A fall on the stairs, a wrist bent the wrong way at pickleball, a chest cough that will not quit — the clinical question is the same: is there something broken, consolidated, or retained that changes management? Imaging is the answer, and for the vast majority of Miami Beach walk-in presentations, on-site digital X-ray at an urgent care resolves the question in under 45 minutes without a separate trip to a radiology center. TrufaMED Urgent Care in Surfside operates a hospital-grade digital radiography suite staffed by a board-certified physician for every image, every visit.
Walk-in digital X-ray at TrufaMED Miami Beach is available during all clinic hours with no appointment needed. Common indications include suspected fractures, pneumonia workup, foreign-body localization, dental injury, chest pain screening, and back or neck injury. Images are interpreted by a board-certified physician during the same visit, with a final radiologist over-read. Typical door-to-result time is 30 to 45 minutes. The clinic is Joint Commission accredited — Florida’s only Joint Commission-accredited urgent care.
Modern digital radiography has expanded the range of same-day imaging well beyond the classic “check if it is broken” scenario. The TrufaMED system is a direct-capture digital detector with immediate image availability on the physician’s review station. Common studies performed on walk-in basis include:
Hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, shoulder, clavicle, pelvis, hip, femur, knee, tibia, ankle, and foot. Multiple views per joint, immediate splinting capability, orthopedic referral arranged at checkout.
Pneumonia workup, COPD exacerbation assessment, suspected pleural effusion, chest trauma, rib fractures, and chronic cough evaluation. PA and lateral views standard.
Neck and mid-back pain with concerning mechanism or neurologic symptoms. Rule out fractures and spondylosis.
Low back pain with red flags, sciatica, post-traumatic assessment. Flexion and extension views when clinically indicated.
Suspected bowel obstruction, foreign body ingestion, free air assessment, and constipation workup. KUB and upright views.
Suspected mandibular or maxillary fracture, dental abscess extent, orbital assessment, and facial trauma.
Radiopaque foreign bodies (metal, glass, some plastics) in soft tissue. Common after kitchen injuries, glass walks, or industrial incidents.
Sinusitis assessment when clinical picture is unclear. Upper airway views for croup or stridor in pediatric patients.
Board-certified physicians apply evidence-based decision rules to determine when imaging adds value. Ordering radiography reflexively for every minor complaint is outdated practice; the modern standard requires clinical justification. The rules below are used every day at TrufaMED.
An ankle X-ray is indicated if the patient has pain in the malleolar zone AND any one of: bone tenderness at the posterior edge or tip of the lateral malleolus, bone tenderness at the posterior edge or tip of the medial malleolus, or inability to bear weight both immediately after injury and in the exam room (four steps). For isolated swelling without tenderness in these locations, X-ray is usually not needed.
Knee X-ray is indicated for: age 55 years or older, tenderness at the fibular head, isolated tenderness of the patella, inability to flex to 90 degrees, or inability to bear weight for four steps immediately and in the exam room.
For alert, stable trauma patients, cervical X-ray is warranted in the presence of high-risk factors (age over 65, dangerous mechanism, or paresthesias in extremities) or inability to actively rotate the neck 45 degrees left and right.
Chest X-ray is appropriate for fever with focal lung findings, persistent cough over 3 weeks, suspected pneumonia in a high-risk patient, significant chest trauma, and acute chest pain that is not clearly cardiac. It is not indicated for routine asymptomatic coughs or viral upper respiratory infections in otherwise healthy adults.
For minor ankle twists with good weight-bearing, uncomplicated viral coughs in healthy young adults, simple finger jams without deformity, and soft-tissue contusions without tenderness over bone, imaging typically does not change management. Over-imaging has costs — radiation dose, patient time, and false-positive findings that lead to unnecessary cascades of further testing.
At a traditional urgent care without on-site imaging, a patient with a suspected fracture is examined, sent to an outside radiology center, waits for scheduling, returns the next day, waits again, and finally gets splinted. At TrufaMED, the entire sequence collapses into a single visit:
| Step | Without On-Site X-Ray | At TrufaMED |
|---|---|---|
| Physician exam | Same day | Same day |
| X-ray scheduling | Outside center, next business day | Immediate, same visit |
| Image acquisition | 2nd visit, separate facility | 10–15 minutes after exam |
| Image interpretation | Radiologist, 24–72 hours | Physician on-shift, 5 minutes |
| Splinting / treatment | 3rd visit | Same visit |
| Orthopedic referral | Patient arranges | Arranged at checkout |
| Total elapsed time | 2–5 days | 45–90 minutes |
A board-certified physician reviews every image at the time of the visit. A formal radiologist over-read is generated within 24 to 48 hours and added to the chart. If the over-read differs from the initial interpretation in a clinically significant way, the patient is notified and management is updated.
For a simple fracture workup, the three settings produce dramatically different experiences and costs.
| Setting | Wait Time | Self-Pay Cost | Same-Visit Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| TrufaMED Urgent Care | 15–25 min to physician, X-ray within visit | $150–$250 X-ray + visit bundled, $200–$350 total | Yes — splint, analgesics, referral |
| Standalone Imaging Center | 1–3 days for appointment | $100–$175 X-ray only (no physician) | No — report sent to referring physician |
| Miami-Dade ER | 2–6 hours depending on volume | $1,500–$3,200 facility + professional fees | Yes — but at 8–15× the cost |
The key difference between an urgent care with on-site X-ray and a standalone imaging center is the presence of a physician who can interpret, splint, and prescribe. Imaging centers provide the image only — they do not treat. For active injuries, that means a second appointment, often at additional cost.
Children are imaged more conservatively than adults because of developing tissue sensitivity to ionizing radiation. The physician will apply stricter clinical criteria before ordering a study and will use the lowest possible exposure settings. At TrufaMED the digital detector allows for dose reductions of approximately 30 percent compared to older analog film.
Parents routinely ask about radiation exposure. Numbers put it in perspective. A single wrist X-ray delivers approximately 0.001 millisieverts (mSv). A chest X-ray delivers about 0.1 mSv. By comparison, the average person receives approximately 3 mSv per year from natural background radiation (cosmic rays, soil, building materials). A single transatlantic flight delivers about 0.08 mSv. A head CT is roughly 2 mSv. The risk profile of a medically indicated X-ray in a child is extremely low — far lower than the risk of missing a clinically significant fracture or pneumonia.
The TrufaMED pediatric urgent care program follows ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principles for every pediatric image.
Wrist fractures after falls on outstretched hand, ankle fractures after inversion injuries, clavicle fractures from sports or MVC, toe fractures from stubbing, finger avulsions, and stress fractures in runners and dancers. Post-fracture splinting is performed immediately with fiberglass, sugar-tong, or ulnar gutter splints depending on the injury.
Community-acquired pneumonia, post-viral bacterial superinfection, undiagnosed asthma with recurrent symptoms, chronic cough workup, and acute bronchitis with atypical features. Chest X-ray is the single most frequently ordered imaging study in urgent care.
Post-fall evaluation in elderly patients, low-speed vehicle collision assessment, bicycle and scooter injuries (common in Miami Beach), water-sport injuries, and workplace incidents. Any trauma with red flags is stabilized and transferred to a trauma center.
Kitchen injuries with retained metal, glass walks on broken bottle debris, dental fragments after trauma, and swallowed objects in pediatric patients.
During flu and RSV season, TrufaMED performs targeted chest X-rays when a respiratory viral panel is positive but the physician has concerns for bacterial superinfection. The rapid respiratory testing runs concurrently with imaging for complete same-visit workup.
Total time from walk-in arrival to discharge with a fully splinted fracture typically runs 45 to 75 minutes.
Most major insurance plans cover diagnostic X-rays ordered within a physician encounter. TrufaMED accepts Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Medicare, and most PPO products. Self-pay X-rays are offered at transparent flat pricing disclosed at check-in. Typical self-pay imaging prices are structured as a flat per-study fee plus the urgent care visit fee.
Patients without insurance routinely use urgent care services at TrufaMED precisely because the combined visit and imaging cost remains a fraction of the ER self-pay exposure. For higher-utilization households, the urgent care membership provides discounted rates on visits and imaging.
TrufaMED operates a full diagnostic suite in addition to digital X-ray. The complete on-site capability includes laboratory testing, point-of-care rapid diagnostics, diagnostic ultrasound, EKG, and pulmonary function assessment. Patients presenting with chest pain, suspected DVT, or abdominal concerns benefit from same-visit multi-modality evaluation. For patients requiring complete workup of a new symptom, the combination of imaging, labs, and physician examination in one visit is what separates an accredited urgent care from a simple walk-in clinic.
See the dedicated pages for testing services and telehealth follow-up.
TrufaMED is Florida’s only Joint Commission-accredited urgent care — one of approximately eight such accredited urgent cares in the United States. The imaging program meets Joint Commission standards for equipment calibration, radiographer training, patient identification, radiation safety, and image retention. For parents concerned about pediatric exposure or patients with imaging performed repeatedly, accreditation provides documented compliance with the same standards applied to hospital radiology departments.
No. Walk-in visits with same-visit X-ray require no referral. The on-shift physician evaluates the patient, orders the imaging, and interprets it during the visit. Referrals from outside physicians are also welcome.
Total elapsed time from walk-in arrival to discharge is typically 45 to 75 minutes for a complete evaluation including exam, imaging, interpretation, and treatment such as splinting. Simple chest X-ray visits can complete in 30 to 45 minutes.
Yes. Digital images are available on a USB drive or secure patient portal, and a written report accompanies every image. Copies can be forwarded directly to your primary care physician or specialist.
Both. Board-certified physicians interpret the image immediately at the time of the visit and make real-time treatment decisions. A formal radiologist over-read is generated within 24 to 48 hours and added to the permanent record. If the over-read differs clinically, the patient is notified and management is updated.
Yes, when medically indicated. Modern digital X-ray uses a fraction of the radiation dose of older film systems. A wrist X-ray, for example, delivers approximately 0.001 mSv — less than 1 percent of the natural background radiation exposure the child receives in a year. Lead shielding is used for all pediatric imaging.
No. MRI and CT are not provided on-site. If a patient requires advanced cross-sectional imaging, the physician arranges urgent referral to an appropriate imaging center the same day or recommends ER transfer depending on clinical urgency. X-ray and ultrasound are the on-site modalities.
Self-pay X-ray pricing runs $100 to $175 per study as a flat fee, added to the urgent care visit fee. Total typical self-pay for a single-joint X-ray with examination and splinting is approximately $200 to $350. Exact pricing is disclosed at check-in.
The on-shift physician will discuss findings immediately, initiate appropriate treatment, and arrange specialist referral or ER transfer as indicated. Findings that require urgent surgical or specialty intervention — displaced fractures, tumors, pneumothorax — are triaged in real time.
X-ray during pregnancy is avoided unless absolutely necessary. If imaging is clinically required, the abdomen is shielded, the lowest possible exposure settings are used, and the risks and benefits are discussed with the patient in advance. Alternatives such as ultrasound are used when possible.
Yes. X-ray is available during all TrufaMED operating hours. The clinic is open Monday through Friday 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday 11 AM to 11 PM, and Sunday 12 PM to 8 PM — every hour the clinic is open, a physician and radiographer are on-site.
Same-visit digital imaging. Board-certified physician interpretation. Splinting and referral during the visit.
Reserve a Walk-In SlotTrufaMED Urgent Care and Concierge Medicine is located at 9445 Harding Avenue, Surfside, FL 33154 — directly adjacent to Miami Beach. Open Monday–Friday 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday 11 AM to 11 PM, Sunday 12 PM to 8 PM. Learn more about our digital X-ray program, see urgent care Miami Beach, or meet our physicians. For additional triage help see ER vs urgent care decision framework and about TrufaMED.
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