What a medical answering service costs

Answering services charge in very different ways, which makes quotes hard to compare. Here is how pricing usually works, what to ask before you sign, and exactly what ours costs.

Staffed answering services usually charge by the minute or by the call, and many add setup fees, monthly minimums, and extra charges for nights, weekends or holidays. AI answering services more often charge a flat monthly fee with minutes included. Turn every quote into a cost per month for your own call volume before comparing.

Per minute: You pay for every minute an operator spends on your calls. Ask how minutes are rounded: per call, up to the next 30 or 60 seconds.

Per call: A fixed price for each call answered. Ask whether hang-ups, wrong numbers and spam calls count.

Flat monthly fee: One price with a set number of minutes or calls included, and a rate above that. Ours works this way.

Extras to ask about: Setup fees, monthly minimums, after-hours or holiday surcharges, patch-through fees and long contracts.

Free 7-day test: Up to 50 calls, set up for your practice. No card needed.

$199 per location a month: 300 AI-answered minutes included. Month to month, no setup fee.

$0.25 a minute above 300: Rounded up to the next minute across the whole month, not per call.

Example: 150 calls a month: At about 1.5 minutes each, that is 225 minutes, so you pay $199.

Example: 400 calls a month: At about 1.5 minutes each, that is 600 minutes: $199 plus 300 minutes at $0.25, so $274.

No surcharges: Nights, weekends and holidays cost the same. Never per patient or per booking.