill first the insurance said they would not cover a prescription I have been taking continuously for seven years with no problems. Then the pharmacy said the prescription was not done correctly and they couldn’t fill it. When I got on Common Spirit it indicated fill had been done but the instructions for use had changed but I didn’t see any difference. Right next to it was an indication it see what changed but nothing happened when I clicked it. When my spouse wanted a renewal there was no indication how to do that ( used to be a single click ). After much back and forth she got a message that it was denied but her pharmacy filled it. What used to be a simple procedure has turned into a tedious, error filled mess.

The transition from Virginia Mason app to CommonSpirit was poorly planned. Now that it is done months later, many useful features have been eliminated. You cannot reschedule an appointment, only can cancel. You cannot message all your existing doctors, only a random few you are allowed to message. This merger broke a system that was working very well for patients. The new app is a pain in the neck and far from user friendly. Nothing is intuitive. I have to physically call the office when before within a few keyboard clicks it was done. Waste of time and resources. CommonSpirit takes us back to 20th century. Very dissatisfied.