7 Best Medical Answering Services for Clinics in 2026

A medical practice's phones are busiest when nobody is free to pick up. In a UK surgery that's the 8am rush for same-day appointments. In an Australian GP clinic it's "do you bulk bill?" and "is my referral ready?". A call that rings out is a patient who tries another practice, or a voicemail your team returns the next morning. The best medical answering services pick those calls up.

Medical answering services differ more than the name suggests. Some page your on-call doctor and book into your practice software. Others take a message and leave the booking to your staff. Most advice online is about HIPAA, which is US law and means nothing to a surgery in Leeds, Brisbane or Hamilton.

We compared seven services on who answers, whether they book in medical software, how they treat patient privacy and what a month costs. Every price and feature comes from the vendor's own website in October 2026. Prices shown with a bare dollar sign on US sites are written as US$.

Best medical answering services: a quick overview

• Chimehill: best for medical clinics in Australia, the UK and NZ that want overflow and after-hours calls answered by AI, with bookings left to the desk.
• Specialty Answering Service: best for US medical offices that want a low entry price and per-second billing.
• PATLive: best for US practices that want receptionists booking inside named practice software.
• MAP Communications: best for US practices on Epic or athenahealth that want agents who work with their EHR.
• AnswerConnect: best for busier US practices that want bilingual 24/7 cover and a wide choice of plan sizes.
• Moneypenny: best for UK GP surgeries and private clinics that want UK-based receptionists.
• Your Phones Covered: best for Australian medical practices that want an Australian team working inside their practice software.

1. Chimehill: best for medical clinics in Australia, the UK and NZ that want overflow and after-hours calls answered by AI, with bookings left to the desk

Chimehill puts an AI receptionist on the phone line of independent practices across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Your practice decides which calls reach it: the ones your reception team can't pick up in time, the ones after you close, or both. It works on weekends and public holidays too. Patients ring your usual number, so nothing changes on your website or your appointment letters.

Be clear about booking before you go further. The only appointment books it can write to are Cliniko, Splose, PracSuite and Nookal, which physios, podiatrists and other allied-health clinics use, not doctors. It can't book in Best Practice, MedicalDirector, Genie or Zedmed in Australia, in EMIS or SystmOne in the UK, in Medtech or Indici in New Zealand, or in Epic or athenahealth in the US. So for a GP clinic, every booking still goes through your staff.

What it does on a medical practice's line is the admin around the booking. It tells the 7pm caller your opening hours, whether you bulk bill, where to park and what to bring, using only the answers you've approved. It takes the repeat-script request or the "can the doctor call me about my referral" message and passes it on as a callback task with a summary, or puts the call through to your desk when someone is there. It doesn't read out test results, say whether a symptom is serious, or give any medical advice. If a caller uses urgent or emergency language, it follows an escalation script your practice has signed off, such as telling them to ring 000, 999 or 111.

Key features

• Takes overflow calls, after-hours calls or both, every day of the year
• Says only what your practice has signed off, so a fee, a free slot or a policy it hasn't been given never gets guessed
• "Can I speak to someone?" always ends in a transfer to your desk or a callback task
• Asks the caller to confirm who they are before discussing or changing a booking, and doesn't trust caller ID on its own
• Logs each call with a summary and what happened, and sends the team a summary of the night's calls each morning

Pricing (as of October 2026)

• A$249 a month in Australia (£129 in the UK, NZ$249 in New Zealand) covers 100 calls
• A$379 a month (£189, NZ$379) covers 200 calls
• A$579 a month (£289, NZ$579) covers 350 calls
• Past the allowance, each call is A$2.70 (£1.60, NZ$2.70)
• GST is added on top in Australia and New Zealand, VAT on top in the UK
• 14-day free trial, and you can leave at any time

There's no US-dollar plan. For a rough comparison with the US services below, we converted the Australian prices at 1 AUD = 0.69588 USD (European Central Bank reference rate, 16 October 2026): about US$173, US$264 and US$403 a month, which is our own estimate. What each plan includes is set out on the pricing page.

Pros

• Each call costs the same whether the caller spends one minute or eight explaining a referral
• Prices are on the website in Australian dollars, pounds and NZ dollars, with a trial and no contract
• The limits are written down: no clinical advice, no invented facts, and a person whenever a caller asks

Cons

• No booking in GP or US medical systems, so a general practice's staff still make every appointment
• English only, with no HIPAA or BAA statement, so it doesn't suit a US practice that needs a signed BAA

To hear how it would deal with your practice's evening calls, book a demo.

2. Specialty Answering Service: best for US medical offices that want a low entry price and per-second billing

Specialty Answering Service is an American live answering company with a separate medical line of business. It's built around the classic US after-hours job: a person answers your office line at night, takes the message and, if it's urgent, reaches the doctor on call by phone, email, text or pager. Its medical page also lists reminder calls and intake questions about insurance, referrals and billing.

For a small office, the pricing is the draw. Its Economy plan is the cheapest way into any US service on this list, and it bills by the second, so a 40-second "what time do you open?" call isn't rounded up to a full minute. The weak spot is booking: operators work in an online calendar tool, and the site doesn't say which EHR or practice software that connects to. On privacy, it calls itself HIPAA compliant and says calls are logged on a HIPAA-compliant platform. Neither its medical page nor its pricing page says anything about signing a business associate agreement (BAA), so request one in writing.

Key features

• People answering around the clock, with Spanish mentioned on the homepage
• On-call alerts by phone, email, text or pager
• Appointments booked, moved or cancelled in an online calendar
• Reminder calls and insurance or referral intake questions

Pricing (as of October 2026)

• Economy: US$44 a month, then US$1.54 a minute (the included minutes aren't stated)
• 100 minutes for US$159 a month, and US$1.44 for each minute after that
• 220 minutes: US$269 a month; 500 minutes: US$649 a month
• No setup fee and no contract; billed by the second
• Free for 14 days or 200 minutes, no card needed
• Sub-accounts, IVR and voicemail cost extra

Pros

• The lowest published starting price among the US services here
• Short calls stay short on the bill
• You can try it for two weeks without a card

Cons

• No EHR or practice software named, so find out how a booking reaches your schedule
• No BAA mentioned on the pages we checked, and Economy's included minutes aren't published
• US practices only

3. PATLive: best for US practices that want receptionists booking inside named practice software

PATLive's whole pitch is people: every receptionist is in the US and every call is answered by a human, 24 hours a day. What sets it apart for medical practices is that its receptionists book, move and cancel appointments inside your own software rather than a separate calendar you then have to copy from.

Its medical and wellness page shows the systems by logo: athenahealth, SimplePractice, ChiroTouch, Eclipse EHR, Jane, IntakeQ, Phreesia and Klara, along with Calendly and Google Calendar. That list leans towards outpatient and wellness practices more than hospital groups. Spanish-speaking receptionists are on from 8am to 10pm Eastern at no extra cost. HIPAA cover isn't on by default; you sign a separate BAA first, and its terms say not to send patient health information through the service until that's done. Its terms also say all calls are recorded for quality control, which is worth telling patients about.

Key features

• US-based receptionists 24/7; bilingual 8am to 10pm ET
• Bookings, changes and cancellations made in named practice software
• HIPAA cover once a BAA is signed
• Outbound calls and live chat priced separately

Pricing (as of October 2026)

• Pay as you go: US$49 a month, then US$2.99 a minute
• 100 minutes: US$189 a month, then US$2.09 a minute
• 200 minutes: US$349 a month, then US$1.99 a minute
• 500 minutes: US$759 a month
• Taxes and fees extra; 14-day free trial; no contract

Pros

• Shows the medical software its receptionists actually book in
• A long list of published plan sizes
• A BAA is available, and there's a trial first

Cons

• Until the BAA is signed, you have no HIPAA cover
• Going over the allowance on a small plan is expensive per minute
• US practices only

4. MAP Communications: best for US practices on Epic or athenahealth that want agents who work with their EHR

MAP Communications runs a medical answering team whose clients range from one-doctor offices to hospitals and hospices. Its medical page says the agents are human and all based in the US. They cover nights and weekends, book and reschedule appointments, and run reminder programmes.

The page shows Epic, athenahealth and TigerConnect and says agents can work with electronic health records. That matters most if your practice already lives in Epic or athenahealth, because you'd want call notes and bookings landing where clinicians look. It describes HIPAA-compliant procedures; we didn't see a BAA mentioned, so get one signed before patient details go through it. Per minute over the allowance, it's cheaper than PATLive on similar plans.

Key features

• Human agents in the US, day and night
• Scheduling, rescheduling and reminder programmes
• Epic, athenahealth and TigerConnect shown on its medical page
• Messages delivered at no extra charge

Pricing (as of October 2026)

• Pay As You Go: US$49 a month, then US$1.37 a minute
• Business: 125 minutes for US$179 a month; extra minutes US$1.30
• Enterprise: US$339 a month for 250 minutes; Premium: US$649 a month for 500 minutes
• No long-term contract; a week's free trial without a card
• Setup fees and taxes aren't shown on the pricing page

Pros

• Names the EHRs many US practices use
• US$1.30 a minute over the Business allowance, the lowest overage among the US services here
• Free trial and no long-term contract

Cons

• No BAA mentioned on the pages we checked
• Anything not on the pricing table, such as setup or tax, isn't listed
• US practices only

5. AnswerConnect: best for busier US practices that want bilingual 24/7 cover and a wide choice of plan sizes

AnswerConnect sells its healthcare service to medical offices, dental practices, clinics and hospitals, and says every call is handled by a person, in English or Spanish, at any hour. Staff read messages and change settings in a web portal or its iPhone and Android apps.

Its HIPAA option is a setting you turn on in your account, and messages are password-protected. Bookings go through its own free scheduling app; it mentions CRM integration but doesn't name an EHR. The smallest plan is 200 minutes, so it's sized for a practice with steady call volume, such as a multi-doctor clinic with a large Spanish-speaking patient list, more than a solo office. Calls are rounded up to the minute, but each billing cycle's first 30 calls under 30 seconds cost nothing, which helps with hang-ups and wrong numbers.

Key features

• People answering 24/7/365 in English and Spanish
• HIPAA setting in the account
• Free online scheduling app
• Web portal and mobile apps for messages

Pricing (as of October 2026)

• Entry: US$350 a month for 200 minutes, a US$49.99 setup fee, then US$2.50 a minute
• Growth: US$395 a month for 300 minutes, no setup fee, then US$1.85 a minute
• Standard: US$575 a month for 400 minutes, with a US$49.99 setup fee
• Bigger plans available; no long-term contract
• No free trial shown on its plans page

Pros

• Spanish and English at any hour
• Room to grow, with many plan sizes
• Very short calls are free up to 30 per cycle

Cons

• The highest starting price of the US services here, and a setup fee on two plans
• No EHR named and no trial listed
• No BAA mentioned on the healthcare page we checked

6. Moneypenny: best for UK GP surgeries and private clinics that want UK-based receptionists

Moneypenny is a UK answering company, and its healthcare page names GP surgeries, care homes, dentists, private hospitals and clinics as clients. Its receptionists are in the UK. It also sells live chat and its own AI receptionist, which can pass a caller to one of its human receptionists or straight to your practice.

For a surgery, the standard hours (8.30am to 6pm) are the ones you probably already staff, so the useful parts are overflow during the morning rush and the evening, weekend or 24/7 cover it offers on request. The healthcare page says it can book appointments into your system, but the integrations it lists are business tools such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Calendly and Microsoft Teams. If your surgery runs on EMIS or SystmOne, ask directly whether its receptionists can book there. An NHS practice should also ask how it meets the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit before patient details pass through it.

Key features

• Calls answered in the UK; out-of-hours and round-the-clock cover by arrangement
• AI option that escalates to a Moneypenny receptionist or your own staff
• Live chat as well as phone answering
• Booking into your system, depending on which one you use

Pricing (as of October 2026)

• Live receptionists: priced on usage, by quote
• AI receptionist: starts at £49 a month, VAT basis not given
• Free trial
• Up to 150 minutes or chats: a three-month minimum term, after which one month's notice ends it
• Larger plans: six- or twelve-month minimum, with three months' notice

Pros

• UK staff and an AI option under one supplier
• Already works with GP surgeries and clinics
• You can trial it before signing

Cons

• No published price for the live service, so you need a quote to compare
• Minimum terms of three to twelve months
• EMIS, SystmOne and other clinical systems aren't named

7. Your Phones Covered: best for Australian medical practices that want an Australian team working inside their practice software

Your Phones Covered is an Australian company whose medical receptionists work for GP practices, surgeons and specialist rooms. It's the most Australian-specific service here: its team books, moves and cancels appointments, runs waitlists and reminders in your own software, and takes the admin calls Australian practices get all day, about Medicare, DVA cards, health funds and referrals. Every plan covers business hours, and after-hours, 24/7 and holiday cover can be added.

The software list reads like a tour of Australian medicine: Best Practice, MedicalDirector, Genie, Gentu, Clinic to Cloud, Zedmed and Shexie, plus Cliniko, Halaxy and Coreplus for allied health. On privacy, it says it works within Australian health privacy law and will sign your confidentiality agreement, and its phone platform runs on Google infrastructure in Australia. Pick the tier carefully, though. Premium and Essential calls are answered in Australia; the cheaper Value tier is answered by a team in Manila, which some practices will want to clear with their privacy policy first.

Key features

• Books in Best Practice, MedicalDirector, Genie, Zedmed and other Australian medical systems
• Handles Medicare, DVA, health fund and referral calls
• Overflow and after-hours cover, with 24/7 available
• Untimed calls, so a long Medicare question costs the same as a short one

Pricing (as of October 2026)

• Priced per week, ex GST, billed in advance
• Essential tier, answered in Australia: 25 calls a month at A$23 a week, 55 at A$49 a week, 155 at A$129 a week; A$4.90 per extra call
• Premium (Australian team, priority) and Value (Manila team) tiers too
• Medical bundles from A$69 a month
• No lock-in; its medical page mentions a seven-day free trial

Pros

• Works in the GP and specialist software Australian practices actually use
• Australian staff and Australian hosting on the main tiers
• Prices on the website, and calls aren't timed

Cons

• Weekly prices over three tiers take some arithmetic to compare with monthly plans
• The Value tier is answered offshore
• After-hours pricing is on request

How to choose a medical answering service

Two answers narrow this list fast: which country your practice is in, and which software holds your appointment book. After that you're weighing price, privacy and whether patients get a person or an AI.

Which country are you in?

Specialty Answering Service, PATLive, MAP Communications and AnswerConnect sell to US practices. Moneypenny answers from Britain and Your Phones Covered from Australia. Chimehill's plans are in Australian dollars, pounds and NZ dollars.

• In the US, compare the four US services.
• At a UK surgery or private clinic that wants people answering, get a Moneypenny quote.
• At an Australian GP or specialist practice, start with Your Phones Covered.
• At an Australian, UK or NZ clinic that wants AI to take overflow and after-hours calls and pass them to staff, try Chimehill.

Can it book in the software your doctors use?

This is where medical practices differ most from other clinics. A general practice's book lives in Best Practice or MedicalDirector in Australia, EMIS or SystmOne in the UK, Medtech or Indici in New Zealand, and Epic, athenahealth or eClinicalWorks in the US. PATLive and MAP Communications name US systems. Your Phones Covered names the Australian ones. Chimehill's booking is limited to four allied-health systems, so at a GP clinic the appointment request goes to your desk as a callback task.

During any trial, ask the service to book a real test appointment in your system, then move it and cancel it, and check what your staff see each time.

How does it handle patient privacy?

US practices need a signed BAA before patient information goes through any service. PATLive offers one. Specialty Answering Service, MAP Communications and AnswerConnect describe HIPAA-compliant handling, but we didn't see a BAA on the pages we read, so ask. HIPAA doesn't apply outside the US. A UK surgery handles health data as special category data under UK GDPR. An Australian practice treats it as sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988. A New Zealand practice works to the Health Information Privacy Code 2020. Whichever country you're in, ask each service where call recordings and messages are stored, who can listen to them, and how long they're kept.

Should a person or an AI answer?

Think about who rings you after hours. An elderly patient confused about a repeat prescription, or a parent worried about a child's temperature, often needs a person. The human services here all put one on the line. Chimehill answers with AI and hands the call to your team whenever a caller asks for someone. Neither should be making clinical calls: ask each service exactly what its staff or its AI say when a caller describes symptoms, and make sure you approve the wording, including where it sends people (000 or healthdirect in Australia, 999 or 111 in the UK, 111 or Healthline in New Zealand). If a staffed service sounds safer for your patients, the clinic answering service page sets out when that's true; for a wider look at AI options, see the best AI receptionists for clinics.

What will a typical month cost?

The units don't match. The four US services charge by the minute. Chimehill and Your Phones Covered charge by the call. Moneypenny quotes its live service and lists its AI receptionist from £49 a month. Medical calls can run long (a referral question or a confused caller can take several minutes), and that's when per-minute pricing hurts.

On the 100 to 125 minute US plans here, a minute costs roughly US$1.43 to US$1.89. At three minutes a call, that allowance lasts about 33 to 41 calls before overage. Chimehill's smallest plan comes to A$2.49 a call, and Your Phones Covered's 55-call Essential plan to about A$3.86 a call, both ex GST. Take last month's call log, note how many calls came in and how long they lasted, and cost every option against those numbers.

Start with evenings and weekends

You don't need to send every call to a new service on day one. Begin with after-hours calls, or only the calls that ring out during the morning rush. Read what lands with your team the next morning for a week or two, then decide whether to send more.

Questions medical practices ask

What does a medical answering service actually do?

It picks up your practice's calls when reception can't, records messages, answers routine questions such as hours and fees and, with some services, books or moves appointments. Several US services, Specialty Answering Service among them, also contact the on-call doctor when a call is urgent. Before comparing prices, check which of those jobs each service can do in the software your practice uses.

Which medical answering services are HIPAA compliant?

PATLive provides HIPAA cover after you sign a separate BAA. Specialty Answering Service, MAP Communications and AnswerConnect say they follow HIPAA-compliant procedures, but none of the pages we checked in October 2026 mentions a BAA. Whichever US service you choose, get a signed BAA before any patient information passes through it.

How much does a medical answering service cost?

As of October 2026, the cheapest US plan here is Specialty Answering Service's Economy at US$44 a month, and 100 to 125 minutes cost US$159 to US$189 a month across the US services. For 100 calls a month, Chimehill charges A$249, £129 or NZ$249. Your Phones Covered charges A$49 a week on its Essential tier for 55 calls a month (there are smaller plans), and Moneypenny's AI receptionist begins at £49 a month. Count your calls and how long they last before comparing per-minute and per-call prices.

Will Chimehill put appointments into our GP software?

No. It doesn't book in GP software such as Best Practice, MedicalDirector, EMIS, SystmOne or Medtech; it books only in Cliniko, Splose, PracSuite and Nookal. In a GP clinic it answers approved questions, takes messages and passes calls to your staff. The integrations page lists everything it connects to.

What should happen when a caller describes an emergency?

The service shouldn't try to deal with it. A sound set-up spots urgent language and follows a script your practice has approved, such as telling the caller to ring emergency services or contacting your on-call doctor. During the trial, ask each service to walk you through that call from start to finish.

Is an AI receptionist or a human answering service better for a medical practice?

It depends on your callers. A human service suits practices with many older or anxious patients, or calls that run long. An AI receptionist suits practices that mainly lose routine admin calls after hours and want a fixed price per call. You can try either on after-hours calls only and decide once you've seen the messages.

Does Chimehill tell patients it's an AI?

Yes. Each call opens with it saying it's the practice's virtual receptionist, and patients can ask to be put through to staff whenever they like. If you're looking at another AI service, listen to how it opens a call before you switch it on.