Salinas Valley Imaging Center

I recently got an ultrasound done at Salinas Imaging Center. There was plenty of parking close by. Inside, I found the big waiting room neat and attractive. The receptionist called me right away and got me through all the necessary questions quickly. I had to pay $ 154 up front (a lot cheaper than the $ 1,000 I had to pay at Kaiser/​Santa Clara for an MRI). My appointment was for 3:45 pm, but I was able to get started earlier. The technician was very polite and friendly, and answered all my questions. We were done by about 4 pm. It was a positive experience, and I would definitely recommend Salinas Imaging to others.

It’s not fun going to get a procedure, BUT, my experience BOTH times here was actually wonderful! The office managers were so nice and so helpful. They answered all my questions and helped me through the financial process by giving me options. The medical staff and doctors were beyond nice. They literally held my hand through my procedure. The doctor made me laugh and feel at ease. I highly recommend Salinas Valley Imaging and radiology! There is no way I would go anywhere else. I recently moved over to Monterey, and I still come over to Salinas for anything i need that Salinas Valley Imaging offers. I would rather drive to this business from another town than go somewhere else that is closer. I am very grateful for the staff here! They are true professionals, extremely caring, and experts at what they do!

I’ve had numerous MRI’s and CT’S over the years due to reoccurring injuries and this is one of the better places to have these scans done in Salinas. My appointment was for 2:30 and I arrived a bit early (out of habit) with my two children, 5 and 8 years old, because I couldn’t get a babysitter. The receptionist/​check-​in attendant, Patty, was AWESOME! She was very friendly and we ended up chatting for several minutes like we were old friends. I told her about my kinds and she reassured me the kids would be safe and they would find a place for them outside the CT room. I was called in a few minutes early after waiting less than 5 minutes. Once I was changed into my fashionable open-​back gown, my kids were put on a bench right outside the room while I had my scan. I was in and out in a few minutes and on my way. All the staff I interacted with were friendly and very accommodating. Did I mention Patty was awesome? :) There are a couple other places in Salinas that are horrible and the staff there just want your insurance payment and to get you in and out. Apparently customer service is an after-​thought with these other places, but not SVIC. I will insist on going back here for future scans when the need arises.

Waiting in a very small changing room… door closed… to get a quick XRAY. …I feel like a caged animal or a prison inmate… I hate coming here… I feel like I am bothering people when I come here too… sorry in inconvenience you at work… once I got into an actual room my technician was very very nice

I’ve been seen there about three times. The front desk people don’t communicate with billing very well and vice versa. When you provide them with your insurance cards don’t except them to actually bill the right companies. The billing people are uncaring and rude. I spoke with Cristine, Janet and Veronica. They all sound like they are reading the same script and Janet flat out LIED to me on the phone. It only makes me wonder what other unethical practices they have going on. When they make a mistake they hold you accountable for THEIR error. If you are someone who has double insurance except problems with billing. As well as hours upon hours on the phone with them. When they bill a secondary insurance they send the bill via snail mail not electronically. Very unreliable. I just found out via my credit report that my secondary insurance NEVER received a bill from Salinas Radiologist. Now I have to pay it out of pocket for their incompetence. Upon talking to them I also realized they will fabricate information to fit their narrative. They tried to blame me for not keeping my records on the up and up when I provided them with my insurance cards not once but three times. I even faxed it to them and was told it was received. Even though THEY HAVE A BILLING department they are making me figure out where my old bill need to be sent to (this is 2 years later) because THEY DON’T KNOW how to bill the insurance! It’s their job! Now about their actual practice on Abbot street: they are not that good. They took a sonogram of my thyroid and when my endocrinologist saw it it was pretty much useless. Salinas Valley Imaging used «radiologist standards» which are below others specific ones. They are a general radiology clinic. Their sonograms, X-​Rays etc will have just the basic information. The measurements and details that my endocrinologist needed were not provided by Salinas Imaging and so had to have yet another sonogram somewhere else pay for that as well but this time it was done correctly. I will not use them again due to their below par images and reports and incompetent billing department.

I had to come here for an Upper GI. Was originally scheduled for CHOMP but cancelled when they told me my cost would be around $ 700 WITH insurance.
After reading the reviews about this place I was apprehensive but I’m SO glad I came here.
Check in was a breeze. I gave them my paperwork, 2 minutes later I’m called over to another lady to sign some forms and pay my $ 20.00 co-​pay ! Amazing. TWENTY DOLLARS.
I waited about another 5 minutes until they were ready for me.
They have small changing rooms that each have a chair in them, and some coat hooks. There is a large full-​length plastic door that latches shut.
The guy that helped with my x-​rays was nice and pretty dern cute. Then the doctor came in to explain the rest of the procedure and she was just fantastic and funny and made me super comfortable.
The Upper GI itself was not the most fun I’ve ever had, but hey can’t blame them for that.
Afterwords I went and got changed and waited in the lobby for the CD of my results. It took about 10 minutes to get it and the guy that dropped them off apologized profusely about the wait.
I got there at 8:30AM and was out the door before 10. All in all, if I ever need more tests done (let’s hope not) — I will be coming back here.

I went in for a shoulder arthrogram and MRI today. I HATE the MRI more than I hate having long needles inserted into my shoulder joint and then having the joint filled with liquid dye. SVI made my experience as non-​traumatic
as possible. The front office staff, technicians and physician were all very kind, friendly and professional. The facility was very clean and wait time was
Minimal. I truly having nothing but good to say about my experience
at SVI and recommend them highly. I can’t speak to their billing department and practices, as mine is a workers’s comp. injury.

I needed a chest x-​ray and wanted to go to a facility that was contracted with my insurance carrier, Anthem Blue Cross. The provider list that the insurance company was worse than worthless as a lot of time was wasted finding out that none of the listed providers did chest x-​rays or were even in business. Salinas Valley Imaging Center was suggested to me as a possibility. It was determined that they are actually contracted with Anthem Blue Cross. Just before going to the appointment, I decided to check Unilocal.When i saw the 1 star rating, I thought, OMG what have I gotten myself into.
I arrived at the facility at 11:15. The intake person was pleasant, professional and efficient. She completed her part of the process in less than 5 minutes. A radiology tech, Tim, got me within 2 minutes. I donned the ever «lovely» open back gown, had the multiple x-​ray shots taken, got re-​dressed in my business suit and was walking out he door at 11:30.
This facility is FANTASTIC! I certainly hope that I never have again use their services but if I do, they are definitely my first choice. From start to finish, the service was pleasant, professional and efficient.

Living in Salinas, this is the only game in town, and they provide service commensurate to having a monopoly. I’ve submitted satisfaction surveys, and I’ve written letters to management. Since I’ve had absolutely no response, I am writing this review.
I’ve been here for a CT scan of my sinuses, a pelvic ultrasound complete with probe, a CT scan with barium of my gastrointestinal tract, and this last time it was for thoracic x-​rays. Each time, I’ve had a miserable experience, but I had always put it down to just being sick. Now, I know it’s because I had terrible service! At least I threw up the last barium solution when I had that CT scan!
The check-​in procedure provides you with absolutely NO privacy, and NO respect. First, you go up to the front desk, and try to hand in your form. Somehow, you never seem to give it to the right «girl» who rudely points you elsewhere. Then, this 20-​something yells out your first name. I have clients that I’ve known for seventeen years and I would never dream of calling them by their first names because they are older than I and deserve respect.
You go up to the desk and recount your medical history sitting two feet away from the next person registering. This is a small town. Every time I go here, I ALWAYS see at least one of my clients. You have as much privacy as you would at the public library.
Another 20-​something yells out your first name again, and shows you to a changing room the size of a bathroom in a camper. You are instructed to leave the door open when you are be-​gowned. Again, you are stared at by every Tom, Dick, & Harry as you are bra-​less in a threadbare gown. Or maybe you’ll get lucky like I was, and have a bunch of wheelchair bound dirty old men parked in front of you. Too bad I didn’t have a g-​string on or I could have made some extra money!
The very tall, well-​built, intimidating male tech came to fetch me from the humiliation of the changing room. As soon as he had the door closed to the x-​ray room, he said, «Do you think we can lose the earrings, dearie?» Really? I told him that he didn’t know me, and couldn’t address me as dearie. Instead, he could address me by my title and last names. A fine start!
At one point, I had my side to the plate, my hands up high holding onto a pole, while the tech used his feet to move my feet farther apart. I told him this was just as personal an experience as being frisked by the police. «Do that much?» says he. «Only once when I was protesting the first gulf war,» says I, having already taken note of his military tattoos.
After the x-​rays were completed, and I had dressed, I took a moment in the waiting room to ask for a customer service satisfaction survey. There were plenty of holders all over, but no surveys. I was told they were out of surveys. I said that if she could not locate one, she could locate the manager for me. Lo, and behold, I was given a survey.
This experience was not only humiliating but dehumanizing. My doc wanted me to go for an MRI. This time, I chose to go to Central Coast Diagnostic Radiology in Monterey. What a difference! Not only do those folks treat you with respect as a fellow human being, they even bake you cookies! I will NEVER go back to Salinas Valley Imaging again!

Getting x-​rays, ultrasounds or even an MRI is cheaper than going to the hospital. If can wait come here first. Forget those over priced Hospitals!

I have a condition called Psoriatic Arthritis and I had to have X-​Rays of
My Hands, Feet, Chest, Knees and SI Joints (Pelvic Bone) and they were wonderful.