Dr. Kris Kowdley, MD

I used to be a patient at the Liver Institute NW where I saw Dr Kowdley one time and Dr Sohal a couple of times. My experience was not great. Not only are they disorganized and unprofessional, when you walk in the office you feel like you are putting them out by your presence. They do not call to discuss test results, they do not remember what they told you to do or what medications you are taking. I cannot recommend them. The office staff is equally bad. Dr Kowdley may be brilliant but if the doctors do not know how to keep proper notes and patient files or follow up with patients who are asking what their test results mean, why even bother.

I went to him a couple years ago and told him that my liver wasn't performing every function, it was not making bile. Bile acids are required for life as they signal to other organs to heal, etc. He refused to believe this and would just point to LFTs, which really aren't great tests as people with diseased livers can have normal LFTs. I later had to go online to a site (Request a Test) that will order tests on Labcorp, and I got the bile acid test performed. After eating, there was no bile acid in my blood.My body is now extremely worn down, all my skin and nails have stopped healing, and I haven't slept for 8 months because there was no bile acid to keep my neurons healthy.

Dr. Kowdley was fantastic - very knowledgeable and helpful. I have Hemochromatosis and he is one of the rare doctors who knows a lot about this and can offer good advice and perspective. I understand that he is no longer doing direct patient care and will be focusing on research for a while, which is a real loss to me. As another patient has noted, however, the staff at Swedish Liver Center is non-responsive to the extreme. After they notified of Dr. Kowdley's departure and invited me to contact them for a referral to another provider, I reached out 4 times -- 2 voice messages, 2 emails on the patient portal. Nothing. So my advice: steer clear of Swedish Liver Center, but if Dr. Kowdley comes back (or is available at another facility) try to see him.

Dr. Kowdley is a brilliant doctor, but he and his staff do not return calls or messages reliably even in for urgent problems. In addition I asked Dr. Kowdley for a referral for a family member, and never heard back. I sent several reminders. I actually like the guy a lot, but I think I'd rather have someone less brilliant and more reliable.

I would most definitely recommend Dr. Kowdley to folks who have PBC. After 2.5 years with a gastro doc who did nothing but run tests, had me on the wrong med and was unable to help with my fatigue and digestive issues, I'm doing much better thanks to Dr. Kowdley and his team.