Let’s be honest—traditional medical billing can be a real headache for your patients. It’s often slow, confusing, and inconvenient. And for your medical practice, that means more unpaid bills and a lower collection rate. 

Times have changed, and so have consumer habits. Patients today want simple, convenient ways to pay their healthcare bills. Forget mailing a check—they want to settle up quickly and securely online using their debit card, credit card, or HSA card. 

Still not convinced? Here’s a stat that might change your mind: 85% of patients prefer electronic payment methods for their medical bills. Even more striking, 65% of patients would consider switching practices just to get a better payment experience. 

The best part? You can easily meet these patient preferences. Modern healthcare payment technologies provide multiple ways and payment plans for patients to pay their bills—no checks, no phone calls, just fast, convenient online payments. 

 

What are the biggest payment pain points for healthcare practices? 

 

Patients are looking for an easier payment experience, and they’re not afraid to leave your practice to get it. In fact, 82% of patients want to make all their healthcare payments in one place. And thanks to their experiences with online shopping, they trust online payment options from their healthcare providers. 

Another common issue is confusion over paper billing statements. Patients often don’t pay bills because they don’t understand them, even after receiving several statements by mail. This not only makes paper billing costly, but also ineffective. 

There’s also the manual follow-up process—those time-consuming phone calls and emails from your team that can further delay payments. This lengthens your accounts receivable (A/R) days and limits your cash flow. 

Plus, with inflation and rising operational costs, practices are looking for ways to save money, such as reducing the number of software licenses they use each month. Cost-conscious offices want automated payment solutions that save them time and money while simplifying payment workflows. 

 

 

 

How can a payment tool help healthcare practices overcome common challenges? 

 

Text to pay 

Automatically send a secure payment link via text message to patients with a balance. When they pay, your office gets an instant notification—no fuss, no delay. 

Online payments 

Forget complicated patient portals and passwords. Accept payments directly on your practice’s website or through links sent in emails and statements. It’s easy, user-friendly, accessible, and convenient for everyone. 

Multiple ways to pay 

Some patients may prefer to pay by phone or in person. With a payment tool’s virtual terminal, you can easily accommodate these preferences. 

Fast refunds 

Need to issue a refund? An automated payment solution lets your team process patient refunds with a simple click. 

Office interoperability 

Save time, reduce costs, and improve efficiency with a payment tool that integrates seamlessly with your patient communication platform. This optimizes front-desk workflows and cuts down on staff training. 

 

What are the benefits of automated payment software for healthcare practices? 

 

Collect more payments 

Automated payment tools help you get paid faster and boost your collection rate. 

Simplify the payment workflow 

Track, manage, report, and reconcile patient payments all in one place. Features like batch payment reminders, instant payment notifications, and one-click refunds reduce manual work and save time. 

Elevate the patient experience 

Today’s patients want a digital, hassle-free payment experience. Make the final step of their visit as smooth as possible, and they’ll be more likely to pay their bills promptly—and keep coming back. 

 

Key Takeaways 

 

Make patient payments easy for both your team and your patients. Offering online patient payment options that are as straightforward as booking a flight or ordering food increases the likelihood of timely payments. An automated payment tool streamlines the entire payment process, shortens your A/R days, helps you collect more payments, and boosts your cash flow. 

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To learn more about how to speed up the entire patient payment process so you can shorten your practice’s A/R days and increase cash flow, get our free guide, “Patient Payment Playbook: How to Boost Your Collections in Half the Time.”

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