If your front desk is drowning in calls, your billing team is chasing denials past 90 days and your providers are finishing charts at 9pm, a medical virtual assistant is usually the fastest fix. The hard part is choosing who to hire through. Prices range from under $10 an hour to over $3,000 a month, some companies sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and some don’t say, and “dedicated assistant” means very different things depending on where the assistant is based and what hours they work.
We compared nine of the most-used medical virtual assistant companies on the things that actually matter to a US practice: price, where the talent is, whether they work your clinic hours, HIPAA and BAA terms, contract length and what happens if the hire doesn’t work out.
Quick comparison: medical virtual assistant companies in 2026
| # | Company | Published price | Talent based in | Works US clinic hours | BAA | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MedicalVirtual | $8–$12/hr, all roles | Latin America | Yes, standard | Signed with your practice | Part-time or full-time, no placement fee |
| 2 | MEDVA | Not published | Offshore (country not named) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| 3 | HelpSquad | $8–$13/hr full-time | Philippines and India | Overnight shift for the team | Company-level | 20 hrs/week minimum, 3-month initial term |
| 4 | Portiva | From ~$10–$15/hr | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | No contract, 7-day free trial |
| 5 | Hello Rache | $9.50/hr | Not stated on site | Not stated | Not stated | No contract, weekly billing |
| 6 | MyOutDesk | From $1,988/mo (HIPAA-ready tier from $2,500/mo) | Philippines, Latin America, Africa | Not stated | “BAA-ready” | Full-time only |
| 7 | Wing Assistant | General VA $699–$999/mo; healthcare on request | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Month-to-month |
| 8 | Virtual Latinos | From $1,600/mo | Latin America | Yes | Not stated | No recruitment fee |
| 9 | DocVA | Quote only | Not stated | US and UK clinic hours | Not stated | No lock-in, cancel anytime |
“Not stated” means we couldn’t find it on the company’s public site, not that the company doesn’t offer it. Ask directly.
How we compared them
We scored each company on six things a practice manager would want answered before signing:
- Price transparency: is there a published rate, and does it cover every role or only the cheapest one?
- Time-zone coverage: does the assistant work your clinic day live, or overnight while you sleep? This matters most for phones, scheduling and intake.
- HIPAA and BAA: is the assistant HIPAA-trained before they touch patient data, and will the company sign a BAA with your practice?
- Healthcare focus: is the company built for medical practices, or is healthcare one category among dozens?
- Experience requirement: have the assistants worked for a US practice or billing company before?
- Flexibility: part-time options, contract length, placement fees and replacement terms.
1. MedicalVirtual: best overall for US practices that need live, same-hours support
MedicalVirtual places medical virtual assistants from Latin America with US practices. Every assistant has already worked for a US practice or billing company, and they work your clinic hours, a full 9 to 5 on your clock, rather than an overnight shift.
Price: $8–$12 an hour across every role, from receptionists and scribes to billing assistants, coders, prior authorization and credentialing specialists. Part-time and full-time schedules are both available. There’s no recruitment or placement fee, and contracts, payroll and compliance are included.
HIPAA and BAA: assistants complete HIPAA training before kick-off and an annual refresher after that. MedicalVirtual signs a BAA with your practice before anyone accesses patient information, runs background checks on every assistant, uses encrypted workstations with no local PHI storage, and carries $2M aggregate cyber liability coverage.
Why it ranks first: it’s the only company on this list that combines a published rate for every role, a standard same-hours schedule, a BAA signed with your practice and a prior US-practice experience requirement. Most assistants are bilingual in English and Spanish at no extra cost, which matters for practices with Spanish-speaking patients.
Roles: virtual medical receptionists, medical scribes, billing assistants, medical coders, prior authorization and insurance verification specialists, patient intake coordinators, medical records specialists and credentialing specialists, plus specialty support for dental, mental health, optometry, veterinary, med spa and PT/chiro practices.
Watch-outs: MedicalVirtual places talent rather than running done-for-you services, so you manage your assistant day to day in your own systems and workflows. Direct-hire recruitment and multi-site team builds are quoted separately.
Best for: practices that need phones, scheduling, intake, insurance and documentation covered live during the clinic day, at a predictable hourly rate.
2. MEDVA: best for larger groups that want a managed, account-led service
MEDVA is one of the largest healthcare-only VA companies, reporting 2,400+ active virtual assistants, 1,000+ clients and coverage in 48 states. Each client gets a dedicated account manager and access to its PULSE portal for monitoring VA performance, and MEDVA says only the top 10% of screened candidates are endorsed to clients.
Price: not published. You’ll need a sales call for a quote.
HIPAA and BAA: assistants are described as HIPAA-trained, and the site shows HIPAA and SOC 2 monitoring badges. A BAA isn’t mentioned on the homepage.
Watch-outs: no public pricing or contract terms, and the talent location is described only as “offshore.”
Best for: multi-provider groups that value account management and reporting over price transparency.
3. HelpSquad: best for back-office billing work on a budget
HelpSquad publishes a clear rate card: $8–$13 an hour for full-time staffing, with back-office digital roles at $8–$10 and patient-facing voice roles at $10–$13. Talent is primarily in the Philippines for front-desk roles and India for billing and back-office work, managed by a US team in Pennsylvania.
HIPAA and BAA: HelpSquad signs the BAA at company level, staff are certified through HIPAATraining.com, and access runs through a secure virtual desktop with copy, paste and download of PHI blocked.
Watch-outs: a 20-hour-a-week minimum and a 3-month initial agreement. Onboarding takes about two weeks. Because talent is in Asia, a full US clinic day is an overnight shift for the assistant.
Best for: billing, coding and claims work that doesn’t need to happen live during your clinic day.
4. Portiva: best for trying before you commit
Portiva advertises medical virtual assistants from around $10 an hour, with its FAQ putting the range at $10–$15 depending on the tasks. It covers scheduling and intake, insurance verification and prior auth, billing and coding support, EHR data entry, refill coordination, scribing, and dental and receptionist roles.
HIPAA and BAA: HIPAA training is completed before onboarding. A BAA isn’t mentioned on the homepage.
Contract: no contract required, plus a free 7-day trial. You see candidates’ resumes and intro videos before choosing.
Watch-outs: the site doesn’t say where assistants are based or what hours they work.
Best for: solo and small practices that want a low-risk trial before committing.
5. Hello Rache: best simple flat rate
Hello Rache charges a flat $9.50 an hour with weekly billing, no contracts, no setup fees and cancel anytime. It places healthcare, dental, veterinary and optometry VAs, including medical scribes, receptionists and administrative assistants.
HIPAA and BAA: assistants are described as “HIPAA-trained and certified.” A BAA isn’t mentioned on the pricing page.
Watch-outs: talent location isn’t stated on its own site, so ask about time-zone coverage if you need live phone support.
Best for: practices that want one simple rate and no commitment.
6. MyOutDesk: best for full-time hires with a dedicated account manager
MyOutDesk is a large general outsourcing company with healthcare as one of its verticals. Its Managed Outsourcing plan starts at $1,988 a month, and the Specialized Outsourcing tier, which adds industry experience and HIPAA compliance readiness, starts at $2,500 a month. The flat rate covers recruiting, payroll, benefits and HR.
HIPAA and BAA: the site describes “BAA-ready safeguards” but doesn’t confirm a BAA is provided by default.
Watch-outs: full-time only (8 hours a day, 5 days a week), no part-time option. At roughly $14–$15 an hour for the HIPAA-ready tier, it’s one of the pricier options here.
Best for: practices that want a full-time hire and a big-company support structure.
7. Wing Assistant: best for general admin alongside light healthcare tasks
Wing’s general VA plans are $999 a month full-time (160 hours) and $699 a month part-time (80 hours), month-to-month, with a dedicated assistant, free replacement and a customer success manager. It lists 26 healthcare roles, including billing, scribing and scheduling, but healthcare-specific pricing is on request.
HIPAA and BAA: Wing says it’s HIPAA compliant with safeguards for sensitive workflows. A BAA isn’t mentioned on its healthcare page.
Watch-outs: healthcare isn’t Wing’s core focus, and the talent location isn’t stated.
Best for: practices whose needs are mostly general admin with some healthcare tasks mixed in.
8. Virtual Latinos: best generalist option in Latin America
Virtual Latinos places remote assistants from Latin America who work US time zones. Pricing starts at $1,600 a month, with ranges from $1,600 to $4,400 depending on experience, and no recruitment, access or setup fees.
HIPAA and BAA: it lists a “Medical Assistant” role, but its pricing page makes no HIPAA or BAA claims.
Watch-outs: it’s a generalist staffing company, not a healthcare specialist, so check medical experience and compliance terms carefully.
Best for: practices that want Latin American talent for general admin and will handle HIPAA onboarding themselves.
9. DocVA: best for practices that need UK and US coverage
DocVA places front-office, clinical support and revenue cycle VAs who work US and UK clinic hours, including bilingual VAs, medical scribes, remote patient monitoring and prior authorization. VAs complete DocVA’s in-house HIPAA program before day one.
Price: quote only, following a free consultation.
Contract: no lock-in, no minimum term, cancel anytime, with a free replacement if the fit isn’t right.
Watch-outs: no published pricing, talent location or BAA details on its homepage.
Best for: practices that want flexible terms and are happy to get a custom quote.
How much does a medical virtual assistant cost compared with an in-house hire?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for medical assistants at $45,690 a year, or $21.97 an hour, as of May 2025, before payroll taxes, benefits, PTO and recruiting costs. Medical records specialists have a median of $51,140.
A full-time medical virtual assistant at $8–$12 an hour works out to roughly $1,390–$2,080 a month, or about $16,600–$25,000 a year, with payroll, benefits and compliance included in the rate. That’s around 45–65% below the median wage alone, and further below once you add the overhead of an in-house employee.
| In-house medical assistant | MedicalVirtual assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly cost | $21.97 median wage, plus benefits and taxes | $8–$12, all-inclusive |
| Annual cost (full-time) | $45,690 median wage, before overhead | ~$16,600–$25,000 |
| Recruiting | Job ads, interviews, often a recruiter fee | No placement fee |
| HIPAA training | Your responsibility | Before kick-off, plus annual refresher |
| Replacement if it doesn’t work out | Start hiring again | Re-match at no extra cost |
How to choose the right medical virtual assistant company
- Start with the task that’s hurting most. Unanswered phones and scheduling need live, same-hours coverage. Billing, coding and claims can run on any schedule.
- Ask where the assistant is based and what hours they’ll work. An assistant in Latin America can work your full clinic day as a normal shift. An assistant in Asia covering the same hours is working overnight, which tends to affect retention over time.
- Get the BAA in writing. Ask who signs it (the company or the individual), when it’s signed, and what it covers. Don’t share patient data before it’s in place.
- Check prior US healthcare experience. Ask which EHRs, practice management systems and payers the candidate has used.
- Read the contract terms. Look for minimum hours, initial terms, notice periods, placement fees and what happens if you need a replacement.
- Interview the actual person. You’ll work with them every day, so meet them before they start.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best place to hire a medical virtual assistant?
It depends on what you need covered. For live phone, scheduling and intake support during US clinic hours at a published rate, MedicalVirtual is our top pick. For large groups that want a managed, account-led service, MEDVA is worth a call. For low-cost back-office billing work, HelpSquad has a clear rate card.
How much does a medical virtual assistant cost per hour?
Published rates from the companies above range from about $8 to $15 an hour, or roughly $700 to $4,400 a month depending on hours, role and experience. MedicalVirtual charges $8–$12 an hour across every role.
Are medical virtual assistants HIPAA compliant?
A virtual assistant can work in a HIPAA-compliant way if they’re trained, use secure systems, and the company signs a Business Associate Agreement with your practice. Your practice remains responsible for HIPAA compliance overall, so confirm training, access controls and the BAA before sharing any patient information.
Can a medical virtual assistant work my clinic hours?
Yes, if you hire from a region close to US time zones. Assistants in Latin America typically work US clinic hours as a normal day shift. Assistants in Asia can cover the same hours, but it’s an overnight shift for them.
What tasks can a medical virtual assistant handle?
Common tasks include answering patient calls, scheduling and confirming appointments, patient intake, insurance verification, prior authorizations, medical billing and AR follow-up, coding, records requests, credentialing and drafting documentation for clinician review.
Ready to hire? See MedicalVirtual pricing or book a call with their team to find out which role fits your practice, what it costs, and whether you need it full-time or part-time.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Medical Assistants, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Competitor pricing and terms from each company’s public website, checked October 2026: MEDVA, HelpSquad, Portiva, Hello Rache, MyOutDesk, Wing Assistant, Virtual Latinos and DocVA.
