Compare 741 physician assistants in San Francisco, CA. Check ratings, insurance, and availability.
741
Physician Assistants
100%
Accepting patients
69%
Most common: PA-C
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 741 physician assistants. The most common credential is PA-C (69%). 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.
A PA visit follows the same format as a physician visit: health history, physical exam, diagnosis, and treatment plan. PAs can order labs, imaging, and referrals. They prescribe medications in all 50 states. Appointments typically last 15 to 30 minutes. PAs consult with the supervising physician for complex or unusual cases. In surgical practices, the PA may see you for pre-op and post-op visits while the surgeon performs the procedure.
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.
You might see a PA in virtually any medical setting: primary care, urgent care, the emergency department, a surgical practice, or a specialty clinic. PAs handle routine visits, sick appointments, chronic disease management, pre-operative evaluations, minor procedures (suturing, joint injections, biopsies), and post-surgical follow-ups. In surgical specialties, PAs often perform the initial consultation and assist during surgery. If you are seen in an urgent care clinic or ER, there is a good chance your provider will be a PA.
Office visit copay: $20-50 · Urgent care visit: $30-75 copay · Procedure (biopsy, injection): covered at specialist rate · ER visit with PA: same as physician ER copay
San Francisco, CA has 741 licensed physician assistants. 100% are currently accepting new patients, so finding an available provider should be straightforward.
Yes. 100% of physician assistants 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 $20 to $50. An urgent care visit copay is $30 to $75. Procedures (biopsy, injection) are covered at the specialist rate. An ER visit with a PA has the same copay as a physician ER visit. Actual costs in San Francisco, CA depend on the provider and your insurance plan. PA visits cost the same as physician visits from a patient perspective. If your surgeon's PA handles your pre-op and post-op visits, the copay is the same as if the surgeon saw you.
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.
45% of physician assistants in San Francisco, CA accept Medicare. Medicare reimburses PA services at 85% of the physician fee schedule. Your copay is the same as for a physician visit. You can filter for Medicare-accepting providers on FindClarity.
Some physician assistants in San Francisco, CA accept Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. Medicaid covers PA visits in all states. Copays and coverage levels are the same as for physician visits. 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 unitedhealthcare, medicare, qhp-33602, centene, and qhp-17091.
All insurance plans cover PA visits at the same copay level as physician visits. Medicare reimburses PA services at 85% of the physician fee schedule, but your copay is based on the allowed amount and remains the same. PAs are listed in insurance provider directories. PA-performed procedures (suturing, biopsies, joint injections) are covered the same as when performed by a physician.