Reviewed the same day by Texas-licensed clinicians

Ear infection care online in Texas

Ear pain, itching or fullness in adults? A clinician reviews your symptoms, treats outer-ear infections if appropriate, and books an exam when needed.

Insurance or a flat cash priceYour pharmacy, your choiceIn-person care if needed: our DFW clinics, or near you
Online evaluation
Same-day review24/7 weekdays · 7 AM–9 PM CT weekends
Short answer

Can I get online care for ear infection in Texas?

Yes, for adults 18 and older in Texas. Ear pain, itching or fullness in adults? A clinician reviews your symptoms, treats outer-ear infections if appropriate, and books an exam when needed. Review is by a Texas-licensed Passion Health clinician, 24/7 on weekdays and 7 AM–9 PM CT on weekends. The flat price is $59, or use insurance. A prescription goes to the pharmacy you choose only if it's appropriate; controlled medicines are never prescribed online. If you have diabetes or a weakened immune system, and severe ear pain with drainage, you need to be seen in person today instead (at our Dallas–Fort Worth clinics, or urgent care near you), and you don't pay the online fee.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Anantha Chentha, MD, Chief Quality Medical Officer, Passion Health · October 22, 2026

Price
$59 flat cash rate or insurance
Visit type
Online evaluation
Reviewed by
A Texas-licensed Passion Health physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant
Turnaround
Same day · 24/7 weekdays, 7 AM–9 PM CT weekends
Insurance
BCBS of Texas, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Humana, Healthcare Highways
Prescriptions
Only if appropriate, sent to your pharmacy · never controlled medicines online
About the condition

What to know about ear infection

An ear infection is an infection of the outer ear canal (swimmer's ear) or of the space behind the eardrum (the middle ear). Swimmer's ear often follows swimming or cleaning ears with cotton swabs. Middle-ear infections usually follow a cold or allergies. Ear infections are more common in children, but adults get them too.

Before you start

Is online care right for you?

A good fit for online care

  • Itching, pain or drainage in the ear canal after swimming or using cotton swabs (adults only)
  • Pain when you pull on your earlobe or press just in front of your ear
  • Ear pain or fullness after a cold or allergies, with no sudden hearing loss — for advice, with an in-person ear exam if an infection behind the eardrum is likely
  • Ear pressure after flying that hasn't cleared

Book an in-person visit instead if

  • You have diabetes or a weakened immune system, and severe ear pain with drainage Same day
  • Something stuck in your ear, or ear pain after an injury Same day
  • Swelling in your neck Same day
  • Sudden hearing loss Same day

Not near one of our clinics? Online Care is open to adults anywhere in Texas; our clinics are in Dallas–Fort Worth. If the safety questions or your clinician show you need to be examined, we tell you what kind of care you need and how soon — an emergency room, an urgent care center, or a clinician near you. If you've already paid, the full fee is refunded and you get a written summary of your visit to take with you.

Call 911 or go to the ER now if you have

Call 911

  • Drooping on one side of your face, or you can't close one eye
  • Drooling, a high-pitched sound when breathing in, or you can't swallow your saliva

Emergency room now

  • Swelling, redness or pain behind your ear, or your ear sticks out more than usual
  • Severe dizziness or room-spinning with trouble walking
  • A muffled, "hot potato" voice

Also call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, stroke signs, a sudden severe headache, fainting, a seizure, severe bleeding, new confusion, throat swelling, an overdose or thoughts of harming someone else — and call or text 988 for thoughts of harming yourself. If screening routes you before you pay, nothing is charged. If a clinician routes you after you've paid, the full fee is refunded.

How it works

How your ear infection visit works

  1. 1
    Answer the ear infection intake

    About 5 minutes, with photos if they help. Emergency and safety questions come first.

  2. 2
    A clinician reviews it the same day

    A Texas-licensed Passion Health clinician reads everything and calls or videos you if they need more.

  3. 3
    You get a plan

    If treatment is appropriate, a prescription goes to the pharmacy you choose.

  4. 4
    Follow-up is built in

    A 48-hour check-in and secure messaging. If you need to be seen, a same-day visit at our Dallas–Fort Worth clinics, or clear advice on where to go near you.

Your care

What to expect from your clinician

What your clinician may consider

  • For swimmer's ear: prescription ear drops (an antibiotic, sometimes with a steroid), if appropriate, and keeping the ear dry.
  • For a possible middle-ear infection: the eardrum can't be seen over video, so your clinician may ask you to come in for an ear exam.
  • Pain relief, and advice for ear pressure or fluid after a cold.
  • An antibiotic by mouth for a middle-ear infection only after an ear exam confirms it. Most ear pain after a cold is pressure, not infection, and usually settles with time and pain relief.

Shown so you know what to expect. The reviewing clinician decides what, if anything, is appropriate for you — a prescription is never guaranteed, and controlled medicines are never prescribed online.

Price & insurance

How much does an online ear infection visit cost?

Quick evaluation
$59
  • A Texas-licensed clinician reviews your intake
  • A care plan, and a prescription if appropriate
  • 48-hour check-in
  • 14 days of secure messaging

Using insurance: we're in network with BCBS of Texas, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Humana and Healthcare Highways, and we verify eligibility for every plan before review — you see your estimated cost-share first. New patients have a short video visit, because plans pay for a visit, not a form. Same-day review applies to self-pay visits; insurance visits begin once we've verified your plan, which is the next business morning if you submit overnight or on a weekend. Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and TRICARE are billed to the program, and the cash rate isn't offered for covered services.

Full refund if your case isn't accepted: if the clinician doesn't accept your case for online care, for any reason, the full fee is refunded to your card within 10 business days, and we help you get the care you need: a same-day visit at one of our Dallas–Fort Worth clinics or, if you're not near one, clear advice on where to be seen and a written summary of your visit. With insurance, no claim is submitted for the online review. Paying the flat price yourself? You can ask for a written Good Faith Estimate before your visit.

Labs and imaging, if needed, are billed separately, and medication is paid at your pharmacy. Passion Health doesn't sell, ship or mark up medication.

Follow-up

A 48-hour check-in message and 14 days of secure messaging. If you're not improving, we book a same-day clinic visit, or, if you're not near one of our clinics, tell you where to be seen near you.

Questions

Questions about ear infection care

How much does an online ear infection visit cost?

The flat cash rate is $59 for a quick evaluation, or use your insurance and pay your plan's cost-share — we show you an estimate before review starts. Medication is paid at your pharmacy. If the clinician doesn't accept your case for online care, for any reason, the full fee is refunded to your card.

Will I talk to someone, or is it just a form?

A Texas-licensed Passion Health clinician reviews every intake and decides your plan — not software. For ear infection, Texas law lets the clinician evaluate you from a condition-specific intake plus your photos and records, and they'll call or video you whenever something needs a conversation. New patients using insurance have a short video visit, because plans pay for a visit, not a form.

Is a prescription guaranteed?

No. You're paying for a licensed clinician's evaluation and plan. Many visits end with a prescription; some end with a different plan, a test, or a referral. Controlled medicines — stimulants, benzodiazepines, opioids, testosterone, sleep aids like zolpidem — are never prescribed at an online visit.

Can an ear infection be diagnosed online?

Sometimes. Swimmer's ear can often be judged from your symptoms and a photo of the outer ear. A middle-ear infection sits behind the eardrum, which can only be seen with an ear scope, so your clinician may ask you to come in for a quick exam before treating. If you need one, we'll help you book a same-day clinic visit (or, if you're not near one of our clinics, we tell you where to be seen near you).

Is this page for children?

No. Passion Health online care is for adults 18 and older. Ear infections are common in children, and a child's ear needs to be looked at in person. Passion Health Pediatrics and our clinics can see children for an in-person exam.

The Texas law behind this visit

A clinician may form a valid patient relationship online using store-and-forward technology — your condition-specific intake, photos and records — paired with a call or video when needed, as long as the in-person standard of care is met (Tex. Occ. Code §111.005(a)(3), §111.007). Your clinician gives you guidance on follow-up care and, with your consent, sends new patients' visit notes to their primary care physician within 72 hours (§111.005(b)).

Full Texas-law summary →

AC
Medical reviewer

Dr. Anantha Chentha, MD, FACP, CHCQM-PHY ADV

Chief Quality Medical Officer, Passion Health · Texas-licensed internal medicine physician

Reviewed October 22, 2026

Reviewed for medical accuracy by Dr. Anantha Chentha, MD, Chief Quality Medical Officer, Passion Health, on October 22, 2026. Pages are reviewed again when clinical guidance or our visit rules change, and the date shown here is updated each time.

Sources: AAO-HNS · CDC · NIDCD

Not sure online care is right for you?

Book a same-day visit at a Passion Health clinic in Dallas–Fort Worth, or call and we'll point you to the right visit — or, elsewhere in Texas, to the right kind of care near you.

☎ Call