Medical answering services: what they cost and what to check
Medical practices need more from an answering service than a friendly voice: a signed business associate agreement, on-call paging that actually reaches the clinician, and receptionists who never give medical advice.
What to check before you sign
- A business associate agreement firstA service that handles patient information on your behalf is a business associate under HIPAA. Get the signed BAA before the first call is forwarded.
- On-call paging with escalationHow the on-call clinician is reached, what happens if they do not acknowledge, and how every attempt is documented.
- Secure message deliveryPatient details should not travel by plain text message or unencrypted email.
- Triage rules you approveEmergencies are directed to 911. Everything else follows a protocol your clinicians have signed off.
- Scheduling into your systemBooking only helps if it writes to the schedule you already use, not a separate inbox.
Compare prices at your call volume
| Provider | Type | From | At your volume | 24/7 live or AI | Spanish | HIPAA | Books appointments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 services that name medical practices | |||||||
| Abby Connect | Hybrid | $165/mo | $1,380 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AgentZap | AI | $109/mo | $295 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AnswerConnect | Live | $350/mo | $668 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AnswerFirst | Live | $30/mo | $908 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Conversational | Live | $209/mo | $799 | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Dialzara | AI | $29/mo | $199 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Map Communications | Live | $49/mo | $595 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Moneypenny (US) | Hybrid | $69/mo | $309 | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| My AI Front Desk (Frontdesk) | AI | $99/mo | $162 | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Newo.ai | AI | $299/mo | Not published | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Nexa | Hybrid | Quote | Quote only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PATLive | Live | $49/mo | $759 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Ruby | Live | $250/mo | $1,725 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Signius | Live | $45/mo | $561 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Smith.ai | Hybrid | $150/mofree plan too | $338 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Specialty Answering Service | Live | $44/mo | $600 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Trillet | AI | $49/mo | $109 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| General services, also scriptable for you | |||||||
| Alert Communications | Hybrid | $240/mo | Not published | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
| AnswerForce | Live | $349/mo | $667 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Avoca | AI | Quote | Quote only | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Back Office Betties | Live | Quote | Quote only | No | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Davinci Virtual | Live | $129/mo | $829 | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Goodcall | AI | $79/mo | $104 | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| LEX Reception | Live | Quote | Quote only | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| NextPhone | AI | $199/mo | $199 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Phonely | AI | $50/mofree plan too | $113 | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
| Posh | Hybrid | $65/mo | $900 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rosie | AI | $49/mo | $149 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Sameday | AI | $449/mo | $449 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
Questions medical practices ask
Does a medical answering service have to be HIPAA compliant?
If it handles protected health information for your practice, it acts as a business associate and must sign a business associate agreement with you. This directory marks each provider as yes, no or not stated, based on what the provider publishes.
Can an AI receptionist answer patient calls?
Some AI products now sign BAAs and book appointments. Use them for scheduling and routine questions, keep a human path for anything clinical, and confirm in writing where recordings and transcripts are stored and for how long.
How much does an answering service cost for a medical practice?
Of the 17 services in this directory that say they serve medical practices, live and hybrid plans start at $30 a month and AI plans at $29. What you actually pay depends on minutes or calls used, overage rates and setup fees, which is why the table estimates a monthly total at your volume.
Prices and features are read from each provider’s own website and dated. They change; check the provider before you sign. Nobody pays to be listed here, and there are no affiliate links.
Your answering service is only half of it.
I don’t sell answering services. I build the parts around them for medical practices: a website that books appointments by itself, the connection that drops each call into your CRM or practice software, and AI assistants that answer the same questions in text.