MasterCard & the Healthcare Industry

Additional credit and debit card solutions for maintaining healthy cash flow

Mail Transactions

Include card acceptance language on your invoice with space for the patient to write the account number, expiration date, and name on the card.
Have the cardholder sign the invoice and mail it back.
Call the authorization center for an authorization number. You will be asked for information written on the invoice, plus the amount and your merchant number. Keep the signed invoice in the patient’s file.
Write the authorization number on the sales receipt.
Write "Signature on File" to indicate a mail transaction.
Send the patient their "Customer Copy."

Phone Transactions

Obtain the same information required for mail transactions, and verify it by reading it back to the patient. Then follow Steps 3 to 6 for mail transactions.

Pre-Authorized Payments

This option allows you to automatically bill the patient's MasterCard account for all recurring visits or balances not covered by insurance. Not only does this streamline paperwork, but it can improve your cash flow with prompt, accurate payments that don't require the patient's presence or signature.

Have your patient fill out and sign a Pre-Authorization form during an office visit.
If the patient is not the cardholder (i.e., a spouse or dependent), be sure to record the cardholder’s information accurately and obtain the cardholder’s signature.
Make sure the form shows the cardholder’s name exactly as it appears on the card, along with account number, expiration date, and cardholder’s signature.
Each time you process a transaction for the patient, follow Steps 3 to 6 used for mail transactions until you reach the signature line.
Keep the original form on file.
For balances not covered by insurance, write "Pre-Authorized Healthcare" on the signature line.
Distribute copies of each receipt, as you would for mail transactions.

Turning Billables into Receivables

Late payments can become a chronic situation that only worsens over time. Experience shows that consumers who fail to pay bills on time are less likely to pay past due bills with every passing month.