Specialized Services

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W Y All Services

Screening and Acute Care Clinic

The UCSF Screening and Acute Care Clinic is among the last remaining acute care clinics in San Francisco. The clinic operates on a drop-in appointment basis for adults 18 and over. Patients can be evaluated for an array of urgent, non-life threatening medical problems that need same-day evaluation.

Among the conditions the clinic commonly treats are:

• Joint and muscle pain
• Skin infection
• Abdominal pain
• Urinary tract infections, vaginitis and urethritis
• Headache
• Minor trauma
• Infections of the ears, throat and sinuses
• Cough and bronchitis

The UCSF Screening and Acute Care Clinic is among the last remaining acute care clinics in San Francisco. The clinic operates on a walk-in appointment basis for adults 18 and over. Patients can be evaluated for an array of urgent, non-life threatening medical problems that need same-day evaluation. Among the conditions the clinic commonly treats are:

• Joint and muscle pain
• Skin infection
• Abdominal pain
• Urinary tract infections, vaginitis and urethritis
• Headache
• Minor trauma
• Infections of the ears, throat and sinuses
• Cough and bronchitis

• Employment or school physicals
• Routine general physicals
• Travel vaccinations
• Routine tuberculosis skin tests
• IUD or diaphragm placement
• Worker's compensation first visit
• Prescription medication refill requests

Patients are seen on a first come, first serve basis. Please do not call ahead for an appointment. All patients who come into the clinic will be seen until all available appointments are filled. Please be prepared for up to a two-hour wait between your check-in and your appointment time. It also may take additional time for patients who need to get authorization from their primary care doctor for insurance coverage purposes.

Your Visit

Please bring with you:

• A current list of the medications — including over-the-counter medications, vitamin supplements and herbal products you are taking
• Your insurance card and co-payment if required
• A deposit if you will be paying for the visit

Prior to seeing a physician or nurse practitioner, your blood pressure, heart rate and temperature will be taken by a nurse who is skilled in the initial evaluation of acute medical problems. Any needed diagnostic tests will be ordered at this time.

After this evaluation is complete, you will be given the first available appointment slot. If you leave the building while waiting for your appointment, please return at least 10 minutes before your scheduled time. To serve all our patients in a timely manner, a patient will be considered a "no show" if he or she is more than five minutes late for their appointment. If this occurs, we will take the next patient in line.

As a teaching institution, we participate in a residency program. Resident or faculty physician teams deliver care to our patients. Residents are physicians who have completed medical school and are pursuing further specialty training in internal medicine.

Financial Issues

Insurance Coverage

Your insurer may require you to pay an annual deductible before they begin paying for your visits. You should determine from your insurer the amount of the deductible you are required to pay before proceeding with the appointment. If you have an HMO plan with Brown & Toland (and your primary care provider is outside UCSF) please have your primary care doctor fax a referral prior to your visit. If you are a PPO plan member, contact your insurance carrier to verify if their insurance plan will cover your visit to our clinic.

Self-pay Visits

If you are unable to obtain a referral or authorization for your appointment, or you choose to pay for your visit yourself, the office staff will collect a deposit at the time of your appointment. This is a deposit only and does not include additional fees associated with any other tests or procedures. You will receive a separate mailed bill in the mail for the amount still owed from your visit or any other services received.

• New Patient: $225 deposit
• Established Patient: $160 deposit

Location

Note: Patients who think they may be having a life-threatening emergency and are suffering from serious shortness of breath, chest pain, sudden paralysis of the arms or legs should immediately call 911 or go directly to the emergency room.