Info Desk [Paperwork, ordering, wait times, procedures, booklets, prescriptions...]

I usually head down to the main office in San Diego around 1:30 PM because that’s when the crowds finally thin out; registration stays open until 2:00 PM, so they just get me signed up right away, and I'll have my appointment in about ten days.
I never bother trying to register in the morning, honestly, because you end up stuck waiting forever thanks to the rush.

boldnomad45 said:I just email the main office, attach the medical records they need, and then I get an appointment scheduled.

An appointment?
I’ve explained exactly how they handle scheduling.
Besides, I certainly wouldn't call the central switchboard to ask questions that could easily be answered by calling the clinic directly.
Does that make sense to you? For instance, if something wasn't right, I would simply call the doctor directly to chat, or reach out to the department or the clinic itself. It’s like when she worked at her previous hospital—the one associated with Holy Spirit SF. Their approach to patient care and professionalism was night and day compared to SF.

As you can see, that's how things work at the Holy Spirit location where I go. I've been told that's just how that hospital operates.

After visiting twice, I'm done with Holy Spirit. Between the disorganization, the 19th-century mindset, the rudeness, the lack of knowledge, and the sheer amateurism, I won't be stepping foot in there again.
By the way, I'm not the only one feeling this way.
A few of us who were transferred along with our regular doctor are actually leaving her because of the total lack of professionalism at Holy Spirit.
To top it all off, the administrator actually had the nerve to yell at me!
Honestly, I'd love to upload a recording of that conversation to YouTube.

If anyone is still defending the idea that clinics shouldn't have phones or email access, or thinks it's perfectly normal for a central clerk to print out emails and carry them around the building... 😵 ... we might as well use carrier pigeons, since it's clearly the 21st century.🤣

wanderingpanther68 said:I usually head down to the main office in San Diego around 1:30 PM since things quiet down then. Registration closes at 2:00 PM, so I get signed up immediately and usually secure an appointment for about ten days out.
It’s much like avoiding rush hour; if you try to go in the morning, you'll just end up stuck in a long line.

Why bother going in person when you could just send an email?

Brenda Alvarez24 said:The schedule?
I already laid out how they handle appointments.
Besides, there's no way I'm calling the main switchboard just to ask something I could easily get an answer to once I actually show up at the clinic.
Do those times work for you? Personally, if something isn't right, I’d just call the doctor directly or swing by the department or the clinic. Or I'd send an email—either to the doctor or straight to the office. That's how it worked at her previous hospital, the one associated with Holy Spirit SF. Patient care, professionalism... it's all missing at Holy Spirit SF.

As it stands, the way things work at Holy Spirit where I go is exactly what I described. I was told that's just how that hospital operates.

I've been there twice. Between the total lack of organization, the 19th-century approach, the rudeness, the incompetence, the negligence, and the amateurism, Holy Spirit SF will never see me again.
By the way, I'm not alone.
A few of us who were transferred from our regular doctor are leaving her because of the sheer lack of professionalism at Holy Spirit SF.
And then that administrator has the audacity to yell at me!
Honestly, I'd love to upload a recording of that conversation to YouTube.

If anyone is actually defending the idea that clinics shouldn't have phones or email, or the absolute stupidity of printing emails at a central desk and carrying them around the hospital... 😵 ... we might as well use carrier pigeons. It's the 21st century, for God's sake. 🤣

I handle everything via email. No calls, no unnecessary trips, and everything works perfectly fine.

Brenda Alvarez24 said:So, Holy Spirit is a total joke of a hospital.
Some incredibly pissed-off woman told me on the phone—I was looking for an email or a direct line for a specific clinic to ask a question—that they don't work like that. No email, no phone calls.
She said I should send an email to the main office, and then they’ll print it out and carry it over to the clinic. 😂
Yeah, welcome to the 21st century. At Holy Spirit, the central office prints emails and runs them around the hospital like messengers.🙏 🙏
On top of that, there's no record of what tests they actually run, so just send an email and let them print stuff out to carry around.🙏
They even told me they couldn't email blood test results; I had to show up in person to pick them up.

The absolute worst part—besides the printing and running errands—is how you book appointments for the outpatient center. They sent me to a clinic that isn't even mine, claiming the nurse there handles their scheduling too...
But when I got there, she told me there were no openings.
Told me to call back in a week or two.
Good luck getting anyone on the line.
And if they don't answer the phone, I'm supposed to just show up in person to book the appointment.🙏🙏

I don't know why you even bothered with the details. You should have just asked to be transferred to that specific clinic or demanded their number. It's simple. Don't explain why you need the number.
Clearly, you were the 300th person asking questions that day; of course someone's going to snap after hearing all that crap...
And btw, orders are handled through the main office, email, fax, or web forms. That's standard procedure for every hospital in Washington, D.C.

Melissa Phillips4 said:I’m not sure why you felt the need to explain everything; you should have just asked to be connected to a specific clinic or requested their direct number. It’s much simpler to skip the backstory and just ask for the contact info.
It sounds like you were dealing with someone who was having a rough day and lost their cool after hearing too much chatter...
By the way, orders are handled through a central office via email, fax, or an online form. That’s standard procedure at every hospital in Washington, D.C.

My apologies, but the Holy Spirit is a bit of a disorganized mess.

Do I really have to explain this again?
- The Holy Spirit doesn't provide phone numbers or emails for individual clinics. Essentially, you can't call them or send an email directly.

- The Holy Spirit doesn't transfer calls because the clinic I visit doesn't actually exist as its own entity; they operate out of another department and don't have a dedicated line... okay, they might be making excuses, but that's what they claim.

- The Holy Spirit prints out emails and distributes them around the hospital 😂 Because instead of forwarding messages to the clinics, they just—print them. It’s absurd. No one operates like that.

- No, that's not right. You can send things directly to the clinic you visit; just check their website, like the one for Rebro. It was the same way over at Dubrava.

- The Holy Spirit lacks any contact numbers for general inquiries

- Honestly, even if I were the thousandth person calling, if I'm a patient looking for simple information, I expect an administrator to just give it to me. I shouldn't be snapped at.

- It is completely nonsensical to tell someone that if they can't reach someone by phone, they have to show up in person, especially since they don't take orders via email.

- It's the same story regarding test results that aren't sent by email. 🤦

Just trying to make sense of this lack of professionalism.

Melissa Phillips4 said:I'm not sure why you felt the need to get so granular. You should have just asked to be connected to a specific clinic or requested their direct number. It’s much simpler to just ask for the contact info without over-explaining the "why."
It sounds like you were dealing with a hundred different questions that day, so it's understandable if someone loses their cool after hearing all that...
By the way, orders are handled through central dispatch, email, fax, or the online portal. That’s standard procedure for every hospital in Washington, D.C.

Try to follow the logic here.

Am I supposed to be transferred to MP3 if they claim the clinics don't have phones?
Or should I just send an email to mp3@sd if they say they don't have an email address?

Secondly, where did you get the idea that I have to explain my entire life story to every single person I encounter? I'll just speak directly to the nurse at the specific clinic.

Thirdly, do you actually understand what a department administrator does and the scope of their responsibilities?

Fourth, I already explained this. It seems you aren't quite familiar with how the ordering process works. Not everyone is lacking common sense, Holy Spirit.

Then just head over to Rebro... what else am I supposed to tell you?

Quick question: I’ve got a follow-up at Rebro in about six weeks for some nuclear bloodwork regarding thyroid hormones (including markers like Tg and Tg Ab), and then I need to see the specialist there shortly after.

I have an internal referral and checked the online booking system, but I’m lost on timing. If I want an appointment around mid-December, when should I actually book it? Is the waitlist a nightmare, or could I realistically book this Monday and get my blood drawn by Friday?

frozenwalker91 said:Quick question. In about six weeks, I need to go to Rebro for nuclear testing and blood work regarding thyroid hormones (including markers, Tg, Tg Ab). After that, I’ll need a follow-up appointment with a specialist at the same facility.

I have an internal referral and checked the online booking system, but I'm stuck on timing. If I want an appointment for mid-December, when should I book? Are the wait times long? For instance, if I book this Monday, can I get my blood drawn by Friday?

Send an email to: bojcen@kbc-washington.dc.us
Make sure to include your SSN, personal info, contact number, the referral, and your most recent medical history.

Thanks, I sent everything over with all the details, so we'll see how it plays out.

On July 11th, I submitted my mother's request for a follow-up cardiology appointment—using that clunky online portal they have at the Mayo Clinic—and guess what? I just got notified today that her appointment isn't until April 4th, 2023!
I’ve got this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that if you actually show up in person at the Mayo Clinic to request an appointment, you might actually get seen much sooner—apparently, there are specific days of the week or month when they coordinate shifts, and you can catch them in the act.
Does anyone here know anything more about how this works? 🙂

I was there in person, and they told me the earliest I could get an appointment was six months out. The nurse wasn't exactly being friendly about it either—just kept insisting it wasn't possible any sooner. So, I gave up. Then I tried booking through the online portal instead, and managed to snag a spot in just four months, specifically back in February 2023.

Melissa Phillips4 said:Well, you might as well just head straight to the ER... I don't know what else to tell you.

It is incredibly difficult to find a decent doctor in that region.
There are barely enough quality practitioners to count on one hand—it's a real scarcity.

On top of that, regardless of where I personally end up, the real issue is that the hospital system there is a complete disaster of disorganization and unnecessary hurdles for patients.

So, it’s been ten days, and I haven't heard a peep from anyone, not even a whisper from the Holy Spirit.
I haven't received a single reply to my email.
To be more precise, in their response to my first message, they directed me to a specific email address to place my order, and yet, after ten business days of reaching out to that exact address, there hasn't been a word.
Just wonderful.

This might sound a bit stupid, but my dentist gave me a referral for a specialist. Where am I supposed to actually book an appointment? I called the main line and all they told me was "last one was 106," and now I'm calling that number but can't get anyone on the line. Has anyone gone to a dental specialist lately? How long did you end up waiting and where did you make the appointment? 🤦

Maybe someone here knows what's up.
So, last year I was at an outpatient clinic at one of our local hospitals...
I need to go in for a follow-up, right? But the doctor can't issue me a new referral because her system shows I still have an active one—apparently valid until mid-February, probably some 365-day rule thing. But then the hospital staff is breathing down my neck demanding a *different* referral, and they won't even give me an appointment for my check-up without it. It's such a mess...

What am I supposed to do about this? 🤔

Any recommendations for a full physical exam?
Male, mid-thirties.
Over the last two years, I’ve been putting on weight and dealing with a constant lack of energy. My digestion has also been pretty inconsistent, among other things.

I am willing to spend up to $667 to get this sorted out.

I signed up for some lab work and just got this email:

"When you check in at the lab reception desk, please present
your purchase order along with confirmation of issued referrals, or the referral itself if
you have one (on the day of testing, your referral must be in the CEZIH system, or
provided by your referring institution)."

That whole bit about the "confirmation of issued referrals" is tripping me up a little. I’m assuming they just mean the referral needs to be live in the system, rather than me actually handing over some physical proof that it was sent. 🤷

I tossed that paperwork aside earlier today, so I can't double-check, but I’m pretty sure that’s what it was—just a summary of the referrals issued. The doctor sent over four different ones, and then the nurse printed a single sheet listing all four: the type (a, d1...), where they go (lab work, surgery...), and the expiration dates...
Maybe when they print a single referral, they just give you the referral itself, but if there are several, they provide a summary sheet instead.