17th Annual Top Doctors

If you need a doctor and don’t have one—whether it’s for a routine checkup or a life-threatening disease—where would you start to look? Sure, you might solicit opinions from friends and family, but would you really leave this decision up to crowdsourcing? That’s why, for our 17th annual report on the Puget Sound area’s most trusted physicians, we went straight to the experts—with the help of health care research firm Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.—and asked Seattle-area doctors to recommend their peers.

But this year, we also stepped behind the medical curtain and the doctors, profiled in more depth on the following pages, to tell us what they think patients should look for in a physician. You’ll notice a common theme in their responses. It turns out that communication is really important. So, when you find that new doctor—or have an appointment with the one you already see—be sure to talk to them, and listen (and if they’re worth their Top Docs weight, they will, too). Communication may not cure all that ails you, but it’s a good place to start.