The Pleasanton Outpatient Center (OPC) offers a broad array of healthcare services, expanded hours of operation, and central location near the Pleasanton/Dublin Bart station. Those benefits make it an especially convenient option for the busy individuals who work or live at Hacienda.

"We always have a positive response when people walk in for the first time and see the setting and meet the people," says Paul R. Smith, CEO of the San Ramon Outpatient Health Network, a partnership between Tenet Healthcare and John Muir Health that operates the Pleasanton OPC facility. "People are often surprised that we're open seven-days-a-week with access to urgent and primary care."

Unlike many other healthcare providers, the Pleasanton OPC offers access to primary physicians, pediatricians, and other healthcare specialists who are accepting new patients and can see them quickly.

"We have primary care physicians and pediatricians who can see you almost right away," says Smith. "That is a key part of what we're able to offer at the Pleasanton Outpatient Center."

Additional services include obstetrics/gynecology, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, and urgent care services that are available seven days a week. Having so many services under one roof offers advantages both to patients and providers.

"On many occasions an urgent care or primary care physician has been able to send a patient to one of the specialists in the building for a same-day consult," notes Smith. "That can be super convenient for the patient."

The Pleasanton OPC accepts most insurance plans, which means that patients who do not have a doctor there can still use the urgent care, lab, and imaging services. Those services are available between 9 am and 9 pm during weekdays, plus additional hours during weekends. The OPC plans to add a pharmacy by the end of the year.

One of the purposes of the partnership between Tenet Healthcare and John Muir Health was to increase health care access for residents of Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore, according to Smith.

"Our goal is for someone to be able to come see a primary doctor, get an x-ray or lab test, possibly see a specialist, and get a prescription filled-all in the same location, all very easy and convenient," says Smith.

The advanced technology available offered by Pleasanton Diagnostic Imaging includes 3D mammography. Patients will not notice much difference between getting a 3D mammogram and getting a 2D mammogram when it comes to the time needed, the positioning required, and the compression involved in the procedure. The difference is in the results. Studies indicate that 3D mammograms are easier for radiologists to read, provide fewer false positives, and are especially helpful for spotting potential problems in dense breast tissue, problems that are harder to spot with older mammogram technology.

The Pleasanton OPC and its parent healthcare companies are active in the community in other ways as well and support the American Heart Association's Heart Walk and the Alameda County Community Food Bank. The OPC also provides free monthly seminars on many topics to retirement communities in Livermore and Pleasanton and hosts a variety of events for the benefit of their patients and the public.

To access a calendar of events, please visit www.johnmuirhealth.com/classes. For more information about the Pleasanton Outpatient Center, please visit www.johnmuirhealth.com/locations/outpatient-center-pleasanton.html.