TCM and natural healing practices that have treatment series prepaid have two structural advantages: no outstanding items after the last session and significantly better predictability of liquidity. Payrexx Payment Links and Recurring Payments make both possible – without a booking tool plugin and with TWINT, card and mobile wallets in one single step.

This guide shows you the three prepayment models for complementary medicine practices, how to cleanly separate health insurance-covered and direct payments, and why series prepayment works particularly well in the TCM context.

1. Why series prepayment makes particularly good sense in TCM

Treatment series are structurally anchored in TCM: Acupuncture is rarely prescribed as a single treatment – the effect unfolds over several sessions. Typical series comprise 5, 8 or 10 sessions. This series length creates ideal conditions for prepayments: The total amount is known, the commitment of the patient increases through the prepayment and the practice receives the liquidity at the beginning of the treatment.

In addition: In TCM, the therapeutic relationship is therapeutic in the long term. Patients who prepay are less likely to discontinue the series – they have invested psychologically and financially. At the same time, this reduces the risk of no-shows because paid appointments are rarely forgotten.

2. Three prepayment models for complementary medicine practices

Model A: Complete series prepayment

The patient pays the total amount of the series before the first session. Example: 8 acupuncture sessions at EUR 130 = EUR 1'040. You create a Payment Link with EUR 1'040 and send it by email or WhatsApp with the appointment confirmation. Advantage: maximum liquidity, no dunning risk. Sensible for private patients who bear the full amount themselves.

Model B: Down payment + remaining balance

The patient pays 30–50% upon booking, the remainder after the last session. For an 8-session series at EUR 130 = EUR 1'040, a down payment of EUR 400 (approx. 38%) would make sense. A second Payment Link for the remaining amount is sent after the last session. Ideal if the exact final price is not yet fixed (e.g. for variable herb costs).

Model C: Payment Link per session

After each session, a Payment Link for the individual session is sent. No prepayment advantage, but structured payment recording without cash. For patients who do not want a prepayment but still want to pay digitally. Fee Online Standard TWINT: 1.25% + EUR 0.18 per transaction.

3. Cleanly separating health insurance-covered and self-payer shares

A common challenge in complementary medicine practices: Some patients have supplementary insurance that covers part of the session costs, while others pay everything themselves. This is relevant for prepayment: Those who bill via supplementary insurance only pay the non-covered self-payment share directly.

Recommended procedure: Clarify when scheduling the appointment whether supplementary insurance is available. If yes, the amount of the Payment Link is reduced to the non-insurance-covered share. If no, the full session price is billed. In the Payrexx Dashboard, both transaction types are cleanly separated – important for the annual financial statement.

Tip for bookkeeping: Define standard booking text. Example: 'Acupuncture series 8x direct payer', 'Acupuncture series 8x supplementary insurance self-payment share'. This considerably facilitates the allocation in the annual financial statement.

4. Creating a Payment Link: How it works

In the Payrexx Dashboard under Payment tools create a new Paylink: Enter amount, set title (e.g. 'Acupuncture series 8 sessions'), optional expiration date and booking text. Generate link and send by email or WhatsApp. The patient clicks the link, selects TWINT, card or mobile wallet and pays in less than a minute. You see the payment immediately in the Dashboard.

For recurring standard series, a Payrexx Page with a fixed URL is recommended instead of individual links. Once set up, the URL can be permanently inserted in the appointment confirmation email – no manual link per patient required. Payrexx Pages work in all plans.

5. Recurring Payments: Monthly installment payments for long-term patients

For long-term patients who come regularly (e.g. one session per month), Payrexx Recurring Payments offers: A credit card is stored (tokenized) and automatically charged once a month. This is particularly useful for prevention programs or accompanying therapies running over months.

Recurring Payments are available in all Payrexx plans including Free. The patient enters their credit card details once and authorizes the regular debit. TWINT does not support Recurring Payments – a credit card is required for this.

6. Data protection DSG: What must be considered for bookings and prepayments

Since September 1, 2023, the revised Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG) has been in force. For online bookings with prepayments, this means: Credit card data is not stored in the practice – this is handled by the PCI-DSS certified PSP. A privacy policy on the booking page is mandatory. Payment data and patient data must be managed separately.

Payrexx is PCI DSS certified. If you additionally use a booking tool (e.g. Calendly, Jane App) that processes patient data, an order processing contract (AVV) according to DSG Art. 9 is required with the provider. Most well-known booking tools provide AVV on request.

7. Refunds in case of series discontinuation

If a patient discontinues a prepaid series, the remaining balance must be refunded proportionally – unless otherwise specified in the GTC. Payrexx allows refunds directly in the Dashboard: Full refund or partial refund with a defined amount. Card payments can be refunded within 365 days, TWINT within 30 days.

Recommendation: Define refund terms in the GTC in case of series discontinuation. Common practice: Already completed sessions are charged at the single session price, the remainder refunded. This is fair and prevents dispute cases.

Checklist: Setting up series prepayment in natural healing practices

• Decide on a prepayment model: Full prepayment, down payment+remainder or per session

• Create a Payment Link or a Payrexx Page with the series amount

• Integrate the link into your appointment confirmation email or WhatsApp template

• Activate TWINT – indispensable for Swiss patients

• Define a standard booking text: Direct payer vs. supplementary insurance self-payment share

• Formulate a refund policy for series discontinuation and integrate it into the GTC

• Create a privacy policy for the booking page in accordance with DSG

• Test the entire process from the patient's perspective before going live

Payrexx Payment Links and Recurring Payments work in all plans including Free. You create the link in the Dashboard, send it by SMS or email and see the payment immediately. For standard series, a Payrexx Page with a fixed URL is recommended – set up once, usable permanently. TWINT, Visa, Mastercard and mobile wallets without separate contracts.