Central Coast Pathology Laboratory

An employee named Susan very Bad customer service. Should not be working with the public

I went to this Lab 2 or 3 years ago when it was on Main Street in Santa Maria, CA. At that time patient service was friendly, professional, and responsive – minimum of wait time as it was well staffed. The Phlebotomist was excellent in drawing blood with nearly no feeling of injecting the needle. Now, in March, 2015, it appears to be a very low-​budget operation. I went there for a urine test. There were two employees at the time and they were both pretty busy. I was politely asked to fill the cup as much as I could. When I asked about getting my own copy of the test results she said no problem, wait about three working days, stop by (Santa Maria location) and she would print out a copy and give it to me. I would need to bring a photo I.D. but that was it.
After about 3.5 working days I went to get a copy. A different young lady working the front was the only staffer that day and it took 31 minutes before she could assist me. Frequently she was in the rear patient area and no one was at the front desk. A couple of patients came in and were greeted by a sign on the desk that read: «Welcome. Thank you for visiting Central Coast Pathology! Our phlebotomists are currently with patients. Please sign in and have your insurance cards ready. We will be with you shortly. Thank you.» The person working that day announced that she was the only one there and it would take some time for her to get to people. She was not a happy camper, not in a good mood. I noticed the water cooler was still out of paper or plastic cups – just like the week before. There were three Styrofoam cups sitting where the coffee pot was the week before. I think the facility had moved from the Main Street location about one or two months earlier. Everything there reeked of no or low budget. It was in a strip mall and had no large sign on the business location. They did have a small vinyl sign that has on the front. When she checked her computer there was no urine test results to print. After a phone call I did get a promise that they would mail them to me in about a week – from the main office in San Luis Obispo.
If your insurance is an HMO you might be confined to this place. Good luck. If you have better insurance or on Medicare in a PPO plan then go to Marian’s Lab – great staff, adequate staff, and very, very pleasant to deal with. There phlebotomists are trained and licensed, and very good at their jobs. I feel sorry for anyone working for CC Pathology. The rumors within the local medical community are that when this place change ownership their service level went down hill rapidly. If you have to use them, spend the gas and go to their main location in San Luis Obispo. You will find a better attitude amongst staff. Also, like many pathology labs, they are mostly store fronts that collect specimens, which are sent to a central lab where they do the tests. CC Pathology is supposed to have a lab in San Luis Obispo. The Santa Maria location is open Monday — Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.