2025 VCC and EFT Survey Results

Survey Period 9.15.2025-10.31.2025

The Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA) announces the results of a member survey that assesses the impact of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and Virtual Credit Card (VCC) fees imposed by payers and third-party payment vendors on physician practices and revenue cycle management (RCM) companies. 

Providers are routinely offered EFT or VCC payment options through intermediaries and are frequently coerced into utilizing a health plan’s preferred electronic payment method as a condition for receiving electronic remittance advice (ERA) or timely payment. These fees often range from 2% to 5% of the total reimbursement. EFT transaction fees circumvent regulations that explicitly prohibit such fees. EFT fees are akin to an employer charging an employee a fee to electronically direct deposit their paycheck into their bank account. 

Providers can “opt out” of VCCs but must do so for each individual VCC payment. This process is incredibly time-consuming and inefficient. Further, by opting out of a VCC payment, providers might be forced into an alternative EFT transaction that carries a similar fee. 

The findings underscore an urgent issue: Clinicians and their RCM partners are being charged unnecessary electronic transaction fees that reduce total reimbursements from commercial payers. The survey results show that this practice is undermining reimbursement and adding administrative costs which further exacerbates financial pressure facing many medical practices.