Services
Strep Throat Care
in Surfside
A 5-minute rapid strep test on Harding Avenue, a physician who reviews the result with you on the spot, and a same-visit antibiotic when it is positive. Walk in any day, kids age 2 and up welcome.
9445 Harding Ave, Surfside. Open 7 days. No appointment needed.
Joint Commission AccreditedThe only one in Florida
Is it strep, or something else?
Symptoms alone cannot tell you. Strep throat is bacterial and needs antibiotics, while most sore throats are viral and clear on their own. The only reliable way to know is a swab. At TrufaMED in Surfside, a board-certified physician runs a 5-minute rapid test, reviews it with you immediately, and writes a same-visit prescription when the result calls for one.
This page covers walk-in strep care for the Surfside neighborhood: how fast the test is, what it costs, when kids should come in, and when a sore throat needs the emergency room instead. If you want the full clinical breakdown of testing accuracy, antibiotic selection, and the Centor scoring our physicians use, read our strep throat treatment guide.
Why Surfside families walk in for strep
A sore throat with a fever rarely waits for a primary-care opening. TrufaMED sits on Harding Avenue in the heart of Surfside, a short drive from Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, and the beaches, so getting tested and treated is a quick errand rather than a half-day at a big hospital.
Result in about 5 minutes
The rapid antigen swab runs in our on-site lab while you wait, and your physician goes over it with you before you leave. No callback, no portal login the next morning.
Treated the same visit
If the test is positive, your antibiotic is prescribed and sent to your pharmacy before you walk out. No follow-up appointment and no telehealth handoff.
The whole household
Strep moves fast through families. We see children age 2 and up alongside the adults they live with, so one visit can cover everyone who was exposed.
Open when you need it
Seven days a week, including evenings and weekends. Strep does not keep office hours, so neither do we.
A physician on every shift
A board-certified physician evaluates you personally at every visit. It is the Joint Commission standard, applied to a sore throat.
Insurance and self-pay
Most major plans are accepted, and self-pay pricing is shared up front. We also take HSA and FSA cards for the visit and the test.
Strep or a viral sore throat?
The two overlap enough that guessing is unreliable, which is exactly why we swab. A few patterns tilt the odds, but only a test confirms it. The four cards below are the look-alikes our physicians sort out most often.
Strep throat
Sudden, severe throat pain, fever often above 101 degrees, white or yellow patches on the tonsils, tender neck glands, and usually no cough or runny nose. Nausea is more common in children. It responds fully to antibiotics, and only a rapid test or culture confirms it.
Viral sore throat
An estimated 85 to 90 percent of adult sore throats. Pain builds gradually, fever is mild or absent, and a cough, congestion, or hoarseness is usually along for the ride. Antibiotics do nothing here. Comfort care and time resolve it over 7 to 10 days.
Mononucleosis
The Epstein-Barr look-alike in teens and young adults. It can mimic strep with exudate and fever, but profound fatigue, widespread swollen glands, and an enlarged spleen set it apart. We can run an on-site monospot test, and we avoid amoxicillin here because it can trigger a rash.
Flu and COVID-19
Both can cause a severe sore throat. When the picture fits, we add same-visit rapid flu and COVID-19 testing. Catching flu early matters: antiviral treatment works best within 48 hours of the first symptom.
A negative rapid strep test does not end the visit. If your symptoms still point to a bacterial infection, your physician sends a culture and looks for the causes above rather than sending you home on the strip alone.
What a strep visit looks like here
Most strep visits run about 25 minutes from walk-in to prescription. Here is the order it happens in.
Walk in and check in
Stop by 9445 Harding Ave, or check in online first to hold your place. No appointment needed, seven days a week.
Physician evaluation
A board-certified physician examines your throat, tonsils, and neck glands and weighs the full picture before deciding whether a swab is warranted.
Rapid swab
The throat swab takes seconds, and the rapid antigen test reads in about 5 minutes in our on-site lab. A culture is added when a negative result does not fit the symptoms.
Result and prescription
Your physician reviews the result with you on the spot. A positive sends your antibiotic to the pharmacy before you leave; a high-suspicion negative gets a culture and interim guidance.
When a culture is needed it goes to a certified lab and typically returns in 24 to 48 hours. We contact you directly and start treatment if it confirms strep.
Clear pricing, no surprise bills
No insurance? A self-pay physician visit starts from $195 and a rapid strep test starts from $60, with any add-ons priced up front so you know what to expect before you are seen. Strep care is also a standard urgent care visit covered by most major plans.
Starting prices; final cost depends on the services you need. We accept HSA and FSA cards, and strep care is covered by Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Oscar Health, and Medicare. See our self-pay pricing and insurance pages for details.
Kids age 2 and up, walk in welcome
Strep is most common in school-age children, roughly ages 5 to 15, and it spreads quickly through classrooms, sports teams, and households. We see children age 2 and older without an appointment, every day.
Why kids catch it more
Younger immune systems have had less exposure to the bacteria, and school is dense, sustained close contact. Strep is most contagious in the 24 to 48 hours before symptoms appear, which is why outbreaks are hard to head off.
What to watch for
In young children strep can show up as a stomach ache, a headache, or simply refusing to eat rather than an obvious sore throat. A fever above 101 degrees with a sore throat or swollen glands is worth a rapid test, as is a fine sandpaper rash.
Back to school
Children can return after at least 24 hours on antibiotics and once they are fever-free for 24 hours without medication, usually within one to two days. We can write a return-to-school note if you need one.
A short antibiotic course prevents real complications
Strep often eases on its own within 7 to 10 days, so why treat it? Because antibiotics shorten the illness by a day or two, end contagiousness within 24 hours, and prevent the uncommon but serious complications below. A simple course is inexpensive, safe insurance against all of them.
Rheumatic fever
An inflammatory reaction 2 to 4 weeks after untreated strep that can damage heart valves permanently. Rare in the United States today, and preventable when strep is treated promptly.
Kidney inflammation
Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis can follow strep with blood in the urine and high blood pressure. Treatment lowers the bacterial load and the chance of spread.
Peritonsillar abscess
A pocket of pus beside the tonsil that brings severe one-sided pain, trouble swallowing, and a muffled voice. It often needs drainage in an emergency department. Prompt strep treatment cuts the risk.
Less spread at home
Within 24 hours of the first antibiotic dose you are no longer considered contagious. Household members should be tested if they develop symptoms.
Most patients feel meaningfully better within 24 to 48 hours of the first dose. Finish the full prescribed course even after your symptoms are gone, since stopping early drives recurrence and complications.
Urgent care or the emergency room?
Nearly every sore throat belongs in urgent care, and that is where we treat it: fast evaluation, same-visit care, no emergency-room wait or cost. A few presentations are different and need an emergency department right away.
Right for TrufaMED
Sore throat with a fever, painful but manageable swallowing, swollen neck glands, tonsil patches, a child age 2 or older, a known strep exposure at school or work, recurring episodes, a sandpaper rash, or concern about mono, flu, or COVID-19 alongside the throat symptoms.
Go to the ER or call 911
Trouble breathing, an inability to swallow your own saliva, drooling with throat swelling, a muffled voice with difficulty opening the jaw, a fever above 104 degrees that will not come down, neck stiffness with fever and headache, severe one-sided swelling threatening the airway, or a child under 2 with throat symptoms and high fever.
If you cannot tell which level of care you need, walk in. We triage on arrival and transfer to the emergency room when the airway or a deep infection warrants it.
A physician leads every strep evaluation
Strep care looks routine, and most of it is. The difference at a physician-led clinic is the testing discipline that catches a false-negative, and the trained eye that spots the rare sore throat that belongs in the emergency room.
Emergency-medicine training sharpens pattern recognition for the presentations that look routine but are not. Dr. Naidoo’s protocols make sure a negative rapid test in a symptomatic patient gets the right follow-up, and that complications are caught early.
Dr. Gedalia brings surgical-level diagnostic precision to urgent care and oversees the clinical protocols across TrufaMED, including the testing and antibiotic standards that govern strep care at the clinic.
Every patient is evaluated by a board-certified physician. This physician-first standard is why TrufaMED carries Joint Commission accreditation, the only accredited urgent care in Florida and one of just eight in the country.
Strep throat in Surfside, answered
The questions our Surfside patients ask most about rapid testing, kids, cost, and care.
Can I walk in for a strep test in Surfside today?
Yes. TrufaMED at 9445 Harding Ave is walk-in urgent care seven days a week, with rapid strep testing on-site and no appointment needed. Most people are checked in, swabbed, and back out the door with a result in about 25 minutes. Hours are Monday to Friday 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday 11 AM to 11 PM, and Sunday 12 PM to 8 PM. For the full clinical deep-dive, see our strep throat treatment page.
How fast are the rapid strep results?
The on-site rapid antigen test reads a throat swab in about 5 minutes, and a board-certified physician reviews the result with you on the spot. There is no callback and no patient-portal delay. When the rapid result is negative but your physician still strongly suspects strep, a throat culture goes to a certified lab and we contact you within 24 to 48 hours if treatment is needed.
How much does a strep visit cost without insurance?
A self-pay physician visit starts from $195 and a rapid strep test starts from $60. Final cost depends on the services you need, and our team shares pricing at check-in with no surprise billing. We accept HSA and FSA cards, and strep evaluation and testing are also covered as a standard urgent care visit by most major plans.
Do you see children for strep in Surfside?
Yes. We welcome walk-in pediatric patients age 2 and older, seven days a week, and our physicians are comfortable with pediatric evaluation, dosing, and communication. When a household has been exposed, we can see children and adults together in the same visit, so there is no need for separate appointments. For more, see our pediatric urgent care in Surfside page.
My child keeps getting strep. Should I worry?
Recurring strep, usually defined as more than three confirmed episodes in a year, is common in school-age children and worth a closer look. Causes range from a symptom-free household carrier to deep tonsillar crypts that harbor bacteria. Your physician can review the pattern, swab household contacts when it makes sense, and discuss whether a tonsillectomy evaluation is appropriate. It is a common, manageable situation.
What if my rapid test is negative but I still feel terrible?
A negative rapid test does not automatically rule out strep when your symptoms are strong. Following IDSA guidelines, your physician sends a throat culture for confirmation and contacts you within 24 to 48 hours with the result. We also look for the look-alikes, including mononucleosis, influenza, and COVID-19, rather than sending you home on a single negative. The clinical picture guides the next step, not the strip alone.
Do you test for mono, flu, and COVID on the same visit?
Yes. When your physician suspects a look-alike, we can add rapid mono (monospot), influenza, and COVID-19 testing to the same visit. This matters because the treatment is different: antiviral medication for flu works best within 48 hours of onset, and mono calls for activity restrictions to protect the spleen rather than an antibiotic.
When can my child go back to school?
After at least 24 hours on antibiotics and once they are fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine. Most children are back in class within one to two days of starting treatment. We can provide a written return-to-school note, and we recommend swapping their toothbrush once they have been on antibiotics for a day.
What insurance do you accept for a strep visit?
TrufaMED accepts most major plans, including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Oscar Health, and Medicare. Self-pay and HSA/FSA payment are always welcome. A few plans are not currently in network, so call (305) 537-6396 to confirm your specific coverage before you visit.
Is there a physician on duty every day?
Yes. A board-certified physician leads every shift during all operating hours, seven days a week. Every diagnosis is made by the physician personally. This physician-led standard is the reason TrufaMED carries Joint Commission accreditation, the only accredited urgent care in Florida and one of just eight nationwide.
What patients say
Best clinic ever
Excellent. Attentive clean
The staff is very nice and courteous
Very nice receptionist
Best place I’ve been to by far great service
The staff are amazing, from front desk, registration, nurse , the Dr. A mean the facility very clean, conftuble, I'll give them 150% plus on everything and all. Thank you so very much
Care grounded in recognized authorities
Diagnosis and treatment follow guidance from national health authorities and accreditation standards.
Find the right care
Walk in from Surfside and the beaches
TrufaMED is at 9445 Harding Ave in Surfside, minutes from Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Miami Beach, Sunny Isles, Aventura, North Miami Beach, and Golden Beach. Walk in without an appointment seven days a week.
Hours
Monday–Friday 9 AM – 9 PM
Saturday 11 AM – 11 PM
Sunday 12 PM – 8 PM
Walk in anytime during open hours, no appointment needed.
Contact
Phone (305) 537-6396
WhatsApp +1 (305) 842-9801
Email [email protected]
For a life-threatening emergency, call 911. TrufaMED is urgent care, not an emergency room.
Sore throat? Walk in today.
A 5-minute rapid strep test, a same-visit antibiotic when indicated, and a board-certified physician on duty every day. No appointment, no wait list, and most insurance accepted.
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