Carbon Health Urgent & Primary Care San Francisco - Castro

I don't usually write reviews-- but I'm so grateful for Josh and his team that I'm making an exception. I've gone here for two separate issues (an infection and a burn) and was genuinely impressed both times. The online reservation system was easy, the wait was short, costs were reasonable and clearly communicated, and the staff showed me genuine care and compassion. Nobody has a pleasant experience at an urgent care. It's like going to the DMV, except you're in pain and spending half your paycheck while you ponder how our healthcare system got so messed up. But in my experience, this is about as good as it gets.

I visited this doctor for scabies, but instead of proper treatment, I was prescribed Hydroxyzine and Hydrocortisone 2.5%, which DO NOT treat scabies and do not kill the scabies mite. These medications only temporarily reduce itching and inflammation, but they do not address the cause of the disease. As a result, I lost valuable time, my symptoms continued, and the condition could have worsened or been spread to others. Any competent doctor knows that the standard treatment for scabies is Permethrin 5% cream or Ivermectin, not just antihistamines and steroid ointments. Prescribing only symptomatic medications for an infectious condition is unprofessional and careless. What makes this even worse is that I paid $250 for this appointment, yet received incorrect and incomplete treatment. This was a complete waste of money and a very disappointing level of medical care. I do not recommend this doctor.

This is my second low value patient experience with Carbon Health. The first was during the pandemic. Objectively, Carbon Health lacks the basics of customer service. The first red flag was the inability to get the front desk on the phone before arriving. The front desk experience often times is reflective of the rest of the patient’s experience and it held true today. The NP requested to record our encounter to prevent having to fully dictate the encounter. This was a first for me. However, the recorded and discussed treatment regime was not what was ordered. As a visual learner, I repeated the discussed regimen of Ibuprofen 600mg every 8-hours times 2-weeks and Voltaren topically back to the NP to ensure I had it correct. I ended up having to go to two different pharmacies. The Ibuprofen was never discussed as over the counter and it was not ordered for either pharmacy. Antidotally, higher prescription doses of Ibuprofen are usually more effective. Moreover, it took an extended amount of time to again reach the front desk to request the Ibuprofen prescription as initially discussed and then had to wait for the prescription to be electronically ordered and filled by the second pharmacy. The prescription was written for 200mg tabs rather than one 600mg tan, increasing the pill burden of having to take three pills every eight hours/ nine pills a day rather than three a day. This is certainly not patient-centered care. I feel for patients with low health literacy levels, as a printout of the treatment regimen was not provided. Carbon Health’s mission indicates they provide smart, hassle-free Primary & Urgent Care. My customer service experience did not mirror their mission. I am reluctant to utilize Carbon Health in the future.

Do not come here without an appointment. This is not a true urgent care facility, walk ins are ignored. Additionally, I was told by the front desk staff that all appointment times always look available on their website. This allows multiple people to book an appointment at the same time, even if there are not enough providers to see all patients at the same time. I recommend using another urgent care facility if you want an actual appointment time or wish to avoid a lengthy wait.

I was delayed by another person checking in ahead of me (finishing forms, etc.) while I was waiting behind. When my turn came, the receptionist / doctor said they have a strict 10 min grace period and refused to see me. I flagged that I was waiting in line (they have been aware) but still wasn’t allowed. Pretty dumb

Really great experience here, made an appointment but it wasn’t busy when I got there. The staff was really caring and helped me with everything I needed. Definitely will come here in the future.

Super cool super fast answered all my questions and fixed my phone in under 70 seconds. Give them a gold Rolex when they decide to retire. Highly recommend

Nurse practitioner wanted to leave as quickly as possible even though they were not busy and I had several questions. In the end, she was less informative than Google Gemini. Save yourself the copay

I had a superb experience in this location. The wait was not long and everyone was professional. Kimberly was amazing and we completed my appointed we ease. She deserves much praise as she was handling multiple things (phone calls, door, new patients) all at once by herself. A true leader. Because of her, I would definitely go back to that location.

The room was ice cold. The NP I saw 2 weeks prior gave me misinformation about a spider bite I had and urged me to come in if I got another for a swab test of the bite. So I did just that, only to be told that isn’t a thing. Quite frustrating to spend money on another copay and uber to and from the office. Do better.