Frictionless Finance, Frictionless Care: Can Cross-Border Payments Finally Catch Up with Patients?

Last week, FinTech Weekly published an interview with Prometeo's Co-CEO Ximena Aleman, highlighting the fragmentation of financial ecosystems in Latin America. She contends that "open finance" is more than just data availability; it's the tougher side many overlook of ensuring that systems work together consistently through infrastructure, knowledge of compliance, and connections with institutions across all markets.

In the context of cross-border healthcare and medical tourism, that's more than a headline; it's day-to-day reality for patients seeking affordable, quality care abroad.

At heva, we treat Aleman's perspective as signals, rather than verdicts. These signals raise practical questions worth asking—especially for healthcare providers in Mexico and the Dominican Republic serving patients from the U.S. and Canada.

What Might True Interoperability Unlock for Cross-Border Healthcare?

Fewer abandoned bookings

When deposits move instantly with clear pricing and receipts, nervous last-mile friction drops. Patients can secure dates without stacks of cash or screenshot confirmations—and clinics avoid late-night back-and-forth interactions. This is particularly crucial for international patients who need confidence in their payment process.

Portable, patient-friendly financing

Interoperable checks for identity, risk, and disbursement would let a patient in Atlanta confirm financing for a Tijuana procedure—and see status updates in real time. This transparency builds trust and enables more patients to access affordable healthcare abroad.

Predictable rules of the road

Shared definitions for consent, KYC/AML, refunds, and chargebacks turn ad-hoc policies into consistent expectations that build trust and enable care across borders. This standardization is essential for the growth of medical tourism markets.

Challenges and Cautions in Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure

Regulatory patchwork is the rule

Latin America is not a single market. Designs that pass in one jurisdiction often require re-engineering in the next—making "copy-paste expansion" an unrealistic expectation. This complexity affects how healthcare providers can accept payments from international patients.

APIs are necessary, but insufficient

Access is not adoption. Interoperability demands legal alignment, security guarantees, and regulator relationships. This is the unglamorous groundwork that compounds over time—essential for building trust in cross-border healthcare payments.

Design for formal and informal realities

Cash and WhatsApp habits exist for a reason: they're familiar & immediate. New tools need to feel just as fast—while adding transparency and control—in order to replace what people already do. This user experience is crucial for medical tourism adoption.

Where This Meets heva: Orchestrating Cross-Border Care

At heva, we enable cross-border care to feel close by orchestrating payments and operations around them. Our platform addresses the very challenges that Aleman identifies in the Latin American fintech landscape.

Proof builds trust

We support secure payments via Stripe, Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, ACH, and Zelle (where available), so clinics can accept familiar instruments without stitching together vendors. This integration reduces complexity for healthcare providers while maintaining security for patients.

Clarity is the currency

The heva Flow is where confirmations land instantly, totals and timelines are bilingual by default, and refund paths are clear. Proof of payment, schedule, and policy is transparent—because in cross-border care, clarity isn't cosmetic, it's the product that builds patient confidence.

Workflow first, tech second

Our platform enables payments to run on the same backbone that already powers intake and scheduling. That means clinics don't need to learn new tricks—the system simply fits how they work today. And in healthcare, fit always beats flash.

Next Steps: Building Interoperability Step-by-Step

Interoperability isn't won in a single step: it's built step-by-step, market-by-market. At heva, we're adding broader acceptance and financing, so patients can pay the way they prefer without clinics juggling complexity.

The goal is strengthening compliance across MX, DR, U.S., and Canada. It is key to double down on automation that clears back-and-forth from the inbox, keeping today's rails reliable while the region's infrastructure matures.

From Nevada to Mexico City, from New York to Santo Domingo, the challenges are shared—and so are the wins. If you're navigating cross-border payments in medical tourism, we'd love to trade notes on what's working now, and where the next breakthroughs will come from.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cross-Border Healthcare Payments

References

• FinTech Weekly — Fintech Infrastructure in Latin America: Why Interoperability Still Sets the Pace — Interview with Ximena Aleman (Aug 13, 2025)

Disclaimers

Financial Technology Analysis: This article provides analysis of fintech trends and cross-border payment challenges. It is not financial, legal, or business advice. Individual results may vary based on regulatory environment, market conditions, and implementation strategies.

Platform Information: heva is a healthcare coordination platform connecting patients with providers—we do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Payment solutions should be evaluated based on individual business needs and regulatory requirements.