This page explains PatientFi from the practice side. If you are a patient, it shows why your clinic offers this financing and what the clinic gains from it. We do not enroll practices and have no business relationship with the company.
What the platform offers practices
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Point-of-sale financing | Patients apply on their own phone at the front desk or from a link, and get a decision right away |
| Pre-consultation approvals | Patients can be approved before the appointment, so the consult focuses on treatment rather than cost |
| Practice-exclusive approvals | An approval is tied to the practice, which the company says keeps approved patients from shopping elsewhere |
| Multi-lender waterfall | For dental groups and large practices, one application is checked against several lenders to approve more patients |
| Co-branded marketing | Office signage, website assets, social and email content showing treatments as a monthly amount |
| Integrations | APIs, plus a native integration inside the 4D EMR practice system announced in May 2026 |
| Fast funding | The company’s CEO has said providers are typically paid within 24 hours |
How it works for a practice
Enroll
The practice signs a provider agreement and receives a provider portal, application links and marketing materials.
Invite patients to apply
Staff share a link or QR code before or during the consultation. Patients see offers without a hard credit inquiry.
Send the charge
When treatment is booked, the practice sends the charge and the patient accepts it in their Account Portal.
Get funded
The lender pays the practice, minus its fee, and the patient repays the loan over time.
What it costs a practice
Like other patient financing companies, it charges practices a merchant fee on each financed transaction. The fee schedule is not published, and fees vary by plan type, term and negotiated agreement. Industry estimates give a sense of scale:
- A 2026 industry comparison from Axiant Partners puts typical merchant discount fees for PatientFi at about 8% to 15%, versus about 5% to 12% for CareCredit. These are estimates, not quotes.
- Cherry, a direct competitor, states that these merchant fees are higher than its own. Treat competitor claims with caution.
Promotional plans such as 0% offers usually carry the highest fees for practices, which is one reason clinics promote them less or more depending on their margins.
The company’s own performance claims
On its provider comparison page, the company advertises an 80% patient approval rate, a 78% patient conversion rate, a zero-interest offer for every approved patient, and approvals up to $60,000. These are the company’s own figures and have not been independently audited. Competitor Cherry has published much lower approval figures, which the company disputed in April 2026.
Banks and credit unions behind the loans
The loans are funded through participating banks and credit unions. The company markets a lending partner program to these institutions, offering access to healthcare loan originations while it handles servicing, collections and reporting. For patients, this is why an application may involve opening a credit union membership.
What this means for patients
- Your clinic chose this lender partly for its own reasons, such as fees, funding speed and conversion. That is normal, but it means the offer at the front desk is not necessarily the cheapest option for you.
- Staff are trained on the product but are not lenders. Read the offer yourself, especially whether a 0% plan is deferred interest.
- If your provider does not offer PatientFi, you cannot use it there. See PatientFi alternatives.
Practices interested in offering it can contact the company through its provider site.
Frequently asked questions
How much does PatientFi charge practices?
The company does not publish its merchant fees. Industry estimates for 2026 put typical fees around 8% to 15% of the financed amount, depending on the plan and term. Practices receive their actual fee schedule when they enroll.
How fast do practices get paid by PatientFi?
The company’s CEO has said providers are typically paid within 24 hours of a transaction.
Which practices can offer PatientFi?
It works with elective and out-of-pocket care providers, including plastic surgery, med spa, dermatology, fertility, hair restoration, cosmetic dental, ophthalmology and audiology practices.
Sources
- Official provider site: join.patientfi.com
- Official site: Comparison with other financing companies
- Business Wire: 4D EMR integration (May 2026)
- Orange County Business Journal: $25M Series B round
- Official site: Lending partners
- Axiant Partners: CareCredit vs PatientFi vs Affirm vs Cherry (2026)
- Cherry blog: CareCredit comparison
- Company blog: Patient financing claims vs. the data (April 2026)