Fifth Third
Choice Disbursements for
Patient Refunds
Improve patient experience with a digital-first refund solution
For many healthcare organizations, patient refund processes rely on legacy payment methods—primarily checks—which often results in high costs and significant administrative burdens. Yet today, patients expect speed, choice, and convenience when interacting with any service provider, seeking refund experiences that align with their preference for digital-first payments. In fact, a 2025 survey by Onbe and NRG found that 88% of Americans prefer to receive refunds digitallya rather than by check or other traditional methods
Save time and reduce risk with digital patient refunds
With Fifth Third Choice Disbursements, you and your patients benefit from a digital-first payment solution that accelerates refund delivery, simplifies payment operations, and reduces costs and risk—all while enhancing patient satisfaction at a critical touchpoint. A report on healthcare refunds found that 74% of patients stay loyal to providersb that deliver fast, error‑free digital refunds. And with custom-branded communications, you’ll strengthen your connection to patients.
How it works
Pay
The patient or payment recipient receives a personalized email link to a branded portal.
Access
The recipient visits the portal to access their funds via a digital prepaid card.
Spend
Recipient spends the money with their mobile wallet or through online retailers.
…or Swap
Recipient can request a check, transfer funds via ACH, or get a physical card.
Flexible payment optinons for maximum efficiency
Fifth Third ‘s patient refund optimization leads with digital prepaid cards for top-tier efficiency, but customers can also opt to be paid via bank transfer, check, or physical card. If you don’t have a customer’s email address, we also offer a fully branded, mailed package that can also direct the customer to request funds via bank transfer or check.
Choice disbursement benefits
Benefits for providers
- Reduce the cost of issuing payments and eliminate administrative processes
- Reduce fraud risk and eliminate need for storing payment instructions
- Offload escheatment management and unclaimed property liability
- Gain access to multilingual, omnichannel 24/7/365 customer care
- Build loyalty and drive behavior with branded communications
- Fulfill with or without an email address
Benefits for patients
- Faster access to funds
- Choice of payment method, including popular mobile wallets
- Bank transfer options
- Payment experience, spend and service options available via any channel
Support beyond the payment
While a digital solution reduces the risk of unclaimed payments, Fifth Third Choice Disbursements also includes required escheatment services, ensuring unclaimed funds are properly reported and remitted in compliance with state regulations, along with full cardholder support. By managing the entire process from start to finish, we free your staff to focus on delivering care rather than administrative tasks.
Partner with us
Learn how our modern disbursement solutions for patient refunds can help drive efficiency and savings throughout your organization.
Reach out to your Commercial Payments Officer or complete the form to get started today!
Thank you
Thank you for letting us know your interest in partnering with us. A representative will be in touch with you shortly.
Discover how Fifth Third can help you deliver a positive patient experience by ensuring the refund goes smoothly from start to finish. Reach out to your Treasury Management Officer today.
