Dental Credit Card Processing: Insiders Guide
In the age of digital payments, it has become extremely important for dental offices to offer convenient payment methods to patients. Dental Credit Card processing is no longer a luxury for practitioners but in fact is one of the most important additions to the practice. By adding a robust Dental Merchant Processing solution, practices can significantly improve patient satisfaction.
The team at QuadraPay has been providing Dental Credit Card processing solutions to practitioners since the year 2016, and the same team has created this extensive guide for you. We are confident that after reading this entire guide, you will be in a better position to make the selection of the right dental practice merchant services solution.
What is Dental Credit Card Processing?
Dental Credit Card processing is a service offered by payment processors that allows dental offices to accept credit and debit card payments from their patients. This includes retail credit card terminals that allow dental offices to accept face-to-face payments and also e-commerce processing which allows dental offices to collect payments over the internet or mobile app.
Why is Credit Card Processing Important for Dental Practices?
There are many reasons why Credit Card processing is becoming extremely important for dental practices. Patients prefer to make payments by using their preferred method. The cost of dental treatment can be high and it becomes extremely difficult for patients and attendants to carry that much cash. If a dental practice allows patients to make payments through their preferred mode of payments then in a way it offers a smoother patient experience.
Another benefit of utilizing Card processing for dental practices is that it helps in automating a lot of activities which reduces the risk of manual errors and also helps save a lot of time. Dental offices can easily integrate the merchant account with their existing dental POS system; this way the staff members do not have to manually manage the details of every transaction.
Various studies have shown that Dental practices that use digital payment systems make more business. In other words, patients or attendants may spend more money using digital payments in comparison to cash-only options. From the regulation point of view, it is important for the credit card processor that you select to be HIPAA compliant. Fortunately, our Credit Card processing partners can integrate HIPAA compliant features that ensure patient data remains safe and secure.
Key Features to Look for in Dental Credit Card Processing
When choosing a credit card processor for your dental business, it is important for you to ensure that your providers offer you some important features. Let us explore a few of these.
HIPAA Compliance: The number one on the list is HIPAA compliance. It is important because dental practices handle very sensitive patient information; this can include personal and financial data. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA, mandates the protection of such data. For this, the dental patient payment processing company must encrypt patient data and ensure that the information is secured by following strict privacy protocols to prevent data breaches. By using a payment solution that is HIPAA compliant, dental practices protect themselves against various legal penalties, and it also helps in generating trust with the patients.
Integration with Dental Practice Software: Most dental practices across US, Canada, UK, and European Union use some kind of software which allows them to track appointments, patient records, and billing information. The payment solution that you are going to choose must have the integration ability with your current dental practice software. By using a merchant service provider that integrates well with your existing software stack, you will be saving a lot of time; along with that, it will also improve the overall efficiency of your practice’s administrative tasks.
Multi-Payment Options: Dental tourism is a reality now, and it is quite common for people to travel to different places to get dental treatment done. In such a scenario where you have international customers visiting your dental office, you must have the ability to accept payments in the patient’s preferred currency and payment method. Your dental merchant services provider must offer you a range of payment methods, processing currencies and settlement currencies. In general, they should support all kinds of credit and debit cards, contactless payments, NFC payments, mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, and also allow you to accept payments online on your portal, which should have the dynamic currency conversion facility which converts the pricing into customer’s home currency. This will definitely help you to improve patient collection rate.
Transparent Pricing: Some dental office credit card processing companies may have a very complex pricing structure that will be very expensive for your practice, and it can also make budgeting difficult. You should make sure that the payment service provider clearly discloses all the fees, including the transaction fees, monthly fees, chargeback fees, or any additional cost that is involved in using their services. This way you will be in a better position to manage costs and avoid any surprises.
Robust Support: These days almost every dental practice across United States and Canada utilizes Credit Card processing as their main payment instrument. Any disruption can result in patient dissatisfaction as well as financial loss. It is paramount for you to get immediate support from the dental payment processing company; this way you will be able to minimize the downtime. Make sure that your processing company offers 24/7 support including phone, email, chat, or access to a knowledge base. This way you will be able to resolve payment-related issues quickly and will be able to run your practice smoothly without worrying about delays in payment.
Costs Associated with Dental Office Credit Card Processing
To start using Credit Card processing at your dental practice, you have to be ready for some costs and fees that you will be paying to the payment processor. Let us look at the breakdown of these fees in detail.
Transaction Fees: This is a fixed percentage that you pay on each transaction. This typically ranges between 1% to 3% depending on the payment instrument used. This fee generally includes the interchange fee which is paid to the card-issuing bank, and this is a non-negotiable pricing and does vary based on the card type or instrument type you’re using. Another fee that is included in the transaction charge is the markup fee which you pay to the payment processor for providing you the services of Credit Card processing.
Monthly Fees: To use the Gateway for processing credit and debit card transactions, you will have to pay a monthly fee to the payment processor. This fee covers the cost of allowing you access to the Gateway software stack. The monthly fee generally ranges between $10 to $50 depending on the solution provider and the features that you have opted for.
Setup Fees: While most of our payment processing partners offer accounts to dental practices at a very low or zero setup fee, some payment processors may charge a huge cost for the same. Basically, a one-time setup fee is the cost involved in setting up the entire system for you. It is simple to understand that at the time of setting up the account, a lot of activities are done and there’s a cost associated with it. For example, the underwriters that review your application are paid; along with that, the underwriters access details on paid databases to verify your documents that may have a subscription cost attached to those services. In most cases, a setup fee is a genuine cost; however, we strongly encourage you to negotiate the same with the payment processor.
Other Potential Costs: Apart from these important charges that we had discussed, there are various other costs that may be written in your merchant account agreement. This includes the chargeback fee, which is generally between $10 to $25 dollars for each chargeback instance, and this can also increase if your chargeback rate is higher than average. If that is the case, you should look for a high-risk merchant account provider. Some providers may levy a termination fee on your contract, which basically means that there would be a cost if you terminate the contract before the agreed duration. Generally in the dental Credit Card processing industry, the early termination fee ranges between $200 to 500 Dollars.
You should opt for a provider that offers you an all-in-one solution which helps you to reduce individual costs. Make sure that you use your right to negotiate with the payment processor, especially if you are sure about processing high volume of transactions each month. Remember that after completing a substantial amount of time with your payment processor and giving a good sales volume, you can always go back to the processor and renegotiate the pricing. Loyalty with the payment processor pays in this industry.
How to Set Up Credit Card Processing for Your Dental Practice
Assess Your Needs: You should start by understanding your patient base and their payment habits. For example, ask these questions to yourself.
- Do most of your customers prefer mobile wallets or do they prefer contactless payments?
- Does your practice really need an online portal for remote billing?
- How important are subscription payments for your practice?
By asking all these questions to yourself, you will have a clear picture of your patients’ preferences, and this will help you to select a Credit Card processing solution that meets the needs of your patients. Your front desk team members would be a good source to give you insights about these questions.
Now that you understand the payment method preference of your patients, it is important for you to research the providers who offer you such solutions. Along with that, you should make sure that the Credit Card processing company has experience in working with Healthcare, Medical, and Dental Services field. Your preferred provider must have PCI and HIPAA compliant solutions. You should carefully review the pricing model they’re offering. In the dental payment processing industry, there are three types of pricing models.
- The first one is a flat model where the credit card processor will charge you a fixed percentage on each transaction irrespective of the card type used by the patient.
- The second model is a tiered pricing model where your transaction fee is based on the transaction volume milestones that you achieve.
- The third pricing model, which we consider the best one, is the interchange-plus pricing model where you pay a small fixed markup above the interchange fee. It is important for you to understand that the interchange fee is the actual cost of transaction fixed by card brand, so it varies based on the card type being used by your patients. Transactions processed using a consumer card are cheaper than processing business card transactions. If at your dental practice most of your customers pay using business cards, then we strongly encourage you to use a flat pricing model, or else if the majority of patients make payments using consumer cards, then you can choose interchange or tiered pricing model.
We are pretty sure that you may be using practice management software. It will be great if you proactively ask the payment processor if they can integrate easily with your existing dental practice management software. Some of the most popular software for dental practice management includes Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or Open Dental. Getting confirmation from the payment processor regarding the integration with your existing software stack is extremely important as it reduces the risk of wasting time. With the proper integration of your software stack with the dental Credit Card processing solution, your team will not have to do manual data entry; it will also minimize the possibility of errors, and you will be able to easily automate updating patient records with the payment details. You can also consult your PMS provider and ask them if they can integrate with the chosen Credit Card processing company.
When you have found the right credit card processor, sign up with them. The processor will send you the credit card terminal or access to the online payment portal or other necessary hardware or software. You may have to customize these systems to match your practice’s regular workflow, such as adding specific financing options or setting up reminders. You may also have to educate your staff on how to use the system and troubleshoot common issues. Proper setup of a dental Credit Card processing solution minimizes downtime and errors during transactions. After setup, you may schedule a follow-up with the provider to resolve any issues or concerns that you may have with the system.
Final Words
Dental Credit Card processing cannot be ignored by any modern dental office. By utilizing the services of a reliable dental payment processing company, you can ensure that your patients get a good experience while they are making payments to you. If you need more assistance in getting a good quality dental merchant processing account, then feel free to email us at [email protected].
