Getting Started with CollaborateMD  

Most practices complete onboarding within 2–4 weeks. Smaller practices can be live in as few as 2 weeks; medical billing companies with multiple clients may use a phased approach over a longer period. Your implementation specialist will provide a customized timeline during your kickoff call.

CollaborateMD’s onboarding—including your dedicated implementation specialist, data migration via Universal Import, and training—is included. Universal Import specifically requires no additional fees, no IT setup, and no custom integrations.

Your implementation specialist will ask for: 

• Current billing software and EHR information 

• Practice-specific codes, charges, and payer details 

• List of users who need training 

• Any existing reporting requirements 

The more you can provide upfront, the faster your implementation specialist can configure your system. 

Your implementation specialist reviews your current workflows, discusses your practice’s specific needs, and establishes a timeline for go-live. You’ll also get access to CollaborateMD’s Knowledge Center, which includes self-help guides, tutorials, troubleshooting articles, and webinars.

Yes. Every CollaborateMD customer is assigned a dedicated implementation specialist who guides your team through every phase, from data migration to your first submitted claim. You work with a real person, not a support ticket queue.

Yes, as long as your EHR can produce one of the supported flat file formats, you can use Universal Import to bring in your data.

Yes. You can import only patients, only claims, or both at the same time.

Yes. When you first map an import template, you can name and save it for easy reuse, saving you from having to remap each time you use the same export.

Yes. Saved import templates can be copied to multiple customers, making it easy for billing services to standardize import processes across client accounts.

Errors such as missing required information generate error messages. You can use CollaborateMD’s interface tools to view message content, identify issues, and then either correct the file or add missing info directly in CMD, and reprocess the message.

CollaborateMD‘s AI-powered Universal Import handles data migration from any EHR export format. You upload your file, the AI automatically maps your data (patient details, payor information, visit codes), you review and confirm the preview, and import with one click. Records are immediately available—no IT tickets, no waiting period. 

Import speed depends on file size and location. On production systems, typical performance is less than 1 second per claim, which is much faster than manual entry.

Universal Import is included with your CollaborateMD subscription at no additional cost. It is a self-service tool. You do it yourself, not a service performed by CollaborateMD’s team. This is different from CollaborateMD’s paid add-on data services (Data Move, Data Copy, Data Conversion, Data Snapshot, Data Sync), which are performed by CollaborateMD staff for an additional fee. If you need CollaborateMD’s team to handle data tasks for you, see the add-on services pricing page for details. 

Universal Import supports HL7, ANSI837, CSV (comma-separated values), Excel, tab-separated, and pipe-delimited flat files.

If you prefer to have CollaborateMD’s team handle your data import rather than using Universal Import yourself, CollaborateMD offers Data Conversion services starting at $350/hour (a complimentary quote is provided after review). This is a paid service separate from Universal Import. See the add-on services pricing page for details. 

You’ll need to create the missing provider or payer in CollaborateMD, then use the reprocess feature to retry the import for the failed items.

To import patients: patient name, gender, date of birth, address, and insurance information (payer name or ID and member ID). To import claims: patient (ID or name), provider (name or ID), facility (if relevant), payer name or ID, diagnosis codes, date of service, and procedure codes.

Universal Import is a free, self-service feature included with your CollaborateMD subscription. It uses AI to help you import patient and claims data from any EHR export file—you upload the file, the AI maps your data, you review the preview, and import with one click. It is completely separate from CollaborateMD’s paid add-on data services (such as Data Move, Data Copy, Data Conversion, Data Snapshot, or Data Sync), which are performed by CollaborateMD’s team for an additional fee. Universal Import is something you do yourself at no extra cost; paid data services are handled by CMD staff. For pricing on paid data services, see CollaborateMD’s add-on services pricing page. 

Universal Import is a free, self-service feature where you upload and import your own data files into CollaborateMD. A Data Move is a paid service ($359 per customer) where CollaborateMD’s team moves a customer’s data to another account entirely. For example, when a billing company reorganizes clients across different CollaborateMD accounts. They serve different purposes: Universal Import is for bringing external data into CollaborateMD yourself; a Data Move is for reorganizing data that’s already in CollaborateMD across accounts. 

No. Direct API integrations remain the preferred and more automated method. Universal Import is a flexible solution for when EHRs do not support API integration.

The in-app credit card processing application takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. Most applications are approved within 24–48 hours, after which CollaborateMD configures your merchant account and helps you process your first transaction.

Training is organized into three adoption areas: 

• Practice Management: Patient scheduling, appointment management, patient setup, calendar configuration, real-time eligibility verification, digital check-in, reporting and dashboards 

• Medical Billing & Claims: Electronic claim submission, owned clearinghouse (eProvider Solutions) setup, claim scrubbing, ERA auto-posting, denial management, custom reporting and KPI dashboards 

• Payments: In-app credit card processing setup, e-statement configuration, patient payment plans, mobile checkout, Apple Pay and Google Pay configuration

Your implementation specialist provides trainer-led sessions covering practice management, billing and claims, and payments. CollaborateMD’s software is designed to be easy to navigate, even for staff who aren’t professional billers. 

CollaborateMD‘s Knowledge Center provides self-help guides, tutorials, troubleshooting articles, and webinars for ongoing education. Your team also has ongoing access to support for workflow adjustments, payer changes, and performance improvement.

CollaborateMD is one of the only Practice Fusion partners with a two-way interface. New appointments, patient data, and superbills flow from Practice Fusion into CollaborateMD, and updates made in CollaborateMD flow back to Practice Fusion in real time—no double entry, no version conflicts.

CollaborateMD integrates with EHR systems through HL7 interfaces and offers a bi-directional integration with Practice Fusion. Your implementation specialist will configure any applicable integrations during the setup phase.

Yes. For medical billing companies moving from a long-established system, CollaborateMD supports phased rollouts where staff work on both old and new platforms until all clients are fully integrated. 

Yes. Billing companies can train their clients to use CollaborateMD independently—running reports, viewing ledgers, and analyzing metrics on personalized dashboards. 

Import templates can be saved and copied across multiple customer accounts, standardizing the import process. 

CollaborateMD supports multi-client onboarding. Universal Import templates can be saved and reused across client accounts, making each subsequent client onboarding faster. CollaborateMD also supports “super-client” functionality, allowing shared lists, tables, and reports across all client databases for both individual client-level and global analysis.

Yes

Your implementation specialist confirms that your team is proficient across all adoption areas and transitions you to ongoing support. You retain access to the Knowledge Center, and your specialist remains available for questions during the transition period. 

CollaborateMD provides ongoing support for workflow adjustments, payer changes, and continuous performance improvement . CollaborateMD also maintains a community-based feedback platform where customers suggest features and CollaborateMD engineers respond.