Billing and Payment options

The only complaints Ive ever received from e-patients were about money. It would have been easy to avoid misunderstanding if the therapist had been upfront about the cost, and had a reasonable system for collecting payments.

Prospective clients need to know    how much money they are about to spend, and    what they can expect to receive for their payment.

On your web page, you must clearly state:

1. The amount of your fee (for instance, US$20 per e-mail exchange or US$45 for a 30-minute chat session)

2. If you plan to charge per minute for answering e-mail, state up front what the total initial cost is likely to be, and set a "cap" or maximum amount you will charge per e-mail. The most frequent complaint I hear from consumers is unexpectedly large bills.
   Be clear about the cost.

3. The forms of payment you accept - check or MO, credit card, electronic check, charge to phone bill, PayPal etc.

Although its easiest and cheapest for you for e-patients to mail you a check or money order, few e-patients will take the time and trouble. Internet shoppers are accustomed to paying now and accessing services now. You wont have much luck fighting that trend.

If you accept credit cards, you must allow payment through a secure server, or (less good) provide a telephone or fax number for the client to call with credit card data. There is NO EXCUSE for asking clients to send credit card information by e-mail, or in a nonsecure web form. It's just irresponsible when there are other options.

PayPal is the most popular method allowing you to accept payment by credit card or electronic check.

IBill allows you to accept payment by credit card or electronic check, or lets patients charge it to their phone bill.

That's it for advice from me. Good luck in your work!