Appointments Now Available at
Mountain View Laboratory
April 2008
Traditionally, laboratory tests have been offered on a walk-in basis at Camino Medical Group clinics. When the PAMF Mountain View Center opened in April 2007, wait times grew because patient visits increased at the new location.
"The number of patients coming to Mountain View nearly tripled," said Anita Kellogg, laboratory director at the Mountain View Center. "We began seeing almost 40 percent of one day’s patient visits in just three hours in the morning. Clearly, it was time to create an appointment system to adapt to our patients’ needs."
In response, Kellogg and a team of four colleagues created a program to offer appointments for lab tests and electrocardiograms (EKGs). Now patients can choose whether to make an appointment in Mountain View for their blood draw, EKG or other laboratory services or to drop by the lab and risk a somewhat longer wait.
Patients with an appointment should experience wait times of less than five to 10 minutes. Because the appointment system can make the amount of lab visits more predictable, walk-in patients should also see a reduction in wait times. "By introducing appointments, we didn’t want to compromise a walk-in patient’s wait time, so we have staff dedicated to care for both," said Kellogg. "Patient response has been universally positive."
PAMF laboratory professionals perform a range of tests and the results are entered in the patient’s private Electronic Health Record (EHR). Upon completion, the results are immediately available to the patient's doctor.
To make a lab appointment in Mountain View, call 650-934-7345 between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on weekdays or between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends.
Walk-in laboratory services are available at PAMF clinics in West Valley/San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. Laboratory hours at the Mountain View Center are Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The laboratories are closed on holidays. For locations and directions, visit the Laboratory Services Web site.
