Blog · Pain care
What Happens at a $175 Pain Evaluation
By First Response Doctors Clinic Care Team · · 6 min read
A published fee is only useful if you also know what it buys. The pain evaluation at First Response Doctors Clinic is a flat $175, and this article walks through what that visit contains, in order, so there is nothing to discover at the front desk afterward. Prices are set by the clinic and may change after clinical evaluation; this is a description of the standard visit, not a promise about your specific plan of care.
Before the visit: intake and benefit check
Intake is completed online or by phone before you arrive. It covers where the pain is, how long it has been there, what makes it better or worse, prior treatments and imaging, current medications, and relevant medical history. Completing it in advance is what protects examination time during the visit itself.
If you are using insurance, benefits are verified before the appointment so you know what your plan covers before anyone treats you. If your plan is not one we are contracted with, you are told that up front and offered the published self-pay fee instead — never a surprise bill afterward.
The first fifteen minutes: history
The clinician starts with the story, because the story carries most of the diagnostic weight in musculoskeletal pain. Onset, mechanism, pattern through the day, what positions help, what wakes you at night, how far you can walk, what you have stopped doing. Screening questions for red-flag features are asked directly.
Medication review happens here too, including over-the-counter products, supplements, and anything prescribed elsewhere. Interactions and cumulative dosing matter, particularly with anti-inflammatories and anything sedating.
Examination and review of prior studies
A focused physical examination follows: inspection, range of motion, strength testing, targeted provocative maneuvers, and a neurological screen where indicated. The point is to connect the story to a physical finding rather than to name a diagnosis from the history alone.
Any imaging you already have is reviewed in the room. Prior films frequently change the plan — and just as frequently make new imaging unnecessary. If a new study is indicated, the clinician explains what question it is meant to answer before ordering it.
The plan, in writing
You leave with a written plan: the working assessment, what is being started or changed, activity guidance, any referral or imaging that was ordered, warning signs that should prompt immediate care, and a specific follow-up interval. If medication is part of the plan, indications, common side effects, and stopping criteria are covered before you leave.
The $175 covers the evaluation visit itself. Imaging, procedures, laboratory studies, durable equipment, and medications are billed separately and are quoted before they happen. Follow-up visits are scheduled at their own published rate, seven days a week, including evening telehealth for recheck appointments where clinically appropriate.
How we talk about results
Your clinician sets your goals — many plans target 10–16 lbs/month with strict protein protocols; individual results vary.
Medication, dosing, and candidacy are always determined by a licensed clinician after evaluation. Nothing on this page is medical advice, and no outcome is promised.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the $175 include imaging or injections?
- No. The published fee covers the evaluation visit. Imaging, laboratory studies, procedures, and medications are billed separately and quoted in advance.
- Can the pain evaluation be done by telehealth?
- Some evaluations and most follow-up visits can be handled by telehealth when clinically appropriate. Problems that require hands-on examination are scheduled in-clinic.
- What should I bring?
- A photo ID, your insurance card if you are using insurance, a list of current medications, and any prior imaging reports or discs you have.