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Auto Pay takes the invoicing step out of routine outpatient visits: when an appointment reaches the status you nominate, the card the patient already saved is charged for the unpaid invoice. Nobody chases, nobody re-keys a card number.

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What this tab controls

The card describes itself: “Automatically charge a patient’s saved card on file when their appointment is confirmed or completed — no manual invoicing.” A badge on the card header reads ● On or ◌ Off so you can see the state without scrolling. Non-owners see “Only the clinic owner can change Auto Pay.”
Auto Pay charges real money without anyone pressing a button, and a 1.9% platform fee applies per charge on top of your provider’s own fees. Turn it on only when your billing team agrees which trigger to use, and tell reception before you do — a patient who expected to pay at the desk will instead see a card charge land.

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Set it up

1

Connect Stripe first

Without it the card shows “Connect Stripe to use Auto Pay” and nothing can be switched on. Finish the setup in Online payments.
2

Turn on Enable Auto Pay

The trigger and receipt rows appear underneath.
3

Choose when the card is charged

Under “Charge when the appointment is…”, switch on Confirmed, Completed, or both. At least one is required — saving with neither is refused with “Choose at least one trigger — confirmed or completed.”
4

Decide on the receipt

Leave Email a receipt to the patient on unless your finance team sends its own.
5

Save

Select Save changes. It confirms with “Auto Pay is on”.
Most hospitals pick Completed alone: the visit has happened, so the amount is final. Confirmed collects earlier but can charge for a visit that is later changed, which then needs a refund.

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What changes once you save

From the moment it is on, appointments that reach your chosen status start being charged in the background rather than waiting for someone to raise and send an invoice.
  • Who is charged: “Only patients with a saved card are charged.” Anyone without a card on file is skipped and left for manual collection — Auto Pay never blocks a visit or forces a card to be added.
  • What is charged: the unpaid invoice for that appointment. “Each invoice is only ever charged once”, so switching both triggers on does not double-charge — the confirmed trigger fires first and the completed one finds nothing owing.
  • A declined card is never forced. “A card that’s declined or needs extra verification (3-D Secure) is never force-charged — you’ll be notified to collect it manually.” That invoice stays open for your desk to settle.
  • The patient gets a receipt email for each successful charge, unless you turned that off.
  • Existing appointments are unaffected until they next change status. Turning Auto Pay on does not sweep up a backlog of unpaid invoices.
Switching Auto Pay off stops future charges immediately and refunds nothing already taken. Card details continue to be held by the provider, never by ClinikEHR: “Card data is stored securely by Stripe and never touches ClinikEHR servers.”

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Check it worked

The header badge reads ● On. Take one appointment for a patient who has a card on file, move it to your chosen status, and check the invoice — it should show as paid without anyone touching it, and the patient should have a receipt. Then repeat with a patient who has no card: that invoice should stay open, which is the correct outcome.

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Common issues

The whole tab is replaced by that line and an Upgrade button. See Change your plan.
“Auto Pay charges saved cards through your connected Stripe account. Finish the Stripe setup in Online Payments to turn it on.” Both onboarding and charging must be complete there, not just started.
Either nothing has changed since it loaded, or you have Auto Pay on with both triggers off — the red line reads “Select at least one — confirmed or completed.”
They have no card on file. Auto Pay skips them silently and by design; collect at the desk or send the invoice.
“Only the clinic owner can change Auto Pay.” Managers and accountants get a read-only view.
Declines and cards needing extra verification are reported rather than retried. Settle that invoice manually.