Pediatric Urgent Care
Pediatric care services are available in San Francisco and the surrounding areas in many locations. Options include various pediatric clinics, however an appointment is often necessary. For those with an established primary pediatrician, it is always best to call, since priority is usually given to established patients.
Traveler’s and resident’s without an established pediatrician must usually look elsewhere for pediatric urgent care. Emergency rooms are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and are always the place to be for the seriously ill or injured patient. However for those who have milder conditions, the priority of care in the ER is lower so that excessive waiting times are common. How long a patient waits often boils down to the time of day and to which emergency room one arrives, and in most cases, just plain luck.
For uninsured patients who pay their bills, emergency room care costs are high. Emergency department and hospital charges are typically astronomical when compared with those of outpatient facilities. For example, an outpatient CT scan in San Francisco will typically run approximately $500 to $800. The same test completed in the hospital will commonly run $4000 to $5000. Most ER’s participate in the usual PPO insurance plans, although this is not always he case. For most PPO insurance policies, a patient co pay is usually required. In some cases, the co pay can be significant so it is important to know beforehand what will be requested for the out-of-pocket patient expense.
Some hospitals do offer gratis care for qualified individuals, and fees are often negotiable. However, it is near impossible to get hospitals to disclose their fees prior to obtaining care. Cash pricing differs from insurance billing pricing usually by a considerable and unpredictable amount. Also, some hospitals have been known to subtly add fees to patient’s bills to help offset the cost of caring for non-paying patients. If you do receive a hospital invoice, it is important to understand all the listed charges and what they are for, and don’t hesitate to contact the hospital to obtain an explanation.
Most urgent care services is staffed by board-certified emergency physicians and physician assistants. This doctor house call practice brings all services directly to patients, including medications, laboratory tests, x-rays, splinting, stitches, IV fluids and more. Emergency physicians are highly trained and experienced pediatric urgent care providers, so that the care of your child is in good hands.
Pediatric house call services are available 24/7. Same day appointments are offered and usually the house call doctor will arrive within an hour or two of the request for service. House call doctors typically are unhurried and can spend way more time with patients so that all questions are answered. Once the doctor concludes the pediatric house call visit, he or she still maintains easy access to parents for follow-up questions and communication.
Pediatric urgent care services are commonly utilized by families where-in the parents desire easy, convenient care. Typically a solo parent, nanny or au pair, perhaps caring for several children, will find pediatric house call service an excellent solution for avoiding a marathon emergency room visit with the entire family in tow. Many travelers find mobile pediatric urgent care services to be an excellent alternative to negotiating the health care maze of an unfamiliar place.
