How we charge
Pricing: you pay on what is collected, not on what is billed
Our fees range from 5% to 8% of what’s actually collected, quoted per practice after a free billing review. No hidden costs. No setup fee. No annual increases.
Our fee range
5%–8%
of what’s actually collected, quoted per practice
Your rate depends on your practice and is confirmed in your quote after a free billing review. No hidden costs. No setup fee. No annual increases.
Includes the full claim cycle, billing software, patient liability collections and our patient accounts helpdesk.
Savings calculator
What would moving to Forte save you?
Enter your own figures. The fields start with example inputs so you can see how it works – replace them with yours. Results are estimates based on your figures, not a promise, and they can come out either way.
Estimated saving with Forte
R0 a month
R0 a year
| In-house cost now (staff share + software) | |
|---|---|
| Forte fee at the tested rate | |
| Billing software with Forte (included) | |
| Your tested extra collections, after Forte’s fee | |
| For context: written off a month now |
Estimated saving, year 1
R0
Estimated saving over 3 years: R0
| Year | Current bureau | Forte | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 |
Month 1: current bureau , Forte . Forte’s fee is on collected amounts only, with no hidden costs, no setup fee and no annual increases; billing software, patient collections and the patient helpdesk are included. Assumes the same collections each year.
Estimates only. These figures come from what you enter and are not a quote or a promise of savings. Your exact rate is confirmed after a free billing review.
Example inputs are illustrations, not market data, except where a source is given. Salary reference: Paylab, “Salary Billing Clerk – South Africa”, paylab.com/za/salaryinfo/economy-finance-accountancy/billing-clerk (survey with fewer than 20 verified respondents; accessed 3 November 2026). Cost to company is usually higher than gross salary. This calculator runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere unless you choose to send it in the form.
How the fee works
- We review your billing. Free, with no obligation.
- We quote a percentage for your practice, between 5% and 8%. It reflects your volume and the work involved.
- Each month, the fee is that percentage of what was collected from medical schemes and patients for your practice.
- Nothing collected, no fee on that amount.
Our fee commitments
- No hidden costs. What’s in your quote is what you pay.
- No setup fee. You don’t pay to get started.
- Billing software included. You don’t pay for billing software separately.
- No annual fee increases.
- Quoted per practice, as 5% to 8% of what’s actually collected – not of what is billed.
These are commitments about how we charge, not promises about how much any scheme or patient will pay.
Illustrative example
A worked example
ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY · made-up figures · not a quote
Suppose a practice was quoted 6% (a figure inside our 5%–8% range, chosen only for this example) and, in one month:
| Billed to schemes and patients | R200 000 |
|---|---|
| Collected that month (schemes + patients) | R150 000 |
| Not yet collected or written off | R50 000 |
| Forte’s fee for the month | 6% of R150 000 = R9 000 – nothing on the R50 000 |
If more of the outstanding amount is collected later, the fee applies to it when it is collected. Your own rate may be higher or lower within the range and is set in your quote.
What’s included in the fee
Patient and membership verification
Membership and dependant details are checked with the scheme before a claim is captured.
ICD-10, tariff and modifier checks
Procedure codes, ICD-10 codes and modifiers are checked against the work done and the scheme’s rules before submission.
Pre-authorisation linking
Authorisation numbers are recorded and linked to the claim, and mismatches with the procedure performed are followed up.
Electronic claim submission
Claims go to medical schemes electronically (EDI), with an end-of-day report from the switching house.
Rejection and short-payment follow-up
Every rejection is reviewed, corrected and resubmitted where the claim is valid, with a record of each follow-up.
PMBs and gap cover
PMB claims are submitted with the supporting codes and followed up; patients get the documents they need for gap cover.
Patient liability collections
Professional, respectful follow-up of the amounts patients owe: co-payments, gaps, shortfalls and amounts their medical scheme doesn’t pay.
Patient accounts helpdesk
Patients bring their account questions to our helpdesk instead of your rooms, so your staff spend less time on billing calls and admin.
Reconciliation
Scheme remittances and your bank statement are reconciled to your accounts, so balances are right.
Month-end and on-demand reports
See what was billed, what schemes and patients paid, and what is still outstanding.
What you get, and what we don’t do
What you get
- Code, check and submit claims electronically
- Follow up every rejection and short payment where the claim is valid
- Handle PMB and authorisation queries with schemes
- Send statements and follow up patient portions
- Reconcile remittances and report every month
What we don’t do
- Charge on what is billed but never collected
- Increase our fees every year
- Add costs that weren’t in your quote
- Make clinical decisions: coding is based on your notes, and you stay responsible for the clinical record
- Collect claims by courier or fax
- Ask for patient information through our website
In-house billing vs a billing bureau
A fair comparison. Both can work; the right answer depends on your practice.
| In-house | Billing bureau (Forte) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | Staff you employ and manage, plus cover for leave | A dedicated account administrator and a team behind them |
| Cost | Salaries, software, training and office costs, whether claims are paid or not | A percentage of what is actually collected |
| Scheme rules and coding updates | Your staff keep up while doing everything else | Part of the bureau’s daily work |
| Rejection follow-up | Depends on time left over | A defined part of the service |
| Patient balances and queries | Reception chases patient portions and fields account calls | Respectful follow-up of patient balances, and a helpdesk for patients’ account queries |
| Control and visibility | Direct, but only as good as your reports | Month-end and on-demand reports |
| Best for | Practices with experienced billing staff and time to manage them | Practices that want billing handled and reported to them |
Pricing questions
How much do you charge?
How is the fee calculated?
Why is it a range and not one price?
Are patient collections and the patient helpdesk included?
Are there hidden costs, setup fees or annual increases?
Do we pay for billing software separately?
Is anything not included?
Do I pay for claims that are never paid?
Get a quote for your practice: book a free billing review.
Book a billing reviewFree · no obligation
Book a billing review
Tell us how your practice bills today. We’ll look at how claims are coded and submitted, where rejections and debtors build up, and what we’d change. Then we quote a fee for your practice. If it’s not a fit, you still keep the findings.
- Fees from 5% to 8% of what’s actually collected, quoted per practice
- No hidden costs, no setup fee, no annual increases
- Reply by phone, email or WhatsApp in business hours
Prefer to talk? Call 081 564 8488 or WhatsApp us.