Dr. Tammira Dae Price, MD

There is, in the medical profession, a certain heroicism that crops up among smart, capable physicians and surgeons (more among the surgeons). There's nothing wrong with this -- when your life is in the balance and your brain surgeon is wielding a scalpel, you may well want someone with a huge ego and an appetite for heroicism. But if that's what you want in the workaday world of internal medicine, don't go to Tammira Price. A lot of "medical" issues are not all that medical. They may be lifestyle issues, they may be psychological issues, they may be things that need more talk than they do tests and pokes. Every intern learns that taking a good history and physical ("H&P") is critical to evaluation. And then ten years later they end up in a practice that allows 10-20 minutes for what should take a good hour, if not more. Dr. Price will give you the most thorough routine (annual) examination that you've ever had. Most of the time will be spent talking; you'll then proceed to the… hands-on work. The labs will likely have been ordered and performed beforehand so that they can be discussed at the meeting. You should not expect cajoling, moralizing, or dire warnings. Instead, you will get conversation about you and your health, and things that you can do to have a more satisfying life. While I've not (yet) had the need to have serious medical attention or to be hospitalized, it provides a great level of comfort and security to know that if I did, I would be in a premier medical center with a very smart and experienced Dr. Price as my attending physician, serving as a coordinator and clearinghouse for whatever various specialists wanted to offer me. She is also available by telephone and e-mail and has helped me in urgent situations and with routine questions by both means. Dr. Price practices out of the Lewis and John Dare Center at Virginia Mason. You pay for this. It amounts to less than $10 per day, or around the cost of a take-out lunch. Well worth it.