How much does a medical answering service cost? Pricing for 8 services, compared
Medical answering service pricing on published plans runs about $159 to $395 a month for 40 calls and about $384 to $1,725 for 100 calls among the services whose pages describe HIPAA-compliant service. None of the eight services we read publishes a separate medical price or a dollar fee for HIPAA; medical practices buy the same minute or call plans. One of the eight, Smith.ai, says on its own page that it is not HIPAA-compliant. AI answering costs about $45 to $109 for 40 calls, but check whether a vendor's HIPAA terms cover the AI: Abby Connect limits its AI receptionist to calls with no protected health information. Below: every plan, what each says about HIPAA, how to estimate your month, and what physicians and therapy practices pay.
The short version
- 40 calls a month: about $159 to $395 with live receptionists whose pages describe HIPAA-compliant service; about $45 to $109 with AI.
- 100 calls a month: about $384 to $1,725 live.
- No separate medical price and no HIPAA fee on the pages we read. Ask whether HIPAA handling is in the plan price, and get a signed business associate agreement.
- Priced by minutes or calls, not per provider. Estimate from your call count and average length.
What does a medical answering service cost per month?
We priced two real months: 40 calls at about 2.5 minutes each (100 minutes) and 100 calls at about 3 minutes each (300 minutes), on each service's cheapest published plan, before taxes and add-ons. Prices were read on each vendor's pricing page on September 24, 2026; the full plans and the arithmetic are in our answering service cost comparison. The HIPAA column is what each vendor's own pages say. We have not used these services.
| Service | 40 calls | 100 calls | What its pages say about HIPAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty Answering Service | $159 | $384.20 | "a HIPAA compliant medical call center" |
| Continental Message Solution | $150 per 28 days (about $163 a month) | $575 per 28 days (about $623 a month) | "supports HIPAA-compliant secure messaging for medical practices" |
| PATLive | $189 | $479 | Not mentioned on its pricing page; ask |
| AnswerFirst | $190 to $225 | $510 to $615 | "HIPAA-Compliant Medical Answering Service" |
| Posh | $215 | $630 | "Our service is fully HIPAA-compliant" |
| Abby Connect | $329 | $1,380 | "HIPAA Compliance Options [Human only]"; its AI receptionist takes calls "that carry no protected health information" |
| Ruby | $395 | $1,725 | "HIPAA-compliant services available" |
| Smith.ai Virtual Front Desk | $415 | $915 | Its medical and wellness page: "Smith.ai is not HIPAA-compliant and cannot handle protected health information (PHI) in regulated healthcare environments" |
Do medical answering services charge extra for HIPAA?
Not on any page we read, but two describe HIPAA as an option rather than a default. Ruby lists "HIPAA-compliant services available," and Abby Connect lists "HIPAA Compliance Options" for human answering only. Neither page gives a dollar figure. Before you sign, ask two questions in writing: is HIPAA-compliant handling included in the plan price I am comparing, and will you sign a business associate agreement? The second one is not optional. A service that takes patient calls for a practice is a business associate under 45 CFR 160.103, and 45 CFR 164.502(e) requires the practice to obtain "satisfactory assurance that the business associate will appropriately safeguard the information." This is a plain-language reading, not legal advice.
How much does a physician answering service cost?
The same as any medical answering service, because the plans we read are priced by minutes or calls, not per physician or per provider. A practice with three physicians and 100 patient calls a month pays for 100 calls. To estimate yours, take a month of calls from your phone system, multiply by your average call length, and find the cheapest plan that covers the minutes, or the calls for Smith.ai, which prices per call. Then add what you will actually use: Smith.ai charges $1.50 a call to book appointments on your calendar, and Specialty Answering Service charges $0.15 a minute for voicemail.
| Your month | Minutes at 2.5 per call | Cheapest live plan we priced |
|---|---|---|
| 40 calls | 100 | Specialty Answering Service, $159 |
| 100 calls | 250 | Specialty Answering Service, $269 for 220 minutes plus 30 at $1.44: $312.20 |
| 200 calls | 500 | Continental Message Solution, $575 per 28 days for 500 minutes (about $623 a month); Specialty Answering Service is $649 |
How much does a therapy practice answering service cost?
The same plans again; none of the services we read prices mental health practices separately. What differs is the after-hours protocol. A therapy practice needs a crisis instruction before anything else, and your protocol can name the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which its site says "is available 24/7/365" by call, text or chat. Make sure whoever answers, a person or AI, reads that instruction exactly, then reaches your on-call clinician on your rule. For a small practice with 40 calls a month, the published plans above run about $159 to $395 live, or about $45 to $109 with AI.
Is an AI medical answering service cheaper?
Yes, usually by a wide margin: about $45 to $109 for 40 calls on the AI plans we read, against $159 to $395 for live services that describe HIPAA-compliant service. The catch in medicine is scope. Some AI plans are sold for general calls only; Abby Connect's medical page says its AI receptionist handles calls "that carry no protected health information," such as office hours and directions, while its human receptionists handle patient calls. If an AI will take names, dates of birth and appointment details, it handles protected health information, and the vendor needs to sign a business associate agreement for it. AgentZap's pricing page lists itself as HIPAA compliant; for any AI vendor, get the agreement in writing. The AI side is priced in detail in how much does an AI receptionist cost.
LeadSixty, listed last because it is ours. We set up and run an AI medical answering service that verifies the caller, books and moves appointments, routes refill and results requests, and reaches your on-call clinician on your protocol. First 30 days free, then a flat $297 a month with no setup fee, and we discuss a business associate agreement on the call before anything goes live; see pricing. The cons: it is AI, not a person, and it does no nurse triage. At 40 calls a month, Specialty Answering Service's $159 plan or a self-serve AI plan costs less than we do; we are worth it when you want every call, text and web inquiry answered and followed up without running it yourself.
Want your real number? On a free 30-minute Where AI Fits call we look at your calls by hour and length and tell you what each option would cost your practice, including whether you need a live service at all.
Book a Where AI Fits callWhat is the best medical answering service?
The one that will sign a business associate agreement and costs least for your month of calls. On the pages we read, three things separate them: what each says about HIPAA, how it prices, and whether a person or AI answers. For a small practice at 40 calls a month, Specialty Answering Service ($159) and Continental Message Solution (about $163) had the lowest published live prices, and both describe HIPAA compliance for medical practices on their own pages. Posh ($215) says "Our service is fully HIPAA-compliant." Smith.ai's own medical page says it "is not HIPAA-compliant," so it fits only calls without patient information. If a person on every call is not essential, the AI plans we read ran about $45 to $109 for the same month. Before you choose, ask each finalist in writing whether it will sign a business associate agreement, what your month will cost, and who answers at 2 am.
Questions about medical answering service pricing
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Is an AI medical answering service HIPAA compliant?+
- Pricing pages, read September 24, 2026: Specialty Answering Service, Continental Message Solution, PATLive, AnswerFirst, Posh, Abby Connect, Ruby, Smith.ai, AgentZap.
- Medical pages, read September 24, 2026: Specialty Answering Service, AnswerFirst, Posh, Abby Connect, Smith.ai.
- 45 CFR 160.103 and 164.502(e), via Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute; 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 988lifeline.org.
Published September 24, 2026; updated September 30, 2026 with which service is best (HIPAA quotes re-read that day). Prices change; every price was read on the vendor's own page on that date and checked again before publishing, and monthly totals are our arithmetic. See how we research and write. Found an error? Email hello@leadsixty.com.
Pay for your calls, not for a plan you will not use.
Book a free 30-minute Where AI Fits call. We look at your calls by hour and length and tell you honestly whether a live service, a self-serve AI plan or our done-for-you setup at $297 a month costs your practice least.
Book a Where AI Fits callOr see the medical answering service.