Medical Virtual Assistants
A medical virtual assistant handles the administrative half of a practice so clinical staff can do the clinical half. iFOVS places trained, office-based non-clinical support with practices across the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
Non-clinical only. Our staff schedule, verify, document and communicate. They do not assess, triage, advise or interpret. That line does not move.
What your medical assistant does
- Books, confirms and reschedules appointments, and works the recall list
- Verifies insurance eligibility and benefits before the visit, with a reference number recorded for every call
- Prepares and submits prior authorisations, then chases them
- Triages the inbox and voicemail into the right queue for your staff
- Handles records requests and referral coordination
- Prepares patient statements and follows up on balances
- Keeps the EHR accurate: demographics, insurance details, documentation indexing
Systems they work in
athenahealth · eClinicalWorks · Kareo · DrChrono · SimplePractice · Practice Fusion · NextGen · Dentrix · Open Dental · Availity and payer portals
Who this works for
Solo and small practices where the practitioner is doing admin after clinic hours. Growing practices where the front desk is the bottleneck and patients notice. Specialty practices with heavy prior-authorisation volume.
How to choose a medical virtual assistant
Test the boundary before anything else
Ask what they would say to a patient describing symptoms and asking whether they should come in. The right answer routes to clinical staff without hesitation. Anyone who offers reassurance about the symptom is the wrong hire, however warm they sound.
Ask which payer portals they have actually used
Availity, NaviNet and individual carrier portals each behave differently. Portal fluency saves hours a week over phone verification.
Check they document reference numbers
Verbal benefits without a call reference are worthless when a claim is denied. This single habit separates real verification from theatre.
Listen to their phone manner under pressure
Patients call when they are unwell, worried or angry about a bill. Brisk efficiency that works elsewhere is actively harmful here.
What it costs
Medical virtual assistants are hired on a straight hourly rate, part-time or full-time. Recruitment, onboarding, equipment, quality assurance and cover for absences are included. See the cost guide for market ranges.
Frequently asked questions
Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement?
Yes. What we will not do is tell you a signed BAA makes the arrangement automatically compliant — your obligations depend on your own policies and access configuration.
Can they speak to patients?
Yes, on non-clinical matters. Anything clinical is routed to your staff immediately.
Can they work in our EHR?
Yes, with a named login you create and permissions you set. Tell us the system at the brief stage.
Do they do medical billing?
Billing support — submission, status chasing, denial follow-up, patient statements. For certified coding, say so in the brief and we screen for it.
Is one assistant enough?
Most practices start with one covering scheduling and verification, then add once the process is documented.
Related roles
Worth reading before you hire
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