The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled an unprecedented surge in digital payments along with rising patient expectations for medical payment flexibility.
Today’s patients demand a convenient, personalized healthcare experience similar to retail. They want safe, simple, contactless ways to pay their bills using the expedient payment methods they know and trust. Not only that, but they expect to pay from anywhere, day or night. Gone are the days of paper checks and envelopes; easy digital payments are the future. In fact, the 2020 Trends in Healthcare Payments report from InstaMed uncovered some intriguing statistics:
- 85 percent of consumers prefer electronic payments for their medical bills
- 54 percent are interested in mobile payments for medical bills
- 78 percent want contactless payment options—put in place during the pandemic—to permanently remain available
- 56 percent of consumers would consider switching providers for a better healthcare payments experience
Integrated Payments to the Rescue
Integrated online payment automation enables accounting and payment processes to work seamlessly, alleviating manual, time-consuming tasks while making the patient payment experience easier and hassle-free.
By implementing integrated payments, medical practices can offer a wide variety of payment forms, including credit and debit cards, flexible spending accounts (FSA), health savings accounts (HSA), and automated clearing house (ACH) bank account transfers directly from within vital practice management and electronic health records (EHR) software. One-time payments, card-on-file recurring payments, installment payment plans, and sliding fee scales can be accommodated as well, providing patients with even more flexibility.
Patients benefit from a better overall experience:
- Online payments are seamless, simple, safe, convenient, and efficient
- Payments their way—customize the method, recurrence, and time
Medical practices also have substantial benefits from integrated patient processing:
- Increase the likelihood of getting paid on time and reducing bad debt
- Enhance payment security with EMV, tokens, and end-to-end encryption
- Get paid faster, reduce accounts receivables days outstanding
- Reduce compliance scope with PA-DSS and HIPPA certified solutions
- Improve cash flow, save time, and money
- Eliminate paper statements and manual processes
- Gain more financial visibility and control
- Streamline operations and increase productivity
- Increase patient trust, loyalty, and satisfaction
- Improve collection accuracy and reduce errors
Digital Payments Are the Future
Digital payments are just one of the things disrupting the entire healthcare system. With 85% of patients open to paying their bills online, the trends we see today will surely extend far past the pandemic. With truly integrated payment processing, healthcare providers can reap the benefits of quicker, more efficient, more cost-effective payments, while patients are sure to love their seamless, convenient payment experience.
RXNT’s comprehensive Full Suite of healthcare software—powered by Paya integrated payments—is a comprehensive, cloud-based solution that simplifies workflows and elevates your medical practice. Learn more about how Paya manages payment complexity.