Labcorp

Fast

I live in Berkeley, my doctor’s in Berkeley, takes me minutes to get to Lab Corp. I don’t come here to rate the building or the toys. I come here to get my lab work done, period. The sign clearly says sign-​in and take a seat. Period. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that drawing blood takes time, skill, and no interruptions. Period. What kind of idiot yells at an unattended desk area, just because they’re feeling abandoned, lack patience, or can’t read the signs. The staff has always been attentive, caring, and professional. Period. It’s my experience that the general public is just plain stupid. The sign says no cell phone conversations so the rest of us (if there is a wait) can hear our names called. But guess what stupid, selfish people do? I’ve been coming here for many years, never had a problem. I think people like to complain so they can get their keyboard terrorist fix. Period.

The building and waiting room were completely disgusting and outdated. It seemed like the kids’ toys (and everything else) had been there since I was a kid in the 90s.
Initially, there was no one at the front desk and I had to shout into the back like some of the other reviewers. Even though their sign told me I needed a photo id, they told me they didn’t need it.
However, when I got called to the back, I found that the staff were very friendly. They all cracked jokes and generally seemed to be in a good mood. I actually enjoyed my appointment!

Wow. What a nightmare of a company. Come to the Albany location to get my 6 day old’s bilirubin levels checked. Lab corp general number says that all locations can do infant heel sticks.
Well the staff there said their equipment for it expired a few months ago and they haven’t bothered to replace it, so they just don’t do any. But behold! The Berkeley location on Telegraph does!
So I call and verify with labCorp again they can do the stick. They actually CALL THIS LOCATION and verify they have equipment needed for an infant bilirubin heel stick.
And what happens? We drive all the way here and their equipment expired!
We have been sitting here for 20 minutes waiting for them to find equipment from another office to bring here to treat us.
What was supposed to be a quick trip has had us out for close to two hours now and was completely unnecessary if people were honest and did their jobs!
UPSATE!
So they drew his blood with a heel stick. The tech was gentle and we left feeling better than when we got there
Then two days later the lab calls me to say they didn’t collect enough blood and we need to come back to redo the draw.
This is time sensitive bilirubin levels, my son is already 7 days old. I’m sorry I’m not waiting another two days to find out we should have begun treatment a week ago
Luckily the doctor called orders into children’s hospital and we are here now. Results within an hour. Honestly I’m going to avoid labCorp from now on, I’d rather drive the extra few miles and go to a hospital for proper blood work.

I’ve been back a few times since my last visit and they’ve been much nicer. Today I went for a glucose test that did not end well (I wound up hurling up the sugary solution, if you must know) and they were so sweet about it. I figured it was only fair to update my review.

OK, here’s where Unilocal just needs more nuance.
The building: 1 star.
Labcorp policies and bureaucracy: 1 star.
The waiting room and facilities: 2 stars (would be 1, but windows looks out on beautiful trees and houses, which is nice)
The people/​staffing situation at this location yesterday (Saturday) at 8am: 5 stars.
I’m pregnant and have all sorts of annoying tests I have to do, and my OB/​gyn cruelly makes me go to Labcorp instead of letting me go to the wonderful new Quest lab on pill hill. Additionally, I never find out about my bloodwork until the last minute, and Labcorp is all booked on appointments for at least a week out so I have to walk in – I was surprised to be seen pretty quickly after opening on a Saturday. The staff were friendly and helpful, and if anything they seemed overstaffed, although it sounds like your milage may vary.
This was WAY better than the location just across the street from Whole Foods, at least in my limited experience.

I had to get routine lab work done and Ms. Rachel was great as a receptionist as well as a skilled phlebotomist. I had an appointment and arrived 30 minutes early. The wait time was minimal and the service was delightful. My toddler was able to keep herself busy with the toys the office provides in the waiting area.
There were two people ahead of me and I was still in and out in record time. The staff is knowledgeable, kind and well mannered. The office is very clean. I have absolutely NO complaints!

I tried this location for today’s blood draw — and I was very impressed! Firstly, no wait and the person who took my blood was a real pro. I didn’t even feel the needle go in and was out of there in less than 15 mins. Another pro is street parking, so you don’t have to spend $ 10 like at the Alta Bates location.

I really want to give this place a single star review because of the wait time. I had an 8:30am appointment and wasn’t seen until 9 despite showing up a few minutes early. They do prioritize patients with appointments, though, contrary to some of the thee reviews on here. However, the woman who drew my blood was extremely quick and friendly (done in under a minute). She also had to run back and forth between patients and the front desk. The problem with this place isn’t the people working here but the fact that there aren’t enough of them. Labcorp is seriously understaffed, and I think the problems here are with a larger corporation trying to save a dime and forcing their staff to do two jobs at the same time.

I suppose your results may vary, but on a recent early morning Saturday visit we were treated with such patience and kindness that we were left feeling pretty warm and fuzzy and taken care of.
Not a place you want to be, and the people working here clearly have their hands full — I can’t even imagine what a challenge it is to do this job — but they are multi tasking like crazy and still being considerate and respectful. 5 stars!

Decent service when I go there but they don’t open until much later than the listed hours on the website. Four of us waited this morning while staffers chatted inside because we showed up at the listed time of 7:30 and no one was here

Very quick. Almost no wait at all. Rolando (I think his name is) was great! He was very friendly and extremely gentle. Who knew that getting your blood taken wasn’t that bad ;)

Their appointments mean absolutely nothing. They ignore them. Once you arrive you go into a queue with everyone else appointment or not. They are understaffed and always have a lobby full of people waiting. And they don’t keep you informed as or what is going on.

In one word: rude. Went with my mom for her to get blood work done. We walked in without an appointment @9:45 and stood waiting at an empty front desk for about 5 minutes. Finally I called out «hello?» since it was apparent that it wasn’t just a situation of the «receptionist» stepping away from the front desk briefly.
A man yelled back, (with some attitude in his voice and as though it should’ve been obvious) that we should sign in on the wait list, and wait our turn. There was a clipboard with a sheet of paper, but it was not clearly labeled nor was it obvious that that was what we were supposed to do. Getting poked with a needle is not a fun activity to begin with. It is bad business for a patient-​centered service provider like that to be so impersonal, and lacking in professionalism and customer service.
Check out Sutter Health in the same building, suite 140.

The staff here is good. So good.
Not only are they incredibly friendly and take drop-​ins, but they are the fastest, smoothest needleworkers I have ever had. I’ve got terrible veins in both arms and they are the only place in SF /​Berk that has consistently drawn blood quickly and without a miss.
Only one admin issue: I did have to correct my name spelling the first time (which I only noticed when my Dr said she hadn’t received the lab results after several weeks), but that fix was easy and I’ve had no problems since.
All good, clean, quick draws. Like a good vampire western.

Labcorp… ah, I am not a big fan of blood and urine tests and sitting around waiting rooms, but Labcorp doesn’t make things much better. I never go in without an appointment, but even if I make an appointment during the first half hour they are open, I always have to wait. And I arrive 15 minutes early! What makes it worse, I feel really sorry for the one lone person that is there in the morning, having to run back and forth between the computer/​reception station and collecting samples from two chairs in the back. Then, the people that are there without having made an appointment, always think I am cutting in ahead of them.
The woman at 2850 Telegraph is so very nice. She works super hard, and tries to make it pleasant for everybody. She was going a mile a minute from 8am on. I sure hope they pay her well, because she was very careful with my blood draw and barely left a mark.

Came here for a blood test since my doc doesnt do them on site. Labcorp allows walk ins, or you can make an appointment online. I had a 9 am appointment, and was out of there in 20 minutes. There is only one plebotomist covering the front desk and drawing blood, so that is the reason for the wait. It’s a lot easier making an appointment online bc 1) all your paperwork would be done. Just have to give them your labwork request and health insurance card 2) they serve people with appointments first. This worked out for me since when I went in there was about 5 other people waiting. The plebotomist drew 2 vials of blood and did not bruise me at all! quick and efficient once I sat down at the chair. Most folks that draw my blood has to attempt a few times and blames my wiggling vein for the multiple tries.

I had an 8am appointment and arrived at 7:50. There wasn’t anyone at the desk so I waited. I finally knocked on the desk to get someone’s attention and she just kinda yelled at me from the back telling me to sign in (there was no sign in sheet). Apparently you’re supposed to print out a confirmation email (the email doesn’t say to do so) but at least I had it on my phone. Apparently the other location was busy so they send the other employee to help out that location, leaving only one person to run the entire operation here.
She was good at taking your blood and I’m sure I’ll have to come back at some point but I won’t be expecting much from them.

ZERO Stars. Worst experience ever with a lab, and sadly, I have a lot of experience with them. In the last 3 months they have lost/​damaged 3 stool specimins that were not easy to collect from my child and subjected my 7 year old to unnecessary pain and trauma. I brought in a lab slip from another hospital and it literally took them an hour and half to figure out what the corresponding lab codes would be. I even called the doctor’s office to help them with this. They drew 7 vials of blood — even though I had the same tests done and only had to submit 2. They lab tech missed the vein and had to dig around in my child’s arm while I held her down and here’s the kicker — THEY RAN THE WRONG TESTS. SO now we have to do it all over again. 2 hours, kid freaking out, wrong test. Fortunately, my doctor is getting us approval to go Children’s. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILD or her/​his specimins to this lab. THEY ARE INCOMPETENT.

As good as it gets!
Getting my blood drawn is not my favorite way of spending time, but when I have to do it, it’s nice if the experience is as pleasant possible.
I went there late in the afternoon and was greeted and helped right away. There were three employees there assisting other patients or checking people in. They signed me in and asked me to wait a few minutes while someone else was finishing up.
The waiting room is big and clean and has lots of natural light.
I was called within a few minutes even though I didn’t have an appointment and was seated in the lab chair. The phlebotomist was considerate and asked me if the chair was comfortable for me because the arm rest was a little wobbly. I said it was not a problem.
The phlebotomist had some trouble locating the proper vein and it took awhile for all the tests to be done, but she was very nice and caring and made me feel at ease the whole time.
This experience was much better than the one I had at another Labcorp earlier this year in San Leandro or any of the other times I have had my blood drawn.