Medical Practice Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator

Average Effective Rates for Medical Practices

Medical practices process a mix of copays, procedure payments, and patient balances. High average transaction sizes ($150 - $5,000+) mean even small rate improvements save significant money.

A dental practice processing $80,000 per month at 2.9% flat rate pays $2,320 monthly. On interchange-plus at 1.7%, that drops to $1,360, saving $960 per month.

Common Fee Traps for Medical Practices

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  EMR/EHR integrated payment markups: Payment processing bundled with your EMR system (like Kareo, AdvancedMD, or athenahealth) often charges 2.9% - 3.5% with no room to negotiate.
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  Card-on-file surcharges: Storing patient cards for recurring billing triggers card-not-present interchange rates that are 0.5% - 1.0% higher than in-person transactions.
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  HSA/FSA card downgrades: Health savings and flexible spending account cards carry higher interchange categories. Many processors charge even more on top of the already higher base rate.
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  Payment plan processing fees: Patient payment plans that auto-charge monthly generate recurring card-not-present fees on every installment.
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  Virtual terminal fees: Taking payments over the phone or through a patient portal incurs separate virtual terminal fees of $10 - $30 per month plus higher per-transaction rates.

Example Monthly Volumes for Medical Practices

What This Means in Real Savings

A group practice processing $80,000 per month at 2.7% effective rate pays $2,160 monthly. Switching to interchange-plus at 1.6% effective brings that to $1,280, saving $880 per month or $10,560 per year.

Related Resources

• Processing Fees Calculator
• Free Savings Audit
• Merchant Services Guide
• Processing Fees Guide
• Interchange Fees Explained
• Processing Fees by Industry