Becoming a Patient

The Owen Clinic is located on the third floor of the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC), 4168 Front Street. A limited number of handicapped parking spaces is available directly in front of the ACC. Located just two blocks from the ACC, the Arbor Street parking structure is available for general parking. We no longer validate parking, the cost is $1.00 per hour.

Please call (619) 543-3995 to preregister. The receptionist will ask for the following information:

Full legal name
Date of birth
Birthplace
Marital Status
Mother's maiden name
Address
Telephone number
Social Secuity Number
Insurance name and address
Spouse's name and address
Spouse's name and social security number, if her/his insurance covers you

The receptionist will give you a medical record number, and an identification card will be waiting for you in the clinic when you arrive. If you have already preregistered as a patient, please disregard this information.

Please bring all your past medical records, X-rays, progress notes, laboratory reports, and operative reports to your appointment at the Owen Clinic.

Experienced teams of physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners provide primary medical services. We make every effort to ensure that your follow-up visit is with your primary provider team, however, because of our high patient volume and urgent visits, it is sometimes necessary to refer you to another team; if this happens, we will consult your primary provider team to update your progress.

As part of the UCSD Medical Center, Owen Clinic medical staff members train medical students, interns, resident physicians in internal medicine, and physicians from the community who are interested in caring for persons living with HIV and AIDS. At some times, these various practitioners may participate in your care.

If you require hospitalization, a ward team consisting of an attending physician, resident, intern and medical student will provide your care. The intern is the primary physician who plans and coordinates your care. The resident physician supervises the intern and medical student. The attending physician, a UCSD faculty member, oversees the operations of the entire team; s/he guides the team in solving diagnostic problems and is responsible for all major decisions about your treatment plan.

Because of staff limitations and the large number of clinic patients, your primary team physician at the Owen Clinic may not be your attending physician if you are hospitalized. However, clinic providers make daily rounds in the hospital and assist the ward team. Additionally, should you require home care afrter discharge from the hospital, the home health coordinator will arrange home care services.

Once the hospital discharges you, your Owen Clinic primary provider team will continue to care for you. In general, you will return to the clinic for a follow-up visit within one week of discharge.

We invite patients of the Owen Clinic to participate in clinical trials at the UCSD Antiviral Research Center (AVRC), located at 150 West Washington (corner of Washington and Front streets). The AVRC studies experimental therapies (vaccines and medications) for HIV and AIDS as well as improvements on current medications for the treatment and prevention of infections. The AVRC provides medications and laboratory testing to study participants at no cost. Even if you choose to enroll in a research study, you will continue to receive primary care from your team at Owen Clinic. Please call: 543-8080 for more information or check the AVRC website at www.AVRCtrials.org.

Should you have concerns about your experience as a patient at the Owen Clinic, please inform your primary provider team or ask to speak with the clinic's "Patient Ombudsman," a volunteer who serves as an intermediary between you and clinic staff. You also have the option of contacting the UCSD "We Listen Program" at 543-5678. We also welcome your compliments.

Becoming a Patient at the Owen Clinic