Zuckerberg San Francisco General Emergency Room & ER Info

There is no closing time for the ZSFG Emergency Department. This is different from outpatient clinics and urgent care, which operate on scheduled hours.

The hospital provides 24-hour emergency services for adults and children. ZSFG also provides 24-hour psychiatric emergency assessment.

If someone is being brought by ambulance, emergency medical personnel will handle the appropriate receiving route. If you are arriving by private vehicle or rideshare, follow signs for Emergency / Building 25 rather than entering another outpatient building first.

ZSFG does not see patients strictly in arrival order. Emergency departments use clinical priority, so someone who arrives later may be treated first if their condition is more serious.

ZSFG does not publish a guaranteed ER wait time for every patient. A static “current wait” posted in an article would quickly become inaccurate because triage demand can change minute by minute.

Emergency Medicine leadership at ZSFG

Emergency physicians publicly associated with ZSFG by UCSF

UCSF’s Emergency Medicine faculty and individual professional profiles publicly list the following physicians in connection with Zuckerberg San Francisco General. Academic titles can change over time; the names below are included because they appear in UCSF’s public ZSFG/emergency-medicine listings or current UCSF profiles.

The ZSFG Emergency Department is staffed continuously, but patients are assigned to the clinical team working at the time of the visit. Emergency care is based on acuity and staffing, not on appointments with a particular doctor.

Calling the hospital does not guarantee that staff can provide a future attending-physician roster, and a physician’s academic office number should not be used for an emergency. For a medical emergency, use the ED or call 911.

ZSFG operates the only Level I Trauma Center serving San Francisco and northern San Mateo County. The trauma center receives critically injured adults and children and is integrated with emergency medicine, surgery, critical care, orthopedics and other specialties.

Public ZSFG and UCSF descriptions identify services that include general trauma surgery, critical care, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, hand surgery, and plastic and reconstructive surgery.

ZSFG is also a major receiving facility for specialized emergency conditions including trauma, burns, obstetric and gynecologic emergencies, psychiatric emergencies, sexual-assault care, hand re-implantation and pediatric emergencies.

ZSFG operates an Age-Friendly Emergency Department program in Building 25, 1st floor. It is designed to add geriatric-focused assessment, navigation, social-work support and safer discharge planning to the normal emergency visit.

ZSFG currently shows the AFED program beginning at 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. The hospital page does not clearly publish an end time in its current public hours display, so do not assume the dedicated AFED team is present 24/7. The main Emergency Department itself remains open 24/7.

The AFED team can assess issues such as mobility, hearing, vision, memory, nutrition, caregiver needs and safe discharge resources. ZSFG describes the program as accredited through geriatric emergency-care organizations.

ZSFG states that it provides psychiatric assessment for people who need emergency behavioral or mental-health evaluation. The emergency-care location is Building 25, 1st floor.

ZSFG announced updated urgent-care operating hours beginning July 1, 2026: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. and weekends and holidays 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.. Because pediatric and adult listings can display different individual start times, confirm the exact service before traveling.

ZSFG directs people to the Emergency Department or 911 for serious or life-threatening illness or injury, signs of labor, psychiatric emergencies, chest pain, severe injury or bleeding, sudden loss of vision, difficulty speaking or breathing, fainting or sudden dizziness, and severe abdominal pain.

Why an ER visit can generate more than one charge

ZSFG publishes hospital charges and price-transparency information, but it also explains that patients may receive separate professional-service estimates or bills from SFGH Medical Group.

The hospital’s current financial-assistance policy specifically states that emergency physician professional fees are billed under a separate SFGH Medical Group policy rather than the hospital’s main facility financial-assistance policy.

How to get a price estimate

The hospital’s policy effective January 1, 2025 says that the Charity Care Program is income-based and can waive qualifying hospital self-pay liability. Under that policy, household income for the Charity Care program may not exceed 138% of the federal poverty level.

Patients at or above 139% of the federal poverty level may be evaluated under the Discount Payment Program. The current policy states that there is no federal-poverty-level ceiling for that discount program; the patient’s income level is used to determine the discount.

How to apply

• One application is used for both Charity Care and Discount Payment review.
• Patients generally need to cooperate with insurance, third-party-liability and Medi-Cal screening requirements.
• The current policy requests income verification such as recent pay stubs or a tax return, with alternatives reviewed when standard documentation is unavailable.
• Patients are encouraged to apply within 12 months of the date of service.
• MyChart can also be used to request financial-assistance help.

Payment plans

ZSFG’s policy allows payment plans for eligible patient balances. Patients may request or renegotiate a plan through Patient Accounting, MyChart or the published financial services email. The policy also states that patients can create their own payment plan in MyChart when the account is eligible.

Registration staff may still ask for identification, insurance and demographic information when available because those details are needed for records and billing. Lack of insurance should not be used as a reason to delay seeking emergency care.

ZSFG also provides enrollment assistance for Medi-Cal, Covered California, Healthy San Francisco and other programs.

Garage entrances

• During the day: enter from 24th Street.
• In the evening: enter from 23rd Street.
• Metered street parking is available in some nearby areas.
• Other street spaces can have time restrictions.

ZSFG is in San Francisco’s Mission District and is accessible by Muni, BART and hospital/UCSF shuttles.

Current hospital visitor requirements

• Visitors should check in and follow staff instructions.
• A photo ID is required for visitor check-in.
• Visitor badges must be worn visibly.
• Weapons are not permitted; visitors pass through weapons detection.
• Bags may be checked.
• The hospital is drug-free and smoke-free.
• Visitors who are sick should postpone nonessential visits.
• Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
• Masking guidance can change depending on community and hospital conditions.

ZSFG provides interpreters 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no cost. Patients can ask a doctor, nurse or other staff member to arrange an interpreter.

Language support is available for patients who do not speak English fluently and for people who need communication support related to hearing or vision.

ZSFG specifically recommends avoiding valuables in the emergency department. If valuables are brought, the hospital advises having a trusted family member or friend hold them during treatment when possible.

San Francisco Health Network patients can request copies of medical records online, by mail or by appointment. Emergency-department records become part of the patient’s health record.

Common reasons to request ER records

• Sending the ED report to a primary-care physician
• Sharing imaging or test information with another specialist
• Insurance documentation
• Follow-up treatment
• Personal records

MyChart is the San Francisco Health Network patient portal used by ZSFG. Depending on the record and release timing, patients can use it to review health information, medications, test results, upcoming appointments, bills and price estimates.

MyChart can also be used for messages, appointment management, medical-record sharing, financial-assistance requests and eligible payment-plan functions.

ZSFG publishes weekday and Saturday outpatient pharmacy service beginning at 9:00 a.m.. Its specialty-pharmacy information currently lists prescription pickup as 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. weekdays and 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Saturdays, with Sunday closure.

The outpatient pharmacy also offers prescription delivery within San Francisco, interpreter support, specialized medication packaging and medication/sharps take-back.

Patient Experience can help patients and families locate departments, understand patient rights, communicate concerns and submit a formal patient concern statement.

ZSFG offers multi-faith chaplain support for patients and loved ones. From outside the hospital, spiritual-care support can be requested at 415-206-8500. Patients already inside the hospital can also ask a nurse to contact a chaplain.

A prayer and meditation room is available 24/7 on the second floor of Building 5.

• For a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
• Save Building 25 as the Emergency Department destination.
• Bring ID and insurance information if easily available, but do not delay care to locate them.
• Bring a medication and allergy list if possible.
• Avoid bringing valuables.
• If symptoms worsen while waiting, notify triage immediately.
• If you need an interpreter, request one at no charge.
• Visitors should bring photo ID for hospital check-in.
• If driving, know the public garage is at 2500 24th Street.
• Do not expect a first-come, first-served queue; the sickest patients are prioritized.