Physicians Answering Service
Physicians Answering Service is a privately held Portland-based live-operator answering service founded in 1990, providing 24/7 after-hours call coverage, appointment scheduling, and HIPAA-compliant messaging exclusively to U.S. and Canadian medical practices, clinics, hospices, and dental offices on tiered monthly subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Physicians Answering Service does
Physicians Answering Service is a privately held, Portland, Oregon-based live-operator answering service founded in 1990, exclusively serving the U.S. and Canadian medical profession. The company provides 24/7 after-hours answering, daytime call overflow, appointment scheduling, emergency dispatch, and HIPAA-compliant message delivery for doctor's offices, clinics, hospices, and dental practices across specialties including internal medicine, OBGYN, pediatrics, ophthalmology, urology, and orthopedics.
The technology stack centers on the licensed Startel Secure Messaging Plus platform for HIPAA-compliant encrypted text, voice, and image messaging with configurable auto-expire, receipt notifications, and remote wipe, paired with the proprietary IntelliSite web-based client portal for real-time call and message management. Telephone, email, fax, and pager delivery channels are supported alongside secure messaging. The company holds no patents and no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed; the service model relies on trained human operators, many with 20+ years of tenure.
Revenue is generated through tiered monthly subscriptions (Intro at $70, Bronze at $114, Silver at $180, and Gold at $550 for 50 to 505 minutes respectively), usage-based overage charges ranging from $1.16 down to $1.02 per minute by tier, and add-on services (patch, fax, schedule maintenance, secure messaging). Distribution is sales-led via a toll-free number (866-729-9935), website-driven free-trial signups with 14-day trials and 48-hour onboarding, and dedicated account management; no contracts are required. The company recovered from a 2018 office-destroying fire and operates as an independent, unfunded business.
Physicians Answering Service firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Physicians Answering Service
- Legal name
- Physicians Answering Services
- Website
- https://physiciansanswering.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Physicians Answering Service is a privately held Portland-based live-operator answering service founded in 1990, providing 24/7 after-hours call coverage, appointment scheduling, and HIPAA-compliant messaging exclusively to U.S. and Canadian medical practices, clinics, hospices, and dental offices on tiered monthly subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Physicians Answering Service industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical Answering Services
- NAICS
- All Other Outpatient Care Centers (621498)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Omnichannel Patient Communications & Contact Center (Voice/SMS/Email/Chat) (HLACAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Patient Communications (Reminders/Confirmations/Recalls) (HLACADAH)
Keywords
Where Physicians Answering Service is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Physicians Answering Service business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Monthly Subscription Plans: Tiered monthly subscription plans based on included minutes (50 to 505 minutes per month) with per-minute overage charges. Additional fees for add-on services like patches, fax, secure messaging, and schedule maintenance.
- Usage-Based Overage Charges: Overage charges when usage exceeds included minutes: $1.16/unit for Intro, $1.11/unit for Bronze, $1.06/unit for Silver, and $1.02/unit for Gold package.
- Add-on Services: Additional services including $1.00 per patch, Daily Fax ($7.50/mo), On-Call Schedule Maintenance ($35.00/mo), and Secure Messaging ($10.00 per smartphone/mo).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Intro Package: 50 minutes for $70/mo |
| Subscription | Monthly | Bronze Package: 100 minutes for $114/mo |
| Subscription | Monthly | Silver Package: 170 minutes for $180/mo |
| Subscription | Monthly | Gold Package: 505 minutes for $550/mo |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Physicians Answering Service product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Physicians Answering Service provides 24/7 live operator call answering for medical professionals including after-hours coverage, overflow handling, appointment scheduling, and HIPAA-compliant secure messaging. The company exclusively serves doctors' offices, clinics, hospices, and dental practices across the United States and Canada, leveraging the Startel Secure Messaging Plus platform for encrypted communications. Services are delivered via tiered monthly subscription plans with no contracts and onboarding in as little as 48 hours.
Product overview
Physicians Answering Service provides a unified medical answering service platform built around 24/7 live operator coverage, combining core service modules (after-hours answering, appointment scheduling, secure messaging via Startel Secure Messaging, and call overflow/dispatch) with multiple service verticals for different medical specialties (doctors, clinics, hospices, and dental offices). The company operates on a tiered pricing model with four named packages (Intro, Bronze, Silver, Gold) ranging from 50 to 505 monthly minutes, supplemented by add-on services and the IntelliSite client portal for account management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- After-Hours Answering Services 24/7 live operator service that handles patient calls outside regular business hours for doctors' offices, dental offices, and other medical practices, ensuring no patient inquiry goes unanswered.
- Appointment Scheduling Web-based appointment scheduling and confirmation services for doctors' offices, dental practices, and other medical facilities, freeing office staff to focus on patient care.
- Startel Secure Messaging HIPAA-compliant secure messaging platform enabling encrypted text messages, voicemail, fax, and email delivery with receipt notifications, remote wipe, and auto-expire functionality for medical practices.
- Emergency Dispatch / Call Overflow Call overflow service that extends office staff capacity during high-volume periods and routes emergency calls to live operators, preventing busy signals and ensuring urgent patient issues are addressed.
- Doctors & Clinics Service Specialized answering services for doctor's offices and clinics across multiple medical specialties including internal medicine, OBGYN, pediatrics, ophthalmology, urology, and orthopedics.
- Hospice Service Answering services for hospice care facilities providing empathetic support for families and patients, handling routine home care, continuous home care, general inpatient care, and respite care inquiries.
- Dental Offices Service Answering services for dental practices including appointment scheduling, call patching for emergencies, and patient information handling.
- IntelliSite Client Portal Web-based client access portal for managing account settings, viewing call logs, and accessing messages in real time.
Quantifiable outcome
- 14-day free trial and 48-hour onboarding reduces customer acquisition risk
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Physicians Answering Service
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Physicians Answering Service technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Physicians Answering Service partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Startel CorporationcoreStartel provides the Secure Messaging Plus platform used by Physicians Answering Service for HIPAA-compliant text messaging. Features include receipt notifications, remote wipe, voice and image attachments, auto-expire messaging with configurable 30-day message life, and full encryption.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Physicians Answering Service competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PatLive: PatLive offers live answering, after-hours, and overflow services to SMBs with medical and dental verticals, using tiered pricing analogous to PAS and targeting the same healthcare customer base.
- VoiceNation: VoiceNation delivers live answering, after-hours coverage, and appointment scheduling for medical and professional services with tiered monthly plans, directly competing with PAS on price and feature set.
- AnswerConnect: AnswerConnect provides 24/7 live receptionist and answering services to SMBs including healthcare practices, with HIPAA-compliant options and similar subscription pricing—directly comparable in service model and target customer.
- Abacus Answering Service: Abacus Answering Service provides 24/7 live answering for medical, dental, and hospice practices with HIPAA-compliant messaging—directly comparable in target verticals and service model to PAS.
- Ruby Receptionists: Ruby Receptionists provides live virtual receptionist services for small businesses including medical and dental practices, offering call answering, appointment scheduling, and message delivery with a similar SMB healthcare focus.
- MAP Communications: MAP Communications offers after-hours answering, call patching, and appointment scheduling for medical and dental offices with tiered pricing similar to PAS, making it a head-to-head competitor in the SMB healthcare answering market.
- Specialty Answering Service: Specialty Answering Service provides 24/7 live answering with dedicated focus on medical and dental practices, including HIPAA-compliant messaging and appointment scheduling—directly mirroring Physicians Answering Service's positioning and SMB customer base.
Emerging players
- Smith.ai: Smith.ai blends live receptionists with AI chatbots for SMBs including healthcare, offering 24/7 coverage and appointment scheduling—an emerging hybrid model that overlaps with PAS's live-operator offering while signaling the AI-driven direction of the category.
Others
- Startel Corporation: Startel is the technology vendor whose Secure Messaging Plus platform underpins PAS's HIPAA-compliant messaging; included as an ecosystem/technology peer rather than a direct competitor, since Startel enables rather than competes with PAS.
Broad incumbents
- AnswerNet: AnswerNet is a larger, multi-site answering service and contact center operator with broad vertical coverage including healthcare; competes with PAS on scale, redundancy, and enterprise features but lacks PAS's exclusive medical positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Physicians Answering Service social profiles
Digital presencePhysicians Answering Service compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Physicians Answering Service financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Physicians Answering Service leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Physicians Answering Service funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Physicians Answering Service M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Physicians Answering Service
What does Physicians Answering Service do?
Physicians Answering Service provides 24/7 live operator call answering for medical professionals including after-hours coverage, overflow handling, appointment scheduling, and HIPAA-compliant secure messaging. The company exclusively serves doctors' offices, clinics, hospices, and dental practices across the United States and Canada, leveraging the Startel Secure Messaging Plus platform for encrypted communications. Services are delivered via tiered monthly subscription plans with no contracts and onboarding in as little as 48 hours.
Is Physicians Answering Service a public or private company?
Physicians Answering Service is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Physicians Answering Service founded?
Physicians Answering Service was founded in 1990. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Physicians Answering Service based?
Physicians Answering Service is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Physicians Answering Service make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Monthly Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are usage-Based Overage Charges and add-on Services.
Who are Physicians Answering Service's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PatLive, VoiceNation, AnswerConnect, Abacus Answering Service, Ruby Receptionists, MAP Communications and Specialty Answering Service. Smith.ai is listed as an emerging player. Startel Corporation is listed as an others. AnswerNet is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Physicians Answering Service have an API?
No public API is recorded for Physicians Answering Service.
What industry is Physicians Answering Service in?
Physicians Answering Service's product category is Medical Answering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACAEAC, Omnichannel Patient Communications & Contact Center (Voice/SMS/Email/Chat), with a secondary code of HLACADAH, Patient Communications (Reminders/Confirmations/Recalls). Its NAICS code is 621498 and its SIC code is 8000.