Urgent, Primary, and Integrative Care in Hillcrest
At our Hillcrest clinic, we provide urgent care for concerns that need timely attention and primary care for preventive visits, follow-up, and ongoing health needs.
Our team includes medical and naturopathic providers, so you can access different types of care within the same practice.
Call 760.230.1888 or book an appointment below.
What Kind of Care Can You Get in Hillcrest?
Hillcrest is our central San Diego clinic, sitting inside the Fourth and Fifth Avenue medical corridor between two major hospitals. You can come to our Hillcrest clinic for a physical, a new symptom, an ongoing condition, or a naturopathic consultation, with EKG and select lab work handled right in the building.
Primary + Urgent Care
Primary care in Hillcrest covers preventive visits, routine screenings, and chronic condition management.
Urgent care covers illnesses, minor injuries, and infections that need prompt attention but aren’t emergencies.
Come in for an urgent concern, and you can continue with our primary care team when you need follow-up or ongoing care.
Integrative + Naturopathic Care
We offer naturopathic medicine and integrative medicine alongside conventional medical care. Our holistic health services cover nutrition counseling, hormone testing and replacement, botanicals, nutraceuticals and supplement guidance, and lifestyle change coaching.
Because our providers work from the same chart, your naturopathic doctor can review the same medical history, lab results, and other information as your physician. Naturopathic visits are self-pay.
More Care Across the Healthtopia Network
We offer sports medicine, women’s and men’s health, sports physicals, medical clearance before surgery, telemedicine, and back pain relief.
If a service you need isn’t available at our Hillcrest clinic, ask the front desk, and we’ll help you find the right location.
EKG Services
We offer in-clinic EKG testing when a provider determines it’s appropriate, including for concerns such as palpitations or chest symptoms and for certain pre-surgical evaluations.
Select On-Site Lab
Blood draws and common lab panels are handled in the building, so routine results come back without a separate trip. Some specialized panels still go to an outside lab, and the front desk can tell you which before you book.
COVID-19 Antigen Testing
We provide rapid antigen results in about fifteen minutes, using a shallow nasal swab. If you need a PCR test instead, our Encinitas and Rancho Santa Fe clinics run those with same-day results.
Mobile Care Throughout North County
If getting to the clinic is difficult, mobile care may be an option. We provide primary and urgent care visits outside the clinic in homes, offices, and senior living settings, so patients can still receive medical evaluation and follow-up without unnecessary travel.
Call 760.230.1888 to ask whether mobile care is available where you are.
Trusted By Patients in Hillcrest
With more than 300 Google reviews and a 4.9-star rating, Healthtopia Hillcrest has built a strong local reputation among patients in the community.
Reading those experiences can give you a better sense of what the clinic feels like before you book, from the way providers listen and explain things to the overall experience of receiving care.
Testimonials
Who Provides Care at Our Hillcrest Location?
Our Hillcrest team includes family and integrative medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, emergency medicine physicians, and naturopathic doctors, giving you access to several areas of expertise within the same practice.
Healthtopia was founded in 2018 by two board-certified emergency physicians, Dr. Joy Hardison and Dr. James Howard. Their emergency-medicine experience continues to shape how we approach urgent care: taking symptoms seriously, evaluating them methodically, and recognizing when someone needs a higher level of care.
Dr. Joy Hardison
CEO · Emergency Physician and General Practitioner
Earned her MD and MPH from Mayo Medical School in 2009 and completed her emergency medicine residency at the University of Arizona, then spent years in hospitals across the Southwest. She is also an adjunct professor at Bastyr University California and founded Healthtopia in 2018.
Dr. James Howard
COO · MD, MS · Board-Certified Emergency Medicine
A board-certified emergency physician with more than a decade of practice and one of Healthtopia’s original founders. He has a variety of experience with healthcare transformation, health services research, emergency medical services, disaster preparedness, aeromedical retrievals, and emergency and general medical practice.
Insurance and Payment at Hillcrest
Healthtopia is in-network with Medicare and most PPO plans.
Call 760.230.1888 ext. 3 before your first visit, and our front desk team can check your specific plan while you’re on the phone. It only takes a minute and can help you understand your expected coverage before your visit.
Visit Our Hillcrest Clinic on Fourth Avenue
We are at 3940 Fourth Ave, Suites 130 and 140, a block off University Avenue in the Fourth and Fifth Avenue medical corridor.
- Coming from Mission Hills or Bankers Hill, it is a few minutes along Washington Street or Fourth.
- From North Park or University Heights, take University Avenue west.
- From anywhere south or east of Balboa Park, State Route 163 puts you a few blocks away.
When Does Urgent Care Make Sense, and When Should You Go to the ER?
Urgent care is appropriate for many illnesses and injuries that need prompt attention but aren’t life-threatening, including a bad flu, a cut that may need stitches, an infection that isn’t improving, or certain symptoms that warrant an EKG. We have EKG and select lab work in the building, and if your symptoms are better suited to emergency care, we’ll tell you directly.
For severe trouble breathing, signs of stroke, major trauma, or seizures, go straight to an emergency department. If you need emergency care, Scripps Mercy and UC San Diego Health are both nearby and open 24 hours.
Who Do We See From Around Hillcrest?
Patients come to the clinic from Hillcrest and surrounding central San Diego neighborhoods, including Mission Hills, Bankers Hill, University Heights, North Park, and nearby Uptown communities.
If another Healthtopia office is closer to where you live or work, we also have locations in Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, and Sorrento Valley.
Right in the Middle of Hillcrest
The shops and restaurants along University Avenue are immediately around the corner. Balboa Park’s northwest corner begins about half a mile southeast, the Hillcrest Farmers Market runs Sunday mornings on Normal Street a little under a mile east of us, and the Hillcrest Pride Flag at Pride Square is a walk of about 15 minutes in the same direction.
Schedule Care at Healthtopia Hillcrest
Whether you need a routine physical, primary care follow-up, or care for a new concern, you can book an appointment at our Hillcrest clinic online.
Need urgent care in Hillcrest? Call 760.230.1888 ext. 3 if you need to be seen today or don’t see an appointment time that works.
FAQs About Urgent Care in Hillcrest
How do I book an appointment at Healthtopia Hillcrest?
You can schedule through our Hillcrest booking page or call 760.230.1888 ext. 3. If you need care sooner and don’t see a suitable appointment online, call us directly to ask about availability.
Does the Hillcrest clinic accept insurance?
Healthtopia is in-network with Medicare and most PPO plans, while naturopathic visits are currently self-pay. Because coverage varies by plan and provider, confirm your benefits with the Hillcrest office before your appointment.
What if I do not have insurance or Healthtopia is out of network?
Healthtopia offers self-pay options, so call the office before your appointment and ask what the visit you need will cost. That gives you a chance to understand the expected rate before you arrive.
Can I get an X-ray at the Hillcrest clinic?
No, while Hillcrest offers EKG testing and select on-site lab work, imaging isn’t available. If you come in with a suspected fracture, we’ll assess you and let you know where you should go for imaging.
What is the difference between seeing an MD and an ND here?
Our MDs provide conventional diagnosis, prescriptions, urgent care, and chronic disease management, while our NDs focus on nutrition counseling, hormone testing and replacement, supplements, and lifestyle support. Patients may see both, and because they share the same practice and chart, care stays connected. Naturopathic visits are self-pay.