Pre-op clearance at TrufaMED is $650 as a flat self-pay package, and most patients finish the entire process in one visit of about 60 to 90 minutes. The package covers the physician clearance visit, a complete blood count, a comprehensive metabolic panel, PT/INR, a blood beta-hCG, a urinalysis, and an EKG. Everything run inside our building returns the same day, and the clearance letter goes to your surgeon’s office once the results are final. Anything your surgeon orders that has to travel to an outside reference lab takes 1 to 2 business days.
Those two numbers, the price and the turnaround, are what almost every caller wants first. Surgery dates in Miami are booked weeks out and held with a deposit, and a clearance that drags into a second week is the reason a date slips. This article lays out what the visit costs, what is inside the price, what sits outside it, and how quickly each piece comes back. Full service details live on our pre-op clearance testing page.
Can pre-op clearance be done in one day
In most cases, yes. The reason is physical. The lab, the EKG machine, and the digital X-ray suite are all inside the clinic at 9445 Harding Ave, so a patient who walks in with a surgeon’s order sheet gets the exam, the blood draw, the tracing, and the imaging in one sitting. There is no second appointment at a draw station, no third appointment at an imaging center, and no waiting for three separate offices to send paperwork to each other.
The visit itself runs about 60 to 90 minutes for a standard clearance. Most of that is the physician exam, the medication review, and the blood draw. The EKG takes a few minutes. A chest X-ray, when the surgeon has ordered one, adds a short stop at our digital X-ray room.
Two situations extend the timeline past a single day:
- A test your surgeon ordered that we send out. Some panels are performed at an outside reference lab. Those results take 1 to 2 business days, and the clearance letter waits until every ordered result is in hand.
- A finding that needs a second look. If the tracing or a lab value falls outside the expected range, the physician decides whether it needs repeat testing, a cardiology opinion, or a call to your surgeon before the letter is written. That is the whole purpose of running the workup ahead of the date rather than the morning of.
What the $650 package includes
The package is one flat price for the standard clearance workup. It is designed to match what surgeons and ambulatory surgical centers across Miami-Dade actually ask for on a pre-op order sheet.
| Component | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Physician clearance visit | History review, physical exam for anesthesia fitness, medication and supplement review, and the written clearance letter |
| Complete blood count (CBC) | Red cells, white cells, and platelets |
| Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) | Kidney function, liver enzymes, electrolytes, glucose, and protein |
| PT/INR | How quickly your blood forms a clot |
| Blood beta-hCG, qualitative | Pregnancy detection before anesthesia |
| Urinalysis | Screens for urinary infection and other findings that can postpone a procedure |
| EKG | Heart rhythm and conduction, read by our physicians and written into the clearance documentation |
What each of these tests is actually looking for is covered in detail in our companion article on pre-op labs and the EKG.
What is priced separately
A chest X-ray sits outside the package. It is $320 for up to two views, and the price includes the physician interpretation. It is added only when your surgeon orders it, which keeps patients who do not need imaging from paying for it. Because the X-ray is captured in our building, adding it does not mean adding a day.
Any additional panel your surgeon writes on the order beyond the package list is quoted before it is drawn. Call (305) 537-6396 with the order in front of you and the front desk will price the exact set of tests on it. Nothing is drawn before you know what it costs.
Prices if you need only one component
Some patients arrive having already had blood work done elsewhere, or with an order that asks for a single item. Those pieces are priced individually.
| Service | Self-pay price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Physician clearance visit | $200 | Exam, medication review, and the clearance letter |
| EKG | $110 | Performed and interpreted on site |
| Digital chest X-ray | $320 | Up to 2 views, physician interpretation included |
Add those three together and you land above the package price, which is why most patients whose surgeon ordered a full workup take the $650 package. The math is worth doing with your order sheet in hand before you decide. Our public self-pay pricing page carries the wider price list for other services.
How fast the results come back
Turnaround splits cleanly into two groups.
Same day. The EKG is read during the visit. The chest X-ray is read during the visit. The lab components in the package are run in our own laboratory, and most are finalized the same day. For a patient who walks in during morning or early afternoon hours, that usually means the full picture is assembled before the clinic closes.
1 to 2 business days. Specialized tests that go to an outside reference lab return on the lab’s schedule. If your surgeon has ordered something in this category, the front desk will tell you at check-in so you know the letter is going to follow rather than travel home with you.
The clearance letter itself is written once every ordered result is final. It documents the exam findings, the lab and EKG results, the medication review, and the physician’s assessment of fitness for anesthesia.
How far ahead of surgery to schedule
Most surgeons require clearance within 30 days of the procedure, and some want it inside 7 to 14 days. Check the window on your order sheet first, because a clearance completed too early can be rejected as stale and has to be repeated at your expense.
Within that window, book at least a week before the surgery date. That leaves room for the case where a value comes back needing a repeat draw or a cardiology opinion. A clearance done the day before surgery gives nobody time to solve a problem, and the problem is exactly what the clearance exists to find.
Walk-ins are accepted seven days a week. Booking ahead at health.trufamed.com/book is still the better move for a clearance, because it lets us set aside time for every test on your order rather than fitting them around walk-in urgent care volume.
What to bring to the visit
- Your surgeon’s pre-op order sheet. This is the single most useful thing you can carry in. It tells us the exact panel to run and the exact form to complete, which prevents a repeat visit for a test nobody mentioned.
- Any clearance form your surgeon wants completed. Some surgical centers have their own template and will only accept theirs.
- A full list of medications and supplements. Prescriptions, over-the-counter products, vitamins, and herbals. Blood thinners and anti-inflammatory drugs matter most here, and supplements are the category patients forget.
- Recent records that are relevant. Labs drawn in the last few weeks, cardiology notes, or a prior EKG. Existing results sometimes satisfy part of the order.
- Photo identification.
How your surgeon receives the clearance
Once results are final, the clearance documentation is sent directly to your surgeon’s office by fax or electronically, and you receive a copy for your own records. You do not carry the packet across town yourself, and your surgeon’s coordinator does not have to chase three offices for three pieces of paper.
If a result raises a question, our physicians review it with you and, where it makes sense, speak with your surgeon about next steps. That conversation happens before the date rather than after a cancellation.
How payment works
Pre-op clearance at TrufaMED is a self-pay service. We do not bill it to insurance, including Medicare. You pay the flat price at the visit, which means there is no claim to file, no deductible to meet first, and no bill arriving weeks later for an amount you were never quoted. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
The practical effect is that the price you read above is the price you pay. That predictability is the reason the service is structured this way, and it is covered in more depth in our article on whether insurance covers pre-op clearance.
Where to go and when we are open
TrufaMED is at 9445 Harding Ave, Surfside, FL 33154, minutes from Bal Harbour, Miami Beach, Bay Harbor Islands, and Sunny Isles Beach. The phone number is (305) 537-6396. We are open Monday through Friday 9AM to 9PM, Saturday 11AM to 11PM, and Sunday 12PM to 8PM.
We are Florida’s only Joint Commission-accredited urgent care, with on-site laboratory, digital X-ray, and ultrasound. Care is physician-led, and the clearance program is directed by Dr. Uri Gedalia, a board-certified general surgeon and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, alongside Medical Director Dr. Shane D. Naidoo, board-certified in emergency medicine. For everything else we treat, see our urgent care page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is pre-op clearance in Miami?
At TrufaMED the all-inclusive pre-op clearance package is $650 flat, self-pay. It covers the physician clearance visit, a complete blood count, a comprehensive metabolic panel, PT/INR, a blood beta-hCG, a urinalysis, and an EKG. A chest X-ray is $320 for up to two views with the physician interpretation included, and it is added only when your surgeon orders it.
Can pre-op clearance be done in one day?
In most cases, yes. The lab, EKG, and digital X-ray are all inside our Surfside clinic, so the exam and the standard testing happen in a single visit of about 60 to 90 minutes. Tests your surgeon orders that route to an outside reference lab take 1 to 2 business days, and the clearance letter is finalized once every ordered result is in.
How fast do you get the results?
The EKG and the chest X-ray are read during the visit. Lab components run in our own laboratory are finalized the same day in most cases. Anything sent to an outside reference lab returns in 1 to 2 business days. The clearance letter goes to your surgeon’s office once all ordered results are final.
Do you take insurance for pre-op clearance?
No. Pre-op clearance is a self-pay service at TrufaMED and we do not bill it to insurance, including Medicare. You pay a flat price at the visit with no claim, no deductible, and no later bill. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
How much is just the EKG?
An EKG on its own is $110 self-pay. It is performed and interpreted on site during the visit. If your surgeon ordered a full clearance workup, the $650 package already includes the EKG along with the physician visit and the standard labs.
Do I need an appointment, or can I walk in?
Walk-ins are accepted seven days a week. For a clearance we recommend booking ahead at health.trufamed.com/book or calling (305) 537-6396, so the clinic can set aside time for every test on your surgeon’s order rather than fitting them between walk-in visits.
How long before my surgery should I get cleared?
Check the window written on your surgeon’s order. Most surgeons require clearance within 30 days of the procedure and some want it inside 7 to 14 days. Within that window, aim for at least a week before the date so there is room for a repeat test or a specialist opinion if something needs a second look.
What do I need to bring to a pre-op clearance visit?
Bring your surgeon’s pre-op order sheet, any clearance form the surgical center wants completed, a full list of your medications and supplements including over-the-counter products, recent relevant records such as labs or cardiology notes, and photo identification. The order sheet matters most because it tells us the exact panel to run.
Will you send the clearance to my surgeon, or do I have to deliver it?
We send it. Once every ordered result is final, the clearance documentation goes directly to your surgeon’s office by fax or electronically, and you get a copy for your records. It records the exam findings, the lab and EKG results, the medication review, and the assessment of fitness for anesthesia.
What happens if a result comes back abnormal?
The physician reviews the finding with you and decides what it needs, which may be a repeat test, additional imaging, or a cardiology opinion. Where appropriate we coordinate with your surgeon on next steps. Finding it before the date is the reason clearance is done in advance rather than on the morning of surgery.