Finding a doctor in Palo Alto

Moving to Palo Alto puts you a few minutes from Stanford's medical campus and Sutter Health's largest local clinic. That does not mean getting a doctor is quick. New patient appointments can take weeks. The right choice depends far more on your insurance than on distance. The best time to find a primary care doctor is before you get sick.

This page is informational, not medical advice. It explains how the local systems are organized, how to check whether a doctor is in your network and where to go if you are uninsured, using what the providers and the City of Palo Alto publish as of November 2026. Insurance details change every year, so always confirm with your plan and the doctor's office.

Step one: check your network

In the Palo Alto area your insurance plan largely decides where you go. Three things matter most.

• Stanford and Sutter are separate. Stanford Health Care and Sutter's Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) are different organizations with different contracts. Some plans include both. Others include only one.
• Kaiser is its own system. Kaiser Permanente members generally see Kaiser doctors at Kaiser facilities, apart from emergencies.
• HMO or PPO. HMO plans usually require you to pick a primary care doctor in a specific medical group and get referrals for specialists. PPO plans give more freedom at a higher price.

To check a doctor, follow these steps:

1. Find the exact plan name on your insurance card or enrollment paperwork, not just the company name.
2. Search your plan's online provider directory for primary care near Palo Alto, filtered for doctors accepting new patients.
3. Call the doctor's office, read them the plan name and ask whether they accept it and are taking new patients.
4. For an HMO, confirm which medical group the doctor belongs to and select that doctor with your plan.

If you are still choosing a plan, compare networks before you compare premiums. Our health insurance guide covers Covered California, Medi-Cal and free enrollment help.

The major health systems

Sutter Health's Palo Alto Medical Foundation

PAMF's Palo Alto Center at 795 El Camino Real, beside Town and Country Village, holds primary care, more than 50 specialty services, imaging, labs and adult and children's urgent care. Sutter lists center hours as weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with urgent care open longer. Patients book through Sutter's My Health Online portal. Our PAMF guide covers parking and history.

Stanford Health Care

Stanford runs primary care, specialty clinics and express care sites around the Peninsula along with its hospitals. Its Express Care at 211 Quarry Road lists hours of 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily by appointment. For children, Stanford Medicine Children's Health is tied to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital; see our Packard Children's guide.

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser has no medical office inside Palo Alto that we could find. Members usually use the Mountain View Medical Offices at 555 Castro Street, with hospitals in Redwood City and Santa Clara. Kaiser's member services line is 1-800-464-4000. Our Kaiser guide lists after-hours options.

The VA

Enrolled veterans can get primary care through the VA Palo Alto Health Care System at 3801 Miranda Avenue in the foothills. Our VA Palo Alto page explains the campus.

Community clinics and care without insurance

Being uninsured or on Medi-Cal does not mean going without a regular doctor. The City of Palo Alto lists these clinics on its resource pages:

Ravenswood is a community health center based in East Palo Alto. It also runs MayView clinics in Mountain View and Sunnyvale. Ravenswood's referral page says specialty care is available to its patients by referral, depending on their coverage. Call to ask about becoming a new patient and what to bring.

Telehealth

Video visits have become a normal part of care here. Sutter patients use My Health Online. Stanford and Kaiser also offer video visits through their own patient portals. Many employer and Covered California plans include a separate telehealth service, often listed on the back of the card or in the plan's app.

Telehealth works well for prescription refills, many minor problems and follow-up visits. It does not replace an in-person physical exam or a doctor who knows your history. If a telehealth service is not part of your plan's network, ask about the cost before the visit starts.

Specialists, children and referrals

Palo Alto is a regional center for specialty care, so many residents see a specialist within the same system as their primary care doctor. Under most HMO plans you need a referral from your primary care doctor first. Without one, the plan may refuse to pay. PPO members can often book a specialist directly, but the visit still costs less in network.

For children, pick a pediatrician or family doctor the same way you would for an adult: check the plan, then call. Both Stanford and Sutter run pediatric practices. Sutter's children's urgent care at 795 El Camino Real sees patients from birth to 17. Ask a new pediatric office how it handles vaccines, school and camp forms and sick visits on short notice. Our vaccines and flu shots guide covers seasonal shots.

A few practical habits help wherever you land:

• Keep a copy of every referral number and authorization your plan issues.
• Ask whether lab work and imaging should be done inside the same system to stay in network.
• If you change plans at open enrollment, confirm that your doctors and any specialists are in the new network before January 1.

Before your first appointment

• Sign up for the system's patient portal as soon as you book. It is how you message the office, see results and request refills.
• Ask your previous doctor to send records, including vaccination history.
• Bring your insurance card, a photo ID and a list of medications with doses.
• Write down your questions. First visits are short.
• Ask how the office handles same-day sick visits and after-hours calls.

Need a pharmacy close to home? Our pharmacies guide lists them. For teeth and eyes, which most medical plans handle separately, see our dental care guide.

While you wait for a first appointment

If you get sick before your first visit, you still have options. Sutter's adult and children's urgent care clinics at 795 El Camino Real list hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. The adult clinic takes walk-ins. Stanford's Express Care and its Walk-In Clinic at Hoover Pavilion cover other hours. Our urgent care guide compares them. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

For mental health care, your plan's behavioral health number is usually on the back of your card. County residents with Medi-Cal or no insurance can call the county's Behavioral Health Services Call Center at 800-704-0900. Our mental health resources page has more.

Frequently asked questions