ER Direct

I’m really happy with this service. I got a call back within ten minutes, and my PA Paula was thorough and clear on the phone about how much the cost would be. My issue was with my eye, and she also told me straight up that while she could do a preliminary exam, she would still encourage me to go to my opthalmologist the next day.
When Paula arrived she was incredibly kind and did a really thorough exam of my eye. Like seriously, I’ve not experienced such genuine medical care in a really long time.
The cost actually ended up being $ 50 less than what I thought it might be when I looked at their price list online. Honestly, for the speed of service and quality of care, it was an absolute steal. I’m really grateful that I didn’t have to go to an emergency room (it was passed the time when any urgen care places were open) and deal with the wait times, paperwork, and rush that comes with them.

Called to request someone to come out to take care of a sliced finger — Promised a call back in 15 minutes, but nothing. receive a call back 50 minutes from their answering service, but that call was dropped.
Called back again. more dropped calls, but eventually transferred to their Berkeley office to be told their system crashed and they’re not taking appointments — Would of been nice to know that an hour prior.
Their health care might be great, but their administration is apparently useless.

The whole process was easy and staff were extremely friendly. The only thing I would suggest is having more transparent pricing on the website so that new patients can book without too much pricing concern.
Weekday house calls:
$ 175 from 8am-​6pm,
$ 200 from 6pm-​10pm
Weekend house calls:
$ 200 from 8am-​6pm,
$ 250 from 6pm-​10pm
+ $ 1 per minute of drive time
Once they’re onsite, the antibiotic shots are $ 75 and bottle of antibiotics are $ 25 (think both of these have a flat rate), which is most cases is what you need. Say you called on a Saturday night from San Francisco (they charged me $ 50 driving from Hayward), your visitation will put you at $ 300 + $ 75 + 25, you’re looking at $ 400. This is definitely not bad compare for the hours of wait at ER not to mention the cost!
The doctor Paula, was extremely friendly and patient. She answered all my questions and was very understanding when she had to repeat herself multiple times (what do you expect from someone running a 104 degree fever? haha). All in all, that was a great experience and I would definitely call them again (hopefully I won’t have the need to).

Walked in on a Saturday morning with a sore throat. They saw me right away — when has that ever happened in the history of urgent care?! The RN was smart, nice and answered all my questions. This place is a gem.

I’ve been sick for a few days. Instead of driving to Urgent Care and waiting hours to be seen, I looked up here on Unilocal and contacted ER Direct. Within a couple of hours Rachel Baker came over, evaluated me and gave me prescriptions so I can get over this bug. I’m so glad that house calls of the magnitude is back and God forbid I’m sick again I will call! Thank you!

This is how all healthcare should be — personal, convenient, and affordable. I saw Rachel Baker, PA-​C, and she was amazing. She outlined all the options and fees to make sure I was able to get the best care within my budget. She was prompt and very caring. I will definitely be using this service in the future. Thank you, Rachel!

I cut my foot badly on a holiday, and did not want to drive with it bleeding. I discovered ER Direct. The doctor arrived just when they said he would. He was quite personable and I have to say his skill with stitchery is impressive. My foot is healing nicely. I’m so glad I found this service!

This service is fantastic. I had a nurse practitioner come to my house when I thought I had strep throat. She brought a huge bag with her with tons of supplies. We sat at my dining room table and she performed a rapid strep test right there. Low and behold. positive for strep, so she sent a prescription to my pharmacy. The whole process was very fast and the nurse was incredibly professional! Saved me a trip to the hospital on a Saturday, and I was able to get medicine and start recovery rapidly. Thanks ER Direct!

I have a history of extreme pain from kidney stones episodes, which typically require a trip to the ER, which is no fun. I was in too much pain to call a doctor, no time for an appointment, but the ER is awful, so I called my mom, who got on Unilocal (go mom!) and found ER Direct. What happened next was simply amazing.
I called ER Direct around 9pm and simply told the operator my city and my pain issue. Within 5 minutes, a doctor called me back and said she was on the way to my house with the only two things in the world that solve kidney episodes– an IV and a kidney-​specific pain/​inflammatory drug. No ER visit would be necessary.
Rachel arrived to my house at 9:30pm, we discussed medical history and before I knew it, she did a laboratory analysis in my bathroom and got me set up with the IV on my living room couch. An hour later, by 10:30pm, I was feeling better than I had all week. During that hour (and a half, she stayed well past close of business!) she gave me 100% of her attention, she was kind and helpful and caring. She gave me exactly what I needed. There was no waiting for an ER doctor to do rounds before getting back to me, she sat on my floor and provided good, decent human care. This is the way health care should be. Timely. Personal. Simple. Awesome.
I should mention these costs are out of pocket (possible reimbursable), which Rachel made very clear and easy to understand over the phone well before she arrived. I should also mention that the complete cost of care was $ 15 less than the deductible for my most recent ER trip, and the whole experience with ER Direct was SO much better than I have had with ANY bay area health provider (in terms of cost, timeliness of service, quality of care and basic human decency). Rachel told me they are best at tackling issues of folks like me, who have known issues and don’t need diagnostics, just immediate care. Total godsend for kidney stones, if I have another episode, I know who to call!

Amazing! These people are angels. This is the way health care should be. I got a 3-​inch gash on my head that needed a lot of stitches. I tried going to one of the major urgent care providers and they turned me away saying they couldn’t handle my injury. They told me I had to go to the ER. That was BS. I knew it wasn’t that bad and suspected the doc just wanted to go home since it was so close to closing time. Luckily I found ER direct. I got to wait at home instead of a hospital, the PA was amazing with my three year old who was very curious about daddy’s booboo, and she stitched me up in no time. Easily the best medical experience of my life.

This is the best discovery ever! I wish I would have known about this service sooner. It beats waiting in an ER room, waiting hours to be seen for something small.
I called the main # and gave them some brief information about myself. They had someone call me back. While waiting for that call i remained in bed, watching a movie in the comfort of my own home. Received that call almost immediately. They told me that for what I needed, they didn’t need to come to my house. They did an over the phone consultaion. So they told me exactly how much I had to pay for that service ahead of time which was great and very affordable. I thought to myself, «I’m going to go to the pharmacy and there is going to be no medicine ever ordered for me». This was too good to be true. Well, I went to the Pharmacy and whalaa, my ordered and ready to go priscription medicine was ready for pick up! Amazing! Most convenient service ever!
I actually can’t wait to try this service again! Hopefully for something minor of course.

I would highly recommend ER Direct. I was in severe pain from a back strain, and it was too late to get to my Dr. I was looking up urgent care facilities online and ran across ER Direct. Within minutes of sending an contact request I was called back and scheduled for a visit by a Physicians Assistant (Rachel) later that night. Rachel was great, explaining my options for pain treatment. She gave me a shot that night, and a prescription for the next morning. I think the pricing is very reasonable for a home visit after hours ($ 200) plus the cost of the shot. They take care of billing my insurance company for me. I’ve been to an urgent care facility and ER for other issues, and look forward to using ER Direct in the future. What a great idea for medical care!

Skip to the last 4 paragraphs to read ONLY about ER Direct.
You’re welcome.
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WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
I have used ER Direct twice and I cannot adequately express into words how amazing this service is without sounding like I was bribed. (To be clear, I was not. I don’t think the words « Unilocal» or «review» were brought up at all. Ever.)
If you’ve ever had the misfortune of going to an American ER either for yourself or to accompany a friend or family member (*raises hand* THRICE in my 6 years in the US). you will agree it is utter crap. They have to triage, which is good and necessary, but then tons of those without bleeding headwounds or lost limbs — you know, uninsured people or those who just find they need a doctor at short notice or after hours — end up all in the same waiting room for a bit before enduring endless hours of waiting for actual examination. Sometimes you’ll find yourself rubbing elbows with a makeup-​stained panty-​flashing lady of the night or someone with ebola (or this recent bug that’s been going around which makes you so delirious and out of it you might even imagine you have ebola)… and sometimes you see blood. But even if you’re lucky and none of the above happens to you, you find yourself waiting upwards of 7 hours until 3am just to get your eye looked at. You know, the eye that clearly suffered some kind of corneal injury and NEEDS to be dealt with before you endure the 6.5 hour drive home to the Bay Area.
Well, ever since I gave birth to a small human, I have decided the American ER is not something I (or YOU should) EVER want to put an infant or toddler (or any aged person I love) through if I could avoid it at all.
Also, how EXPENSIVE is the ER?!? I went with an uninsured friend once and she was billed $ 1300 for her visit. WHAT?! I maintain that THAT was the most expensive bottle of Vicodin I have ever seen. (Chronic post-​accident back pain. D.A.R.E., guys.)
ANYWAY.
I’ve used ER Direct’s services twice as of February 2015. Both times, I needed to see someone in the middle of a weekend, after 5pm. It took less than 2 hours to make an appointment and receive a visit from a medical professional. Both visits cost me less than $ 500 (one was $ 350!) before insurance including some additional testing, which varied from a rapid flu test, glucose test, abscess removal, etc. They are very professional, requiring copies of your ID and insurance card (if you have one) and have all of the required forms on a touch screen device for you to sign electronically. You need to pay for the entire bill up front (at the end of their visit) and they will follow up with your insurance provider and send you a check with whatever dollar amount after adjustments are made.
FIRST VISIT: Fall 2013. I had a tiny little abscess which I was worried about because it was also accompanied by a fever. I was especially concerned because I was nursing my then-​newborn. Someone came promptly, removed the abscess, and prescribed antibiotics that were considered low risk for nursing Moms. Most convenient doctor visit I ever had followed by…
SECOND VISIT: February 2015. I opted for a visit from a PA this past Sunday because I wasn’t dying and could secure that appointment sooner than having to wait 30mins for a call from one of their doctors. Just had the aforementioned bug from hell and a 101.4−102.8 fever that lasted more than 2 days even with over the counter medication round the clock. (Bastard.) It took less than an hour to get a few things done including a blood glucose test, blood pressure test, temp check, rapid flu test (They swab your brain. Ok not really just your nasal cavity.)… She was so warm and friendly that my toddler absolutely adored her. She also had nice shoes (!) and recently went to the region of Italy where Pinocchio came from, which she talked about with my Pinocchio-​obsessed toddler as she awaited the results of my flu test. She disgnosed me and prescribed antibiotics which she had on hand, saving me a trip to the pharmacy. It really was the second most convenient trip to the doctor I have ever had (after the first visit I had from an ER Direct medical professional)… and I didn’t even need to change out of my pajamas.
(And now Rihanna’s earworm of a song will be playing in my head for the rest of the day…)

ER direct, where have you been all my life!!! Don’t hesitate, just try it. They are an awesome value with rockstar service. We will be return customers for sure!

I’ve called these folks twice — once for a fractured wrist and the other time for a horrible throat condition.
For the fractured wrist, I didn’t want to go to an ER because I had a days-​old newborn that needed me. I didn’t want to expose her to the germs in the ER. Thus, I found ER Direct. They came quickly, assessed the injury, gave me an amazing splint and arranged for a MOBILE X-​ray service to come. It was amazing. All of this happened very quickly and effectively. The x-​rays were emailed to me the same day and I was able to take them to my orthopedist of choice to get a cast put on. Great service.
For the throat condition, I had many severely large, PAINFUL bumps on my throat and tonsils. I couldn’t talk, eat, sleep — it was bad. I went to Urgent Care. They did a strep test and said it wasn’t strep. They didn’t give me any other treatment, said it was a virus, and told me to be on my way. The next day, I was in SO much pain. I called ER Direct to see if I was getting worse. They immediately came, treated me with compassion and offered me both an immediate shot of a painkiller so I could rest and recover as well as a prescription for a steroid to reduce the throat swelling. Why didn’t Urgent Care offer me this?!? I was able to finally sleep and my body could recover. Overall, it was the same price as Urgent Care since I have a high-​deductible medical plan. Next time, I’m calling ER Direct first and not wasting my time at UC.
The people at ER Direct are effective, efficient, compassionate and amazing. This is a great service that I hope will be around for a long time. Great job, guys! I recommend you to all of my local friends, and your phone number is on my refrigerator. :)
PS — The guys at ER Direct also call you when they’re on their way to keep you updated as to when they will be there. They also call you the next day to see how you’re doing and make sure you’re ok. How’s that for service!!! They really care.

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, my back was in such severe spasms I could not get out of bed. Any movement was very painful. I didn’t know how I would be able to make it to a Dr, urgent care, or ER without having to call an ambulance.
I decided to see if it could find any urgent care-​type physician who could do a house call. I found ER Direct based out of Oakland.
I spoke with Dr Djavaherian on the phone and gave him my symptoms. He gave me a time estimate and was on time.
Dr Djavaherian came to my apartment and assessed my situation. He listened and was very empathetic to my situation. He treated me for my immediate pain and left me with instructions and prescriptions for follow up care. He even gave me his cell #, in case I needed anything. The next morning, I was up and moving around with much less pain.
I don’t know what I would have done without this service and Dr Djavaherian. The fee was much less than an ER and saved me from having to wait in one (in pain) for who knows how long. In addition, I did not have to compete for time with other patients. Since it was one-​on-​one with the Dr, I had his undivided attention.
Also — Dr Djavaherian made me aware of the costs along the way and asked me my preference to leave the prescriptions with me or write them and I could pick them up myself. It was obvious he was trying to make the visit as cost effective as possible.
I will definitely use this service again and would highly recommend it! I would give them 10 stars, if I could. I wish all health care could be this way.

I found this company when I sliced open my finger. Terrified of the cost of the emergency room and unsure whether I needed it, I got online and found these guys.
I can’t say enough about Doctor Djavaherian. He was available immediately. He explained his service and how it worked before asking for me to send photos of my injury. I made a short video of my finger and e-​mailed it to him. After a short conversation his advice was that not only did I not need an emergency room. I did not need his services either.
(BTW, lest you think I just plain over-​reacted, the cut was deep enough I lost feeling in tip of my finger for six months. He rightly said that if the cut had already damaged the nerve… a few stitches was not going to fix the problem. I put on a butterfly bandage myself and today it feels and looks fine.)
So, it is somewhat ironic that I am writing such a sparkling review having never met the man. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed and recommended him to friends and family in the area. I thought the least I could do was to share the story on Unilocal.
If I could give six stars, I would: Because not only is the service as good as it gets in its category, this company is creating an important new category. Hopefully, this is the future of medicine.
Put these guys on your phone now.

I woke up at 4 in the morning with awful gastrointestinal distress. I was in pain, nervous and worried about what it could be. It was not safe to drive to my MD, and I didn’t see the use of taking a taxi or BART to my own MD miles away, since I needed to stay near the bathroom!
It is kind of scary to phone a stranger from ER Direct, but I knew I did not want to have another bad night, or have to go to the ER later. Mr. Sean Parkin took my call and said he would be at my door in an hour or an hour and a half. He drove up in a huge truck well stocked with medical supplies and was very understanding and asked many questions. He gave me medication to relieve my distress and instructions on what to do should symptoms worsen. It was wonderful to not have to wait on line for medication at the pharmacy when all you want to do is rest and feel better.
The best part is the fact that he took time to counsel me on exactly what he thought was going on and discussed my feelings and the personal challenges I have been facing. He has a very soothing manner and could see that I was feeling upset. I felt much calmer knowing that I found a great professional who listened and answered my questions.
Should you need a house call, do not hesitate to pick up the phone– they are a much– needed service in our difficult times.

Holy Moly. These guys (well, actually Sean Parkin, MS, PA-​C) were a GODSEND!
I live alone and hurt my back.
I could barely get out of bed let alone walk.
There was no way I was going to make it to an emergency room let alone to my primary care doctor (it was saturday anyway so her offices were closed).
I was a bit concerned about calling an unknown service and having a stranger come into my home but I was desperate. Sean arrived within an hour and was 100% professional and very attentive. He assessed my back and was able to give me medications on the spot including an injection (yipes!).
So let me recap: hurt my back, couldn’t move. Called ER Direct and they were at my house within an hour. Totally professional, capable, and knowledgable. Diagnosed and prescribed two medications which they were able to fill without me having to take a step (except to open the front door).
Three days later, I’m on the mend and am so grateful to Sean.
It wasn’t cheap but the emergency room would have cost at least triple the amount.
Bottom line: if you’re in a pinch, call ER Direct.

I had a great experience with ER direct today. Sean showed up on time and was very
Easy to work with and accommodating. I wold recommend the service to anyone who
Doesn’t like to wait hours at the hospital and be able to stay at home like in the great old days. You get what you pay for and ER direct is worth the money
Cory

In the years since we moved to the Bay Area, I’ve only had to go to urgent care once (after slipping on a Hostess cake and falling down a flight of concrete stairs), and I’ve been dreading the day that I would have to go again.
Recently I was sick enough to go to urgent care but not sick enough to be willing to deal with a five hour wait on a cold plastic chair next to a three year old with the flu. Enter mobile Urgent Care– I didn’t even know it existed until this morning, but I’m in love. Slightly more pricey than regular urgent care but less than an ER trip and ohhh so much more comfortable. $ 275 is WAY less than an ER visit, and only slightly more than an urgent care visit. Did I mention THEY COME TO YOUR HOUSE? When the worst part of your doctor visit is how embarrassed you are about the state of your kitchen, well… Could be worse.
Sometimes things go wrong with the bod and leaving the house is just not an option. Sometimes, especially if you can do some work from home, you can think of your investment in a home-​call visit as an advantage– instead of sitting for hours in a waiting room, not being able to do anything (essentially wasting time), you can stay at home and wait for ER Direct. This serves a dual purpose: distract yourself from your condition by getting some things done on the computer, and use the time you would have spent getting coughed on in a freezing waiting room to get some work done and earn back what you’ll spend on ER direct’s service.
I didn’t even have to go to the pharmacy, he brought everything with him, didn’t charge me for any tests and was ALL about my biodiesel car. Definitely worth a little bit extra for quality care, comfort, speed of service and overall rad-​ness. Good to know this option is out there for future illnesses or next time my hubs decides to stick his hand in a running Skilsaw. I’m normally a naturopathic-​all-​the-​way kind of gal, but there are a few things I go western for, mainly injuries and raging infections. If you live in Oakland or Berkeley and you’re feelin’ yucky, check these guys out:
. Dr. Parkin was awesome!

Monday. New Year’s Eve. J is rooting around in the fridge and spies an oxtail dish his mother made for him THREE weeks ago. Unbeknownst to me, J warms up oxtail dish and EATS it around 12:30p. By 3:30p, he is having gastrointestinal distress and by 4:30pm, he is in bed.
Fast forward to 2p on Thursday. FOUR days later. I have made 3 trips to walgreens. I have purchased a digital thermometer, a digital wrist blood pressure reader, Gatorade, Zico, Pedialyte and a Mexican version of Pedialyte that was so sweet that even J refused to drink it. J is STILL in bed, persistent headaches and too dizzy to stand. I call the largest primary care group in oakland — the earliest appointments are in mid to late february. The scheduler says that J can see the PA or NP instead of MD’s but everyone is booked and recommends two urgent care places. I estimate the likelihood of convincing J to get dressed and endure a 4 hour wait and pay thousands of dollars is about the same chance as him swiffering the wood floors each week. Furthermore, his Y chromosome genetically predisposes him to believe that he never needs medical care.
What to do? I dive into Unilocal and find ER Direct. I call around 2:40p and speak to Jim Mclean, a Physician Assistant who also (I learn later) has an MPH and MS. I asked for Dr. Caesar Davaherian MD (founder of ER Direct) and learn he is not available till Monday. Jim is on shift today; Paula, another PA, is working this weekend. I tell Jim what symptoms J is experiencing. Jim says he is seeing a patient in Oakland at 3:30p and he could see J around 5p. I tell him I will call back if J doesn’t improve after taking ibuprofen. I call back around 3:30p and speak to Kyle, the scheduler, who asks a few basic questions: Is J’s condition urgent? Do I need a call back within 15 min or 2 hours? What symptoms is J experiencing?
Within an hour, I hear back from Jim, who says he can be over at the house in 10 – 15 min. Jim arrives carrying 3 huge bags of equipment. He can do blood tests, x-​ray, ultrasound, even give IV fluids. He disinfects (with Purell) his hands before and after examining J. He does a physical exam, takes BP/​temp, takes history and answers many questions (mine). We discuss bacterial vs viral illnesses. His conclusion is that J is on the mend but that he can offer 3 things if it would make me feel better: 1. Blood test to see if his electrolytes are normal ($ 150); 2. IV fluids ($ 100); 3. Rx for Cipro (which may give J more diarrhea). Jim then says that judging by the feel of J’s skin and J’s movements /​balance (he made J stand up and close his eyes for ten seconds), he thinks J is only mildly dehydrated. Jim advocates drinking Zico (much better than Gatorade) and even says that J can do bikram yoga on Sunday (taking it easy in class) to sweat out the rest of the toxins.
Jim’s approach was professional, friendly, knowledgeable, practical and reassuring. He took his time examining J. He was very patient and responsive. Even when I waffled on making an appointment during the first phone call, he invited me to call back if I had further questions. Post visit, Jim called me in response to an email I sent and even responded to my subsequent long text message.
After Jim left, J started drinking more fluids (I had threatened him with the IV) and 3 hours later, J got up and walked to the living room. Progress!
No paper is involved. When Jim arrived, I filled out basic info on his iPad and J signed it. To pay, I gave him a credit card and he swiped it using his iPhone and I signed the iPhone screen. A receipt was emailed to me. Just like the Apple store.
The bill for the ER would have been over $ 1,000 (conservative estimate) and the wait at least 4 hours.
Charge = $ 275 during normal hours M-​F. There is an extra charge for after hours starting 6p, weekends and holidays.
No upselling. No waiting. No driving. No insurance. No paper involved. No rushing.
Terrific experience. Would use ER Direct again.
Here is an East Bay Express article about ER Direct:

I *thought* that i just a water clog in my left ear on thursday and thought it would jsut go away. i thought totally wrong! i had severe pain for 2 days and was on a cocktail of painkillers for 2 days.
On saturday morning i woke up to unbearable pain in my left ear and scrambled to find a doctor on Unilocal.I called up ER direct as they offered to come home and treat.
Dr.Sean Parkin came to my house within an hours time and after a quick inspection found the issue which was a bad case of wax and ear infection. He was patient and cleaned my ear as quickly as possible. Once he pulled the troublesome material out my pain just left immediately! What a relief.
He did not blindly prescribe any anti biotics and told me to give him a call if something was not feeling alright.
He was nice enough to call me on Monday and check up on my condition.
If u have to go to the ER for not so serious issues but those which need immediate care I would totally recommend Dr.Sean. If not for his service I am doubtful if i would have been able to go to an ER clinic right in the morning with that severe pain.
CaseInPoint:
(I am a student and have no car/​bike for transport and am living alone away from my friends and family doing my internship; so basically i was screwed)