Harbour Payments
PAYMENTS FOR TELEMED CLINICS

Payment processing built for telemedicine clinics.

Charge patients automatically after a virtual visit, bill subscription care plans, and keep payment data secure — all built into your telehealth workflow.

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Billing built for card-not-present virtual visits

Telemedicine breaks the standard in-person payment flow: there's no card swipe at checkout, no front desk collecting a copay before a patient leaves, and often no live interaction where a balance is confirmed in real time. Harbour is built around that reality, supporting card-on-file and tokenized billing so a clinic can charge a patient automatically the moment a virtual visit is marked complete. That removes the awkward step of chasing payment after the fact and keeps collections tied directly to the clinical workflow rather than a separate billing process staff have to manage by hand.

Subscription and membership-based care plans

A growing share of telehealth runs on subscription pricing rather than per-visit billing — monthly or annual plans covering a set number of visits, ongoing medication management, or membership-style access to a provider. Harbour's recurring billing handles that cadence natively, charging plans on schedule and retrying failed payments automatically so a clinic isn't manually re-billing lapsed subscribers. For clinics that mix models — some patients on a per-visit basis, others on a subscription — both billing types run through the same underlying system, keeping reporting unified instead of split across tools.

Security, compliance, and risk classification for virtual care

Because every transaction is card-not-present, tokenization and encryption matter even more than in a physical office — a stored card on file has to be protected the same way as sensitive health information handled during the visit itself. Harbour's infrastructure follows PCI-DSS standards throughout, so stored payment methods and one-time charges alike are covered. Risk classification varies by the specific telehealth model: routine consultation-based clinics generally process as standard-risk accounts, while models involving prescription fulfillment may require the same specialized underwriting used for online pharmacies. Either way, underwriting is matched to how the clinic actually operates rather than treating all virtual care as equally risky.

Card-on-file billing
Automatically charge after a completed virtual visit.
Subscription care plans
Recurring billing for monthly or annual telehealth plans.
Secure payment data
PCI-DSS compliant tokenization protects patient card data.
Workflow-friendly
Payment collection that fits into your virtual visit flow.

Frequently asked questions

How does card-on-file billing work legally for telehealth visits?

Patients authorize a stored card at intake with clear terms disclosing that future visits will be charged automatically, which satisfies card network requirements for card-on-file billing.

What's the risk classification difference between consult-only and prescription-fulfilling telemed models?

Consult-only telemedicine is generally reviewed as standard risk, while models that also fulfill and ship prescriptions take on the same elevated underwriting scrutiny applied to online pharmacies.

How does Harbour handle failed payments for subscription care plans?

Failed subscription charges automatically retry on a schedule before a patient is flagged as lapsed, reducing manual follow-up for the clinic's billing staff.

What documentation is needed to underwrite a telemedicine clinic?

Underwriting typically reviews provider licensing, the states the clinic operates in, business structure, and expected transaction volume and average ticket size.

Can multi-state telehealth providers use one merchant account?

Yes, a single merchant account can support a multi-state practice, though the clinic remains responsible for provider licensing compliance in each state it serves.

How does tokenization protect stored patient cards between visits?

A stored card is converted to a token after first use, so the clinic's systems reference the token for future visit charges rather than holding the raw card number.

What's the chargeback risk for card-not-present virtual visits?

Card-not-present transactions generally carry higher dispute exposure than card-present ones, so clear billing descriptors and visit-confirmation records help clinics respond effectively if a charge is disputed.

Does Harbour support ACH for larger subscription telehealth plans?

Yes. ACH bank transfers are supported as an alternative to card billing for larger recurring plans, often at a lower processing cost than card-based subscriptions.

How are refunds handled for canceled or unfulfilled virtual visits?

A refund can be issued against the original charge if a visit is canceled or not completed, and documenting the cancellation reason helps prevent it from later becoming a dispute.

What's the difference in underwriting for telehealth vs. online pharmacy models?

Telehealth underwriting focuses mainly on provider licensing and consultation volume, while online pharmacy underwriting adds review of fulfillment logistics and pharmacy board licensing on top of those same factors.

How does EMV liability shift apply when there's no card-present transaction?

EMV liability shift only applies to card-present transactions, so card-not-present telehealth charges are instead protected through tokenization, address verification, and fraud screening rather than chip-based liability rules.

Can a clinic offer sliding-scale or income-based payment plans?

Yes. Recurring billing can be configured with custom amounts per patient, supporting sliding-scale or income-based plans alongside standard subscription pricing.

What reporting ties payments back to individual providers across a clinic network?

Transactions can be tagged by provider, so multi-provider telehealth networks can report revenue, visit volume, and outstanding balances by individual clinician.

How does Harbour verify state licensing for telehealth compliance?

Underwriting confirms that providers are licensed in the states where they see patients as part of onboarding, since telehealth compliance requirements vary by state.

What happens if a subscription telehealth patient disputes months of past charges?

The clinic can respond with the original card-on-file authorization, visit records, and billing history for each disputed period, which Harbour helps compile before the dispute is submitted to the card network.

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