Understanding that split matters because merchant fees only apply to the card-paid portion of revenue. When a private health fund pays its rebate through HICAPS, or when Medicare, NDIS, WorkCover, CTP or DVA pays the clinic directly, no card fee is charged on that slice. The card cost lands on the patient gap, the upfront consult, or the pre-paid package, so a clinic's effective fee rate depends heavily on its patient and payer mix.
Why physiotherapy & chiropractic fees sit where they do
Allied health clinics often see a lower effective merchant cost than retailers because a meaningful portion of revenue is paid directly by third parties such as Medicare, NDIS, WorkCover and private funds, and never touches a card. The card fees that do apply land on patient gaps, full upfront consults and pre-paid packages. Blended rates depend on debit versus credit mix, contactless and mobile-wallet use, terminal type and whether you absorb or surcharge. Premium and international cards push the top of the range higher.
What to look for in a provider
Look for a provider whose terminal works cleanly alongside HICAPS so gap payments tap straight after the fund claim, and that handles high contactless and mobile-wallet volume on small tickets without flat per-transaction fees eroding margin. If you run pre-paid session packages or care-plan rebills, card-on-file or recurring-payment support is valuable. Clear, itemised statements help you separate card-paid revenue from third-party scheme payments. Compare debit and credit rates, settlement timing and any surcharging tools, and check integration with your practice-management software so reconciliation across Medicare, NDIS and WorkCover stays clean.