Payment Solutions for Healthcare & Dental Practices
Make Patient Payments Simpler
Healthcare and dental practices need payment solutions that make it convenient for patients to pay while fitting smoothly into the day-to-day operations of the practice.
Payments may be collected at the front desk, after an appointment, through an invoice or payment link, or remotely. Practices may also need to manage balances, recurring payments, and transactions of varying amounts.
Kimeris helps healthcare and dental practices evaluate payment solutions around how they operate—considering payment technology, patient experience, processing costs, security, integrations, and ongoing support.
The goal is a payment experience that works efficiently for the practice while making it simple and convenient for patients to pay.
Understanding Healthcare & Dental Payment Needs
Healthcare and dental practices often manage payments at several points in the patient experience. From collecting copays and patient-responsibility amounts to handling outstanding balances, practices need payment options that are convenient for patients and manageable for staff.
Front-Desk Payments — Practices may collect payments before or after an appointment, making a simple and efficient checkout experience important.
Patient Balances — Patients may have remaining balances after insurance processing, requiring convenient options for making payments later.
Remote Payments — Digital invoices, secure payment links, and other remote options can give patients ways to pay without returning to the office.
Recurring Payments — Depending on the practice and services provided, recurring or scheduled payments may help manage ongoing patient balances or treatment-related payments.
Different Transaction Amounts — Payment amounts can vary considerably depending on the type of practice, services provided, insurance coverage, and patient responsibility.
Multiple Ways to Pay — Patients increasingly expect convenient payment options, including cards, contactless payments, and supported digital payment methods.
Efficient Staff Workflows — Payment technology should make it easier for staff to collect, track, and reconcile payments without creating unnecessary administrative work.
Patient Experience — Billing and payment are part of the overall patient experience. A clear, convenient payment process can help create a more professional experience from appointment through checkout.
The right payment solution should make payments easier to manage for the practice while providing patients with secure, convenient, and straightforward ways to pay.
Front-Desk, Mobile & Remote Patient Payments
Patients may need to make payments before an appointment, during checkout, or after leaving the practice. Offering multiple ways to pay can make the process more convenient for patients while helping staff manage collections efficiently.
Front-Desk Payment Terminals — Countertop terminals can provide a familiar and convenient way to accept card payments during check-in or checkout.
Contactless Payments — Compatible terminals can allow patients to tap eligible cards, smartphones, or wearable devices for a quick and convenient payment experience.
Mobile Payment Options — Portable payment devices can provide additional flexibility when accepting payments away from the traditional front desk.
Digital Invoices — Electronic invoices can provide patients with billing information and an accessible way to address outstanding balances.
Secure Payment Links — Practices can provide secure payment links that allow patients to complete eligible payments remotely from a compatible device.
Virtual Terminals — Depending on the practice’s needs, a virtual terminal may provide another option for appropriately handling certain remote transactions.
Receipts & Payment Records — Digital or printed receipts can provide patients with confirmation while helping the practice maintain organized transaction records.
Providing patients with convenient payment options can help create a smoother experience while giving the practice greater flexibility in how and where payments are collected.
Patient Balances, Recurring Payments & Payment Flexibility
Healthcare and dental expenses aren’t always paid in a single transaction. Depending on the services provided and a patient’s financial responsibility, practices may need flexible ways to collect outstanding balances or manage payments over time.
Outstanding Patient Balances — After insurance processing or an initial payment, patients may still have a remaining balance that needs to be collected.
Recurring Payments — For eligible services or arrangements, recurring payment capabilities can help practices manage scheduled payments without requiring patients to initiate each transaction individually.
Payment Plans — When offered by the practice, structured payment arrangements can give patients additional flexibility while providing the practice with a defined collection process.
Securely Stored Payment Credentials — When supported, tokenized or securely stored payment credentials can help facilitate authorized future payments while reducing unnecessary handling of sensitive card information.
Digital Invoices & Payment Links — Practices can provide patients with convenient ways to address balances remotely rather than requiring an additional office visit.
Clear Patient Authorization — Practices should clearly communicate payment amounts, timing, and terms and maintain appropriate authorization for scheduled or recurring transactions.
Maintain Accurate Records — Keeping clear records of invoices, payments, authorizations, and remaining balances can help staff respond to patient questions and manage accounts more effectively.
Flexible payment options can make it easier for patients to manage their financial responsibility while helping practices establish a more consistent and organized approach to collecting balances.
Practice Management, Billing & Payment Integrations
For healthcare and dental practices, payment processing is often one part of a larger administrative workflow. The right payment technology can work alongside practice-management, billing, accounting, and other systems to help reduce unnecessary manual processes.
Practice Management Integration — Compatible payment solutions may integrate with practice-management software, helping connect payment activity with existing administrative workflows.
Patient Billing — Integrated billing capabilities can help practices manage invoices, outstanding balances, and payment activity more efficiently.
Accounting Integration — Connecting compatible payment and accounting systems can help reduce manual data entry and simplify transaction reconciliation.
Scheduling & Appointments — Depending on the technology used, payment functionality may work alongside scheduling or appointment-management systems.
Recurring Payment Management — Compatible systems can help practices manage authorized recurring or scheduled payments when appropriate.
Reporting & Reconciliation — Centralized reporting can provide greater visibility into transactions, refunds, payment activity, and reconciliation.
Choose Integrations Carefully — Not every payment platform integrates with every practice-management, billing, or accounting system. Practices should evaluate compatibility, security, functionality, and workflow requirements before selecting a solution.
The goal is to make payments a seamless part of the practice’s overall workflow—helping staff spend less time managing disconnected systems and more time supporting patients and daily operations.
Payment Security, Privacy & Fraud
Healthcare and dental practices handle sensitive information every day, making security an important consideration when selecting and managing payment technology. A strong payment environment should help protect payment information while supporting a convenient experience for patients and staff.
Protect Payment Information — Use payment technology designed to securely handle cardholder information and reduce unnecessary exposure to sensitive payment data.
Use Secure Payment Channels — Front-desk terminals, digital invoices, payment links, virtual terminals, and other payment methods should be used through appropriate, secure payment channels.
PCI DSS Considerations — Businesses accepting card payments should understand their responsibilities under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and work with appropriate providers and technology.
Protect Stored Payment Credentials — When payment credentials are retained for authorized future or recurring transactions, appropriate technologies such as tokenization can help reduce exposure of sensitive card information.
Control Employee Access — Staff should have access only to the payment systems, functions, and information necessary for their responsibilities.
Monitor Transaction Activity — Regularly reviewing refunds, unusual transactions, chargebacks, and other payment activity can help practices identify potential issues.
Prepare for Payment Disputes — Clear invoices, patient authorizations, payment records, and applicable documentation can help a practice respond when a card transaction is disputed.
Understand Payment Security vs. Patient Privacy — PCI DSS focuses on protecting payment-card information, while healthcare privacy requirements such as HIPAA address protected health information. Practices should evaluate each requirement separately and use appropriate systems and procedures for both.
Strong payment security should help protect the practice and its patients without creating unnecessary friction in the payment experience.
Understanding Payment Processing Costs for Healthcare Practices
Payment processing costs can vary depending on how a healthcare or dental practice accepts payments, transaction amounts, card types, pricing structure, and the technology being used. Understanding the complete cost of accepting payments can help practices make more informed decisions.
Transaction Size & Volume — Processing costs can be influenced by both the number of transactions a practice accepts and the value of those transactions.
In-Person vs. Remote Payments — Payments accepted through a front-desk terminal may have different costs than transactions completed through payment links, digital invoices, virtual terminals, or other remote methods.
Card & Payment Type — Processing costs can vary based on the type of card, payment method, transaction characteristics, and other factors.
Recurring Payments — Practices using recurring or scheduled payment capabilities should understand how those transactions are processed and priced.
Pricing Structure — Interchange-plus, flat-rate, tiered, and other pricing models can affect both the overall cost and transparency of payment processing.
Technology & Integration Costs — Payment terminals, gateways, software, practice-management integrations, and other technology may carry additional costs depending on the solution.
Additional Fees — Practices should understand applicable monthly, gateway, PCI-related, chargeback, statement, and other potential fees when evaluating a provider.
Look Beyond the Advertised Rate — A low advertised rate doesn’t necessarily represent the total cost of accepting payments. Evaluating the complete pricing structure provides a clearer picture of what the practice is actually paying.
The goal isn’t simply to find the lowest advertised rate. It’s to understand the overall cost and determine whether the payment solution provides the right combination of technology, security, functionality, patient experience, and support for the practice.
Choosing the Right Payment Solution for Your Healthcare Practice
The right payment solution should complement the way your practice operates while making it easier for patients to pay. Healthcare and dental practices should evaluate more than processing rates when comparing payment providers and technology.
Consider How Patients Pay — Determine whether most payments occur at the front desk, through digital invoices, remotely, through recurring arrangements, or across multiple channels.
Make Payments Convenient — Patients should have straightforward payment options that fit naturally into the practice’s billing and checkout experience.
Evaluate Practice Integrations — Consider whether the payment solution needs to work with existing practice-management, billing, accounting, scheduling, or other business systems.
Prioritize Payment Security — Evaluate technology and procedures designed to protect cardholder information and help the practice manage payment-related risk.
Understand the Total Cost — Consider processing rates, equipment, software, gateways, integrations, recurring fees, and other applicable costs—not simply an advertised rate.
Consider Staff Workflow — Payment technology should help staff efficiently collect, track, and reconcile payments without creating unnecessary administrative work.
Evaluate Service & Support — When payment questions or issues arise, access to knowledgeable support can be an important part of the overall solution.
Plan for the Future — Consider whether the payment solution can support additional providers, locations, payment channels, or services as the practice grows.
The best payment solution isn’t necessarily the one with the most features or the lowest advertised rate. It’s the one that provides the appropriate combination of convenience, technology, security, cost, functionality, patient experience, and support for your practice.
