Credit Card on File
Our credit card on file policy was designed with your payment security top of mind. Invoices are sent to you electronically at the end of the month for you to review in advance of your automatic payment. Payments for outstanding invoices are then processed during the first week of each month.
Letter From the Owner
To all of our valued patients:
I want to reach out to you personally about a recent change at our clinic and share the heartfelt reasons behind it. As you may know, we have implemented a new billing policy that requires a credit card on file for all patients. This decision was not an easy one, and I understand it may feel like an inconvenience or even a shift in our commitment to patient-centered care. Please know that nothing could be further from the truth.
Our mission has always been to provide compassionate, high-quality care to every individual who walks through our doors. This commitment is what guided me to start this clinic, and it remains at the very heart of what we do every day. However, like any small healthcare practice, we face challenges, particularly the costs required to operate and maintain the level of care you deserve. Recently, we have seen an increase in unpaid balances, which has affected our ability to provide for the needs of our patients and staff. This means our doctors, medical assistants, and administrative team—each dedicated to your health and well-being—may not be adequately compensated for the services they deliver.
To continue to offer the care, accessibility, and expertise that you expect from us, we had to take this step to ensure our clinic’s financial stability. Please understand that this policy is not about valuing money over our patients. Rather, it is a necessary measure to protect our ability to be here for you, now and in the future. With this new policy in place, we can better focus on what truly matters: delivering the compassionate care you rely on.
Thank you for understanding, and thank you for your trust in us. My door is always open if you’d like to discuss this change further. Our commitment to you is unwavering, and we’re here to support your health every step of the way.
Warmest regards,
Rian Shah, ND
Enhanced Security of Your Payment Information
Our credit card on file policy offers enhanced security of your credit card information and a convenient mechanism to pay your bills. Your credit card information is kept confidential, encrypted and secure and payments are processed at the time of service and/or after your medical claim has been processed by your insurance carrier.
How it Works
Your sensitive financial information is never stored on our system. Credit card transactions work like this:
- For your first transaction, your card is either swiped, inserted, or contactlessly transmitted if in the office or entered manually if through your patient portal.
- Your sensitive credit card information is encrypted and tokenized. “Encryption” converts your sensitive credit card information into an unreadable code that can only be deciphered with a unique encryption key held by our payment processor. “Tokenization” replaces the sensitive credit card information with a token, a string of letters and numbers, which is stored on our system, but is completely unusable outside our office.
- Our payment processor sends the encrypted information to your bank, who verifies your identity and whether your account has sufficient funds to cover the transaction.
- The bank then sends an authorization or decline back to our payment processor, which, in turn, sends the decline or authorization back to our office.
Your Credit Card Information is Safe and Secure
After your first transaction, your credit card information exists on in our system only as a token, a string of letters and numbers that cannot be used outside our system. If this token were hacked or stolen, it could not be used elsewhere. Our staff can only see the last 4 digits of your card and the expiration date, which helps us communicate to you which card we have on file. Our staff cannot see the first 11 or 12 digits or your card, nor can we see your card’s CVV or security code as this information is not stored in our system.
Why We Require a Credit Card On File
We require a stored credit card on file for two reasons: (1) The enhanced security afforded by encryption and tokenization of credit card information protects our patients’ financial information from theft or disclosure as can occur any time the physical card is presented, and (2) it streamlines our billing workflows to make collection of payment much more efficient. This increased efficiency frees up staff resources so that we can devote more of our time and energy to providing excellent care and customer support to our patients.
FAQs
A: Your credit card will be captured and stored securely. At the time of service, you will be charged for any copays or balances that are due relevant to the visit. After your insurance carrier responds and provides us with your remaining balance due, we may charge the patient responsibility to your credit card on file, not to exceed the maximum balance due indicated in the agreement. Your credit card on file will only be charged when you have a balance owing on your account. This will typically occur at your time of service and/or according to our statement schedule (typically during the first week of each month).
A: If you are self pay (meaning that you have elected to pay out-of-pocket or that we are out-of-network with your insurance plan), your charges may be processed on your date of service or during the first week of the month following the date you incurred the charges. If we are in-network with your insurance plan, we will submit a medical claim to your insurance carrier. After your insurance carrier processes your claim, you will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance carrier, either by mail or electronically (note some insurance carriers may require you to log into your patient account to view your EOB), that explains exactly, according to your health insurance coverage and benefits, how much of your healthcare bills are your responsibility and how much the insurance carrier paid along with any contractual adjustments (provider discounts). We will process your credit card on file for any charges that your insurance carrier determines are your patient responsibility. Prior to processing your payment, an invoice will be sent to your patient portal to review during the last week of the month.
A: We will always work with you to resolve any issues and will refund you if we have made a billing error. We will only charge the amount that we are instructed by your insurance carrier to collect from you in the same way that we normally determine the balance due on the statements we mail to you. If you disagree with how your insurance carrier processed the claim, you will need to contact your insurance carrier by calling the customer service number on your insurance card.
A: Yes. Once your credit card payment is processed, the invoice that was paid will update to reflect your payment amount and will be visible in your patient portal. Moreover, you will automatically receive a receipt for your payment in your patient portal. You can view your updated invoice in your patient portal under Billing -> Invoices, and you can view your receipts under Billing -> Receipts. You can also, at any time, contact us to have a receipt or invoice mailed or emailed to you.
A: An annual deductible is the dollar amount you have agreed to pay out of your own pocket during your plan year for medical expenses before your insurance plan begins to pay for medical expenses. For example, if the policy has a $1,000 deductible, then you must pay the first $1,000 of medical expenses before your insurance will begin to pay.
A: Yes. We do not store your sensitive credit card information in our office at any time. Your card on file is tokenized and encrypted, which renders it useless if stolen or hacked. Moreover, only the last 4 digits of your card number and the expiration date are visible to our staff. This enhances the security of your credit card information because it reduces exposure at each visit.
A: Your credit card is stored for 18 months. After 18 months, your credit card information will be automatically deleted, and we will no longer have access to it.
A: Beyond the enhancement in credit card security discussed above, many patients have requested we do this, so they don’t need to worry if they have an outstanding balance. This is especially relevant for patients who have telemedicine visits and are not in the office frequently. It also helps patients avoid late payment fees or collections fees by paying balances automatically when they are due. By keeping a credit card on file, our providers get paid on time, and the improvement in billing efficiency means that we can devote more staff resources to patient care and excellent customer service.
A: You can change your card on file at any time within your patient portal or within the ChARM mobile app. If you need assistance, just let us know by phone or in person and we will help you update it.