The COVID-19 pandemic catapulted telemedicine to the forefront of medical care in the United States. Long after the immediate effects of the virus recede, remote healthcare is sure to remain a vital way for patients to receive timely and effective interventions. But as the owner of a practice that is considering offering telemedicine, you no doubt wonder how consumers can go about submitting their payments.

The benefits of telemedicine.

When done right, telemedicine enables you to enhance the standard of care that you furnish to your patients. Geographical barriers and scheduling conflicts often mean that people who need medical attention or regular follow-up do not receive it. Virtual medicine enables you to have eyes on the patient without the need for protracted travel.

From a business standpoint, incorporating it into your practice also helps you to flourish economically. That’s because remote medicine is more efficient, allowing you to visit with more people per day.

Why do you need to accept patient payments?

Most insurers continue to cover the cost of office visits, including those that are conducted remotely. Even so, many providers still require patients to provide a co-pay. Additionally, others will elect to fund their own care out of pocket. For these reasons, you need to have a merchant provider and a way to take payments that is effective and secure.

Telephone payments.

This common type of card-not-present transaction is relatively old-school. It involves the patient dictating their payment details to you or someone on your staff. You then enter it manually into your payments system. Because of data security standards required by the Payment Card Industry as well as due to HIPAA, you must destroy any written record of these details as soon as you enter them.

Integrate telemedicine software.

Add one of these programs into your financial system, and patients will be able to follow menu prompts that they see on the screen either before or after their virtual appointment. Once they input the details and accept the charges, the transaction is securely processed and a receipt is emailed.

Direct payments.

An increasing number of practices are now utilizing forms that are integrated with third-party providers, partly because they help to reduce fraud for card-not-present transactions. You simply embed a link to your ecommerce payment gateway into the form and email it to the client. They enter the details and securely submit the form before the visit has even taken place. As a result, both of you can focus on the client’s health and well-being without needing to worry about those important but pesky administrative details.

Giving patients maximum choice in how, when and where they receive care helps to ensure that they ultimately get the medical attention they need. Telemedicine is an effective and profitable option that is easy to incorporate into your practice. They furnish patients with flexibility in how they pay for their care, and you can expect to see greater compliance and efficiency across the board.