Compare 103 infectious disease specialists in San Francisco, CA. Check ratings, insurance, and availability.
103
Infectious Disease Specialists
100%
Accepting patients
70%
Most common: MD
Ranked by Clarity Score, based on profile detail, verification, and patient activity.
San Francisco punches well above its weight in healthcare. UCSF is a top-10 national hospital, and the city's 95%+ insurance coverage rate is among the highest anywhere. The tradeoff is cost: provider fees here reflect the city's overall cost of living, and even insured patients can face significant out-of-pocket expenses.
San Francisco has 103 infectious disease specialists. The most common credential is MD (70%). 100% are currently accepting new patients.
SF is compact enough that most residents are within 20 minutes of a major hospital. UCSF's two main campuses (Parnassus and Mission Bay) anchor the western and eastern halves of the city. California Pacific Medical Center on Van Ness serves the northern neighborhoods. Muni and BART make car-free healthcare access genuinely possible here, which is unusual for a US city.
Providers practice throughout San Francisco. Mission District is a vibrant, diverse neighborhood with community health centers serving a large Latino population. Pacific Heights is an affluent neighborhood with concierge practices and proximity to CPMC and UCSF. SoMa is the South of Market area is close to Zuckerberg SF General, a Level I trauma center. Castro is a historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood with strong affirming care options and community clinics.
Nearby hospitals include UCSF Medical Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and California Pacific Medical Center. Local training programs run through University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and University of San Francisco. UCSF Medical Center is among the top 10 hospitals in the nation, specializing in cancer and neurology.
The ID specialist will review your infection history, lab results (cultures, sensitivity reports), imaging, and current antibiotics. They may order additional specialized testing (fungal cultures, PCR tests, serologies). The consultation often focuses on optimizing your antibiotic regimen, recommending the narrowest effective treatment for the shortest appropriate duration. For chronic conditions like HIV, they will establish a long-term management plan.
Many SF primary care practices are panel-closed, meaning they aren't accepting new patients. If you're new to the city, try UCSF's primary care network or One Medical (now part of Amazon), which has multiple SF locations and shorter wait times.
See an infectious disease specialist for infections that are not responding to standard antibiotics, HIV management, hepatitis B or C treatment, fever of unknown origin, infections after surgery or implant placement, bone or joint infections, infections in immunocompromised patients (cancer, transplant, HIV), travel-related infections, and tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease that are complicated or atypical.
Office visit copay: $30-75 · Blood cultures: $100-300 · HIV viral load test: $100-400 · IV antibiotic therapy: $200-500/day
San Francisco, CA has 103 licensed infectious disease specialists. 100% are currently accepting new patients, so finding an available provider should be straightforward.
Yes. 100% of infectious disease specialists in San Francisco, CA are currently accepting new patients. You can filter your search on FindClarity to show only providers who are taking new patients.
SF has Healthy San Francisco, a city program that provides basic healthcare access for uninsured residents regardless of immigration status. For employer coverage, Kaiser, Blue Shield, and Anthem are the most common carriers. Medi-Cal managed care runs through SF Health Plan. Covered California participation is strong.
An office visit copay is $30 to $75. Blood cultures cost $100 to $300. HIV viral load testing costs $100 to $400. IV antibiotic therapy runs $200 to $500 per day. Actual costs in San Francisco, CA depend on the provider and your insurance plan. Many antiviral and antibiotic medications are expensive. Manufacturer copay assistance programs exist for most HIV medications. The 340B drug pricing program provides discounted medications at qualifying health centers.
In San Francisco, the main healthcare systems are UCSF Health (academic, highly specialized), Sutter/CPMC (broad community coverage across four campuses), Kaiser Permanente (closed network with its own facilities on Geary), and Zuckerberg SF General (the city's public safety-net hospital). Your insurance plan will often determine which system you use.
54% of infectious disease specialists in San Francisco, CA accept Medicare. Medicare covers ID consultations and medically necessary treatments. HIV medications, hepatitis treatment, and IV antibiotics are covered. Preventive vaccines are covered under Part D. You can filter for Medicare-accepting providers on FindClarity.
Some infectious disease specialists in San Francisco, CA accept Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. Medicaid covers infectious disease services in all states. HIV treatment is covered, and the Ryan White Program provides additional support for uninsured patients. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm Medi-Cal participation before scheduling.
Healthy San Francisco is a city-funded program that provides healthcare access to uninsured San Francisco residents, including undocumented immigrants. It covers primary care, prescriptions, and hospital visits through the SF Department of Public Health network. It's not insurance, but it fills a real gap for residents who don't qualify for other coverage.
Many SF primary care panels are full, especially in popular neighborhoods like the Marina, Pacific Heights, and Noe Valley. UCSF and Sutter/CPMC periodically open new patient slots. One Medical and Carbon Health offer membership-based primary care with same-day availability. Community health centers also accept new patients on a rolling basis.
Top accepted carriers in San Francisco, CA include medicare, unitedhealthcare, molina, centene, and qhp-44228.
ID consultations are covered as specialist visits. HIV medications (ART) are covered under pharmacy benefits, though copays vary. Many ART manufacturers offer copay assistance programs. The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides coverage for uninsured and underinsured patients. Long-term IV antibiotics administered at home through a PICC line are typically covered under home health benefits.