Setup Payment Links & Manage Transactions

CareStack provides the option to create external payment links that allow practices to collect instant payments from patients directly from their websites. The payment links can be embedded on the practice website where the patient can navigate to the external payment portal and make card or check payments.

Watch this video for a quick overview of the payment link feature.

Key Features

• Automatic Receipt Creation*: A receipt is automatically created when a payment is made via a payment link which streamlines the payment process by reducing manual entry.
• Patient Details Matching: The system automatically matches the entered details with existing records when a patient makes a payment through the link, which simplifies reconciliation by reducing manual entry and accurately recording payments against the correct patient account.
• ACH Payment*: Ability to utilize ACH payment option alongside default card payments.
• Auto-Assign Merchant ID*: Ensures payments are routed correctly based on merchant ID linked to the Patient's Default location in the system.

Tip: *Automatic Receipt Creation, ACH Payment Configuration, and Auto-Assign Merchant ID features are configured in Practice Settings.

Let's explore how to set up payment links, manage external transactions, and troubleshoot common issues.

Topics Covered

• Set Up Payment Links
• Copy Payment Links to Embed
• Manage Payment Link Transactions
• FAQs

Set Up Payment Links

To set up payment links for your practice, perform the steps below.

• Navigate to the System Menu >select Practice Settings > Payments & Billing > Services > External Payments.

• Ensure that the Payment Gateway is set to CS Pay.
• Click Configure on the Payment Link option.

• Click Edit on the Account Configuration section.

• Configure the following account settings:
  • When a Payment is made: Choose if you want the receipts to be made manually or automatically.
  • Enable ACH for Payment Link: If enabled, ACH or e-check option will be available as a payment option for patients on the payment form.
  • Payment Type for ACH: If the above option is enabled, select the payment type for ACH. 

Note: Patient receipts will be automatically created and reflected in the patient ledger when a matching patient is found. If no unique matching patient record is found, receipts will not be created, and a user will need to manually add a patient to create a receipt. The auto receipt creation process streamlines the payment process by reducing manual entry.

• Enable Branding to customize the patient-facing payment page, including logo, display name, and phone number.
• To configure branding, click here to learn about account-level branding & click here to learn about location-level branding.
• Choose Where do you want your payments to go:
  • Default Merchant ID: Payments will be sent to the default Merchant ID set in External Payments > Account Settings. OR,
  • Auto-Assign Merchant ID: Payments will be sent to the Merchant ID linked to the patient's location based on entered details. If no match is available or if CSPay is not enabled for the location, payments will default to the Merchant ID in External Payments > Account Settings.
• Click Save.

Copy Payment Links to Embed

Single Link

The account-level link or unified link is ideal for practices with multiple locations that want to collect payments through a single link.

To embed account-level payment link:

• Click Copy under the Single Link for All Locations header.
• Embed the copied link to your practice website.

Tip: The recommended setting for the unified link is to set Auto Assign Merchant ID for the 'Where do you want your payments to go' option. Ensures payments are routed correctly based on merchant ID linked to the Patient's default location in the system.

Location-Level Links

Practices can use these when payments must be managed distinctly for each location.

To embed location-level payment link:

• Search for your practice Location under Location Level Configuration.
• Click Copy Link on the intended location entry.
• Embed the copied link to your practice website.
• Click Open Link to make the payment.

• Click Open Link to make the payment and you will be redirected to a portal.

• Enter the amount of money you want to pay.
• Enter the Patient Information,
  • Click Proceed To Payment.
• Enter Payment and Billing Details.
  • Click Pay $ Amount.

Manage Payment Link Transactions

Perform the steps below to manage transactions of payments made using the payment link.

• Navigate to the System Menu >select Patient Payments > Payment Link Transactions.

• Select the required tab to see pre-sorted external payments.
  • All: Select this tab to view all payments made by the patient through the payment link.
  • Receipt Created: Select this tab to view payments for which a receipt was created.
  • Receipt Not Created: Select this tab to view payments for which a receipt was NOT created.

• You can view details of transactions such as Transaction ID, Merchant ID, Paid Date, Paid Amount, Status, Submitted Patient Details, and Matched Patient.

• The Matched Patient column shows the patient whose information is closely matched with the Submitted Patient Details from the external payment portal.
• When a match is found, the corresponding patient details will be displayed in this column. This feature minimizes errors and speeds up the process by automating the matching and verification of payments.

Available Actions on Transactions

If a receipt was not automatically created, perform the steps below.

• Select the Receipt Not Created tab to locate the intended payment.
• Click Create Receipt to manually create a receipt.

Note: The Create Receipt button will only be available when a patient is manually or automatically matched.

• A toast notification will appear stating, 'Receipt Added successfully.'
• The payment will be moved to the Receipt Created tab.

• To provide a refund for an approved payment with no receipt, click Refund.

Note: Transactions without receipts can be tracked on the Payment Transaction List.

When a receipt is created, utilize the following actions as needed.

• Select the Receipt Created tab.
• Click View Receipt to view a created receipt.
• If unapplied credits are present, click Apply Credits on the intended line item.
• To void any receipts, click Void on the Approved transaction.

If a patient match is not automatically found:

• Select the Receipt Not Created tab.
• Click Search.
• Search and select the intended patient.
• If the selected patient is not the right one, click Change to search again.

FAQs

Questions	Answers
Q1: How to troubleshoot Payment Link errors?	A: If you encounter an error on the payment page or non-acceptance of payments. Perform the following steps. Check for embedding issues or disabled links in practice settings. Update settings or remove the non-functioning link from the website and patient communications (if any) to ensure patients are not affected. If the error persists, contact CareStack support with the necessary screen recording/screenshot.
Q2: How to set user profile permissions for Payment Link?	A: Perform the following steps. Setting Permissions: Same permissions as required for managing External Payments and Billing Services at the account and location level. Managing Payments: Requires permissions to manage patient payments, including actions like adding, editing, voiding, or refunding.
Q3: What is the availability of the Payment Link feature?	A: It is exclusively available for CS Pay. The feature is only active on the CareFlow version.
Q4: I can’t find an existing patient in CareStack to match the payment with; what should I do?	A: Perform the suggested steps below. Contact the patient using the provided contact details (refer to the Submitted Patient Details column in the Payment Link Transactions tab). Consider creating a new patient in the system. Refund the payment by voiding the receipt if necessary.
Q5: Someone mistakenly made a payment; what should I do?	A: Initiate a refund for the mistakenly made payment.
Q6: How can I embed a payment link to my practice’s website?	A: Perform the suggested steps below. Copy the payment link from practice settings. Access the HTML code of your website. Insert the payment link using an HTML anchor tag. Optionally style the link using CSS. Save and publish your changes.

Practices can use this resourceful guide to learn how to set up a payment link and manage its configuration.