Family Medicine

A family doctor is a primary care physician (PCP) who can care for the entire family, from an infant to a senior.

Family medicine at UC San Diego Health is based on personal relationships and a model of care that puts our patients first.

By emphasizing communication, shared decision-making, accessibility and continuity of care, your family doctor's office can become your medical home, where all aspects of care can be coordinated in a warm, welcoming and familiar environment.

In many ways, our approach to family medicine re-establishes the traditional importance of the family doctor — also called general practitioners (GPs) — but within the modern context of a highly advanced, complex medical system. See locations and contact information for family medicine clinics in San Diego County.

Patient-Centered Care

Our family medicine PCPs deliver the highest quality of care. We offer services that help simplify and clarify your path to health and well-being. These services include:

• Helping you obtain appointments to see medical specialists
• Reviewing test results and notes from appointments with specialists or diagnostic and laboratory results with you
  
• Charting a strategy with you for managing a chronic condition, "getting to the bottom" of an unresolved health concern or staying the course to maintain good health
• Helping you keep current with routine examinations, screenings and immunizations, including annual flu shots
• Encouraging patient education and involvement in their care
• Ensuring that patients have timely access to physicians and may communicate with medical professionals through the secure online tool MyUCSDChart, or by phone

Same-Day Appointments and Video Visits with Your Family Medicine PCP

• Some PCPs offer same-day appointments. You can also message your family medicine doctor's office through MyUCSDChart, your secure online health tool.
• You can schedule your own video visits online with your family medicine doctor. Log in to your MyUCSDChart account, go to Visits in menu, click Schedule an Appointment and then select Video Visit: Primary Care. See Video Visits for more information, including FAQs and tips about virtual appointments.

Other Services Offered through Family Medicine

Behavioral and Mental Health Services

You can receive short-term therapy (for a few weeks or months) for common mental health concerns right in your primary care clinic. Our behavioral health providers can help you learn useful coping skills to enhance your health and well-being. Get short-term behavioral health treatment and follow-up support for stress reduction, insomnia, anxiety, depression, family and relationship problems, etc. For more information, please ask your PCP for a referral to an integrated behavioral health provider.

Obstetric and Gynecological Care

All our family medicine offices offer prenatal care throughout pregnancy and also well woman services.

Sports Medicine

Whether you are an aging jock, weekend warrior or competitive athlete, our sports medicine physicians are available to address and treat your musculoskeletal and orthopedic problems and keep you training.

Shared Medical Appointments

For patients with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes, we offer small group appointments to help individuals collectively work toward better management of their health issues.

Chronic Care Management

If desired, we will assemble a multidisciplinary team of health professionals to develop a strategy for managing a chronic condition. Patients also learn to play a more proactive role in managing their health.

Pharmacy Medication Management

Individuals with complex medication regimes, difficulties with medication side effects, medication costs or trouble administering their medications as prescribed can obtain assistance through our pharmacy medication management services, a partnership with Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine.