Last Updated: July 2025
In the healthcare industry, communication is everything—and the phone remains the most trusted channel. In fact, 88% of healthcare appointments are scheduled by phone, highlighting just how vital efficient and responsive call handling is for medical practices.
Whether it’s managing patient inquiries, scheduling after-hours appointments, or ensuring HIPAA-compliant message delivery, medical answering services play a crucial role in streamlining operations and enhancing patient satisfaction.
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the Top 20 Medical Answering Service Companies that can help your practice stay connected, responsive, and patient-focused 24/7.
Table of Contents
What Is a Medical Answering Service?
Key Features to Look for in a Medical Answering Service Company
List of Top Medical Answering Service Companies
- Helplama
- Expert Callers
- AnswerHero
- PlayHT
- MAP Communications
- WellReceived
- MoneyPenny
- Smith.ai
- Answering365
- Helpware
- Ambs Call Center
- SupportYourApp
- HelpSquad
- 1840 & Company
- Go Answer
- Physician Answering Service
- Anserve
- Big Outsource
- ASC (Answering Service Care)
- AnswerFirst
What Is a HIPAA Eligible Service?
What Is a Medical Answering Service?
A medical answering service is a unique call center solution specifically fit to help healthcare professionals with incoming and outgoing calls. Unlike conventional answering services, which are adapted for use, these companies are prepared to treat confidential patient information safely and in compliance with healthcare requirements including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
Medical answering service companies help private practices, clinics, hospitals, dentists and others in the medical field by taking calls 24/7, setting appointments, contacting emergency messages, and even providing service in another language.
Whether it’s after-hours calls, overflow support, or 24/7 virtual receptionists, these services make sure each patient call is never missed and each message is received with accuracy, professionalism, and care.
By outsourcing to a trusted medical answering service, healthcare practices can enhance patient satisfaction, reduce administrative burden, and focus more on delivering quality care.
Key Features to Look for in a Medical Answering Service Company
Not all medical answering services are created, expertise or customization are the same. In order to ensure that your organization of healthcare gets the best support, the following aspects are of tremendous support and need to be considered before selecting a provider:
1. HIPAA Compliance
This is non-negotiable. The service also has to adhere to rigorous data privacy and security standards to ensure patients’ sensitive health information is kept safe and continue to be compliant with HIPAA obligations.
2. 24/7/365 Availability
Health problems don’t keep banker’s hours. As you look for the right answering service for your practice, make sure that it can respond to emergencies and patient calls 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays.
3. Bilingual or Multilingual Support
Caring for a varied patient population can involve a degree of linguistic fluidity. Services which have bilingual operators as agents can improve rapport and decrease confusion with patients who don’t speak English.
4. Appointment Scheduling & Reminders
The service can tie directly into your practice’s scheduling system to book appointments, send confirmations, and reminder emails and texts, helping eliminate no-shows and the administrative burden.
5. Trained Medical Receptionists
The answering agents should have experience in medical terminology and patient communication to ensure professional, accurate call handling that aligns with your practice standards.
6. Custom Call Scripting
Seek services that provide personalized scripts; so agents can follow your triage protocols, manage emergencies, and deliver messages accordingly.
7. Secure Message Delivery
The service must securely send messages over encrypted emails, texts and web portals, ensuring compliance and radio urgency.
8. EMR/EHR Integration
Some advanced services can also be integrated with electronic medical records to support seamless patient hands-off and real-time orders management.
9. Scalability and Flexibility
You might want different things at a later time. Look for a service that can grow with your practice, as you’re a solo physician or part of a multi-location hospital network.
10. Transparent Pricing
Make sure the provider offers transparent pricing with no hidden fees. Some have per-minute pricing, and others have flat-rate options, choose one that matches your call volume and budget.
By focusing on these features, healthcare providers can confidently choose a medical answering service company that supports both operational efficiency and excellent patient care.
List of Top Medical Answering Service Companies
Selecting the wrong medical answering service can have a major effect on patient satisfaction, workflow efficiency, and legal standing. New research indicates that for 63% of patients their privacy is the most important thing when it comes to the sharing of information in healthcare.
To support providers in maintaining quality care and professional communication, we’ve put together a list of the 20 best medical answering services for providing trustworthy, HIPAA-compliant service throughout the healthcare industry.
1. Helplama
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Helplama is a US-based CX outsourcing agency that does 24/7 medical-style phone answering, live chat, email support, and telemarketing service, starting at only $399/month, or $0.70/minute for pay‑as‑you‑go orders. They assign you a personal, trained U.S. based agent who becomes an extension of your team, embeds themselves in your workflows and helpdesk tools, and provides in‑house quality service.
Helplama’s CSAT scores are consistently impressive (averaging 92% in month three). With their HIPAA-compliant method, multi‑channel features, flexible pricing structures, and a money-back guarantee, Helplama becomes a flexible option for healthcare practices in need of a secure, scalable, and affordable medical answering service.
2. Expert Callers
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Expert Callers provides HIPAA compliant medical answering service solutions for clinics and healthcare facilities across the globe. Their services include after hour call answering, patient inquiry support and schedule booking.
They are known to be versatile and can work both for the small clinic as well as the large practice. Along with providing medical support, they are also lead generators and customer support providers.
Australia’s best call center outsourcing provider, Expert Callers operates from India and caters to international clients with its high quality and low cost Call Handling Services. That is intended to improve patient communication and lighten the administrative stress for our clients.
3. AnswerHero
Pricing: Custom Pricing
AnswerHero offers around-the-clock virtual receptionist services for medical practices, specializing in handling patient communications and administrative work. Their HIPAA compliant offering can do live answering, bilingual receptionists, appointment scheduling and lead capture.
Perfect for small to mid sized practices, AnswerHero makes sure every patient call is dealt with professionally and in a timely fashion. Located in the USA, the agency serves the US market for healthcare providers and is also receptive to global requests for support solutions on the company’s operating platforms.
4. PlayHT
Pricing: Custom Pricing
PlayHT combines AI and medical answering services to provide a more advanced text-to-speech solution for patient communication. Their software includes automated scheduling, multilingual call handling, and realistic voice avatars that simulate human conversation.
Ideal for all points of service providers (POS) looking for automation. PlayHT increases efficiency with a professional patient touch! The company, based in the United States, delivers worldwide for those seeking innovative and cutting-edge AI-based medical communication solutions.
5. MAP Communications
Pricing: Custom Pricing
MAP Communications provides HIPAA-compliant medical answering services with 24/7 live answering, bilingual assistance and appointment taking. Whether serving small clinics or large hospitals, MAP makes sure that every encounter with patients is treated professionally, empathetically and confidentially.
Their staff are educated on healthcare-specific procedures, enabling them to become a reliable aid to the medical profession. Headquartered in the US, known for its reliability and unwavering support to various healthcare arenas, MAP Communications is a United States based answering service provider.
6. WellReceived
Pricing: Custom Pricing
WellReceived provides medical answering services for doctors, all centered on the highest level of HIPAA-compliant messaging. They provide 24/7 live answering, scheduling, and custom call scripting.
Best suited for individual physicians, as well as small and medium-sized clinics, WellReceived aids practices in keeping patients happy and running smoothly on a daily basis. With headquarters in the U.S., the business serves healthcare professionals worldwide at their convenience through professionally trained virtual receptionists to offer professional and compassionate service.
7. MoneyPenny
Pricing: Custom Pricing
MoneyPenny provides 24×7 Medical Answering Services to medical professionals of all types and sizes. Their HIPAA-compliant staff answers patient calls, schedules appointments and provides after-hours service.
With bilingual support and automation of message forwarding makes them a good fit for offices with mixed patient populations. Based in the United States, MoneyPenny has outsourced information processing to offer high quality services and medical answering solutions for physician practices.
8. Smith.ai
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Smith.ai combines artificial intelligence and human receptionists to provide top-notch medical answering services. They provide 24/7 call answering, appointment scheduling, lead qualification, backline support, and integration with practice management systems; all in compliance with HIPAA regulations.
Perfect for the small to medium healthcare provider, Smith.ai ensures professionalism and timely response on every patient engagement. Located in the US but serving the world, they combine the perfect combination of automation and a personal touch.
9. Answering365
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Answering365 offers personalized medical answering services that are fully HIPAA-compliant for practices of any size. Their services include 24/7 live answering, appointment scheduling, urgent call handling, and encrypted message delivery.
Also known for their flexibility and professionalism, Answering365 guarantees smooth healthcare patient communication. Based in the United States they help local and international clients find dependable call management services for healthcare.
10. Helpware
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Helpware offers customized outsourcing solutions such as HIPAA-compliant medical answering services for medical industries. Their multilingual representatives handle patient calls, book appointments and provide administrative support in different time zones.
Ideal for small to large medical practices, Helpware provides a flexible service that is designed to scale around your needs. The company is based in the United States and offers support worldwide with compliance, accuracy, and patient-centric care as its main priorities.
11. Ambs Call Center
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Ambs Call Center is a healthcare answering service provider that helps manage workplace productivity with a safe and secure HIPAA answering service featuring medical answering solutions. They provide healthcare trained agents for live answering 24/7, appointment setting, and urgent message dispatch.
Good for small to mid-sized practices, Ambs makes sure that every call is always handled with professionalism and personalized attention. Operating in the United States, they deliver tailored coverage for healthcare providers nationwide, reducing missed calls and improving service quality.
12. SupportYourApp
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Inbound call handling and support for healthcare providers by SupportYourApp is equipped with HIPAA-compliant services, multi-lingual agents, and tech integration that takes the experience to the next level. They are here to assist medical practices in improving the patient experience.
Their call handling services are perfect for small to medium size practices looking for high quality support at volume. Their headquarters are in Ukraine and they offer services to the entire world, and they are a reliable provider for those searching for a secure medical messaging outsourcing company.
13. HelpSquad
Pricing: Custom Pricing
HelpSquad provides live chat and medical answering solutions to assist healthcare professionals in handling patient scheduling and inquiries 24 hours a day. They offer HIPAA compliant service, 24/7 support, answering calls, and managing administrative duties.
Ideal for small to medium-sized practices, HelpSquad combines technology and human support to enable quick, efficient communication. They are headquartered in the U.S. and work with US and worldwide healthcare clients who want to communicate with their patients in real time.
14. 1840 & Company
Pricing: Custom Pricing
1840 & Company offers medical answering services provided by a team of specialists focusing on HIPAA-compliance, multi-lingual services, and support requirements that may change. They offer 24/7 call answering, appointment setting, and ransom note review to physicians of any practice size.
Located in the United States, 1840 & Company is able to serve clients worldwide, thereby becoming a great choice for practices looking for affordable and all inclusive patient communication services.
15. Go Answer
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Go Answer features medical answering services that fit health care practices needs and offering HIPAA compliant, 24/7 live answering, patient scheduling, and fully customizable message dispatch.
Perfect for small to medium sized practices, they are used to help simplify operations and to make certain no patient calls go unanswered. Headquartered in the US, Go Answer uses reliable infrastructure and well-trained agents to provide excellent call handling that encourages efficiency on the part of your office and satisfaction on the part of your patient.
16. Physician Answering Service
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Physician answering service is a medical answering service for doctors and the healthcare industry, providing 24/7 answering service, appointment setting and on-call support. Their HIPAA-compliant staff are knowledgeable of medical protocols to treat each interaction with the utmost care.
Ideal for small to medium-sized practices, they provide reliable support during and after business hours. Located in the US, they serve practices across the country with safe and timely services.
17. Anserve
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Anserve provides dependable medical answering services to health professionals, including those in the healthcare and medical services industries, with HIPAA compliant protocols, over 40 years of experience. Their agents are trained to handle appointments, relay urgent calls and use secure message delivery, making them a perfect solution for small to large practices.
Anserve is a US-based, full-service telecommunications company that serves clients across the healthcare spectrum who require reliable, patient-centered communication services to maintain operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.
18. Big Outsource
Pricing: Custom Pricing
Big Outsource provides medical answering as well as other outsourced services. They’re a Philippines-based team which focuses on HIPAA-compliant call handling, appointment setting, and administrative support services for small to medium sized health care providers.
These affordable services are designed to improve patient communication and lower your overhead. A fully featured answering service fór a world that doesn’t stop, Big Outsource is the ideal cost effective solution fór private practices and clinics worldwide.
19. ASC (Answering Service Care)
Pricing: Custom Pricing
ASC (Answering Service Care) offers 24/7 medical answering services featuring confidential and individual patient responses. Their HIPAA-compliant offerings comprise 24/7 call answering, appointment booking, and urgent message wake-up.
Designed for small and mid-sized practices, ASC provides scalable solutions to support the distinct workflow and structure of any facility. Operating in the U.S. for years, they’re known for their responsive service and solid support in the healthcare industry.
20. AnswerFirst
Pricing: Custom Pricing
AnswerFirst provides reliable medical answering services prioritizing HIPAA compliance and 24/7 availability. Their team supervises after hours calls, multi-lingual call support, emergency call routing, and forwarding urgent messages for taking care of each patient.
Catering to small and medium-sized practices, AnswerFirst offers customized solutions to your communications needs. U.S. based, they offer national coverage and serve international customers looking for certified and professional healthcare communication services.
Must Read: Top 14 Outsourced Phone Support Services
What Is a HIPAA Eligible Service?
A HIPAA eligible service is a service or technology that can be used in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This is a group of national standards designed to protect sensitive personal health information (PHI). These services are designed with the appropriate administrative, physical and technical controls to protect data privacy and security.
In relation to medical answering services, HIPAA entitled means that the provider must be able to store and transfer PHI (Personal Health Information) securely. This includes recording messages, texts, and appointment information. It also means they are prepared to sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA); a required contract that specifies their obligations for protecting PHI on behalf of the healthcare provider.
A HIPAA compliant answering service enables medical practices to minimize the risk of breaches, remain compliant, and earn the trust of clients by guaranteeing all communications are treated with the utmost level of privacy and attention.
How Much Do Medical Answering Services Cost?
When considering a medical answering service, costs typically range from $0.96 to $1.84 per call, with per-call rates decreasing as call volume increases. For example, a practice handling about 100 calls monthly (each around 1–2 minutes) may expect a mobile range of $159 to $299, while practices with 500–1,000 calls per month could pay between $685 and $2,940.
Several factors influence pricing:
- Call volume: More calls often yield lower per-call rates due to economies of scale.
- Call duration: Simple message-taking calls (under 1 minute) may cost around $0.65–$0.80, while longer appointment-scheduling calls (3–4 minutes) may range from $3.80 to $4.70 per call.
- Add-ons: Features like toll-free call forwarding might incur an extra flat fee of about $20–$30 monthly.
- Customization: Integrating with proprietary scheduling systems may require setup fees up to $120, plus a $145/month training charge.
Overall, while a medical answering service may appear to add to operational costs, it often delivers strong ROI through better patient communication, reduced no-shows, and improved administrative efficiency.
Conclusion
Selecting the right medical answering service company is a crucial step in enhancing both patient experience and operational efficiency. In fact, 61% of patients would switch healthcare providers for the ability to get an appointment quickly when needed—a clear indication that timely and responsive communication is non-negotiable.
Companies like Helplama are leading the way by offering HIPAA-compliant, 24/7 answering solutions with flexible pricing and high customer satisfaction scores. Whether you’re managing a small clinic or a growing healthcare network, the providers listed in this article can help you stay connected, organized, and trusted by your patients.
