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A medical answering service your patients can rely on.

Reviewed by the VirtualAssist team · Updated 20 October 2026 · Editorial policy

A medical answering service books appointments, takes refill requests and routes after-hours calls to the on-call provider, so your front desk can focus on patients in the room.

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What would a virtual receptionist cost? Calls per month: 600 Average call length

$live receptionist / month

$AI receptionist / month

Rough planning ranges: live answering is often priced around $1–2 a minute, AI reception far less per minute. Plans, minimums and features vary by provider.

What you get

Appointments booked

New and returning patients scheduled into your system or calendar.

Messages sorted

Refills, results questions and billing calls sent to the right person.

On-call routing

Urgent after-hours calls paged to the provider on call, per your protocol.

Overflow cover

Picks up when the front desk is busy, so patients aren't stuck on hold.

What to agree before you go live

Your greeting and the emergency message ("If this is an emergency, hang up and call 911")
Which calls are urgent, and the on-call schedule
What the receptionist may and may not say about care
How appointments are booked and what details to collect
Where messages go, and how fast
Privacy: a signed agreement covering patient information (for example HIPAA in the US)
A monthly review of call reasons and missed opportunities

Who it's for

Primary care and specialist practices
Dental, chiropractic and physical therapy
Veterinary clinics
Med spas and wellness clinics

How it works

Tell us what you need

Calls, hours and budget.

Get options by email

Live, AI, or both, matched to your business.

Start with a trial

Keep what works, change the rest.

Questions

What does a medical answering service do?

It answers patient calls for your practice, schedules appointments, takes messages and routes urgent calls to the on-call provider, following your protocol.

Is a medical answering service HIPAA compliant?

In the US, choose a service that will sign a business associate agreement and explain how calls, messages and recordings are stored and protected.

Can it handle after-hours calls?

Yes. Many practices use the service only after hours and at lunch, and as overflow when the front desk is busy.

Can an AI receptionist book medical appointments?

Often yes, for routine scheduling. Keep a person in the loop for clinical questions and sensitive calls.