Self-Pay Urgent Care Q&A

A visit to an urgent care clinic can actually end up being one of the more affordable healthcare options, but the costs can vary quite a bit depending on how extensive the treatment ends up being. Urgent care clinics are able to treat the majority of minor illnesses and injuries, meaning there can be quite a range of what is required for accurate and effective treatment, with more expensive treatments including various diagnostic tools, minor procedures, prescription medications, and rounds of antibiotics. Some visits to an urgent care clinic will only involve providing medical advice to the patient to help them manage symptoms, such as cold or flu symptoms, in which case the visit will end up being significantly less expensive than the vast majority of medical care visits.

The average cost of an urgent care visit, including a 20-to-30-minute consultation with a health care provider and one or more diagnostic tests will be anywhere from $200 to $300 for those without any coverage from their health insurance provider. Even more basic visits can end up being cheaper than $200, with more complex visits that require imaging services such as ultrasounds, CT scans, or x-rays likely costing closer to $400 or $500. Many urgent care clinics will provide detailed pay rates with each rate including specific types of services, tests, and courses of treatment to make it easier for patients to accurately estimate the total cost of their visit. The total cost of a visit to an urgent care clinic will not only depend on which services are being provided but also is influenced by the cost of living in the area in which the clinic is located, as well as the level of expertise of the health care providers employed at the clinic, with care from specialists often being a bit more expensive.

The primary difference between the costs associated with a trip to an urgent care clinic and the emergency room is that the emergency room tends to be more expensive. While a trip to an urgent care clinic will often be around $200, going to an emergency room will likely cost more than $1,000. It is important to note that this price disparity between urgent care and emergency rooms is predominantly due to the nature of the medical conditions that are brought to the respective clinics. Urgent care clinics treat minor injuries and illnesses, whereas emergency rooms are equipped to address more complex and life-threatening medical situations, many of which require more extensive treatments including staying overnight in the clinic, more diagnostic imaging, and occasionally requiring surgical procedures. All of these services are significantly more expensive than what is typically offered at the average urgent care clinic.

Self-pay services provided by urgent care clinics may vary from clinic to clinic, but will typically offer at least a basic assessment, with some including a follow-up assessment where any other tests or services may be recommended depending on the symptoms of the patient. It is also very common for urgent care clinics to offer physical examinations, whether they are DOT physicals, school sports physicals, work physicals, or general check-up physicals that can be available through a self-pay rate. Immunizations will also commonly be available through self-pay, with each type of vaccination or round of vaccinations having a standard price set by the clinic. Other common medical services that are provided by urgent care clinics for self-pay include:

• Drug screening
• X-ray imaging
• IV therapy
• Electrocardiograms
• Pre-operative physicals
• Covid testing
• Telemedicine
And many others

Visit Priority Urgent Care and Walk-In Clinic to get specialized and comprehensive care. We serve patients from Ellington CT, Unionville CT, East Haven CT, Cromwell CT, Oxford CT, Newington CT, East Windsor CT, Somers CT, Burlington CT, Canton CT, Branford CT, New Haven CT, Middletown CT, Rocky Hill CT Seymour CT, Middlebury CT, Hartford CT, Addison CT, and BEYOND!