New From The Innovation Lab: Collect Before the Visit. Protect Revenue at Every Step.
By Blakely Roth | August 27, 2026
The further a patient’s balance moves past the point of service, the harder it is to collect.
Once a patient leaves the office, the likelihood of collecting drops by 62%. Post-visit statements require staff time and too often end in write-offs, especially for co-pays. For high-volume healthcare organizations managing tight appointment windows and growing patient financial responsibility, those missed co-pays and other past-due balances add up fast.
See how Clearwave helps specialty practices avoid this revenue leak by shifting payment to pre-registration, where patient engagement is highest — with the upcoming visit motivating action.
Clearwave Payments Agent: Payments at Pre-Registration
Clearwave is introducing Payments at Pre-Registration through the Payment Agent — automating the entire pre-registration payment experience with real-time eligibility verification, accurate bill estimates, secure card capture and seamless practice management (PM) system posting, all before the patient sees their provider.
How it works:
Clearwave sends patients a pre-registration link via text or email before their appointment. Within that same digital workflow, patients confirm demographics, insurance, and consents, complete clinical intake — and provide their payment information and consent as the last step. Card information is securely captured and tokenized during pre-registration, then processed automatically in the background at check-in, posting directly to the patient’s encounter in the PM system.
Patients who complete payment at pre-registration skip the payment screen at check-in entirely and instead receive their itemized receipt by email. As a result, healthcare organizations see higher collection rates, fewer payment conversations at the front desk, less manual follow-up and faster check-ins.
Where Pre-Registration Payments Benefit Practices and Patients
- Faster Time-to-Revenue: Shifting payment to pre-registration creates a structured, patient-led moment to address financial responsibility — before the visit fades from memory and follow-up delays begin.
- Fewer No-Shows: Pre-registration payment creates financial accountability that reinforces appointment adherence. With patients making their payment ahead of time, they’ll be more motivated to come in for their appointments and see their provider.
- Quicker Check-In: When payment is completed ahead of time, check-in becomes a confirmation — not a collections conversation. Patients check in faster, and practices can remove day-to-day friction for staff.
Close the Gap Before the Claim
Pre-registration payment works best when paired with accurate eligibility data. Before a patient is prompted to pay, Clearwave runs real-time eligibility verification — ensuring the amount presented reflects their verified insurance responsibility, not a placeholder estimate. Accurate amounts at pre-registration means fewer disputes and write-offs and cleaner collections from the first touchpoint.
Comprehensive EyeCare Partners, a physician-led organization with 100+ providers across 50+ locations, built their pre-visit workflow around exactly this combination — and increased point-of-service payments by 154% as a result. As Chad Jackson, Regional VP, shared: “Clearwave is the gold standard. They have a very robust eligibility verification tool that helps us make sure we’ve got everything right before the patient walks in.”
Move Payment Before the Visit
Clearwave Payment at Pre-Registration is available now for healthcare organizations using preferred payment vendors. Setup is handled through Clearwave — reach out to your Client Representative for next steps.
Ready to see the impact earlier payment could have on your practice? Schedule a demo today or review the Clearwave Payments at Pre-Registration data sheet and share it with your team.