ACH gives patients a simple way to pay directly from their bank account instead of using a credit or debit card. Bank payments can be used for one-time payments or automatic charges, and they cost less to process than card payments.

What Is ACH?

ACH stands for Automated Clearing House. It is the network banks use to move money directly from one bank account to another. It is commonly used for direct deposits, recurring bills, and other bank payments.

In Atlas.md, ACH lets a patient connect their bank account and save it as a payment method.

How Much Do ACH Payments Cost?

Bank payments have a lower processing rate than credit and debit card payments. Learn more about current payment processing rates.

How to Set Up ACH

To request a patient’s bank account information:

• Open the patient’s chart and go to their Billing page.
• Click the settings icon in the upper-right corner.
• Select Request bank account information.

• Atlas.md will send the patient a secure request by email or SMS.
• The patient follows the link, securely signs into their bank, selects the account they want to use, and completes the verification process.
• The patient chooses whether to allow the clinic to run automatic charges.

Once connected, the account will appear under Bank Accounts on the patient’s Billing page. From there, you can see the account holder’s name, bank name, last four digits, whether the account is eligible for auto-charge, and its verification status.

An account awaiting verification appears as Pending. Once verification is complete, its status changes to Verified.

Note: Patients can also connect a bank account themselves directly through the Patient Hub.

When a patient uses secure bank sign-in, verification happens in real time, and the account is immediately available in Atlas.md.

Patients can instead choose manual verification using microdeposits, which may take one to two business days.

If the patient does not complete manual verification within 10 days, the verification expires. Atlas.md will provide the instructions they need, so the clinic doesn’t need to coordinate the verification.

Requesting Bank Accounts From Multiple Patients

Bulk bank account requests let you invite a group of patients to connect their bank accounts at once. You can include a custom note and send the requests immediately or schedule them for a future date.

Patients who already have a verified bank account are automatically excluded.

To send a bulk request:

• Head to Billing > Patients.
• Click the cog icon and select Bulk Request Bank Accounts.
• On the Bulk Bank Account Requests page, click the plus icon in the upper-right corner.

• Add an optional message in Custom Note to Patients to explain why you’re requesting a bank account.
• Select the doctors whose patients you want to contact. Select No primary doctor if you also want to include patients without an assigned primary doctor.
• To send the requests on a future date, select Schedule delivery and choose a date. Leave this unchecked to send immediately.
• Click Proceed to Next Step.
• Review the recipient list. Everyone listed is selected by default; uncheck any patients you don’t want to contact.

• Click Confirm and send bank account requests to the patients selected above.

Each patient receives the standard bank account request with their own setup link, which expires after two weeks.

Reviewing Bulk Requests

Return to Billing > Patients > cog icon > Bulk Request Bank Accounts to review your batch history. The list shows who created each batch, its delivery date, and its status.

Each request also appears in the patient’s billing communication log.

How Long Do ACH Payments Take?

Bank-account verification, payment confirmation, settlement, and payouts are separate steps.

Accounts connected through secure bank sign-in can be verified in real time. Manual microdeposit verification may take one to two business days.

After an ACH payment is submitted, the funds become available in two business days. Once the funds are available, they can be included in a payout to your clinic’s connected bank account. Payout timing may vary.

How Does Auto-Charge Work With ACH?

When connecting a bank account, the patient can choose whether to allow automatic charges.

If a patient has both a bank account and a card eligible for auto-charge, Atlas.md will try the bank account first. You can disable auto-charge for the bank account if the patient would rather use their card.

What Happens if an ACH Payment Is Disputed?

ACH disputes are final and cannot be contested. Unlike a credit-card dispute, there is no evidence-review or appeal process. Patients can dispute an ACH payment through their bank for up to 60 days after the payment.

When an ACH payment is disputed, the patient’s saved bank account is removed from Atlas.md.

If you have questions about a specific disputed payment, contact Atlas.md support.