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Now accepting new patients in Bakersfield · Hablamos español

(661) 735-1710 contact@lacmedicine.com ES
Primary Care at LAC Medical
Accepting new patients · Same-week appointments

High blood pressure care in Bakersfield — part of your regular primary care.

High blood pressure is one of the most common things we manage at LAC Medical. Most people do not need a cardiologist to start. They need a primary care office that takes the reading properly, orders the labs that matter, reviews the medications, and books the next visit before they leave. That is ordinary work here, in English and in Spanish.

Request an appointment Call (661) 735-1710

5300 Lennox Avenue, Suite 105 · Bakersfield, CA 93309 Mon–Fri · 8 AM–5 PM

Why blood pressure gets attention in Kern County.

Kern County carries a heavier heart-disease burden than California as a whole. That is worth knowing, and it is not a reason to be frightened. It is why we check blood pressure at every visit instead of only when someone brings it up.

Read the numbers for what they are. They describe a county of roughly 910,000 people over several years, and they cannot tell you anything about your own reading. What they tell us is that blood pressure belongs in the routine part of the appointment — handled like cholesterol, thyroid, and diabetes inside regular primary care.

The last number is the one we point to most. Most people in Kern County who have been told they have high blood pressure are already being treated for it. This is common, it is familiar, and there is a well-worn path through it.

What the two numbers actually mean.

Every reading has two numbers. Here is what each one measures.

The top number is systolic pressure — the pressure in your arteries when your heart squeezes and pushes blood out. The bottom number is diastolic pressure — what stays in your arteries while your heart rests between beats.

A reading is written top over bottom: 128/78, said out loud as “128 over 78.” Guidelines sort adult readings into the categories below. Watch the small words — and means both numbers must be in that range; or means either number alone counts.

Categories are not personal targets. Where your own numbers should sit depends on your age, your other conditions, and what you already take — a conversation with a provider. How a reading is taken matters just as much: see checking your blood pressure at home.

Blood pressure categories for adults, in mm Hg. Source: 2025 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, 2025.
Category Systolic (top) Diastolic (bottom)
Normal Less than 120 and less than 80
Elevated 120 to 129 and less than 80
Stage 1 high blood pressure 130 to 139 or 80 to 89
Stage 2 high blood pressure 140 or higher or 90 or higher

One reading is not a diagnosis. Blood pressure moves all day — it rises with stress, pain, caffeine, a rushed walk from the parking lot. A diagnosis is based on an average of properly taken readings, usually on more than one occasion. That is what a visit is for.

What blood pressure management looks like here.

Nothing to enroll in, no program to sign up for. Blood pressure is handled inside your regular visits by the LAC team — Rocio Argueta, NP and Dr. Peyman Sarrafian, MD.

Regular visits and follow-up

  • Visit spacing depends on where your readings sit and what has changed.
  • Closer together after a medication change; further apart once things hold steady.
  • Same-week for new patients, same-day for established. The next visit is booked before you leave.

Testing in the office

  • Routine lab draws done here by our own staff — no second trip.
  • EKG (electrocardiogram) on site, when it will change what we do.
  • Results reviewed with you in plain language, not left in a portal.

Medication review

  • Every medication looked at together, including what someone else prescribed.
  • Supplements and over-the-counter products count. Some of them move blood pressure.
  • If a change makes sense, we explain why before anything changes.

Cardiovascular risk screening

  • Blood pressure is one piece. We look at the rest as part of regular care.
  • Cholesterol, blood sugar, kidney, and thyroid labs when they will change the plan.
  • High blood pressure and diabetes usually travel together — see diabetes care.

Chronic Care Management and Transitional Care Management

  • Chronic Care Management (CCM) — coordination between visits for patients living with ongoing conditions.
  • Transitional Care Management (TCM) — structured follow-up after a hospital discharge, when medications often change at once.
  • Whether either fits you, and what your plan covers, is a front-desk conversation.

Medicare’s free Annual Wellness Visit

  • On Medicare? Medicare’s free Annual Wellness Visit is a natural place to start.
  • New to Medicare — the Welcome to Medicare visit (IPPE) covers the same ground.
  • Blood pressure, medications, and cardiovascular risk are part of that conversation.

Spanish at every visit. Spanish-speaking provider and front desk staff every day the office is open. Esta página también está disponible en español.

What a first blood pressure visit looks like.

Five steps, start to finish. Most people are surprised by how ordinary it is.

  1. Before you come

    Bring your insurance card, your ID, and every medication bottle — or a written list, including supplements. If you own a home cuff, bring it and your readings. New patient forms are on patient resources. Please do not send medical information by email; save it for the visit.

  2. We take the reading properly

    Seated, back supported, feet flat, arm at heart level, cuff sized to your arm. If the first reading is high, we let you rest and take it again. We would rather spend three extra minutes than build a plan on a bad number.

  3. History and risk

    Family history, kidney and thyroid history, diabetes, cholesterol, smoking, alcohol, sleep, and everything you currently take. Sleep apnea and some ordinary medications push blood pressure up.

  4. Labs and EKG when they change the plan

    Labs are drawn in the office. We order them, and an EKG, when the result will actually affect a decision — not reflexively.

  5. You leave with a plan and a date

    What we are doing, what you are doing, and when we see you next. The follow-up is scheduled before you walk out.

When we bring in cardiology.

Here is the honest answer to the question most people are already asking. Most high blood pressure is managed in primary care, and most patients never need a cardiologist for it. Referring everyone with a high reading would add months of waiting without improving the care.

Some situations do call for a cardiologist, and when yours is one of them we say so plainly. We make the referral, send the records ahead so you are not repeating your history from memory, get the note back, and keep managing your primary care throughout. You can choose any cardiologist you like — tell us who and we send the records there. You are not handed off and forgotten.

Small practice care, full specialty network, no corporate runaround.

Checking your blood pressure at home.

Readings taken at home, done right, are the most useful thing you can bring to a visit.

Nationally, about 1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure has it under control.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Data Brief No. 511 (October 2024), NHANES August 2021–August 2023. National figure.

Home readings help close part of that gap: they show what your blood pressure does on an ordinary Tuesday, not in an exam room.

Picking a cuff. Use an automatic upper-arm cuff that fits your arm. Wrist and finger devices are less reliable. We do not recommend brands and we do not sell devices. Bring your cuff to a visit and we will check it against ours.

  • Empty your bladder first
  • No caffeine, tobacco, or exercise for 30 minutes before
  • Sit quietly for at least 5 minutes first
  • Feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed
  • Back supported in a real chair
  • Bare arm, supported at heart level
  • Do not talk during the reading
  • Two readings a minute apart, and write down both

Source: American Heart Association, home blood pressure monitoring guidance, heart.org (accessed 2026).

What to record. Date, time, both numbers, and a note beside anything that felt unusual. Paper is fine. Bring the log to your next visit or send it through the patient portal. The portal is not watched in real time, so anything urgent should be a phone call.

Home readings are information, not instructions. Never change, skip, split, or stop a blood pressure medication because of a number on your own cuff. Write it down and call us. The fix is a conversation, not a dose change at the kitchen table.

When to call 911 instead of calling us.

Call 911

If you have chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, or signs of a stroke, call 911. Do not call the office first, and do not drive yourself.

Stroke — the F.A.S.T. signs

F
Face drooping. One side of the face droops. Ask them to smile and watch for a side that does not lift.
A
Arm weakness. One arm goes weak. Ask them to raise both and watch for one that drifts down.
S
Speech difficulty. Speech is slurred or hard to understand. Ask them to repeat a simple sentence.
T
Time to call 911. Note what time the symptoms started and say so when you call.

Source: American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association — F.A.S.T. stroke warning signs, stroke.org (accessed 2026).

A reading higher than 180/120 is what the American Heart Association calls a hypertensive crisis. If a reading is that high and you also have chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, a change in vision, or trouble speaking, call 911. Do not wait to see whether it comes down on its own.

If a reading is higher than 180/120 and you have none of those symptoms, rest five minutes and take it again. If it is still that high, call us at (661) 735-1710 as soon as you can — we are open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. If we are closed, get seen rather than waiting for us to open.

Source: American Heart Association, hypertensive crisis patient guidance, heart.org (accessed 2026); 2025 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults, 2025.

This page is general information about the care we provide. It is not medical advice, and it cannot tell you what your own readings mean. For that, we need to see you.

Insurance and cost.

Blood pressure visits are billed as ordinary primary care. No program fee, no membership, no concierge add-on.

  • Medicare Part B
  • Qualcare HMO
  • DHMN HMO
  • Major commercial plans

Note: We do not accept Medi-Cal or Kern Family Health Care.

If you are on Medicare, Medicare’s free Annual Wellness Visit is a good place to start the conversation, and a blood pressure follow-up can be scheduled from there and billed normally.

What you owe for any visit, lab, or EKG depends on your plan. If you do not see your plan listed, call the front desk at (661) 735-1710 before you schedule. They will check and tell you where you stand.

Questions we hear about blood pressure.

If yours isn’t here, ask at the visit. There are no bad questions about this.

Do I need a cardiologist for high blood pressure, or can primary care handle it?

Primary care handles it for most people, and most patients never need a cardiologist for high blood pressure. The visits, the labs, the EKG, and the medication review all happen here. We bring in cardiology when the picture calls for it — the situations that usually prompt a referral are listed in when we bring in cardiology.

How do I get my blood pressure checked at LAC Medical?

Request an appointment on this page, or call (661) 735-1710 and mention blood pressure when you schedule. Requests sent through the form are answered within one business day. New patients are usually seen within the same week, established patients often the same day.

How often will I need to come in once I’m being treated for high blood pressure?

It depends on where your readings sit and what has changed. After a medication change, visits are closer together. Once things are steady, they space out. We set the interval with you, and the next appointment goes on the calendar before you leave.

What blood pressure reading is considered high?

Current adult guideline categories put Stage 1 at 130 to 139 systolic or 80 to 89 diastolic, and Stage 2 at 140 or higher or 90 or higher. The full table is in what the two numbers actually mean. One reading is not a diagnosis — that takes an average of properly taken readings.

Will I have to take blood pressure medication for the rest of my life?

Some people do and some do not, and nobody can tell you which on day one. It depends on your readings, your other conditions, and how things move over time. Every medication is reviewed at every visit, and if a change makes sense we talk it through first. Nobody should stop or adjust one on their own.

Does Medicare cover blood pressure visits?

Blood pressure visits are billed as ordinary primary care office visits under Medicare Part B, the same as any other visit. Medicare’s free Annual Wellness Visit is a good place to start. What you owe depends on your plan, so call the front desk if you want to check first.

Do you accept Medi-Cal or Kern Family Health Care?

No. We do not accept Medi-Cal or Kern Family Health Care. We do accept Medicare Part B, Qualcare HMO, DHMN HMO, and most major commercial plans. If you are not certain which plan you have, call (661) 735-1710 before scheduling and the front desk will check.

What kind of home blood pressure monitor should I buy?

An automatic upper-arm cuff that fits your arm. Wrist and finger devices are less reliable. We do not recommend brands and we do not sell devices. Bring whatever you buy to a visit and we will check it against ours.

¿Hablan español?

Sí. Contamos con proveedor y recepción que hablan español todos los días que la oficina está abierta. Para leer esta página en español, visite la versión en español.

More primary care at LAC Medical.

Primary Care

The rest of what a primary care home covers — annual visits, chronic conditions, sick visits, in-office testing.

Diabetes Care

High blood pressure and diabetes usually show up together and are managed side by side at the same visits.

Asthma & Respiratory Care

Breathing problems evaluated in the office, including lung function testing.

Patient Resources

New patient forms, the patient portal, and what to bring. Filling them out ahead saves time at the first visit.

Ready to get your blood pressure looked at?

New patients are usually seen within the same week, and established patients often the same day. Mention blood pressure when you book, or call (661) 735-1710 and tell the front desk.

Request an appointment

Request an appointment

Send a request and our front desk calls you back to schedule. We answer requests within one business day. New patients and current patients both use this form.

The form asks for three things: your name, your phone number, and the best time to call you. Our office is at 5300 Lennox Avenue, Suite 105 in Bakersfield.

  • Please do not include medical information in the form. Save it for the visit or the phone call.
  • If this is a medical emergency, call 911.

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Prefer to call? (661) 735-1710

Already a patient? You can also request an appointment, view results, and pay your bill in the patient portal.