Credit Card on File Policy

When I booked my appointment, the receptionist told me I have to keep a credit card on file with the office. I’ve never heard of that before.

This is not surprising that this is new to you, as it is not yet the norm in this area. Credit Card On File (CCOF) is the new standard in the healthcare industry nationwide, and soon all of the high quality medical practices will adopt it. Insurance reimbursements are declining and the expectation is that health care providers find ways to become more efficient. This year with the Affordable Care Act and the Health Exchanges, we are seeing a massive increase in patient deductibles. These factors are driving many doctors’ offices to either squeeze more patients into shorter periods of time or to stop accepting insurance. We have decided to focus on becoming more efficient instead.

How does CCOF work? I’m nervous about giving up my sensitive financial information.

Your card information is securely protected by the credit-card processing component of our HIPAA-compliant practice management system. This system stores the card information for future transactions using the same sort of technology that credit card company’s use. We cannot access the entire card number – we only can see the last 4 digits. There is no way to export the card information out of our system. We can only use it to process a payment in our practice management system, which creates an indelible record (one that cannot be deleted). How the credit card on file system works to drive down administrative costs Our staff will now spend less time entering credit card information for each transaction. We also don’t have to send out as many statements, which saves trees, money and time. Once your CCOF is in our system, check-in and check-out time is much shorter for you as well.

I always pay my bills on time. Why do I have to do this?

The entire billing process is wasteful but the few patients that we have to bill multiple times or even send to a collections agency do cost us a lot of time and expense. Reducing unnecessary costs is essential for us to continue to accept insurance and Medicare. This new process dramatically cuts down on the administrative costs associated with billing.

Nothing is changing about how much you pay. When you come into our office and receive a service, you do so with the understanding that you are ultimately responsible for the cost of your care. We bill your insurance company for you, and we have contracts with most insurance companies that help to get you the best possible coverage for your care. CCOF will only cover your responsibility after your insurance pays it’s contracted share.

How the CCOF process benefits patients?

First and foremost, it is far more convenient for you – you don’t have to call the office or buy a stamp or worry about getting around to paying the bill. It takes the hassle out of the process, especially for patients who have HSA cards to pay for their medical care. If you get your statement and want to use a different card, pay by check, or discuss a payment plan, you may still do so as long as you do so promptly.

What if there is a problem with my bill and I don’t notice it until after the payment processes?

We hope that this doesn’t happen. And although we love technology in this office, we routinely review the accuracy of claims processed by insurance and will contact you if WE find a problem. But, if you find a problem, call us and we’ll investigate it. If we owe you money, we will refund it promptly to the same card.