Hyperbaric Medicine Services for Referring Physicians

At Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, our patients have unique access to a team of board-certified physicians specializing in hyperbaric medicine in a facility accredited with distinction by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society.

Our physicians are board-certified in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine and our nurses have backgrounds in critical care or emergency medicine. At least one staff member is inside the hyperbaric chamber during all treatments. This helps us closely monitor patients' care, answer their questions, and quickly respond to complications.

We partner with physicians to provide wound care for patients who have non-healing wounds or other conditions treatable by hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We have wound care clinics throughout Washington state—convenient for referring your patients.

Consider Virginia Mason Franciscan Health for your patients who need specialized wound care from experienced physicians, nurses and other clinicians. We welcome your referrals and look forward to working with you to help improve healing for your patients.

Our team approach reflects the fact that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is often an addition to treatment overseen by physicians outside of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health.

All patients referred to us have an initial consultation with a board-certified physician. If we confirm hyperbaric oxygen therapy is appropriate, we prescribe a course of treatment, review it with the patient and send it to the referring physician or surgeon.

Our patients stay under their referring provider for primary care. We defer to that provider if patients need further specialized treatment. This means your patients stay in your health system.

If patients come for treatment from outside the Puget Sound area, we can direct them to Virginia Mason Franciscan Health physicians for primary care while they're here.

Treatment is typically two hours per day, five or six days a week. Some patients may receive two treatments per day. This can be a good option for patients who don’t live nearby and want to minimize travel.

Our physicians review patients’ progress once a week and send a report to the referring physician. This helps us create an optimal plan for patients who need surgery during their hyperbaric treatment course.

Nationally recognized researchers
Our team is nationally recognized for its research on carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness and the adverse effects of radiation. Pressure Points, our clinical newsletter, provides detailed clinical information about the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for:

• Soft tissue radiation injury
• Osteoradionecrosis
• Wound healing
• Diabetic wounds of the lower extremities
• Carbon monoxide poisoning

We make referrals as easy as possible. Please contact us to start the referral process. For emergency referrals, call our 24/7 Admissions Department at 206-341-1141.

St. Michael Medical Center
1800 Northwest Myhre Road
Silverdale, WA 98383
564-240-1000

St. Anne Hospital
16251 Sylvester Road SW
Burien, WA 98166
206-244-9970

Virginia Mason Medical Center
1100 9th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
206-583-6543
If you are a physician making a referral to Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle, please complete our referral request form.  To submit the referral request form, please email it to: [email protected].

For additional information please review our Hyperbaric Medicine Guide.