Hello teams!
We are excited to announce that due to the overwhelming success of our pilot hospitals, we are officially rolling out credit card surcharging across our network – and with it, a significant upgrade to our credit and debit card processing systems! We are partnering with Scratch Financial to provide a modern, integrated payment solution that seamlessly connects with PMS to improve your workflows.
Why are we making this change? The biggest benefit of transitioning to Scratch is their PMS-integrated credit card and debit card processing platform. This integration means fewer manual steps, reduced errors, and a smoother checkout process for your team. No more time-consuming reconciliations at the end of the day—Scratch’s system helps ensure that transactions match up correctly with your PMS, saving time and reducing discrepancies.
Our pilot hospitals have already seen these benefits firsthand, with improved checkout efficiency and smoother end-of-day processes. Feedback from our early adopters has been overwhelmingly positive, and importantly, they have reported little to no client pushback on the surcharging program. A few testimonials from our pilot locations are below:
“The staff LOVES the new terminals. Using these readers saves the client’s time, the staff time, and the EOD paperwork is much faster. I love it.”
“Our CSRs and Assistants absolutely love it. They are clean and pretty to look at but also are so easy to use. End of day is a whole lot quicker and staff is getting out of the office quicker at the end of day as well.”
“Once they used it a couple of times, everyone agreed that it was much easier than the last system. It also makes closing at night easier on our receptionists!”
“Clients have not seemed bothered by it”
“The most difficult part was realizing how easy it was to reconcile at the end of the day.”
What is credit card surcharging? Credit card surcharging is when a fee is passed on to a customer who chooses to pay with a credit card. This fee offsets the costs businesses incur from credit card companies and payment processors. It’s a growing practice across industries, including veterinary medicine. If you’ve attended a veterinary conference recently, you’ve likely seen how widespread this has become.
How does this work? Scratch’s card processing platform offers a compliant credit card surcharging program that automatically applies a 2.50% fee to credit card transactions. Our rate is lower than the industry standard of 3.0-3.5%. Debit and prepaid card users will be treated like cash and will not be charged a fee, and Scratch’s system automatically identifies the card type—your team won’t need to distinguish between credit and debit cards.
Do these terminals integrate with our PMS? Yes! Scratch terminals are compatible with over 90% of our PMS platforms (list of compatible PMS attached), and that number is growing. During your account setup, eligible hospitals will have the option to enable this integration, enhancing your team’s workflow and minimizing manual input.
Benefits for your practice:
– Seamless PMS integration to reduce manual entry and reconciliation errors.
– Better tech and better terminals that offer flexible client checkout at the desk or in exam rooms.
– No need for calculation or discussion with clients – all presented via the terminal entry by the client.
– Comprehensive training and client communication support to ensure a smooth transition.
What’s next?
CareVet and Scratch will cohost a town hall tomorrow, Friday, March 21st at 11:30 am Central Time to officially announce the partnership, walk through the details, and answer your questions. An invitation will follow shortly, and the meeting will be recorded for those unable to attend.
The rollout will occur over the next five weeks in five waves. The first wave begins next week (tentative schedule attached).
Prior to installation, you will receive a welcome package from Scratch with your new terminals and additional support resources.
No action is required on your part until your new terminals arrive. Further instructions will follow after the town hall and upon hardware delivery.
If you have any questions about Scratch or the rollout process, feel free to contact CreditCardProcessingProject@carevethealth.com. For technical or integration-specific questions, you will also have access to a dedicated Scratch support team, with introductions provided in the town hall and recap email.
We value your partnership and are committed to providing the latest technology to support your team and clients. We are excited to bring you these new efficiencies and a streamlined payment experience!
Thank you!
Kyle Schneider & Tim Kaufman
Tentative Schedule – Scratch Rollout 3.20.25.xlsx
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