Handle Failed Payments

When a payment fails, DPC Pro automatically retries the charge and notifies the patient, giving your practice tools to recover revenue without manual follow-up.

Payment failures happen. Cards expire, bank accounts have insufficient funds, and payment processors occasionally decline transactions. DPC Pro includes built-in retry logic and payment recovery workflows that handle most failed payments automatically, reducing the administrative burden on your team. The AI assistant can also take a more active role in recovery outreach; see Automated Payment Recovery for details.

This page covers what happens when a payment fails, how the automatic notification schedule works, what messages patients receive, and how you can intervene manually when automated recovery is not enough. You will also learn how to configure late fee settings to match your practice’s policies.

Tracking failed payments and recovery rates is essential for maintaining predictable revenue. The billing dashboard surfaces at-risk memberships so you can act before patients lapse.

What Happens When a Payment Fails

When a membership payment fails, DPC Pro takes the following actions automatically:

1. Membership status changes to Past Due: the membership remains active, but the status reflects the payment issue.
2. Payment recovery begins: DPC Pro creates a recovery record to track the failure and coordinate follow-up notifications.
3. The account holder is notified: an email is sent immediately explaining the payment failure and providing a link to update their payment method.
4. The failure reason is recorded: common reasons include “card declined,” “insufficient funds,” “expired card,” or “payment method not found.”

Membership access during recovery

While a membership is in Past Due status, covered members retain access to your practice’s services. This gives the account holder time to resolve the payment issue without interruption.

Automatic Notification Schedule

DPC Pro follows a structured notification schedule to recover failed payments without overwhelming the account holder:

Timing	Action	Email subject
Day 0	Payment fails: immediate notification	”Action Required: Payment Failed for [Practice Name] Membership”
Day 1	First reminder	”Reminder: Update Your Payment Method for [Practice Name]“
Day 3	Second reminder	”Important: Your [Practice Name] Membership Payment is Past Due”
Day 6	Third reminder	”Urgent: [Practice Name] Membership Payment Required”
Every 6 days after	Continuing reminders	”Payment Reminder: [Practice Name] Membership”

Each notification email includes:

• The account holder’s name
• Your practice name
• The amount due
• How many days the payment is past due
• The reason the payment failed
• A link to update their payment method

When recovery succeeds

When the account holder updates their payment method and a charge succeeds:

1. The membership status returns to Active.
2. The payment recovery record is marked as resolved.
3. The account holder receives a confirmation email: “Payment Received - [Practice Name].”

Failed Payments Dashboard

DPC Pro provides a dedicated view for managing all failed payments across your practice:

1. Navigate to Billing → Failed Payments.
2. View all memberships and payment plan payments currently in recovery.

From this dashboard, you can take action on individual failed payments:

Action	What it does
Retry	Immediately attempt to charge the account holder’s payment method again
Send Reminder	Send a payment reminder email to the account holder
Waive	Waive the failed payment (mark it as resolved without collecting)

Manual Payment Recovery

When automated notifications are not enough, you can intervene directly.

Retry a charge

1. Navigate to Billing → Failed Payments.
2. Find the failed payment.
3. Select Retry.

DPC Pro attempts to charge the account holder’s preferred payment method. If the charge succeeds, the membership returns to active status. If it fails again, the failure count increments and the next automated notification is scheduled.

Update a payment method on behalf of the patient

If the account holder contacts your practice with updated payment information:

1. Navigate to the account holder’s profile → Wallet.
2. Add the new payment method.
3. Set it as preferred so future charges use the new method.
4. Return to Billing → Failed Payments and select Retry for the outstanding failure.

Record an offline payment

If the account holder pays by cash, check, or another method outside the system:

1. Navigate to the outstanding invoice for the failed payment.
2. Select Record Payment.
3. Enter the amount, payment method (Cash, Check, Card Manual, or Other), and any reference information.
4. Select Submit.

This marks the invoice as paid and resolves the payment recovery.

Late Fees

Your practice can optionally charge late fees on overdue membership payments.

Configure late fees

1. Navigate to Billing → Settings → Late Fees.
2. Enable Membership Late Fees.
3. Choose the fee type:
   • Flat Amount: a fixed dollar amount (e.g., $25.00)
   • Percentage: a percentage of the amount due (e.g., 5%)
4. Set the Grace Period: number of days after the due date before the late fee applies (default: 5 days).
5. Configure warning emails:
   • Send Warning Email: notify the account holder before the late fee is applied (default: enabled)
   • Warning Days Before: how many days before the late fee to send the warning (default: 5 days)

Late fee compliance

Check your state regulations before enabling late fees. Some states limit or prohibit late fees for medical services. DPC Pro applies late fees as a one-time charge. They do not compound.

How late fees are applied

• DPC Pro checks overdue invoices daily
• If an invoice is past the grace period and late fees are enabled, a one-time late fee is added to the invoice
• Warning emails are sent before the late fee is applied (if configured)
• Late fees appear as a separate line item on the invoice

Payment Plans for Outstanding Balances

For patients with larger outstanding balances, you can create a payment plan to spread the debt over scheduled installments.

Payment plan settings are configured per practice:

Setting	Default	Description
Enabled	Yes	Allow creation of payment plans
Default frequency	Monthly	Weekly or monthly payment schedule
Minimum payment	$25.00	Minimum amount per installment
Maximum duration	24 months	Longest allowed payment plan
Down payment	0%	Default down payment percentage
Interest rate	0%	Annual simple interest rate (if allowed)
Retry schedule	Days 1, 3, 7	When to retry failed payment plan payments

Payment plan notifications

Notification	When sent
Payment reminder	3 days and 1 day before each scheduled payment
Payment received	After each successful payment
Payment failed	When a scheduled payment fails
Max retries reached	When all retry attempts for a payment are exhausted (sent to staff)
Plan completed	When all payments are made

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Related Pages

• Create and Manage Membership Plans
• Individual Memberships
• Family Memberships and Dependents
• Employer Group Plans
• Add-On Charges
• Payment Processing and Receipts
• Cancellations and Membership Changes
• Billing Reports and Revenue Visibility

Need Help?

If you need assistance recovering a failed payment, reach out to the DPC Pro support team at [email protected] or visit the troubleshooting guide.