Joined Virginia Mason - January 1983

Patient Ratings
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Patient Comments
All comments are submitted by Virginia Mason patients and are verified by an independent, national patient survey company. Patient comments are displayed in their entirety and patients are de-identified to protect confidentiality and privacy. Learn about the comments.

January 2016
Dr. Kozarek is a genius - wise & caring. 1st doctor of a dozen that I feel pinpointed my problem (during a year of isolation).

December 2015
Dr. Kozarek is an excellent physician in all areas. I really enjoyed him & the visit.

December 2015
I actually became a bit emotional (back in my car for a bit) after I saw Dr. Kozarek because he makes me feel like he will take good care of me every time I talk with him across from the desk. He looks you right in the eye, he knows your record, he knows what he´s talking about, he has a calming voice, and does a very good targeted review of systems getting to the heart of the entire system of the body (autoimmune related, etc). I feel he is empathic, compassionate, and kind of gets to the heart and gut of things by just palpating your stomach and listening to it (magic ears and knowledge). I admire his skill because as a psychiatrist I think in systems and like to take a holistic (medical/psychological/social) formulation with my patients. I have no idea how Dr. Kozarek does this in about 10 minutes max. He is such a master clinician, it is very comforting. I think that´s why I became a little emotional. I was quite touched. I felt cared for. It also made me sad though, because I hope he doesn´t retire. In fact, even if he has to in the next decade, I hope that he still sees some of his patients, even half time or quarter time, because it really helps to organize me. I´m not as comfortable with my GP and was able to talk with Dr. Kozarek about it. He encouraged me to take care of my whole health a bit better (I hate going to the doctors) and gave me a recommendation. I really appreciate him. He did in about 5-10 minutes, what I don´t think a master psychiatrist could do. That was impressive. I hope he reads this and knows that. Thanks, Dr. Kozarek and Sue and all. You are an amazing team and the hospital is lucky to have you all.

November 2015
This provider is very experienced and informed about my condition and is good at explanations and is very kind and polite. However, can have a tendency to spend inordinate amounts of time talking about subjects other than my condition itself and then I´m given little to no time to get my own questions answered about my condition. Very good at controlling the time used in the appt but not so great at actually finding out what concerns the patient has about the condition, whether that is of interest to the provider or not. Perhaps this is due to the fact that not much in terms of actual remedial treatments are available for this condition. But, there´s a place for just asking the patient what their concerns are rather than having a pre-determined approach to the time allotted for the visit.

November 2015
Top notch and very professional. Did not talk down to me, but provided complete and relevant information. Really listened. Showed me in detail the catscan images. Evaluated my entire health history to determine recommendations. Fantastic experience - Dr. Kozarek is the model of what all doctors should aspire to.

November 2015
Dr. Kozarek is very caring and is always respectable to me. His is one of the best doctors.

October 2015
I feel extremely fortunate to be in Dr. Kozereks care! He is the absolute best!

October 2015
I was very impressed with the care I received- thank you!

July 2015
I recommend Dr. Kozarek to anyone who needs an excellent gastroenterologist from where I live in Ontario...

June 2015
Felt very comfortable in their care.

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Special Interest(s)
Therapeutic endoscopy, pancreaticobiliary disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, research on gastrointestinal disorders and endoscopic technology

Education
University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, 1973

Internship
Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1974

Residency
Internal Medicine, Good Samaritan Hospital, Phoenix, 1976

Fellowships
Gastroenterology, Phoenix Veterans Administration Medical Center, University of Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, 1978

On Patients
"Most illness can be adequately diagnosed, but not all illness is curable. My job as a physician is to diagnose the cause of patient signs and symptoms and cure with behavior modification, medication or the least invasive form of surgery. Or, if a cure is not possible, I try to improve the patient’s symptoms to the best of my ability."

On Virginia Mason
"Virginia Mason is the best in the West."

Professional Activities and Awards

Clinical Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine, Past President, World Gastroenterology Organization, Past President, Society for Gastrointestinal Intervention; Past President, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; ASGE Rudolf V. Schindler Award, 2005, included in Seattle magazine’s Top Doctors list for the past 10 years.

Curriculum Vitae
Richard A. Kozarek, MD - Curriculum Vitae