When I think about places like Quest Diagnostics, I think about how they are connected to their larger corporations. I'm not sure about the other reviews, but I have definitely considered the difference between my experience with Quest as a corporation versus the location that is in the Safeway. I would give the Safeway location five stars. But I would give the corporation two stars. Thus, the 4-star review--mainly because of the staff I interacted with.
The problem with Quest as a corporation is that it's very hard to get into a location as a walk-in patient because they're severely understaffed AND it is extremely difficult to speak with a live person over the phone. I hope anyone reading this will grant a little grace to the people who work here because of that.
In addition, there is no way to get through to a local location to ask a question or tell them that you are running late for an appointment. Halfway there I realized I left my paperwork at home. I knew this would affect my appointment but I couldn't talk to anybody at the actual location to let them know.
I called the 800 number and was on hold for quite a while until I reached someone that I could speak with. But that person wasn't local. So I had to fumble through figuring out if I could still make it to the location for a later appointment. They told me that the scheduling system hadn't been working and that they didn't know if all locations accepted walk-ins, however the location I was originally scheduled at did accept them and currently there was a 5-minute wait time. I decided to take my chances and drive to my original appointment location.
The office is at the back of a Safeway next to the pharmacy. Upon entering, you need to check-in at an automated kiosk.
There were already several people in the waiting room and the waiting room is small. They have some chairs turned up so you don't sit right next to someone, but it's impossible to socially distance because of the size of the waiting room. You have the option to wait for your appointment outside and receive a text when they're ready for you. But I didn't want to risk missing my appointment so I stayed in the office.
Since I was late, the system said I had to check-in as a walk-in, which was fine by me. Later, when I was talking to the phlebotomist, I found out that I was lucky to make it in when I did because walk-in appointments may or may not be seen due to volume. For instance, a lady who walked in that morning had to wait one hour. And then her doctors office had not sent in the paperwork so they had to contact her doctor's office, prolonging her appointment even further. (Pro tip: make sure you have paperwork in hand or your doctor's office has sent the order in).
Luckily for me, they had a no-show so I was able to take that slot and bypass the walk-in wait.
The phlebotomist was cheerful, talkative, and informative--something that so often seems to be missing from healthcare because of overwork, underpayment, and employees being stretched thin. I really appreciated her demeanor and attitude.
All in all, it was a good visit. Next time I will remember my paperwork and come early! read more