Get consent first
Texting patients about balances generally requires their consent under telephone-marketing and messaging rules. Capture opt-in at intake, honor opt-outs immediately and keep a record.
Keep messages minimal
Include the practice name, that a balance is due and a secure link. Avoid treatment details or other health information in the text itself.
Close the loop
- Payments should post to the right patient ledger automatically or same-day
- Decide who handles questions and disputes
- Set a reminder cadence — e.g. day 1, day 7, day 21
- Track paid-by-link rate and days to collect
Run the numbers
Patient or customer charges billed per month.
E.g. your line-of-credit rate.
Days to collect today
46 days
Cash freed at 30 days
$61,644
Yearly carrying cost
$16,200
Expected uncollectible
$9,000
Days outstanding = A/R ÷ average daily charges. A simplified view — insurance timing, payment plans and write-off policy all affect real collections.
Estimates only. Results vary. No guarantee of approval, rates or savings.
Estimates only. Results vary. No guarantee of approval, rates or savings.
Talk with a payments specialistCommon questions
Is text-to-pay secure?
Reputable tools send a link to a hosted, encrypted payment page; card numbers should never be typed into a text message.
Will patients actually pay by text?
Results vary by patient mix. Track the share of links paid and days to collect before and after.