OrthoTrac from Carestream Dental is a specialized practice management solution designed exclusively for orthodontists. From patient scheduling and treatment planning to financial management and imaging integration, OrthoTrac helps ortho practices of all sizes streamline daily operations.
If you’re currently using OrthoTrac or considering it for your practice, this review will give you the inside scoop on its integrated payment processing capabilities—and how to avoid overpaying for credit card processing.
Our Insider Take on OrthoTrac
We’ve worked with several orthodontists using OrthTrac’s integrated payment processing capabilities. While the software itself is robust and feature-rich, the payment processing side of things is a different story.
Here’s what you need to know:
- OrthoTrac integrates with TSYS and Global Payments for payment processing.
- Your rates are 100% negotiable, regardless of which processor you’re using.
- There’s a strong likelihood you’re overpaying to accept payments.
- We’ve found cost-saving opportunities on every OrthTrac processing statement we’ve reviewed.
- Both TSYS and Global Payments are notorious for adding unnecessary fees and markups.
While OrthoTrac provides a quality practice management solution for orthodontists, the payment processing is out of their hands. All they do is support the integration, but from there, all of your rates are determined by TSYS or Global.
Having limited processing options ends up working against you. TSYS and Global charge premium rates because they know your alternatives are limited.
OrthoTrac Overview
OrthoTrac has been serving the orthodontic space for over 40 years. Originally introduced back in 1982, it was the first widely adopted practice management solution on the market.
The software itself is solid. And while they continue to roll out regular updates, it’s still a bit clunky and has a somewhat legacy feel compared to modern competitors, especially the ones that are strictly cloud-based.
OrthoTrac didn’t launch its cloud deployment option until 2013. So many of its long-term customers are still using a complex and expensive system that’s deployed on-premises.
Key Features and Capabilities
- Patient scheduling and appointment management.
- Treatment planning and progress tracking.
- Financial management, contract creation, and integrated payment processing.
- Insurance billing with built-in claims processing.
- Imaging integration via other Carestream solutions.
- Multi-location practice management.
- Patient communication tools.
OrthoTrac’s Integrated Payment Processing Options
When it comes to accepting payments within OrthoTrac, you’re limited to two integrated processing options: TSYS and Global Payments.
Remember, these payment processors have nothing to do with OrthoTrac. They are completely independent of the software itself. And while they may pay a commission to OrthoTrac for supporting the integration, that’s where the relationship ends. OrthoTrac does not process payments or set processing rates.
Let’s take a closer look at each processor so you understand the key differences, benefits, and drawbacks.
TSYS
TSYS (Total System Services) was acquired by Global Payments in 2019, which further complicates OrthoTrac’s limited payment processing integrations.
While TSYS still operates under its own brand name, the fact that it’s a subsidiary of the only other processor that integrates with OrthoTrac creates a false sense of competition that doesn’t actually exist.
Don’t get me wrong. TSYS is one of the most well-recognized and well-established players in the payments space. But they’re notorious for adding extra fees to monthly statements, and they typically charge additional fees on top of regular markups for businesses using software integrations.
We’ve seen these markups over 350 basis points above interchange, which is astronomically high, even for integrated processing (which normally commands an inflated markup).
Check out our TSYS review for a full breakdown, pros, cons, fees, and more.
Global Payments
Global Payments (the parent company of TSYS) is one of the largest processors on the planet.
Like TSYS, Global tends to charge premium rates for integrated processing. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
If you’re using Global Payments as your integrated processor in OrthoTrac by Carestream, I can almost guarantee that you’re overpaying. That’s because Global uses every trick in the book to increase rates, like adding bogus fees and even unethical practices like assessment padding.
Even if you somehow landed a good rate when you first set up your integrated payments in OrthoTrac via Global, those low rates don’t last long. Global is known for frequent rate increases and big jumps—even doubling or tripling rates at once.
Refer to our Global Payments review for more information.
What We Typically Find From Clients Using Integrated Processing From OrthoTrac
Even in ideal circumstances, integrated payment processing always costs a bit more than traditional processing due to the setup. In addition to the convenience factor and development costs, the setup is more involved, the processor often (but not always) pays a commission to the software, and the options are limited.
All of this creates an environment that gives the processor more leverage than they’d normally have.
But the deck is stacked against you even more with OrthoTrac because the two processors that can integrate with the tool are essentially the same company. Switching from one to the other would be useless because you’d be effectively dealing with the same processor (despite the different names).
We regularly see orthodontic practices paying effective rates of 3.5% to 4.5% or higher through OrthoTrac’s integrated processing. This should be closer to 2.5% or 3%, even for integrated solutions.
Again, this isn’t OrthoTrac’s fault. They don’t set your rates, and they definitely aren’t encouraging TSYS or Global to rip you off.
Other Reasons Orthodontists Pay More to Accept Payments
Beyond the integrated setup between TSYS and Global, these are some other common issues we’ve identified when auditing statements for our clients using OrthoTrac:
- Excessive Markups — We regularly see practices paying 150-250 basis points over interchange when 50-75 basis points would be more reasonable for integrated processing.
- Unnecessary Fees — Common bogus fees include monthly “maintenance” fees, “risk assessment” fees, inflated PCI compliance charges, and other fees that sound legit but are totally made up as a profit center for the processor.
- Poor Interchange Optimization — Many processors aren’t qualifying for the best possible interchange rates for a variety of reasons, and their processor isn’t doing them any favors to help.
- Rate Creep — Processors gradually increase rates over time, hoping practices won’t notice or care over small rate hikes (that quickly add up over time).
How to Lower Your OrthoTrac Payment Processing Costs
Despite all of these problems, the good news is that you don’t need to stop using OrthoTrac or change providers to save money on payment processing. Here’s how you can reduce your costs while keeping OrthoTrac:
Step 1 — Figure Out Who is Handling Your Payments
The very first thing you need to do is determine whether TSYS or Global Payments is your backend processor. This information should be clearly identified on your monthly processing statement.
Lots of orthodontists we consult with think that OrthoTrac is their processor, which is incorrect.
Knowing who your processor needs to be your starting point because it determines who you’ll be negotiating with.
Step 2 — Audit Your Current Processing Costs
Calculate your effective rate by dividing your total monthly fees by your total monthly processing volume. This gives you a baseline to work with, and it factors in the additional fees beyond your per-transaction costs.
You should also look for other random fees on your statement. See if they were always there or if they were recently added.
Compare your statements over the last several months to identify any rate increases or inconsistencies in how you’re being billed.
Step 3 — Negotiate Better Terms
Contact your processor directly and demand better rates. Don’t accept their first “no” (which is what you’ll hear).
Rates are always negotiable, especially for high-volume practices.
Request interchange-plus pricing if you’re not already on that contract structure. Then push for lower basis-point markups (aim for 20-50 points, knowing you’ll likely have to settle somewhere on the higher end).
Ask them to remove every unnecessary fee on your statements. You can even request refunds for the bogus charges.
Step 4 — Ongoing Monitoring
Once you’ve secured a better rate, you need to continue monitoring your statements every month to ensure TSYS or Global is holding up their end of the deal.
You can’t take their word at face value here. Make sure what you’ve negotiated is actually being applied to your statements every month.
And continue keeping an eye out for new fees and increases.
Step 5 — Work With a Merchant Consultant
If you’re not having much luck with the steps above, you can work with our team here at MCC to handle all of this on your behalf.
We’ll help you secure the best possible rate with TSYS or Global so you can continue using OrthoTrac as your practice management software. Our payment experts will also continue to monitor your statements every month to identify overages. If we spot something that doesn’t belong, we’ll contact your processor directly to get it removed.
So you can focus on running your practice and let us worry about negotiating with your processor.
Final Verdict on OrthoTrac
OrthoTrac is an above-average practice management system that supports the needs of most orthodontic practices. It’s not perfect but it gets the job done as advertised.
I think it could use a bit of a facelift, but I’m not an orthodontist who’s using it every day. I’m a payments expert. And on the payments side of things, it would be nice to see additional processors other than TSYS and Global integrating with OrthoTrac.
Even one more processor that’s not part of the Global umbrella could create some competition and drive down rates.
This isn’t a reason to avoid OrthoTrac or integrated processing with OrthoTrac. But it should be an eye-opener that you’re likely overpaying to accept cards through the platform.
Rather than just sitting back and letting your processor take advantage of you, contact them ASAP to demand a better deal. And if you need help, let us negotiate with them on your behalf. Reach out for a free audit today to find out how much you can save on payment processing while keeping OrthoTrac and your current processor.