Is there online urgent care near me?

Yes, wherever you are in the U.S. DrHouse isn’t a clinic with an address: it’s a video visit in our app that works in all 50 states, from home, work or a hotel room, as long as you’re physically in the U.S. during the visit. Afterward, prescriptions are sent to the pharmacy near you that you pick, or in select areas you can have them delivered the same day.*

Is DrHouse urgent care open now?

Yes, around the clock. DrHouse doctors are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including nights, weekends and holidays, so there are no urgent care hours to look up and no closing time.

Do you need an appointment, or can you walk in?

You don’t need an appointment. DrHouse works like a walk-in clinic: open the app and take the next available doctor by video, often within minutes, with no waiting room. If you’d rather plan ahead, you can book a later time or choose a doctor by ratings, specialty or language.

How a DrHouse urgent care visit works

Open the DrHouse app, or download it from the App Store or Google Play; if you start on our website, we’ll text you a download link. Tell us what’s wrong, add your insurance or choose self-pay, and take the next available doctor or pick one by ratings, specialty or language.

You talk it through on a secure video call, and your doctor may ask to see the problem on camera, like a rash or a red eye. You leave with a plan. If you’re prescribed medication, you choose pickup at a pharmacy near you or same-day delivery in select areas.*

What you need before your visit

You’ll need the DrHouse app on an iPhone (iOS 16 or later) or an Android phone (Android 13 or later), because visits don’t run in a web browser or on tablets. Check that your camera and microphone work, your phone is charged and your connection is steady.

Have your insurance card if you’re using insurance, a list of your medications and allergies, and the pharmacy you want to use. Keep a photo ID nearby in case we need to confirm who you are, find a quiet, private spot, and remember you need to be physically in the U.S. For anyone under 18, a parent or legal guardian needs to be on the visit.

Who you’ll see

Every DrHouse visit is with a physician, an MD or DO licensed in the U.S. Our doctors average 20 years of experience, and care is overseen by our medical director, Dr. Mike Hoaglin, MD. You can see each doctor’s specialty, ratings and languages before you choose.

What DrHouse urgent care treats

DrHouse urgent care handles many of the illnesses that send people to a walk-in clinic, and your doctor will tell you if something needs to be seen in person. Common reasons include UTIs, sinus, ear and eye infections including pink eye, and minor skin infections, where your doctor can prescribe antibiotics when medically appropriate.

Colds, coughs, sore throats, congestion, body aches and flu are common too. For flu, your doctor can prescribe an antiviral such as Tamiflu or Xofluza when appropriate. DrHouse doctors also treat seasonal allergies, rashes, hives, mild allergic reactions, eczema flare-ups, stomach bugs, acid reflux, headaches and migraines, and urinary, vaginal and STI symptoms.

What a DrHouse video visit can’t do

A video visit can’t take an X-ray, an ultrasound or another scan, close a cut, set a broken bone, give IV fluids or shots, or run a test such as a strep or flu swab. DrHouse doctors don’t prescribe controlled substances, or certain other medications by telemedicine, such as gabapentin, medical marijuana, some muscle relaxants and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). DrHouse isn’t for emergencies. When you need any of these, your doctor will tell you where to go.

Prescriptions sent to a pharmacy near you

You pick the pharmacy, and prescriptions usually reach it within 15 to 45 minutes after your visit. Almost any retail or mail-order pharmacy works, and if yours is out of stock, pharmacies can generally transfer a prescription to another location.

In select areas, you can skip the trip and have your medication delivered the same day, sometimes in as little as an hour, and the courier checks your photo ID at the door.*

Lab tests and STD testing

If you need blood work or an STD (STI) test, your DrHouse doctor can refer you to one of Labcorp’s locations nationwide. The results go straight to your doctor, so you can follow up in the app.

A doctor’s note if you need one

If you’re too sick for work or school, your doctor can write a signed doctor’s note when medically appropriate. It’s usually emailed within about an hour and comes with your visit. Whether it’s accepted is up to your employer or school.

Urgent care for kids at DrHouse

Children can be seen, as long as a parent or legal guardian is present during the video visit for anyone under 18. Add each child to your account so they have their own medical record, and start a separate visit for each one. The warning signs that mean a child needs the ER are in About urgent care.

Insurance and what a visit costs

DrHouse accepts many major plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Medicare, Humana and Elevance Health (formerly Anthem) plans. With insurance, a DrHouse video visit is a typical $0 to $30 copay, depending on your plan’s copay, deductible and coinsurance.

You don’t need insurance: a self-pay visit is $129, and it includes a doctor’s note or lab referral if you need one. You can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and HSA or FSA cards work where your plan allows.

Is a DrHouse visit cheaper than urgent care?

For common illnesses, a video visit is often the cheaper option. A DrHouse visit is a typical $0 to $30 copay or $129 self-pay, compared with UnitedHealth Group’s average of $193 for treating common conditions at urgent care (2018 data). You also skip the drive and the waiting room. If you need an X-ray, stitches or a test on the spot, though, an in-person clinic is the right place.

More ways to see a DrHouse doctor

Prefer to plan ahead? Book an online doctor visit for later, with the doctor you choose. Fever, aches and chills? See our cold and flu treatment page.

Is online urgent care open now?

Yes. DrHouse is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including nights, weekends and holidays, so there are no urgent care hours to check. Open the app and start a video visit with a licensed U.S. doctor right now, or book a time later if that suits you better. If you have chest pain, trouble breathing or another emergency, call 911 instead.

How long is the wait for online urgent care?

There’s no waiting room. You take the next available DrHouse doctor by video, often within minutes, at any hour of the day or night. You wait at home instead of in a lobby full of sick people. If you’d rather not wait at all, you can book a set time with the doctor you choose.

Do you accept walk-ins?

In the way that matters, yes. You don’t need an appointment: open the app and take the next available doctor, any hour of the day. It’s a walk-in visit by video instead of at a front desk. If you’d rather plan ahead, you can book a specific time or choose a doctor by ratings, specialty or language.

Can online urgent care prescribe antibiotics?

Yes, when your doctor finds a bacterial infection that needs them, such as a UTI. CDC notes that antibiotics don’t work on viruses, which cause colds, flu and most sore throats, so your doctor won’t prescribe them for those. Every prescription is at the doctor’s discretion, and you choose pickup at a pharmacy near you or same-day delivery in select areas.*

Can I pick up my prescription at a pharmacy near me?

Yes. You choose the pharmacy during your visit, and prescriptions usually reach it within 15 to 45 minutes after your visit. Almost any retail or mail-order pharmacy works, and if it’s out of stock, pharmacies can generally transfer the prescription to another location. In select areas, you can choose same-day delivery instead, sometimes in as little as an hour.*

How much does urgent care cost without insurance?

A DrHouse video visit is $129 without insurance, and that includes a doctor’s note or lab referral if you need one. In-person prices vary by clinic: UnitedHealth Group put the average cost of treating common conditions at urgent care at $193, based on 2018 claims. With insurance, a DrHouse visit is a typical $0 to $30 copay.

Is it cheaper to go to urgent care or use telehealth?

For common illnesses, telehealth often costs less. A DrHouse visit is a typical $0 to $30 copay or $129 self-pay, compared with UnitedHealth Group’s averages of $193 at urgent care and $2,032 in the ER for treating common conditions (2018 data). You also skip the drive and the waiting room. If you need an X-ray or stitches, though, an in-person clinic is the right choice.

Does online urgent care take insurance?

DrHouse does. We accept many major plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Medicare, Humana and Elevance Health (formerly Anthem) plans, and the typical copay is $0 to $30. Your cost depends on your plan’s copay, deductible and coinsurance. No insurance? A visit is $129, and HSA or FSA cards work where your plan allows.

Can I go to urgent care for a UTI?

Yes, and with DrHouse you can do it by video. A doctor can assess symptoms like burning, urgency and frequent urination, and prescribe an antibiotic when it’s medically appropriate; CDC lists UTIs among the infections antibiotics treat. You then pick it up at a pharmacy near you or choose same-day delivery in select areas.* Your doctor will tell you if you need an in-person test.

Can online urgent care treat the flu?

Yes. A DrHouse doctor can assess flu symptoms by video and, when it’s medically appropriate, prescribe an antiviral such as Tamiflu or Xofluza. CDC says flu antivirals work best when started early, ideally within two days after symptoms begin, and our doctors are available 24/7, so a fever at midnight doesn’t have to wait until morning. Trouble breathing or chest pain means 911.

Can online urgent care do X-rays or stitches?

No. A video visit can’t take an X-ray, close a cut or set a bone. Many in-person urgent care clinics can, since MedlinePlus lists sprains, minor cuts and burns and minor broken bones among the injuries urgent care handles, but call ahead to check. For a deep wound, heavy bleeding or a bone pushing through the skin, go to the ER.

Can my child be seen by online urgent care?

Yes. A parent or legal guardian has to be present during the video visit for anyone under 18. Add each child to your account so they have their own medical record, and start a separate visit for each one. Go to the ER instead if your child has trouble breathing, is hard to wake, has a seizure or shows signs of dehydration.

Can I get a doctor’s note from online urgent care?

Yes, when it’s medically appropriate. Ask for one when you start your visit, and if your doctor agrees, they’ll sign it, and it’s usually emailed to you within about an hour as part of your visit. Whether it’s accepted is up to your employer or school. DrHouse doctors don’t complete disability, FMLA or insurance forms.

When should I go to the ER instead of urgent care?

Call 911 or go to the ER for anything that could be life-threatening, such as chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, sudden weakness on one side of the body, heavy bleeding, fainting, a seizure, a severe allergic reaction or a serious head injury. For thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, call or text 988. Video visits are for urgent problems that aren’t emergencies.

• National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. “When to use the emergency room – adult.” https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000593.htm.
• National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. “When to use the emergency room – child.” https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000594.htm.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Antibiotic Prescribing and Use. “Healthy Habits: Antibiotic Do’s and Don’ts.” https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/about/index.html.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Influenza (Flu). “Treatment of Flu.” https://www.cdc.gov/flu/treatment/index.html.
• UnitedHealth Group. “18 Million Avoidable Hospital Emergency Department Visits Add $32 Billion in Costs to the Health Care System Each Year.” https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/content/dam/UHG/PDF/2019/UHG-Avoidable-ED-Visits.pdf.
• Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker. “Emergency department visits exceed affordability threshold for many consumers with private insurance.” https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/emergency-department-visits-exceed-affordability-thresholds-for-many-consumers-with-private-insurance/.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline fact sheet.” https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/988-factsheet.pdf.