Overview

Our integrations with Propelr and Bluefin allows for processing ACH payments (directly debiting from patient's checking accounts). This is typically much more affordable than a card transaction, and unlike credit or debit cards, the payment method won't expire.


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Details

Sign up with Propelr

Let your Propelr representative know you would like ACH processing when you sign up or contact them to get signed up. Once you know you are signed up, let us know at support@cer.bo and we will enable this on your account.


Request from Bluefin

If you plan on processing ACH the first thing you'll need to do is to contact Bluefin and ensure that your account is set up to handle ACH processing. Once you've confirmed that you are, just let us know (email us at support@cer.bo) and we'll enable this on your account.


A few things to be aware of that are unique for ACH transactions with Bluefin:

  • ACH subscriptions do run automatically 
  • ACH payment details cannot currently be added directly in the Add Payment window. Instead, you'd add them under Patient Information > Billing tab (or the patient would add that info on the patient portal). And then it would be available among the saved payment methods in the Add Payment window. 
  • ACH transactions are asynchronous, meaning that we can confirm that the request was submitted in real time, but the actual transaction does not occur for several days, potentially. In that time, the transaction can be rejected without any notice coming back to Cerbo. So, we have a tool that you can (and should) run periodically by saving the following link and clicking on it to run it, which will back out/ remove any rejected ACH transactions (and show you information about those so that you can re-collect payment as needed). The tool is accessed/ run by clicking this link [adjust with the specific clinic URL!]. If the screen shown as a result is blank, there were no rejected ACH transactions to remove.



Add to patient's Billing Info

Once set up, you'll have the option of adding a bank account as a payment method for a patient. To add a new account just click on the pencil icon in the top right of the patient's basic Information block, and then select the Billing Info tab and the click the "Add new payment method+" button in the top right:



The resulting pop-up will prompt you to add a credit card, but as long as ACH is enabled on your account you'll see a link in the bottom right to add an ACH account instead. See images below for example.


Just add the information from the patient's check, for instance, and click "Save ACH Account" to add it as an option for payment.


Patients will also have the option to add their ACH information through the portal under the "Invoices and Payment" tab.


Taking an ACH payment

The ACH option will appear alongside credit card options as a payment method when you're checking a patient out, and you'll be able to select it as a preferred payment option for subscriptions or other scheduled payments.


Refunding ACH Payments


Once an ACH payment has settled, this payment type can no longer be refunded.  Your practice can choose to either issue the patient a check and add an adjustment to balance the patient account or add a credit to the patient account to be used for future charges.


Prior to our Summer 2024 update if you setup a subscription using ACH as the payment method, these would not run automatically. This has now been updated, all ACH subscriptions will process automatically on the date due. 


** Important note about ACH transactions: When Cerbo submits an ACH processing request, the "request" is approved or rejected in real time, but the actual funds-transfer does not occur for some time (up to 2 weeks in some cases). At any point in that window, the customer's bank could decide not to honor it (fraud flags, insufficient funds, etc) and because this is happening "behind the scenes" Cerbo is not able to see these post-acceptance these rejections. It's important that you check your PayConex account at least once a month to see if you've received any notification about rejected ACH transactions.