How Podiatry Practices Use Online Payments to Get Paid Faster

I work with podiatry practices every week, and the same complaint comes up: "We spend too much time chasing payments." One clinic told me they were sending three reminder emails per patient just to collect a $25 copay. Another had a stack of unpaid balances that hadn't been touched in months because the front desk didn't have time to call everyone.

The practices that fixed this problem didn't hire more billing staff. They started collecting payments digitally, before patients even walked in the door. The result? Faster payment, fewer awkward conversations at checkout, and actual time to focus on patient care instead of accounts receivable.

Here's what works for podiatry practices specifically, and what I've seen make the biggest difference in real clinics.

Why podiatry online payments solve a timing problem

Podiatry visits often involve procedures that require upfront payment. A patient comes in for nail surgery, custom orthotics, or a diabetic foot evaluation. You know there's a balance due, but the conversation at checkout gets rushed. The patient says they'll call back with their card info. Most don't.

The practices I work with collect payments online at two specific points: before the appointment (for copays and deposits) and immediately after (for balances and treatment fees). Both timing windows matter.

When you send a Podiatry Intake Form with payment collection built in, patients pay while they're filling out their medical history. It's already part of the workflow. They're not surprised by the charge because they expected it. And your front desk isn't scrambling to process cards while the waiting room fills up.

One podiatry clinic in Arizona told me they went from collecting 60% of copays at the time of service to 92% within three weeks of switching to digital intake with payment collection. The only thing that changed was when they asked for payment.

Where to collect payment in the patient journey

There are four places where podiatry practices successfully collect payments online, and each serves a different purpose.

During pre-appointment intake. This is where most practices start. You send the intake form three days before the visit. It includes the patient's foot and ankle history, current symptoms, insurance details, and a payment field for the copay. The patient fills it out at home, pays their copay, and shows up ready for their appointment. Your staff doesn't touch it.

At checkout, via a payment link. After the visit, your front desk sends a payment link via text or email. The patient pays from their phone while they're still in the parking lot, or later that evening. No card reader at the desk. No "I forgot my wallet" delays.

For outstanding balances. This is the follow-up workflow that saves the most time. Instead of calling patients with overdue balances, you send a secure payment link. Most patients pay within 24 hours because it takes them 30 seconds. The practices I work with see payment rates jump from 40% to 75% just by making it easier.

For treatment deposits. If a patient is scheduling a procedure that requires a deposit (like custom orthotics or nail surgery), you collect it when they book. The appointment doesn't go on the calendar until the deposit clears. This eliminates no-shows for high-value appointments.

The common thread here: you're not asking patients to mail a check or call back with their card. You're meeting them where they are, which is usually their phone.

What podiatry-specific payment workflows look like

Podiatry practices have payment patterns that differ from, say, primary care. You're often dealing with recurring visits (diabetic foot checks, wound care), elective procedures (cosmetic nail work, orthotics), and workers' comp or insurance that doesn't always cover the full cost.

Here's what I see working in practices that handle these situations well.

Diabetic foot care programs. Patients come in every 8-12 weeks for preventive care. Instead of collecting a copay at each visit, some practices set up recurring payments. The patient authorizes it once, and the payment processes automatically before each scheduled appointment. This works especially well for Medicare patients with predictable copays.

Orthotic fittings. Custom orthotics usually require a deposit before the fitting and a final payment at pickup. Practices that use online payments collect the deposit when the patient books the fitting appointment. Then they send a payment link two days before the pickup appointment with the remaining balance. The orthotics don't get handed over until the balance clears.

Nail surgery and in-office procedures. These often have a higher out-of-pocket cost. The practices that get paid fastest send a good faith estimate with a payment link three days before the procedure. The patient sees the cost breakdown, pays what they can upfront, and sets up a payment plan for the rest if needed. There's no surprise bill after the procedure.

Workers' comp and third-party billing. When insurance is involved but the final payment amount isn't clear, practices send a payment link once the EOB comes through. The patient gets an email with the exact balance due and a link to pay. Most pay within 48 hours because the amount is clear and the payment method is easy.

The key insight across all of these: you're not waiting until the patient is in your office to talk about money. You're handling it digitally, at a time that makes sense for both of you.

The front desk time savings are real

One of the first things I hear from practices after they start collecting payments online: "We didn't realize how much time we were spending on payment collection."

A podiatry clinic in Oregon tracked this. Before digital payments, their front desk spent an average of 4.5 minutes per patient processing cards, handling declined transactions, and explaining balances. After switching to online payments collected during intake, that dropped to under 1 minute. For a practice seeing 30 patients a day, that's 105 minutes back every single day.

That time goes somewhere useful. One practice told me their front desk staff now has time to actually call patients about upcoming appointments, confirm insurance, and answer questions. Another said they finally cleared their backlog of chart prep because they weren't constantly interrupted by payment issues.

The back-end billing work changes too. When payments come in digitally, they're already tagged to the right patient and the right visit. There's no manual entry. No hunting down which card goes with which patient. The payment data flows directly into your system (if you're using webhooks or an integration), or it's cleanly exported for your billing software.

A practice manager told me they used to spend 6 hours a week reconciling payments. Now it takes 45 minutes. The accuracy improved too, because there's no transcription error when a patient types their own card details.

How to handle payment plans and partial payments

Not every patient can pay the full balance upfront. Podiatry procedures can run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars, especially for things like bunion surgery or advanced wound care.

The practices that handle this best don't avoid the conversation. They address it upfront, before the procedure, with clear options.

When you send the treatment estimate, include a payment plan option in the same message. The patient can pay the full amount, or they can choose a payment plan (two installments, three installments, whatever your practice allows). They select the plan, authorize the first payment, and the remaining payments process automatically on a schedule.

One podiatry clinic in Florida does this for any procedure over $500. They offer a three-payment plan with no interest. About 40% of their patients choose it, and the default rate is under 5% because the payments are automated. Patients appreciate the flexibility, and the practice gets paid on a predictable schedule.

For partial payments on outstanding balances, the workflow is simpler. You send a payment link with the full balance due, but the payment form allows the patient to enter a custom amount. They can pay what they can afford now, and you send another link for the remaining balance later. It's not perfect, but it's faster than waiting for a check that never comes.

The patient experience side of digital payments

I talk to a lot of practice owners who worry that asking for payment before the visit will annoy patients. The opposite happens.

Patients appreciate knowing what they owe before they show up. They're not caught off guard at checkout. They're not digging through their wallet while other patients wait behind them. They've already taken care of it.

One podiatry practice in New York surveyed their patients after switching to pre-visit payment collection. 87% said