For most businesses, facilitating payments is relatively straightforward. A customer makes a purchase and pays using their preferred method. However, in healthcare, payments are more complex—layered with government programs, private insurers, co-pays, and patient responsibility. That complexity presents a huge opportunity for Healthcare CRMs, ERPs, and ISVs to drive real value for their clients.
Healthcare providers rely on software partners not just for operations, but to optimize the full revenue cycle—from the first appointment to the final payment. By integrating smarter, more efficient payment workflows into your platform, you position yourself as an essential partner in your clients’ financial health.
Here are four strategic ways your platform can support a more streamlined payment process for your customers:
1. Build for Smarter Revenue Cycle Management
According to PracticeSuite, the revenue cycle refers to all tasks before, during, and after a patient’s visit that affects a healthcare organization’s ability to get paid. The cycle begins when a patient calls to make an appointment and ends when the final bill is paid.
Revenue cycle management (RCM) refers to optimizing this cycle with the goal of streamlining the process and reducing overall time to pay. That’s why it’s not enough for your software to simply enable easy payments—to provide true value to your clients, you have to help them manage their entire revenue cycle.
Embed or integrate with RCM tools that connect front-end tasks like patient intake and insurance verification with back-end functions like claims submission, appeals, and billing. Giving providers visibility and control over the full cycle improves cash flow, reduces write-offs, and elevates your platform’s value proposition.
2. Support Pre-Visit and Point-of-Service Efficiency
While much of the payment workflow happens after the patient leaves, several pre-visit and point-of-service tasks are critical for reducing payment delays. Your practice management tools can support these areas with:
- Integrated scheduling and self-service portals that allow patients to book with available providers online and reduce administrative friction. Patients prefer to schedule appointments online nowadays, and this reduces the number of phone calls your clients’ staff members have to field.
- Automated appointment reminders via SMS or email that drive attendance and pre-visit engagement. Your clients can even direct patients to the self-service portal to have them fill out any necessary forms ahead of time, helping your clients collect key information, reduce waiting room time, and boost patient happiness.
- Real-time insurance eligibility checks to reduce denials and confirm co-pays or pre-authorizations upfront. This ensures your clients get paid for the services they render to patients, which is especially important for procedures that require pre-approval.
- Encounter documentation and coding tools empower providers to offer personalized care to their patients. Additionally, standardized documentation makes the coding process easier, which in turn boosts your clients’ chances of getting their insurance claims approved.
- Streamlined co-pay collections with embedded payment options—accepting cards, HSA/FSA, and contactless payments at the time of service. Since everyone has a preferred payment method, providing multiple options ensures your clients can secure payments from their patients.
By embedding or enabling these tools in your platform, you help healthcare providers improve both revenue cycle and patient satisfaction.
3. Optimize Post-Visit Billing Workflows
After a patient visit, your platform becomes mission-critical in helping providers get paid faster and more accurately. Focus on enabling:
- Automated claims submission with tools integrated with clearinghouses or payers. Claims submission can get delayed or fall entirely by the wayside during busy times, which is why a tool that submits claims automatically can be invaluable for your clients.
- Real-time claim status tracking and insurance follow-up features to prevent delayed or lost payments. This also helps your clients follow up with insurance companies to speed up reimbursement and catch errors in a timely manner.
- Denial management and appeal workflows that help providers correct their mistakes, create clear and well-organized appeals, and resubmit them.
- Modern patient billing and collection options, including print-and-mail invoicing, online payments, mobile wallet support, and QR code-enabled statements.
Support for payment posting and reconciliation features also ensures providers maintain accurate records and helps them understand exactly what each patient owes. Additionally, it helps them monitor their entire revenue cycle and make any necessary adjustments and improvements.
4. Invest in Embedded Payment Technology
Whether you build, buy, or partner, embedding payment solutions into your software stack creates a seamless, end-to-end user experience. Look for solutions that offer:
- Revenue share opportunities for software partners like yourself
- White-labeling options that match your brand experience
- Comprehensive tools, including merchant onboarding, reporting dashboards, invoicing, and card-present and card-not-present capabilities
- Support for complex healthcare-specific payment methods, such as HSA/FSA cards, split payments, and payment plans
Whether you offer robust medical office software or dedicated patient databases, integrated payments reduce friction for providers and ensure your solution stands out in an increasingly competitive market.
The Bottom Line for Healthcare Software Vendors
Your customers don’t just want a tool—they want a partner who can help them get paid faster, reduce administrative burden, and improve the patient experience. Whether you’re building a CRM, ERP, or vertical SaaS solution for healthcare, optimizing the payment experience is a major value driver.
By enhancing your platform with embedded payment solutions and RCM capabilities, you’re not just helping healthcare providers manage their business. You’re helping them thrive in a system where payment complexity can often get in the way of great care.
About PracticeSuite: PracticeSuite provides comprehensive medical practice management solutions that meet providers’ needs and grow with them. Their tools empower medical practices with synchronized workflows, enhancing productivity and reducing repetitive data entry. With their suite of tools, you’ll streamline operations across clinical, administrative, and billing functions to deliver a seamless experience for staff members and patients.
PracticeSuite integrates with Usio to enable easy e-payments for its users. Through Usio, healthcare providers can accept all types of payment methods from patients, from credit cards to ACH to e-checks, simplifying the process, accelerating revenue, and enhancing the customer experience.
