Text-to-Pay is a convenient feature in DrChrono that allows practices to send payment links to patients via text message. However, its availability depends on specific conditions related to the payment integration used by the practice. Below, we outline the key details about Text-to-Pay, including its requirements, reasons for unavailability, steps to re-enable it, and alternative options.
Conditions for Enabling Text-to-Pay
Text-to-Pay is exclusively available to practices that use DrChrono Payments as their payment integration. When DrChrono Payments is active, practices can send payment links by text to streamline patient payments. To confirm that DrChrono Payments is enabled:
Navigate to Account > Account Settings > Patient Payments (DrChrono section).
Check for an active Merchant ID, which indicates that DrChrono Payments is correctly set up.
Reasons for Text-to-Pay Unavailability
There are several reasons why Text-to-Pay might be unavailable:
Switching Payment Integrations: If your practice switches from DrChrono Payments to another payment integration, such as Stripe Legacy, Text-to-Pay will be disabled. This feature is tied exclusively to DrChrono Payments.
Service Discontinuation: As of a specific date, DrChrono discontinued certain payment processing features, including Text-to-Pay, as part of its subscription services. This change affects all practices regardless of their previous payment integration.
Steps to Re-enable Text-to-Pay
If Text-to-Pay is unavailable due to switching payment integrations, you can re-enable it by:
Switching your practice back to DrChrono Payments.
Ensuring that the payment integration is correctly set up with an active Merchant ID under Account Settings.
Once DrChrono Payments is reactivated, the Text-to-Pay feature will become available again.
Alternative Payment Processing Options
If Text-to-Pay is no longer available due to service discontinuation, you can explore alternative payment processing options. For example:
Use mailed patient statements to collect payments.
Consider integrating with a third-party payment provider that supports similar features.
These options ensure that your practice can continue to manage patient payments effectively, even without Text-to-Pay.