Question 1

How is our patient data protected under POPIA?

Accepted Answer

Patient and account information is treated as personal information under POPIA and handled strictly on a need-to-know basis. Access is limited to the CollectMed staff working on your practice, information is used only for the purpose of administering your accounts, and it is never shared with third parties outside of the medical scheme submission process without a lawful basis. We sign a written confidentiality undertaking with every practice, and we're happy to work within an operator agreement your attorney prepares.

Question 2

What does the switching process look like?

Accepted Answer

We start with a short review of your current book: outstanding age analysis, which schemes you bill, your practice management software and how work is currently split between reception and billing. From there we agree a handover date, take over new accounts from that date, and work the existing outstanding accounts in parallel so nothing is dropped mid-transition. For CollectMed Collection, we also schedule the on-site system installation. Most practices are fully transitioned within a few weeks.

Question 3

Do we have to change our practice management software?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. We work with the systems commonly used in South African practices. For CollectMed Complete we can work on your system or ours. For CollectMed Collection an on-site installation with basic IT infrastructure is required at the practice — CollectMed carries the licensing fees for that installation.

Question 4

How quickly do you respond to queries?

Accepted Answer

Queries reaching our office during business hours are acknowledged the same working day and, where the answer requires a scheme response, we come back with the scheme's turnaround. Reporting runs to a fixed monthly cycle so you always know when your figures land. Specific service turnaround times are confirmed in writing in your proposal.

Question 5

How does pricing work?

Accepted Answer

There is no fixed public price list. Fees are negotiated per practice, because volume, specialty, service level and the condition of the existing book all change the amount of work involved. After an initial conversation we provide a written proposal with the fee basis clearly set out.

Question 6

Do you handle both medical aid and private patient accounts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both service levels include scheme collections and private / patient co-payment collections, with payment allocation and bank reconciliation so that your age analysis reflects what is genuinely outstanding.

Question 7

Will we still see what is happening in our practice?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Financial and performance reporting is part of both services — billings, receipts, ageing and outstanding balances. The point of outsourcing is to remove the admin burden, not your visibility.

Question 8

Are you familiar with scheme and regulatory standards?

Accepted Answer

We work daily within the tariff, coding and claim standards used across BHF, SAMA and CMS-registered medical schemes, and we respect the confidentiality obligations that apply to HPCSA-registered practitioners. Links to each body are in the footer.

Questions practices ask before they switch

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