"Why should I add the card payment option to DOCPAY?"
1. To increase your production! There are some patients who for one reason or another just refuse to allow an office to set up automatic payments on their checking account, but feel comfortable with a payment coming from their credit card account. The more payment plans you set up, the more production you are able to create that otherwise would be unaffordable to the patient.
2. To provide added convenience for your patients! Day by day, more patients are expecting doctors to provide the same convenient ways to pay that other vendors do. Providing online and automatic payment capability with the choice of either electronic check payments or credit card based payments is an easy and inexpensive way to do that. Back to List of Questions
"I already collect monthly card payments from patients by manually entering the payments into my card terminal each month. Why should I use DOCPAY Card Payments instead?"
1. It's less work for you! Enter the pay plan online or fax us the authorization. You don't have to do anything each month to launch the payments. We run the payments for you.
2. It's less risky! If you maintain a list of patient credit card numbers and that list is discovered and abused by someone, YOU are legally responsible for all fraudulent charges applied to your patients' accounts.
3. It's less expensive! Credit card companies charge their highest discount fees on manually keyed in transactions. DOCPAY Card Payments typically cost the office much less.
4. It's the legal way to do it! Unless you go through an expensive and exhaustive security certification process, it is illegal to keep your patient's credit card numbers on file. Consumer protection laws in this area carry heavy fines and penalties. Back to List of Questions
"If I can't legally store my patients' card numbers, how can you do it?"
Actually, we don't! When you enter your patient's card number into the DOCPAY web site, it is automatically passed through a secured, encrypted connection to a payment gateway company. The payment gateway company is certified by VISA and undergoes regular security audits to make sure that your patient's account information is stored safely and securely. We do not retain your patient's credit card information at DOCPAY. Back to List of Questions
"Can I use the merchant account I already have setup for my practice for my DOCPAY Payment Plans?"
Yes, you could. However 99% of healthcare offices do not have the type of credit card account required for processing online payments. For that reason, DOCPAY has negotiated an agreement with a card services provider (US Merchant Services) who specializes in processing this type of transaction for healthcare offices. Back to List of Questions
"Do I have to change merchant card processors on my other card payments if I use DOCPAY Card Payment Plans? "
No, if you want, you can keep processing "card present" transactions, run them through your existing card terminal and process them through the same company just as before. If you would like a competitive quote on processing your other card payments, we would be glad to provide one, but you do NOT have to change card providers in order to utilize DOCPAY Card Payments. Back to List of Questions
"Can US Merchant Systems save me money on my other credit card processing?"
In most cases, YES! But the only way to know for sure is to allow them to do a free "apples to apples" comparison. If you would like a rate quote on your "card slide" or "card present" transactions, fax copies of your last two monthly card processing statements to Ron at CSI. He will submit them to USMS and have them prepare a spreadsheet showing exactly what you would have paid if the same payments had been processed through USMS. Back to List of Questions
"HOW much does USMS charge to process DOCPAY transactions?"
DOCPAY has negotiated a low discount rate of 2.25% plus $.20 per transaction for DOCPAY Payment Plan Card Payments and for DOCPAY online Card Payments. (In comparison, although card processors may charge less than 2% for "card present" transactions, they usually charge 2.5% to 3% for online transactions and 3-5% for manually entered transactions). In addition, USMS charges a monthly card statement fee of $8. If you later decide to use USMS for all of your card processing, you'll only pay the transaction discount fees (no additional annual or monthly fees). Back to List of Questions
"Can I add card payments to my DOCPAY online Web Site?"
YES, YOU CAN! Now, if a patient calls and wants to make a credit card payment, you can just direct them to your payment web site and let THEM enter it! If you sign up for DOCPAY CardPayments and already use DOCPAY online, then card payments will automatically be added to your DOCPAY online web site. The only difference in price will be that the DOCPAY fee has gone from a percentage of the payment to a flat rate of $1.50 per online payment. This should actually be cheaper in many cases than the 1.5% you were paying before. (You will still pay USMS (the card processor) the standard rate of 2.25% plus $.20 on card payments). Back to List of Questions
