At TrufaMED, pre-op clearance is a self-pay service with a flat price of $650, and we do not bill it to insurance, including Medicare. You know the full cost before anything is drawn, you pay it at the visit, and that is the end of the transaction. There is no claim filed, no deductible to satisfy first, no coinsurance calculated afterward, and no bill arriving in six weeks for an amount nobody quoted you. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
Patients ask this question for a practical reason. A pre-op clearance sits between two other transactions, the surgeon’s fee and the surgical center’s fee, and people want to know which rules apply to the middle piece. The answer here is simple, and the rest of this article explains what the flat price covers, why the service is structured this way, and what it means for your timeline. The service page is at pre-op clearance testing.
What self-pay means for this visit
Self-pay means the price is set in advance and paid directly. For pre-op clearance at TrufaMED, that price is $650 for the standard package. Nothing about the amount changes based on which card is in your wallet, which plan you carry, or where you are in your plan year.
Four things follow from that, and they are what patients tell us they value about this particular service:
- The number is final before you are seen. You are quoted the price at the front desk, and it is the same price you pay when you leave.
- Nothing has to be approved before the testing starts. The blood draw and the EKG happen during the visit, without waiting on a decision from somewhere else.
- The account closes the same day. There is nothing pending in the background that can turn into a balance later.
- You can compare it directly. One published number means you can weigh it against any other clinic’s price without decoding a benefits summary first.
Insurance-billed care has real strengths, particularly for the large and unpredictable costs it exists to cover. A pre-op clearance is neither large nor unpredictable. It is a defined set of tests with a known price, ordered on a deadline, and a fixed price is the structure that fits it.
What the $650 covers
One price, one visit, one letter to your surgeon. The package includes:
- The physician clearance visit, covering your history, the physical exam for anesthesia fitness, the medication and supplement review, and the written clearance letter
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)
- PT/INR coagulation study
- Blood beta-hCG, qualitative
- Urinalysis
- EKG, performed and interpreted on site
Most patients finish the whole visit in about 60 to 90 minutes. Components run in our own laboratory return the same day. Anything your surgeon orders that routes to an outside reference lab takes 1 to 2 business days, and the clearance letter is finalized once every ordered result is in hand. What each test is checking for is covered in our article on pre-op labs and the EKG.
What sits outside the flat price
Two categories, both quoted before anything happens.
A chest X-ray. It is $320 for up to two views and the price includes the physician interpretation. It is deliberately kept out of the package so that patients whose surgeons did not order imaging do not pay for it. When it is ordered, it is captured on our on-site digital X-ray during the same visit.
Additional panels your surgeon writes on the order. Some order sheets ask for tests beyond the standard set. Those are priced individually and quoted before they are drawn. Call (305) 537-6396 with the order sheet in front of you and the front desk will price the exact list on it.
If you need only one piece, the components are also sold individually. The physician clearance visit is $200 and an EKG is $110. Our broader price list is published on the self-pay pricing page.
Why the price is known before the visit
A pre-op clearance runs against a deadline. Your surgeon has given you a window, the surgical center holds a date, and the letter has to arrive complete. Every step that introduces a wait is a step that can move the date.
A flat self-pay price removes several of those steps at once. There is no benefit check before testing, no authorization request to submit, no coordination between plans, and no back-and-forth over which line items were covered at which rate. The clinical work starts when you arrive. For a service where speed is the entire point, that structure does more for the patient than a discount would.
It also removes the most common complaint about medical billing, which is the gap between the number you were told and the number that shows up later. Here those are the same number.
Medicare
The same rule applies. Pre-op clearance is self-pay at TrufaMED and we do not bill it to Medicare. Medicare patients pay the same flat $650 for the package, or the individual prices for individual components, and the clearance letter goes to the surgeon’s office the same way.
HSA and FSA
HSA and FSA cards are accepted for pre-op clearance. Many patients use those funds for exactly this kind of defined, scheduled medical expense. Bring the card to the visit and the front desk will run it like any other payment method.
How this relates to your surgeon’s billing
Your clearance visit is a separate transaction from whatever arrangement you have with your surgeon and the surgical center. Whether the procedure itself is billed to a plan or paid in cash is between you and them, and it has no effect on the price of the clearance here.
What crosses between the two is the documentation. Once every ordered result is final, the clearance letter goes directly to your surgeon’s office by fax or electronically, with a copy for your records. It documents the exam findings, the lab and EKG results, the medication review, and the physician’s assessment of fitness for anesthesia. That is what the surgical team needs to keep your date.
Where the clearance sits in the total cost of your surgery
A scheduled procedure usually carries several separate charges: the surgeon’s fee, the anesthesia fee, the facility fee from the hospital or surgical center, and any implants or supplies the case requires. Those come from different offices and are quoted on their own terms.
The clearance is one more line, and it is the one you can pin down with a phone call today. At $650 for the package, or $200 for the physician visit and $110 for an EKG if that is all your surgeon ordered, the number goes into your planning as a fixed figure rather than an estimate. Patients budgeting for an elective procedure tell us that certainty is the useful part, because it is one line that will still read the same after the surgery is over.
What to expect on the day
Bring your surgeon’s pre-op order sheet, any clearance form the surgical center wants completed, a full list of your medications and supplements, and photo identification. The front desk confirms the price against the order before testing starts. You are seen by a physician, the blood draw and EKG happen during the same visit, and a chest X-ray is added if one was ordered.
Payment is taken at the visit. If the order includes a test that has to be sent out, you will be told at check-in so you know the letter will follow within 1 to 2 business days rather than travel home with you.
Where we are and how to book
TrufaMED is at 9445 Harding Ave, Surfside, FL 33154, serving Bal Harbour, Miami Beach, Bay Harbor Islands, Sunny Isles Beach, and Aventura. Call (305) 537-6396 or book at health.trufamed.com/book. Hours are Monday through Friday 9AM to 9PM, Saturday 11AM to 11PM, and Sunday 12PM to 8PM, and walk-ins are accepted every day we are open.
TrufaMED is Florida’s only Joint Commission-accredited urgent care, with laboratory, digital X-ray, and ultrasound on site. Care is physician-led. The clearance program is directed by Dr. Uri Gedalia, a board-certified general surgeon and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, with Medical Director Dr. Shane D. Naidoo, board-certified in emergency medicine. For our wider walk-in services, see the urgent care page, and for the full diagnostic list see testing services.
Frequently asked questions
Does insurance cover pre-op clearance?
At TrufaMED, pre-op clearance is a self-pay service and we do not bill it to insurance, including Medicare. The package price is $650 flat. You are quoted before anything is drawn and you pay at the visit, so there is no claim, no deductible to meet first, and no bill arriving later.
How much is pre-op clearance without insurance?
$650 for the all-inclusive package, which covers the physician clearance visit, complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, PT/INR, blood beta-hCG, urinalysis, and EKG. Individually, the physician clearance visit is $200 and an EKG is $110. A chest X-ray is $320 for up to two views with the physician interpretation included.
Do you bill Medicare for pre-op clearance?
No. Pre-op clearance is self-pay for every patient at TrufaMED, including Medicare beneficiaries. The price and the process are identical, and the clearance letter is sent to your surgeon’s office the same way.
Can I use my HSA or FSA card?
Yes. HSA and FSA cards are accepted for pre-op clearance. Bring the card to the visit and the front desk will run it at checkout.
Will I get a surprise bill after the visit?
No. The price is quoted before testing starts and paid at the visit, and the account closes the same day. If your surgeon ordered a panel beyond the standard package, it is priced and quoted before it is drawn, so the number you agree to at the front desk is the number you pay.
Why do you not bill insurance for clearance?
A clearance runs against your surgery date, and every approval step adds a wait that can move that date. A flat price means the testing starts when you arrive, the price is final before anything is drawn, and the letter goes out as soon as results are complete. For a defined set of tests on a deadline, certainty and speed are worth more than a claim.
Is the $650 package cheaper than paying for each test separately?
For a full clearance workup, yes. The physician clearance visit alone is $200 and an EKG is $110, before any laboratory work. The package bundles the visit, CBC, CMP, PT/INR, beta-hCG, urinalysis, and EKG into one price. If your surgeon ordered only one component, buying that component individually is the better choice.
Does the price change based on my procedure?
The $650 package price is the same regardless of what surgery you are having. What varies is whether your surgeon adds items to the order, such as a chest X-ray at $320 or a specialized panel. Those are quoted individually before they are performed.
Does my surgeon’s office handle any of the billing for this?
No. The clearance visit is a separate transaction between you and TrufaMED, paid at the visit. Whatever arrangement you have with your surgeon and the surgical center for the procedure itself is unaffected. What passes between the offices is the clearance documentation, which we send directly once every result is final.