Blog

How to Manage Fake Credit Cards from Patients: Healthcare Professionals Share Solutions?

Private practice forums reveal the “dine and ditch” epidemic and proven prevention strategies

“Eight Patients in One Month with Fake Credit Cards”

Healthcare professional forums are filling up with the same frustrating scenario: “I run a private practice that is self-pay and ask my patients to leave a CC on file when completing their intake paperwork. In the last month alone, I have had 8 patients complete a full 60 minute visit with me, ask me to prescribe medication and order testing, and when I go to charge their CC after the visit, it comes back with either ‘insufficient funds’ (probably an old gift card) or ‘unknown error.'”

Private practice owners are discovering that patient payment fraud is becoming a significant problem, with some practitioners losing thousands in revenue to what they describe as patients who “dine and ditch.”

The discussion reveals this isn’t isolated to specific specialties healthcare professionals across different practices are sharing similar experiences and proven solutions.

“Payment Due at Time of Service”

The overwhelming consensus from experienced practitioners is straightforward: “Run the CC before the visit.” Healthcare professionals who have solved this problem emphasize: “If the card is invalid, no office visit.”

One practitioner explained their approach: “Anyone with a high deductible plan has to pay $100 up front. That’s less than the charge of a visit. Or if they have a copay, they pay that of course. They don’t get seen unless they pay it.”

Another added: “We run credit card at time of check in. If it doesn’t go through, we don’t do the appointment until there is another form of payment. I can’t get a plumber to come out to my house without giving them my cc info.”

Healthcare professionals consistently report that upfront payment verification eliminates the fake credit card problem entirely.

“Getting Scammed by Not Insignificant Number of People”

The financial impact goes beyond individual appointments. Healthcare professionals describe losing “significant revenue” and feeling “really discouraged/paranoid when seeing patients that they will basically dine and ditch.”

The pattern is consistent across discussions:

• Patients complete full visits
• Request prescriptions and testing
• Provide fake or expired payment information
• Stop responding to payment requests
• Leave practices dealing with collection challenges

One practitioner summed up the frustration: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me eight times…” referring to the repeated nature of payment fraud.

“The Only People Who Get Upset Are Ones Who Don’t Plan on Paying”

Healthcare professionals address concerns about patient perception of upfront payment requirements. The consensus is clear: “THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO GET UPSET ABOUT THIS ARE THE ONES WHO DON’T PLAN ON PAYING TO BEGIN WITH.”

Experienced practitioners report: “I’ve never had a patient complain that they had to pay to see me. If they do they aren’t a patient I want to see.”

Another noted: “People pay co-pays first all the time. It is not that big of a leap to get full payment prior to visit. They know your model is ‘non-standard’ already.”

Healthcare professionals emphasize that legitimate patients understand and accept payment verification as standard business practice.

Implementation Strategies That Work

Healthcare forum discussions reveal several effective approaches to prevent fake credit card fraud:

Pre-Visit Charging: “Charge the morning of the visit” allows verification while maintaining patient relationships.

Deposit Systems: “Many aesthetic medicine providers have patients pay a deposit that goes towards the total cost of the appointment. Present it as what is needed to reserve the appointment spot.”

Authorization Holds: “Like any other business, I imagine you need to either charge it or get an authorization like a hotel before you see them.”

Automated Processing: Virtual practices report success with systems that “charge an hour prior automatically” or verify cards during appointment booking.

The Virtual Practice Advantage

Healthcare professionals running virtual practices face unique challenges but also have technological solutions. One practitioner noted: “I’m all virtual and don’t have front desk staff to cut costs so I do the billing after the visit.”

However, virtual practices can implement automated payment verification systems that:

• Verify credit card validity during appointment booking
• Process deposits or full payments before appointment start
• Send automated payment confirmations
• Handle payment processing without staff involvement

Virtual medical assistant services specializing in payment processing can manage these functions for practices without dedicated billing staff.

“Financial Policy” and Patient Communication

Healthcare professionals emphasize the importance of clear communication about payment policies. Successful practitioners use:

Multiple Notifications: “A lot of pre-visit communication in bold print with them check boxing items, initialling that they understand etc will help.”

Clear Language: “‘I understand this is self pay. I understand there is no insurance. I understand that means it is out of my very own wallet.’ You have to say it three ways then make them repeat it back to you.”

Professional Framing: “Labeling it a ‘deposit’ that secures the appointment time rather than a pre-payment moves the language away from distrust and towards valuing their and the providers time.”

Technology Solutions for Payment Verification

Healthcare professionals discuss various technological approaches to prevent payment fraud:

Integrated Scheduling Systems: “For the last five years of our private practice the patient pays at the time of making appointment through our calendar vendor who is linked to our CC vendor, Stripe.”

Real-Time Verification: “Get another system like square where you can verify a credit card hold.”

Know Your Customer (KYC) Tools: “Why would you use a payment processor that doesn’t have KYC?” highlights the importance of robust verification systems.

Virtual payment processing specialists can implement and manage these verification tools for practices.

The Collections Reality Check

Healthcare professionals share sobering statistics about attempting to collect on fraudulent payments: “In 5 years we’ve only been able to collect about $2000” from sending unpaid accounts to collections.

The discussion reveals that medical debt collection faces significant limitations:

• Debt under $500 often doesn’t impact credit scores
• Collections companies aren’t interested in low-dollar claims
• Multiple states don’t allow medical debt reporting
• Credit card chargebacks often favor patients despite documentation

Prevention through upfront payment verification proves more effective than attempting collection after fraud occurs.

Virtual Medical Assistant Payment Processing Solutions

Healthcare professionals are discovering that specialized virtual assistants can handle payment verification and processing more effectively than attempting to manage these functions internally.

Virtual payment processing specialists can:

Pre-Visit Verification: Verify credit card validity before appointments, preventing fake card situations entirely.

Automated Payment Processing: Handle upfront charging, deposits, and payment confirmations without practice staff involvement.

Patient Communication: Manage payment policy explanations and address patient questions about upfront payment requirements.

System Integration: Work with various EMR and scheduling systems to implement seamless payment verification workflows.

Compliance Management: Ensure payment processing meets healthcare industry security and compliance requirements.

Cost-Effectiveness of Prevention

The financial benefits of preventing fake credit card fraud extend beyond avoiding lost revenue:

Reduced Administrative Burden: Eliminating post-visit collection efforts saves significant staff time.

Improved Cash Flow: Upfront payments provide immediate revenue without collection delays.

Decreased Stress: Practice owners report reduced anxiety about patient payment fraud.

Better Patient Relationships: Clear upfront policies eliminate payment disputes and improve overall patient interactions.

Virtual payment processing services typically cost under $2,000 monthly while potentially preventing thousands in fraud losses.

Geographic Considerations for Virtual Support

Healthcare professionals note that virtual payment processing specialists from countries with strong financial services backgrounds, particularly India and Pakistan, often provide excellent support. These specialists understand both healthcare payment requirements and financial processing regulations.

Quality virtual payment processing providers also source talent from the Philippines and other countries with robust business process outsourcing capabilities. The key factors are financial processing expertise and healthcare industry knowledge.

Implementation Timeline and Results

Healthcare professionals report rapid results from implementing upfront payment verification:

Week 1: Immediate elimination of fake credit card fraud Month 1: Improved cash flow and reduced administrative burden
Month 3: Better patient relationships through clear payment expectations

The transition typically requires patient communication updates and staff training on new payment procedures, areas where virtual assistants can provide valuable support.

Stop Getting “Dined and Dashed” by Patients

Healthcare professionals agree: preventing fake credit card fraud requires proactive payment verification, not reactive collection efforts. The practices implementing upfront payment systems report immediate fraud elimination and improved financial stability.

Don’t lose another dollar to payment fraud while legitimate patients appreciate clear, professional payment processes.

End the “Dine and Ditch” Problem Today

Stop chasing fake credit cards and start verifying payments upfront. Our specialized virtual assistants handle payment processing so you can focus on patient care, not fraud prevention.

30-Day Payment Fraud Prevention Trial

✓ Credit Card Verification Specialists – Verify every card before appointments

✓ Automated Payment Processing – Handle upfront charges and deposits seamlessly

✓ Patient Communication Support – Explain payment policies professionally

✓ Zero fake credit card losses – Guaranteed payment verification or you don’t pay

No more “insufficient funds” surprises. No more chasing payments. No more fraud losses.

Most practices eliminate payment fraud completely within the first week. Join the healthcare professionals who stopped being victims of patient payment scams.

HIPAA-compliant. Healthcare-specialized. Under $2,000 monthly vs thousands in fraud losses.

Stop getting fooled. Start getting paid upfront.

Disclaimer

For informational purposes only; not applicable to specific situations.

For tailored support and professional services

Please contact Staffingly, Inc. at (800) 489 5877

Email: support@staffingly.com

About This Blog: This Blog is brought to you by Staffingly, Inc., a trusted name in healthcare outsourcing. The team of skilled healthcare specialists and content creators is dedicated to improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare services. The team passionate about sharing knowledge through insightful articles, blogs, and other educational resources.