NorCal Imaging

Went this morning for X-​rays. They quickly handled the absence of my paperwork from the Doc, saw me promptly, Justin was friendly and great, and quickly had my CD ready and me out the door. What more can you ask for from a business like this?

Crowded and seemingly a longer wait. Good set up in back and I was helped pretty quickly by the techs. Not bad, nothing spectacular.

The 1 star is for same day availability for ultrasound appts. But you might as well not go– bc the tech was so bad at imaging, they couldn’t find anything wrong w the scan?!?
I already knew I had gallbladder stones w a previous scan at Kaiser. However, my dr needed an official report w nor cal bc that seems to be the only place my insurance will pay. Results came back negative for everything– the tech couldn’t find any stones… Had my gallbladder out 2 weeks ago, lab results came back showing there was a .7cm stone stuck at the neck of my gallbladder, the cause of my chronic pain from gallbladder inflammation. WTF!!!
So FYI– if you want ACCURATE ultrasound scans, I highly recommend going to another imaging facility that accepts your insurance.

I’ve been going to NorCal for the past ten years or so for my mammograms. They’re the first place I’ve been where the mammograms were not incredibly painful; they’re not comfortable, but they don’t hurt. The technicians are extremely kind. I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait more than 15 minutes. I’ve also gone here for other x-​rays which also went smoothly.
Over the years I have met some people at the front desk that seemed cold at first. But when I acted friendly with them, they were friendly back. I don’t have any complaints about them; most of the time they’re very nice.
Parking is easy. I have been very happy with my visits to NorCal Imaging in Walnut Creek.

Despite the horrible impression I got when trying to set up an appointment, I was desperate to get my MRI done. So, I proceeded to do NorCal Imaging’s admin work for them, and call my doctor, asking them to fax, yes fax, orders to Norcal before they will schedule the MRI.
They tell me to arrive 30 minutes early, I thought it was for whatever prep is needed, but no it was to fill out forms that only took 5 minutes, and in any case I could have filled out in advance, with something so sophisticated as an online form. So I dragged my ass out of bed at 6 am to get there at 7, and sat on my ass in the dirty waiting area (very gross stains on upholstery) for 25 minutes.
Their form asks me my email address to ‘send copies of my records’. I ask about this. They say ‘oh our forms say that but we don’t have email’. WTF.
Providing coffee or wireless in the waiting area are also too technologically advanced for this place. You’d think if they make you wait they could at least provide wireless.
Receptionist is cold, with personality of door knob.
I get the MRI on disk, but they can’t send it electronically to my doctor. You know, because they don’t have email. I know it is a huge file, and I also know there are ways of sending huge files on the inter web machines. I do not have a disk drive on my new laptop because no one should be using disks anymore, and am desperate to get treatment for pain from my doc before I leave on a 3 week trip this week. So I spend $ 65 on a courier to drive the disk to Palo Alto for me.
Not looking forward to getting overcharged by these clowns as other reviewers were. I will check on every penny they charge, that is for sure.
Will plan ahead next time to find a place with organized friendly reception who has the required training and high tech capability to email scans in addition to running a million dollar MRI machine.

They get a zero stars for service. The people are nice enough, but when I called a few weeks after my appointment to get an itemized copy of my charges, they refused to do anything but mail it to me. I asked them to fax it or email it. I offered to verify my identity, even going so far as to say that I would email my photo ID. The manager I spoke to literally told me that they «don’t have an email». That’s just the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. So either they don’t have email… I mean, come on… or they just didn’t want to be helpful. Not good either way.

When will medical professionals realize the importance of having skilled, patient-​focused resources at the front desk?
My wife came in early for her scan and was told they did not have the order for her procedure. The receptionist acknowledged there must be an order (required to schedule an appointment) but was fully prepared to make my wife wait over an hour before calling her doctor to confirm.
Lack of problem solving, lack of basic logical thinking, apparent lack of interest in providing basic customer service, let alone compassionate care.

50 minutes after my appointment and I was still waiting. Everyone was taken before me. They said they are waiting for her to finish with someone. Waiting room is dirty, chairs are stained. Girls at desk wearing jeans, t-​shirts and sweat jackets. Tech was rough compared to Women’s center at John Muir. I didn’t understand her accent. Radiologist was cold. Sent my doctor a letter than said, the probability of having cancer was a 5 on a scale from 1 to 5. Turns out I didn’t, Thank God. Do yourself a favor for mammograms, go to Women’s Center at John Muir. They are so kind and concerned. Their radiologist even called me at home to check on me, Sunday night.
NorCal is unprofessional and can use some classes on empathy and polish up the place, at least clean it.
The photos shown here are of the outside and lobby, don’t be fooled.

This is a great location for x rays the ladies are great and the customer service is awesome. Waiting Is Less Than 30 min.

Avoid this place. They have very questionable way of practicing.
I was referred here for an MRI. My health insurance information was provided. When I called to confirm and ask about the cost. They informed me my insurance covered it but I had a copay of $ 51.00. Hey, no problem. Fast forward to a few weeks later and I am billed $ 1700. Explain to me why I was not informed of this prior to the exam so I could have had the right to elect not to do it since it cost this much money. I am out of words for this place. So please be cautious with the way they operate business or you might be caught with surprise bills…

I have been coming here for my annual mamo for 10+ years. All the nurses & technicians are very nice & professional. The wait time is minimal. Parking was easy. I have never had a bad experience, which is saying a lot considering the procedure ;)

Staff is friendly enough. The problem is my chief complaint with medical care. …the wait. I do have better things to do than to wait 45 minutes after my scheduled time. This particular day, the facility is having a meeting so not all techs are available. Really? Could not have had the meeting end of day or early morning like do many others do? PS I work in Healthcare so I am aware of how this is run. Am close to walking out. … will update later.

Had some lower back x-​rays done. Easy in and out process. No complaints! It is great when there isn’t a wait.

Be very wary of this place. The moment I walked in for a routine screening they told me that I owed $ 450 based on my insurance. I called my insurance right then and there and they said that was ludicrous… my charge was $ 65.00. Then to add insult to injury I need to come back and scheduled another appointment whereupon they stated their system indicated I would owe $ 850.00??? I then had a 3-​way conference call with my insurance (PLATINUM PPO with a well known, household name provider) and we went through all the codes and allowable amount and guess what? The charge is $ 112. I strongly feel that NorCal is trying to extort money from the affluent patients? which is money I bet I’d never see again.

This is a business to avoid. When I went there I had the temerity to ask what it was going to cost. They were clueless. Not only were they unable to tell me my out-​of-​pocket cost; they couldn’t even tell me their usual and customary fee. Other patents in the room were hearing it and giving me verbal support. This business is very well staffed with women well versed to courteously placate but are apparently ignorant of the business itself. I refused to essentially hand over a blank check.

I was scheduled for MRI 8:00 am on Friday March 20^th, I arrived 7:45 am, I was told I was scheduled for 8:00 pm, I replied I am very sure my appointment is 8:00 am, I did not have my appointment card with me, I drove back home about 5 miles, found my appointment card, it vividly indicated 8:00 am. I called back asked for a supervisor, after I explained my situation, without an apologies she told me the best she can do was 11:00 am, I explained my engagement at 11:00, she offered to schedule me for another day, I asked her, if the same mix up could happen whit my next appointment as well, she hung up on me. I drove to NorCal Imaging and asked to see the manager, after 10 monutes, I was told the manager could see me, I walked to Her office and explained my situation. After some discussion she agreed to get me in around 9:15. Everything went well after that, but no one in the entire organization admitted any fault and no one apologized!

I was referred here by my orthopedic doctor for a CT Scan of my spine. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. The staff was very friendly, making an appointment was easy. I didn’t have any issues. I waited maybe 10 minutes after my appointment time which was fine. Parking was easy.

Overall the experience was positive (well, as much as getting a mammogram can be). The staff seemed professional, there’s plenty of parking, the wait was fairly short (by medical office standards), and the waiting areas are fairly nice.
On the negative side, they seemed to have trouble completing my paperwork (I needed to correct the spelling of basic street names, etc. that were obvious typos). And I didn’t like that they asked me to complete a questionnaire with several personal questions about my medical history that seemed unrelated to a mammogram. When I asked why they needed the info., the receptionist just gave me the non-​answer «We just ask people to complete it.» I wonder what they’re doing with the info. Anyway, I declined to fill it out and they were OK with that.

Even with an appointment booked 2 mo in advance you will wait… and wait… and wait… it’s a bit ridiculous. They didn’t call me until an hour and 10 minutes after my scheduled time. I’m still not sure what the heck was going on and they didn’t offer an explanation.
The front desk people are super rude and trying to get an appointment makes you feel like you are a huge inconvenience for them.
On the flip side the doctor and the nurse who worked with me were fabulous and sweet. Also apologetic for the ridiculous wait. Hence the 2 stars instead of 1. I would give 0 if I could, but the nurse and doctor deserved 4 so we went with 2.

I would give this zero out of five stars but unfortunately Unilocal doesn’t allow that. This place gets one star from me because the office staff that answer the phone calls and make appointments are VERY RUDE! I called them just a few minutes ago to see if they do a certain procedure my doctor ordered, the woman that answer was VERY unprofessional and VERY RUDE to me when I asked if they did the procedure there. She wasn’t knowledgeable of the variety of tests they conduct and especially of the one I needed. She gave me a rude response then hung up on me. I’ll be sure never to go here unless they fire their incompetent office staff.
I’m going to see if I can call in to make a complaint soon.