Biomat USA — Local services in Bozeman

a tantalizing tale summarizing many experiences

I leave my house, glancing back at my two boys (cats) in affirmation that there will be another successful donation in the midst of the day's events as a musician/educator. Upon arriving I try my best to guess which fantastic face will be greeting me at the entry, wondering how it is that they take in more and more donors each day.

After signing in, I take my seat and observe the process work like a well-oiled machine, keeping my excitement at bay so that I do not raise my heart rate above the required threshold (I have free time, but have to keep my own life's machine well maintained after all).

Alas, my name gets called and I approach the screening kiosk, ready to discuss various topics during the process such as why I own over a dozen different fedora or how it is that Hawaiian shirts are an acceptable year-long attire choice or even what of the many instruments I like or dislike teaching if any and...now I am off topic and now the screening is already complete and I can process to the next checkpoint.

Walking into the back, I am greeted this time by the phlebotomists working that day around the hustle and bustle of the draw (or as I prefer to joke, the harvest). I wonder to myself why my left arm just doesn't want to play ball, but at least my right arm is a solid workhorse (with the proper amount of hydration of course). Giving it a pep talk, I always have a little concern about whether the deep vein will be fully compliant or if it will play hard ball as it has done on occasion. Luckily the phlebotomists are really good at navigating these tricky times when I show up.

Once I am seated, the only question I have to ask myself is what do I do with my time while the machine does its job. I suppose I can silently play even more Pokemon Go or check my stock portfolio which had been all over the place over the last year. Maybe even figure out what I want to cook for dinner (it should at least probably have a good supply of protein in it since I am donating).

Oh look, my donation of 880 ml of plasma is complete and after the saline enters the scene to replenish what has been taken, the donation is complete. It was in fact another successful donation and I must away to the next venture. I say my goodbyes and take my donation payment to work on the next project of the day. It was in fact, a good day.

At some point I should write a review of this place to show the appreciation that I have for this place. But it can't be a regular review, for that is not how I operate. Perhaps I should weave a tale...a tale about many of the positive experiences I have had. Hopefully Google will not be too finnecky in the length of the review, because it will get 5 stars from me. Perhaps I should get started on that...yeah...

One of the most frustrating experiences I’ve had with any company. I have been donating with Grifols for less than a year and have already had so many complications.

I initially went through the three-hour process to register, passed all my evaluations, and was cleared to donate. When I went to donate for the first time, the phlebotomist blew up both of my veins (when the needle goes through the vein), so I was unable to donate and was rushed out the door. I had to wait for two weeks before my bruises were gone and returned, ready to donate. I was then told I had to redo the entire three-hour registration process again because I was unable to donate plasma because of the phlebotomist.

After redoing the registration, the rest of my routine donations went smoothly, besides some machine complications or further bursts of veins. I then had to have a colonoscopy in March and asked my doctor questions about continuing to donate plasma. He told me I was okay to return in a few days. When returning to Grifols, I informed them about my procedure and was pulled into a room. I was told they “couldn’t verify that the equipment used in my procedure was sterile.”??? I was subsequently deferred for six months because of this. I believe they did this because they had an influx of people donating and needed to cut down a few. After all, the doctor who did my operation had no idea what they were talking about.

Fine, whatever. Even after all of this mess, I still wanted to donate, so I went in after six months of being deferred to donate again, something that I was told I would be able to do. Guess what? Another three-hour registration process! At this point, I threw in the hat. There’s clearly some underlying shady practices that are happening to keep routine people from donating to favor...

Absolutely wonderful staff and environment. I’ve been almost consistently donating 2x a week for almost 2 years now, and I’ve come in feeling down from work, life, or whatever, and always leave happy (and not just from the added cash :3). The staff has an incredible knack for being genuinely friendly and helpful; rare for any business this day and age, let alone a medically inclined one. Each phlebotomist is incredibly precise and attentive, always making sure you’re doing good and answering any questions you have, no matter what. I’ve had the very rare, occasional poor needle sticks (cool kids call them ‘infiltrations’) but the phlebotomist who caused it was professionally apologetic and did everything they could to right it, including getting the opinion of another phlebotomist on my veins the next go-around. The word to really stress is professional. If you have been stuck 30 times by a nervous nursing student while in the hospital and are weary of getting stuck willingly by a medical-adjacent place like this, have no fear. They are absolute pros, and stick like they are trauma nurses in the ER in a war zone, but 3x as friendly.

The environment, while of course being clinical, has a great splash of charm and hospitality to it, which goes a long way in wanting to come back and not feel like you’re visiting the doctor twice a week. The pre/post-donation process, the software/bureaucratic side, while seeming like it’s constantly being fiddled with by the higher up “powers that be,” is streamlined and speedy. I’ve never had any scheduling, payment, or clerical issues crop up.

Special shoutout to Evan and Dylan, who are my most commonly seen phlebotomists, who absolute kill on sticking my veins...