The UCSD Medical Center Emergency Department strives to provide the highest quality emergency medical care.

Emergency services are available 24 hours a day at UCSD Medical Center, Hillcrest and UCSD Thornton Hospital in La Jolla.

The Hillcrest Emergency Department offers the only designated comprehensive emergency services and Level I trauma center in San Diego, with immediate availability of all major medical specialties.

The Thornton Emergency Department functions as a basic emergency service, offering the same broad range of acute care as well as specialty consultation.

The Emergency Department is staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians trained in one or more specialties. A full-time attending physician is present 24 hours a day.

• Urgent Care - Services are offered daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Thornton and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Hillcrest  for the treatment of minor illness or injury. In addition to the Hillcrest Emergency Department, there is a separate designated area in the hospital with its own medical staff that provides treatment to urgent care patients. At Thornton Hospital, both emergency and urgent care are provided in the same location and utilize the same staff.

•  Financial Issues - In general, you are responsible for all charges associated with your care. If you have a health plan, you may be required to notify the insurer or primary care physician prior to, or immediately after, seeking care in the Emergency Department.

The Emergency Department’s policy is that all patients receive a physical examination by a doctor prior to any contact with the patient's insurer or primary care physician. This ensures you will receive the most appropriate care regardless of your ability to pay or the decision of you health plan concerning payment.