I am a physician who has practiced since 1967. I know medicine, and I know what kind of work…read morelaboratories are supposed to do, and many of the obstacles that needed bureaucracies place in the path of that work. It's a team effort, and, vacationing in Bend, OR, a place that I hardly heard of, I didn't expect to find this laboratory in the Big Leagues, let alone in the All Star Game. From the greeter, to the phlebotomist (a real sharpshooter where you would want one to be) to the unseen laboratory techs, couriers and clerks, phone answerers, and the executive team that put all this together, they are, collectively, the best team I've encountered. Accurate, fast! and accommodating. I was scheduled to have a surgical procedure upon my return to San Rafael, and labs were supposed to be done 3 days in advance. But I was vacationing in another state. And one of my tests of kidney function was off, and I needed to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that I was not getting worse, but was stable or better. The ordering cardiologist had forgotten one important test, and it was 7 AM, before the office was open to reach the cardiologist. The lab took my order, and, as it was a"stat" the results were available to me, from a satellite lab, in 2 hours! It could hardly have been much faster if I had been in the hospital ICU. It took a team to do this. Well, maybe I just got lucky. But, I don't think it was luck. St. Charles has assembled and all star team and infused them with empathy, as well. That's the reason I became a doctor, and I wish that I had always had this team available to me and my patients. Oregon is a beautiful place, and Bend is a really great place for a vacation, and if you need health care services, you couldn't do better at the Mayo Clinic. Thank you all!
