Customer Services

Karen	Marie

Ronda	Sam (Purchasing)

Client Service Department  

It may be a pleasant surprise to find your call answered by a real person (as opposed to a voice mail system) when you call Phoenix Central Laboratory. All calls go directly to our Customer Service Department where you may leave your request for a sample pick-up, extra copies of reports, other items needed, and the transfer of your call to our Laboratory doctors for inquiries and/or consultation.

Our professional Customer Service representatives receive and dispense over 500 incoming and outgoing calls a day. The eight member crew manages the varied communications from 7:00AM until 8:00PM, Monday through Saturday. Sunday 8:00AM until 7:00PM.

Courier Service Department

Our courier network includes Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. When you call to initiate an account you will receive information as to the available service to your area.

For the majority of clinics in the Puget Sound area, pick-ups are provided twice a day (Monday - Friday), with  same day reporting for most morning samples. Outside this general vicinity, once-a-day pick-up service is available. Limitations may apply to remote clinics and those accessible only by ferryboat or airline. Please contact our Courier Department for information. Very remote areas are limited to the US Postal Service. We recommend a "dry-run" when using the US Postal Service for the first time as this will provide an approximate travel time to the Laboratory. Prepaid mailers are provided for clients using the US Postal Service.

All clients who have nightly pick-up needs will be put on a Regular Pick-up schedule. A Phoenix Central Laboratory courier will automatically stop at these clinics each night, Monday thru Saturday;  it will not be necessary for the clinic to notify the Laboratory that a pick-up is required. Clients with less frequent needs are asked to call for a pick-up. Cut-off times for call-ins are required for some areas connecting with airlines or other carriers. Your Customer Service Department has a record of these cut-off times.

STAT pick-up service and testing is also available to our clients in the Puget Sound area for an additional charge.

We provide Sunday service to those practices and emergency clinics on the I-5 corridor with routine Sunday business hours. Please call for cut-off time information.

All couriers wear company ID badges or logo’d clothing so they may be easily recognized when they are in your clinic or on your property. In addition, all vehicles used by Phoenix Central Laboratory display company identification.

Supplies

All equipment needed to collect samples to be sent to Phoenix Central Laboratory are provided at no charge (with the exclusion of ACT tubes, bone marrow biopsy needles, skin punch biopsy devices, and specific medications used for endocrine testing).

Supplies may be ordered by calling our Customer Service Department (425-355-5252 or 1-800-347-0043). You may also submit a Supply Request Form at the time of your sample pick-up. Please allow 3 working days for delivery. (However, in most cases, these deliveries are made the next day.) Clients outside the routine delivery areas will receive their supplies by UPS. Please allow 3-5 days for delivery using UPS.

Billing/Accounting Department

All accounts are billed during the first week of the month for the preceding month's charges. Payment to account is expected within 30 days and finance charges will be applied to those balances carried beyond that time.

If you chose to use automatic credit card payment, your card will be charged on the 10th of the month. Payment options include Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. Please contact the Accounting Department for a release form to activate this service.

The billing statement includes an itemized account of each patient sample, the date of service, the patient identification reflecting the information you provide on your Test Request Form, the tests performed, and the charge.

Result Reporting

Most test results are available within 24 hours. Results can be faxed, called, and/or delivered to your office. Tests requiring longer analytical time will be reported as completed. Test performance schedules/analytical times are provided in the Phoenix Central Laboratory Test Directory.

A variety of fax machines are available for our client’s use. Please call the Marketing Department for information regarding fax machines. Fax machines remain the property of Phoenix Central Laboratory and are serviced by the Laboratory when a problem arises. This service also ensures that annual general maintenance is performed on your fax at no charge.

Results can also be faxed directly to your computer if you choose.

MSDS Sheets

In compliance with OSHA standards, the Laboratory will provide Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all chemicals provided for specimen collection and preservation. These may be obtained by calling the Laboratory, but are not routinely provided with each supply request. This MSDS includes information such as the hazard class of the chemical, health effects, and precautions to take when using and storing the chemical.

Continuing Education

The ever changing nature of laboratory sciences dictates continuing education. Wetlab sessions on urinalysis and hematology are provided for a limited number of participants at our Laboratory site. Arrangements can also be made for on-site sessions. Please contact the Marketing Department regarding this service. Watch our Web site for future WetLab announcements.

Clinical Laboratory Services

Our full service laboratory provides a wide variety of testing including:

All testing is directed by our Veterinary Clinical Pathologist. The Laboratory professionals includes Medical Technologists and Medical Technicians who are assisted by Laboratory Aides.

Pathology/Cytology Laboratory Services

Our pathologists are assisted by an in-house Histology Department utilizing state-of-the-art instrumentation to ensure optimal turn-around-time. Most results are available within 24-48 hours of specimen receipt. Rush processing is possible for certain tissue types (such requests can be submitted to the Customer Service Department).

Internal Medicine Consultation Service

This service is a written Internal Medicine Consultation encompassing laboratory work from Phoenix as well as your in-house labs, radiology and ultrasound reports. There is no charge for this service.

1. You will need to fill out a detailed history form. (Let us know if you need a hard-copy form, and we will send some with your courier.)
   If there are previous blood samples for the patient, it would be helpful to include those lab numbers on the history form if you have them. Our internist will look for previous samples, however, we can only search by client and animal name, and therefore it is possible that we could miss some if they were incorrectly entered into the system or are older samples.

2. Also, on the history form we have included space for you to enter any in-house laboratory work from your practice. You may attach copies of this and any radiology/ultrasound reports that you have in lieu of writing them in the spaces provided.

ECG Interpretation Service (temporarily unavailable)

There will be two test codes, one for a lead II rhythm strip and one for a 6 lead strip.  These test codes will be #480 ECG Interpret-Lead II and #485 ECG Interpet-6 Lead, respectively.  The costs for these tests are $35 and $45.  Please include a history on the TR form that details clinical signs, as well as current medications (to provide a more detailed history, please use our history form) .  Our internist will give you an interpretation of the ECG, as well as make recommendations for further workup and medications.  If you need an ECG evaluated sooner, please call our internist and we can try faxing your ECG into the laboratory.