Warren Dinges, MD

I have been a patient of Dr. Dinges for about a year and now feel experienced enough to write a review on his practice.
I was very fortunate to find this practice when I moved to Seattle last year. My partner also sees Dr. Dinges and agrees that Dr. Dinges is a very good doctor.
My previous primary care physician, in San Francisco, had recommended a physician here in Seattle but when I contacted his office I was told that new patients were seen by a physician’s assistant and that was not going to meet my expectations.
I’m sure there are lots of competent PAs in the world but they don’t have the rigorous education and experience that a properly trained physician brings to the job. No amount of physician oversight can make up for the experience that comes from years of training in internship and residency in excellent programs. I like the idea of being cared for by someone with the intellectual horsepower and dedication required to practice medicine.
so I started my own internet research and soon zeroed in on Dr. Dinges as a likely candidate for my new doctor.
Dr. Dinges was very attractive on paper because he had impeccable academic credentials and also has a PhD in Chemistry in addition to his MD degree and associated training.
My experience with his practice has been excellent. His office is spotless and the staff friendly and competent. I can communicate with the practice by phone or email and always get a prompt response,
Dr. Dinges has an excellent interpersonal manner. He always goes through my lab results line by line and is always making sure that I understand what he is telling me about the results. He is willing to take care of small issues (like freezing a small lesion off my finger) rather than sending me to specialist when its not really necessary. That saves time and money.
Referrals to specialists are important part of what a primary care physician does and I have been very pleased at l how well connected Dr. Dinges is with the medical community here in Seattle. He has provided referrals to a Cardiologist, an Ophthalmologist, a Dermatologist and a Colo/​Rectal Surgeon. All were extremely competent. I was pleased to see that they all reacted positively when they learned I was referred by Dr. Dinges. They obviously know and respect him.
Im a 69 year old man and need the sort of referrals Dr. Dinges has provided. Younger prospective patients should not get the idea that he is big on referrals. My 38 year old partner has not seen anyone other that Dr. Dinges in the same year.
Another advantage of Dr. Dinges, as a primary care physician, is that he writes all my prescriptions, even those initially written by specialists. This eliminates the need for visits with specialists to get scripts renewed and also keeps all my prescriptions in synchronization so I only have to deal with renewals every three months. He also coordinates with specialists so all my lab work is done with one visit at the appropriate intervals.
Another reviewer mentioned parking as an issue. That’s true but I have never waited more that a couple of minutes to see the doctor so you dont waste a lot of parking lot time sitting in a waiting room. His practice is very well located relative to public transit. So I usually park on a side street in Ballard and take the bus into town for my visits.