Student Mental Health and Wellbeing does not provide primary care services.
UCSF Health is the designated provider of primary care services for UCSF students using the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). To establish care, you need to register. To begin the process please complete the intake web form. For students who have waived UC SHIP and have a commercial insurance plan, you may elect to use UCSF Health as your primary care provider or continue utilizing options provided by your current insurance to obtain primary care services.
UCSF Health employs a comprehensive primary care model that emphasizes patient-centered care, tailored to meet the diverse needs of individuals and communities. At UCSF, we want your primary care clinic to feel like your healthcare home. We welcome patients from all walks of life and backgrounds, and we ensure that every patient receives innovative, conscientious, and high-quality care. UCSF Health operates several primary care clinics, primarily located in and around San Francisco.
Primary Care Clinic Locations:
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/primary-care-at-china-basin
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/general-internal-medicine-at-post-street
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/general-internal-medicine-at-sutter-street
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/family-medicine-center-at-lakeshore
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/san-mateo-primary-and-specialty-care
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/womens-health-primary-care
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/center-for-geriatric-care
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/primary-care-at-laurel-village
- DGIM 1600
- https://www.ucsfhealth.org/clinics/bayfront-medical-building
Below is an FAQ that provides information on establishing primary care at UCSF Health.
New Patient Registration Process
What is the registration process for new patients?
What is the process once a student completes the intake web form?
How long will it take to establish care at UCSF Health with a PCP?
I received an invitation to schedule an appointment on MyChart however it is showing no available appointments. Should I continue to check back or is there someone we should call to try to make an appointment?
If I previously saw a UCSF Health primary care physician before switching to UC SHIP, should I still start by contacting a patient navigator to re-establish care with my former UCSF Health PCP?
What will happen if a student does not register to establish care at UCSF Health?
Under the UC SHIP plan guidelines, you should first seek care through your designated primary care provider. They coordinate your care and treat specific conditions, providing referrals to specialists when needed. Except for non-emergency care, UC SHIP requires you to obtain a referral from UCSF Health Primary Care for outside medical care.
Appointments and Locations
When do I begin the UCSF Health patient registration process?
Will my UCSF Health appointment accommodate my student commitments?
Can I pick the location of my primary care provider? Can I transfer to another location later?
Where can I go for urgent care?
Is there any health care access/coverage available to those students on rotation in Fresno?
Providers and Specialty Care
Where will I see a provider? What clinics will I have access to? Can I still access care on campus?
What are women’s health options?
Where can I find information on transgender care?
For those of us who receive both primary healthcare and gender affirming care through the gender affirmation center, are we able to continue receiving primary care from them or do we have to see a new primary provider and receive another referral over to the gender clinic for our primary care to continue with them?
For the gender affirmation clinic where some of those providers are family practice physicians, are we able to use them for our primary care outside of hormone therapy, such as receiving PrEP and required lab work, and write referrals such as physical therapy or other specialists?
Where can I access psychiatry?
Will we continue to be able to get covered blood work at Quest Diagnostics?
This year I had a specialist (who I had a referral to) order a blood test. UCSHIP/Anthem did not cover the claim for the blood test. I had to go to student health to get retroactive approval for the test then resubmit the claim. After the change to UCSF Health, would I need to get my primary care doctor to approve any tests ordered by specialists?
How will students get TB screenings and immunizations that had been provided by SHCS?
Will there be a way to access sexual health and testing services as conveniently and as affordably as possible?
Health Records and Privacy
How do I avoid a conflict of interest with one of my faculty members?
How will my health record be kept confidential and private?
Will my health records be transferred?
Non-UC SHIP Insurance Plans
I waived UC SHIP; can I still be seen at UCSF Health?
Will students who have Medi-Cal be eligible to receive primary care at UCSF Health?
Will I be able to see an in-network primary care provider that is NOT UCSF Health?
What is the health insurance enrollment and waiver process?
Where can I find support with questions related to the benefits of the student health insurance plan?
Referrals
Will students need to schedule a primary care appointment for each referral they need to get? What will the cost for each appointment be?
Out-of-state students previously got referrals from Student Health and Counseling Services for primary care, specialty providers, etc. and were able to use those referrals to receive in-network care in our state of residence. Will this referral process be affected at all?
Do we still need referrals from the UC Health PCP to other specialty doctors in the UCSF network if we are seeing a PCP in the UC Health system?
Will gynecology now require a referral from a primary care physician? Previously these appointments were directly scheduled through SHCS.
What are our options under this new model if we want to see a provider for an acute problem, but our level of need doesn’t rise to needing urgent/emergent care? Previously, we could go to SHCS - can we make same-day or same-week appointments with UCSF Health PCPs?
Can you get acute care without establishing care with a PCP?
Have a question that’s not answered here? Please fill out this form and we will respond within three business days.