Author Archives: Sara

Question: Someone told me that I could set a minimum purchase amount for swiped transactions at my store. Is that right? I thought it was against the law.

Answer: It used to be. Recently the Federal Government changed the rule and it is now acceptable to set a minimum purchase amount for credit card purchases. Merchants are allowed to choose the amount, up to $10. This new rule does not apply to debit cards.

And, while merchants are not allowed to choose a payment option for customers, discounts or incentives may be offered for using a particular method (including cash) provided there is no distinction made on the basis of the issuer of any check, debit or credit card.

As this new practice is approved, please review this following list of practices that are NOT allowed to ensure you are operating within the structure of acceptability for merchants when processing transactions.

Advance deposit: If a customer is billed for an advance deposit, that amount must be applied toward the balance of the purchase. The merchant cannot charge the deposit plus the full purchase price.

Blank sales drafts: Merchants cannot have cardholders sign a blank sales draft before the final transaction amount is known.

Cash: Cash disbursement from credit cards is prohibited by merchants and should only be handled by financial institutions.

Cash-only refunds: If refunds are accepted, they must be made to the card used for the original purchase or, if posted, as an in-store credit or exchange. Merchants doing otherwise are in violation. Also, return policies must be disclosed to the cardholder at the time of the transaction on the printed card receipt, near the signature line and in print at least ¼ of an inch in size. The card brands will not acknowledge signs or posters near the check out area as proper disclosure in the event of a chargeback or dispute.

Delinquency: The merchant cannot bill the cardholder’s credit card account for a delinquent account or for the collection of a dishonored check.

Discrimination: If a merchant accepts a card, that merchant cannot discriminate from whom it accepts the card – when properly presented – as payment.

ID: Merchants may ask for additional ID, but this cannot be a condition of acceptance.

Personal ID: Several states prohibit merchants writing cardholder personal information on a sales receipt.

Surcharges: Merchants are prohibited from adding fees on to credit card purchases.

Taxes: Merchants cannot collect sales tax separately as cash; it must be included in the purchase price.

Zero-percent tip: Merchants are not allowed to include an estimated tip in the authorization amount secured from the merchant bank. Taxicabs, limousines, bars taverns, beauty salons, barbershops, health and beauty spas, and restaurant authorizations are automatically assessed a 20 percent additional authorization amount to cover the expected tip.

If you have any questions on the new minimum or any of the listed practices, don’t hesitate to call MTG at 1.888.599.2209

The frequency of data breaches in healthcare organizations has increased by 32 percent, with hospitals and healthcare providers averaging four data breaches, says a report on the subject. The second annual benchmark study by Ponemon Institute found that employee negligence is the primary culprit.

According to 41 percent of healthcare organizations surveyed, data breaches involving protected health information (PHI) are caused by sloppy employee mistakes. Half of respondents do nothing to protect mobile devices that are in use in 80 percent of healthcare organizations, the report says. Based on the experience of the healthcare organizations surveyed, data breaches could be costing the U.S. healthcare industry an estimated $4.2 billion to $8.1 billion annually—an average of $6.5 billion—enough to hire more than 81,000 registered nurses nationwide or fund 216 million flu vaccinations.

According to the report,

1. Data breaches represent a 32 percent increase, with compromised patient records in benchmarked organizations increasing an average of 46 percent. According to the research, 55 percent of healthcare organizations say they have little or no confidence they are able to detect all privacy incidents. About 61 percent of organizations are not confident they know where their patient data is physically located. Third-party mistakes, including business associates (BAs), account for 46 percent of data breaches reported in the study. According to 49 percent of respondents, lost or stolen computing or data devices are the reason for healthcare data breach incidents.
2. More than 80 percent of healthcare organizations use mobile devices that collect, store and/or transmit some form of PHI. Yet, half of all respondents do nothing to protect these devices, the report says.
3. 73 percent of respondents reported lacking sufficient resources to prevent or detect unauthorized patient data access, loss or theft. 53 percent of organizations cite lack of budget as their biggest weakness in preventing data breaches. The increased use of outside resources and business associates—associated with the downsizing of hospital staff—is having a direct impact on privacy and security. 69 percent of organizations say that they have little or no confidence in business associates ability to secure patient data.

The report recommends that healthcare organizations can minimize their data breach risks with three basic steps:

1. Take an inventory of PHI/PII. An inventory provides a complete accounting of every element of personally identifiable information (PII) and PHI that an organization holds, in either paper or electronic format. It helps determine how an organization collects, uses, stores and disposes of its PHI. A PHI inventory reveals the risks for a data breach, so organizations can strategically protect PHI data and best plan for a response based on real information.
2. Develop an Incident Response Plan (IRP). An IRP is an effective, cost-efficient means for helping organizations meet HIPAA and HITECH requirements and develop guidelines related to data breach incidents. The IRP designates roles and provides guidelines for the response team’s responsibilities and actions.
3. Review contracts and agreements with business associates.

Business associates are a growing cause of data breaches. These contracts between healthcare organizations and business associates authorize and define business associates’ use of the PHI they share with healthcare providers. Keeping these contracts up-to-date demonstrates compliance to regulators and helps maintain consistency in how PHI is managed in a healthcare ecosystem.

Traffic is picking up for businesses now that the holiday season is here. In the coming weeks, it is as important as ever to safeguard against fraud. Just because some shoppers are in a hurry doesn’t mean you should rush through a sale without taking reasonable measures to protect your business from fraud. We want to remind you of some steps you can and should take to keep your transactions safe.

Credit cards require some scrutiny. The first and most important thing you should do is compare every credit card customer’s signature with the signature that appears on the back of the card. If it is not signed, ask for a driver’s license to make the comparison. By making sure the two signatures match, the possibility of your store accepting a stolen credit card is drastically reduced.
Equally important is making sure the account numbers embossed on the card are the same as those being read off the magnetic stripe. Your terminal should automatically prompt for you to enter the last four digits of the account number. Once entered, the terminal will indicate whether or not they are a match. If not, the terminal won’t allow you to go forward with the transaction. Please remember: manually entering a transaction after you have received a “no match” message is not advised.
While these two simple comparisons are probably the most important things you can do, knowing the security measures individual card companies take and how you can spot a fake are invaluable. Examine cards to be sure they meet these criteria:

Visa, MasterCard and Discover each have a hologram on the front of their card. They should appear three-dimensional, changing shape when rotated in the light. Visa’s hologram is a dove, MasterCard’s a globe, and Discover’s a coin.

The embossed account number on the front of the card should be clear and straight. If the card has been re-embossed, the numbers may appear fuzzy. Pay special attention to the last four numbers located in the hologram.

Right below the embossed account numbers is a pre-printed bank identification number. It should match the first four numbers of the account number. All MasterCards begin with the number 5, Visas the number 4, Discover cards the numbers 6011 and American Express cards the numbers 37.The card should also have an expiration date above the cardholder name.

The signature panel on the back of the cards can vary. MasterCard always has an angled repetitive pattern of the brand name of the card. American Express uses a wavy line, Visa horizontal lines and Discover has the account number printed in reverse. A blank signature line on the back of any card is an indication that the card may have been altered.

No one wants to lose a sale or spend time fixing a transaction that has been compromised. Remind your staff members of the tools mentioned here and encourage them to make time for these important checks. Better yet, print a copy of this article and keep it by your credit card terminal as a reference.

Happy Holidays!

Ask Anne from MTG

Question: Traffic is picking up for my business now that the holidays are here and I want to make sure we secure all our sales. Can you tell me how to avoid problems with people trying to use fraudulent or stolen credit cards?

Answer: Unfortunately, the holidays can be prime time for credit card fraud. The frantic nature of the season can cause sales staff to be lax in the interest of saving time. In the coming weeks, it is as important as ever to be vigilant. We want to remind you of some steps you can and should take to keep your transactions safe.

Credit cards require some scrutiny. The first and most important thing you should do is compare every credit card customer’s signature with the signature that appears on the back of the card. If it is not signed, ask for a driver’s license to make the comparison. By making sure the two signatures match, the possibility of your store accepting a stolen credit card is drastically reduced.

Equally important is making sure the account numbers embossed on the card are the same as those being read off the magnetic stripe. Your terminal should automatically prompt for you to enter the last four digits of the account number. Once entered, the terminal will indicate whether or not they are a match. If not, the terminal won’t allow you to go forward with the transaction. Please remember: manually entering a transaction after you have received a “no match” message is not advised.

While these two simple comparisons are probably the most important things you can do, knowing the security measures individual card companies take and how you can spot a fake are invaluable. Examine cards to be sure they meet these criteria:

Visa, MasterCard and Discover each have a hologram on the front of their card. They should appear three-dimensional, changing shape when rotated in the light. Visa’s hologram is a dove, MasterCard’s a globe, and Discover’s a coin.

The embossed account number on the front of the card should be clear and straight. If the card has been re-embossed, the numbers may appear fuzzy. Pay special attention to the last four numbers located in the hologram.

Right below the embossed account numbers is a pre-printed bank identification number. It should match the first four numbers of the account number. All MasterCards begin with the number 5, Visas the number 4, Discover cards the numbers 6011 and American Express cards the numbers 37.The card should also have an expiration date above the cardholder name.

The signature panel on the back of the cards can vary. MasterCard always has an angled repetitive pattern of the brand name of the card. American Express uses a wavy line, Visa horizontal lines and Discover has the account number printed in reverse. A blank signature line on the back of any card is an indication that the card may have been altered.

No one wants to lose a sale or spend time fixing a transaction that has been compromised. Remind your staff members of the tools mentioned here and encourage them to make time for these important checks. Better yet, print a copy of this article and keep it by your credit card terminal as a reference.

Happy Holidays!

MTG Tips

Traffic is picking up for businesses now that the holiday season is here. In the coming weeks, it is as important as ever to safeguard against fraud. We want to remind you of some steps you can and should take to keep your credit card transactions safe. Take time to:

Compare every credit card customer’s signature with the signature that appears on the back of the card. If it is not signed, ask for a driver’s license to make the comparison.

Make sure the account numbers embossed on the card are the same as those being read off the magnetic stripe on the back of the card. Follow your terminal’s prompt by entering the last four digits of the account number. Once entered, the terminal will indicate whether or not they are a match. If not, the terminal won’t allow you to go forward with the transaction. Do not manually enter a transaction after you have received a “no match” message.

Even safer – know how to spot a fake. Examine cards to be sure they meet these criteria:

Visa, MasterCard and Discover each have a hologram on the front of their card. They should appear three-dimensional, changing shape when rotated in the light. Visa’s hologram is a dove, MasterCard’s a globe, and Discover’s a coin.

The embossed account number on the front of the card should be clear and straight. If the card has been re-embossed, the numbers may appear fuzzy. Pay special attention to the last four numbers located in the hologram.

Right below the embossed account numbers is a pre-printed bank identification number. It should match the first four numbers of the account number.

The card should also have an expiration date above the cardholder name.

A blank signature line on the back of any card is an indication that the card may have been altered. The signature panel on the back of the cards can vary. Look for MasterCard’s angled repetitive pattern of its brand name, American Express’s wavy lines, Visa’s horizontal lines and Discover’s reverse printing of the account number.

Remind your staff members of the tools mentioned here and encourage them to make time for these important checks. Better yet, print a copy of this article and keep it by your credit card terminal as a reference.

Happy Holidays!

Visa Helps Bring Cool Technology to the U.S.

A world in which a people can simply point their iPhones at a terminal to make a purchase is closer than you think. There are some amazing technological changes happening, and the payments industry is on the cutting edge. Smart cards, near field communications (NFC) and Google Wallet are some advances that will usher us into an age of convenience and heightened security that is both exciting and practical.

EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) is a global standard that has been used widely around the world for years and authenticates debit and credit card transactions via “smart” or “chip” cards. The cards have chips imbedded, containing information that allows for the execution of transactions by inserting them into a terminal reader, much like a key card at a hotel. A chip can also be embedded into a smart phone, which can be held up to the reader to be scanned, as is the case with the Google Wallet. Both of these options allow banking data to stay in the possession of the account holder, which improves security. In addition, the chips are both costly and difficult to skim or copy, helping to reduce fraud.

Visa is at the forefront of bringing these technologies to the U.S. markets. They are offering a big incentive to merchants to move them in the direction of accommodating the new technologies: those who process 75% of their Visa transactions through a terminal that can handle the new smart cards, including contactless mobile payments, by October, 2012, will not be required to validate their PCI compliance, eliminating yearly paperwork that can be both costly and time consuming for businesses. They have given processors until April, 2013, to get on board. They are also planning to shift fraud liability from card issuers to merchants unwilling to update their equipment by October, 2015.

Because the banking community is realizing the importance of issuing smart cards and consumer interest in the convenience of mobile payments is on the rise, these changes are definitely on the horizon. It will take a fair amount of cooperation from all the major players – card issuers, processors and merchants -  but it will pull the U.S. payments industry into a more modern, low-risk environment which will benefit all. As always, MTG will actively research this technology and do our best to offer the most cost effective, reliable and easy-to-use options available.

Question: I have been hearing a lot about EMV, “smart” and “chip” cards and ways to pay for products with your phone. How do they work and will we be seeing more of them?

Answer: A world in which a people can simply point their iPhones at a terminal to make a purchase is closer than you think. There are some amazing technological changes happening, and the payments industry is on the cutting edge. Smart cards, near field communications (NFC) and Google Wallet are some advances that will usher us into an age of convenience and heightened security that is both exciting and practical.

EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) is a global standard that has been used widely around the world for years and authenticates debit and credit card transactions via “smart” or “chip” cards. The cards have chips imbedded, containing information that allows for the execution of transactions by inserting them into a terminal reader, much like a key card at a hotel. A chip can also be embedded into a smart phone, which can be held up to the reader to be scanned, as is the case with the Google Wallet. Both of these options allow banking data to stay in the possession of the account holder, which improves security. In addition, the chips are both costly and difficult to skim or copy, helping to combat fraud.

Visa is at the forefront of bringing these technologies to the U.S. markets. They are offering a big incentive to merchants to move them in the direction of accommodating the new technologies: those who process 75% of their Visa transactions through a terminal that can handle the new smart cards, including contactless mobile payments like Google Wallet, by October, 2012, will not be required to validate their PCI compliance, eliminating yearly paperwork that can be both costly and time consuming for businesses. They have given processors until April, 2013, to get on board. They are also planning to shift fraud liability from card issuers to merchants unwilling to update their equipment by October, 2015.

Because the banking community is realizing the importance of issuing smart cards and consumer interest in the convenience of mobile payments is on the rise, these changes are definitely on the horizon. It will take a fair amount of cooperation from all the major players – card issuers, processors and merchants -  but it will pull the U.S. payments industry into a more modern, low-risk environment which will benefit all. As always, MTG will actively research this technology and do our best to offer the most cost effective, reliable and easy-to-use options available.

MTG Tip

A world in which a person can simply point his iPhone at a terminal to make a purchase is closer than you think. Visa is at the forefront of bringing cutting edge technologies to the U.S. markets.

The technology:

Smart cards have chips imbedded, containing information that allows for the execution of transactions by inserting them into a terminal reader, much like a key card at a hotel.  Google Wallet embeds the chip into a smart phone, which can be held up to the reader to be scanned, using near field communications (NFC) to execute transactions.

How Visa is involved:

Visa is offering an incentive to merchants: those who process 75% of their Visa transactions through a terminal that can handle the new smart cards, including contactless mobile payments, by October, 2012, will not be required to validate their PCI compliance. (Compliance is still required, however the paperwork involved with validating it yearly would be eliminated, saving businesses time and money.)

Visa is imposing a deadline for processors: processors will be required to support chip card transactions by April 2013.

Visa has constructed a penalty: They are planning to shift fraud liability from card issuers to merchants unwilling to update their equipment by October, 2015.

It will take cooperation from all the major players – card issuers, processors and merchants -  to update the system, but will pull the U.S. payments industry into a more modern, low-risk environment which will benefit all. As always, MTG will actively research this technology and do our best to offer the most cost effective, reliable and easy-to-use options available.

Want to Get More Bang for Your Asthma Buck?

The Michigan Department of Community Health is seeking health care practices to adopt the Asthma Guideline Implementation Steps & Tools (GIST) materials starting Fall 2011. GIST contains simple tools to help clinicians make decisions based on the 2007 NAEPP asthma guidelines by incorporating these tools into their everyday practice. Each practice will implement the tools and then track their implementation progress for six months. In six months, one practice that used GIST doubled the number of patients with asthma action plans, and saw a 25% increase in number of patients with appropriate asthma prescriptions.

Benefits of participation

• Technical assistance from asthma experts to help them meet practice goals for asthma
• Financial incentives for participation ($2,000)
• Participation in on‐site learning sessions at start‐up and as needed
• Evaluation and implementation support throughout the pilot period
• Opportunities to learn more about state and local asthma resources

Participation Requirements

• Convene office and medical staff for short meeting with MDCH asthma program staff to discuss GIST implementation and evaluation.
• Provide baseline de‐identified summary data on measures below and agree to review and provide monthly data reports on these three measures.

• % of asthma patients with current asthma action plan

• % of asthma patients with assessment of asthma control at last office visit

• % of asthma patients with appropriate prescription of ICS

• Additional, optional measures such as ED visit and severity level data are welcome.

• Complete brief surveys regarding barriers and factors leading to successful implementation midway and at the end of the project.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must provide the name and contact information of a physician champion who will lead the practice in implementing best asthma practices as outlined in the GIST program.

• Must have capacity to incorporate GIST materials into current system, and track changes in asthma care.

• Must provide the name and contact information of an office staff champion who will help integrate GIST materials, provide data and act as liaison with MDCH.

• Must be able to implement GIST materials in practice system by October 31. Use GIST materials at all visits with diagnosed asthma patients/potential/new asthma patients for six months, November 1 to April 30, 2012.

• Must be able to track the 3 patient measures listed above.

Preference will be given to safety net practices and those in high asthma burden areas (Genesee, Ingham, Saginaw and Wayne Counties).

Want to learn more about this opportunity? Contact Tisa Vorce, Michigan Dept. of Community Health: VorceT@michigan.gov or 517.335.9463

Visit GetAsthmaHelp.org/GIST to see the materials and learn more about this program.

Simple Checkout is an Easy E-Commerce Option

If you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to accept payments on the web, this could be the perfect solution. Authorize.Net’s Simple Checkout is just that – simple. It is so easy to configure that you will save time and money bypassing a web designer. Though Simple Checkout won’t work for everyone, it is a great option for those who: have a limited number of items to sell, wish to accept donations or offer clients another way to pay invoices.

Authorize.Net is a subsidiary of Visa and the world’s largest provider of secure gateway services. They manage the routing of billions of transactions each year through the
internet. Their Simple Checkout option offers you the ability to add a “Buy Now” or “Donate” button to your web page quickly and easily, as well as the capability to accept payments for invoices.

An account with Authorize.Net is all you need to begin. Clients of MTG are extended preferred rates – literally less than half the cost of going directly through Authorize.Net. The buttons for your web site are created by filling out a basic form with information about your products and merging it with the Authorize.Net Merchant Interface.

When selling an item, Simple Checkout allows you to customize several settings for each one, including a description of the item, quantity desired and shipping options along with the “Buy Now“ button. If your business sells a limited selection of specialty items, it will allow you to take orders without the work of creating a shopping cart on your page.

If you are a nonprofit organization, you can specify suggested donation amounts and display the “Donate” button. This could be a real money-saver and will allow donations to be collected easily via the web.

The invoice payment feature allows you to get your clients’ information so they may “Submit” a payment. MTG uses Simple Checkout for this very purpose.

Whatever your needs, you will also be provided an Authorize.Net verified merchant seal to display on your page, which is promptly recognized and verifies the safety of the transactions.

Whether you are taking orders or collecting money, Simple Checkout gives you the ability to secure your presence on the web and secure your transactions, without spending a lot of hours or dollars to do so. Visit www.authorize.net and search Simple Checkout to see how truly easy it is.

Question: My business sells a few specialty items and I would like for clients to be able to order from me on-line. Putting together a shopping cart for my page is time-consuming and expensive. Is there an easier way?

Answer: Yes! If you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to sell your merchandise on the web, Authorize.Net’s Simple Checkout could be the perfect solution. Simple Checkout is just that – simple. It is so easy to configure that you will save time and money bypassing a web designer. It is a great option for those who: have a limited number of items to sell, wish to accept donations or allow clients to pay invoices.

Authorize.Net is a subsidiary of Visa and the world’s largest provider of secure gateway services. They manage the routing of billions of transactions each year through the internet. Their Simple Checkout option offers you the ability to add a “Buy Now” to your web page quickly and easily.

An account with Authorize.Net is all you need to begin. Clients of MTG are extended preferred rates – literally less than half the cost of going directly through Authorize.Net. The buttons for your web site are created by filling out a basic form with information about your products and merging it with the Authorize.Net Merchant Interface.
Simple Checkout allows you to customize several settings for each item, including a description, quantity desired and shipping options along with the “Buy Now” button. Because your business sells a limited selection of specialty items, it allows you to take orders without the work of creating a shopping cart on your page.

You will also be provided an Authorize.Net verified merchant seal to display on your page, which is promptly recognized and verifies the safety of the transactions.

Simple Checkout gives you the ability to secure your presence on the web and secure your transactions, without spending a lot of hours or dollars to do so. Visit www.authorize.net and search Simple Checkout to see how truly easy it is.

Question: I am looking for a way to allow my customers to pay their invoices at my web site. Is there a cost-effective way to do this, without involving a web designer?

Answer: Yes! If you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to take payments on the web, Authorize.Net’s Simple Checkout could be the perfect solution. Simple Checkout is just that – simple. It is so easy to configure that you will save time and money bypassing a web designer. It is a great option for those who: have a limited number of items to sell, wish to accept donations or allow clients to pay invoices.

Authorize.Net is a subsidiary of Visa and the world’s largest provider of secure gateway services. They manage the routing of billions of transactions each year through the internet. Their Simple Checkout option offers you the capability to accept payments for invoices.

An account with Authorize.Net is all you need to begin. Clients of MTG are extended preferred rates – literally less than half the cost of going directly through Authorize.Net. A “Submit” button for your web site is created by filling out a basic form with information about your business and merging it with the Authorize.Net Merchant Interface.

The invoice payment feature allows you to collect your clients’ information so they may submit a payment. MTG uses Simple Checkout for this very purpose. Visit our web page for an example if you wish: www.midtrans.com.

You will also be provided an Authorize.Net verified merchant seal to display on your page, which is promptly recognized and verifies the safety of the transactions.

Simple Checkout gives you the ability to secure your presence on the web by allowing clients the option of paying an invoice on-line and secures your transactions, without spending a lot of hours or dollars to do so. Visit www.authorize.net and search Simple Checkout to see how truly easy it is.

MTG Tips

If you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to accept payments on the web, Authorize.Net’s Simple Checkout could be the perfect solution. It is so easy to configure that you will save time and money bypassing a web designer.

Simple Checkout is great for those who:
• have a limited number of items to sell
• wish to accept donations
• want to allow clients to pay invoices.

Buttons offered by Simple Checkout for your page:
• “Buy Now”
• “Donate”
• “Submit”

What you need to get started:
• an account with Authorize.Net. Clients of MTG are extended preferred rates – literally less than half the cost of going through them directly.

Whatever your needs, you will also be provided an Authorize.Net verified merchant seal to display on your page, which is promptly recognized and verifies the safety of the transactions.

Whether you are taking orders or collecting money, Simple Checkout gives you the ability to secure your presence on the web and secure your transactions, without spending a lot of hours or dollars to do so. Visit www.authorize.net and search Simple Checkout to see how truly easy it is.