MedeMass (ME+) alternative
Switching from MedeMass (ME+) to NetPractice
ME+, also known as MedeMass, is Altron HealthTech’s desktop billing product. Altron HealthTech says it has been in healthcare technology for more than 30 years, and it also sells a cloud product, Elixir Live. Moving off ME+ is usually as much about leaving installed software behind as about the claims themselves.
What Altron HealthTech says about MedeMass (ME+)
In Altron HealthTech’s own words, from its public website:
- Describes ME+ (MedeMass) as a "Desktop billing solution" that lets a practice "submit electronic claims all from one central location".
- Describes Elixir Live, its other product, as "cloud-based practice management software", with real-time claims through a switch the practice chooses or Altron’s own SwitchOn.
- Says "For more than 30 years, we’ve helped keep healthcare moving".
- Lists a medical bureau service and real-time claims switching as separate products.
- Does not publish prices for ME+ or Elixir Live; it offers a demo and a conversation with an expert.
Checked on 31 October 2026 against Altron HealthTech - ME+ (MedeMass), Altron HealthTech - Elixir Live, Altron HealthTech. If anything here is out of date, email info@netpractice.co.za and we will correct it.
MedeMass (ME+) and NetPractice side by side
| MedeMass (ME+) | NetPractice | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Desktop software (ME+); Elixir Live is Altron’s cloud option | Any browser, on a phone or a computer - nothing to install |
| Pricing | Not published - book a demo | Published: R9.50 per claim, first 10 each month free, no monthly fee or contract |
| Real-time claims | Through a claims switch; Altron sells real-time switching separately | Yes - accepted or rejected back in seconds |
| Billing done for you | Yes - offered as a separate Altron service | No - software your practice runs. Bureaus can use our partner programme |
The practical difference is where the software lives. Desktop billing means installations, backups and a machine that has to be on; NetPractice runs in any browser, on a phone as well as a computer, with nothing to install and nothing to back up. It also publishes its price: R9.50 per claim, the first 10 each month free, no monthly fee and no contract.
When MedeMass (ME+) is the better choice
- You want software installed on your own machines rather than in the browser.
- You want to stay with Altron HealthTech and move to its cloud product, Elixir Live, instead.
- You rely on Altron’s bureau service and want to keep billing outsourced.
If none of those is you, the rest of this page is how to move without losing money. If you are still choosing, the overview of South African billing software covers the wider market and the five questions that separate the products.
How to switch from MedeMass (ME+) without losing money
With desktop software, your data is on your own machine or server, so the export is a job to plan, not a request to send: get your patient list with scheme details and your outstanding balances, split scheme versus patient, out in CSV or Excel. Keep ME+ working until every claim it submitted has been settled, then archive the final export somewhere you control.
-
Export before you give notice
Patient list with contact and medical-scheme details, and outstanding balances split scheme versus patient. CSV or Excel - a PDF is a picture of the data, not the data.
-
Open NetPractice alongside
Create your account and send new visits from NetPractice. The first 10 claims each month are free.
-
Let MedeMass (ME+) finish, then close
A claim already submitted cannot move: the scheme replies to the system that sent it. Keep read access until each one is paid, rejected or written off - up to four months for anything disputed - then take a final export and close the account.
The longer version, including what to negotiate on the way out, is in how to switch practice management software.
Frequently asked questions
Is NetPractice an alternative to MedeMass?
Yes, for a practice ready to move from desktop billing to the browser. NetPractice submits claims to South African schemes in real time, runs on any device with nothing to install, and costs R9.50 per claim with the first 10 each month free. If you would rather stay with Altron, its cloud product Elixir Live is the other route off the desktop.
What happens to claims ME+ already submitted?
They stay with ME+, because the scheme returns each response to the system that sent the claim. Keep ME+ available until every open claim is paid, rejected or written off - usually one to two payment cycles, and up to four months for anything disputed.
Can I try NetPractice before I leave MedeMass (ME+)?
Yes. Create a free account and submit real claims for new visits while MedeMass (ME+) finishes the claims it already sent. The first 10 claims each month are free, so running both for a payment cycle costs little or nothing.
See it against MedeMass (ME+) with a real claim
Submit a claim and watch the scheme’s answer come back. R9.50 a claim, the first 10 each month free, no contract.