How to Access Care
Find your care
If you’re admitted to the hospital, your primary care physician will ensure that you receive care from a UCLA Health hospitalist. Please call us at 855-488-9550 if you have questions.
There are two main ways to receive UCLA Health hospitalist care:
- Have your primary care physician call ahead
- Present your UCLA Health hospitalist card at the hospital
UCLA Health is a primary care-based system, which means that unless there is an emergency that requires 911, you should call your primary care physician first if you are sick, injured or have a health concern. Sometimes, based on your symptoms, location and other factors, your primary care physician or a member of your healthcare team may tell you to go to a specific hospital to receive emergency care. This is where hospitalists come in.
If your primary care physician sends you to a hospital or medical center where there are UCLA Health inpatient providers, he or she can call ahead and ask that if you are admitted, a UCLA Health hospitalist oversee your care.
The other way that you can access hospitalist care is by providing the emergency department staff with a UCLA Health hospitalist card when you arrive at that facility. This laminated card is available in all primary care offices, and alerts the staff that you are a UCLA Health patient and would like to see a UCLA Health provider if you are admitted.
In some cases, an emergency department employee can flag you as a UCLA Health patient when they access your medical record and see the name of your primary care physician.
To ensure that you receive UCLA Health hospitalist care, always call your primary care office first and show your UCLA Health hospitalist card in the emergency department.
Please call us at 855-488-9550 if you have any questions.