Our team has a high bar and a proven process that we use to find the best virtual assistants for healthcare providers:
Read more about our vetting process: Why Most Global Hiring Fails, And How the Ataraxis Vetting Process Fixes It
George was professional, responsive and a pleasure to work with throughout the hiring process. He took the time to understand my needs and connected me with an excellent candidate. I truly appreciate his support and would highly recommend his recruiting services.
As a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner running a solo telehealth and in-person practice, I needed a virtual medical assistant who could manage patient scheduling, EHR workflows, and front-office coordination with minimal oversight.
My VA through Ataraxis has been exactly that. She handles new patient intake, manages our scheduling and messaging, and keeps everything running while I focus on patient care. What surprised me most is how she’s become a real thought partner. I’ll ask her to review a conversation or an email and she gives me a straight, honest read. That kind of judgment is hard to find. She’s now taking on more responsibilities as we expand our services, and she told me she’s in it for the long haul.
I only wish I had done this sooner. If you’re a mental health provider considering a HIPAA-compliant virtual assistant, don’t wait.
We’ve had an excellent experience working with Ataraxis and are so impressed. Their virtual assistants are professional, reliable, and highly skilled. The onboarding process was smooth, communication is consistent, and they truly understand how to match the right assistant to the right business needs.
They’ve helped us streamline operations and stay organized without the overhead of hiring in-house. I highly recommend them to any business looking for dependable virtual support.
I made a hire through Ataraxis a few months ago.
As it goes in any hiring process, when you meet the right person, you know immediately. I knew when I met the 5th candidate that she’d be the one.
3 weeks into her job she had a fundamental mastery of her own responsibilities. 2 weeks later, she assumed a whole new set of responsibilities on top of that. And now she’s a fully integrated part of my team.
10/10 will work with Ataraxis again.
We’ve had a really good experience working with Ataraxis. They make it easy to find talented healthcare virtual assistants, who have great attention to detail, at affordable rates. The team is very easy to work with and keeps in touch regularly, checking in to make sure everything is running smoothly and that we’re satisfied with our assistants. Overall, it’s been a smooth, professional experience from start to finish.
George has been a great help throughout this process, which was new to us. His team sourced some great candidates for us to choose from, and we are really happy with our hire. George has also conducted regular check-ins and follow-ups. He is happy to share his personal insights and experience around structuring the job description, onboarding, and getting the best out of this recruitment process. I would definitely recommend George and his business for VA solutions.
George and his team did a fantastic job placing a Talent Sourcer on my team. She’s smart, communicates well, works diligently, and is a self-starter. Bonus points, her background (10 years!) is in an industry directly adjacent to ours. As such, she was able to catch on extremely fast and onboarding her was a breeze. My only gripe is that I wish I had taken this on sooner. Thanks Ataraxis!
George reached out to me on LinkedIn, and while I rarely respond to cold outreach offering services, his approach felt thoughtful and genuine, so I decided to explore what his firm had to offer. We’ve been considering offshore talent for several years but hadn’t made the leap, as we hadn’t found the right offshore partner. Recently, we started working with Ataraxis, and it’s been a fantastic experience—they quickly sourced an exceptional contractor for our recruiting team and ran a smooth, efficient process from start to finish.
Highly Recommend!
I had the absolute pleasure of working with George, and I can confidently say that his expertise and guidance have been game-changing for my business. On our first conversation, George provided clear, actionable strategies tailored to my recruitment challenges. His deep industry knowledge, tested outreach methods, and data-driven approach set him apart.
If you’re a recruiter or business owner looking for expert-level guidance on client acquisition, outreach, and recruitment processes, I highly recommend working with George. His advice is practical, results-driven, and delivered with professionalism and genuine care for your success.
Thank you, George, for your time, insights, and the motivation to push forward with confidence!
I was pretty hesitant about hiring people offshore, but had a fantastic experience working with Ataraxis to hire a virtual recruiter for my business. They connected me with Anabel, who’s based in the Philippines and has been incredible—she’s extremely hard-working, quick to learn, and always brings a great attitude to her work. Now I’m thinking about how I can build a team around her.
The entire process with Ataraxis has been seamless, and they regularly check in to make sure I’m happy with the service they’ve provided. It’s clear they truly care about their clients’ success. I highly recommend Ataraxis to anyone looking to grow their team with quality talent!
Mental health demand in the U.S. continues to surge, with over one-third of Americans living in areas facing critical provider shortages. This impacts nearly 160 million people, and almost half the population lacks proper access to care due to a nationwide shortfall of licensed professionals.
That leaves therapists stretched thin, managing growing caseloads while handling admin behind the scenes.
The situation
A psychiatric nurse practitioner running a solo outpatient practice was drowning in administrative work. Her in-office admin left a trail of incomplete, error-ridden EHR entries. When that person eventually resigned without notice, the practice was left with unanswered patient calls, a scheduling backlog, and a clinician spending her evenings doing chart cleanup instead of clinical work.
It’s a pattern that’s all too common in small behavioral health practices. The front-desk and back-office burden falls on whoever’s available, and patient care is the thing that quietly suffers.
The shift
Rather than hiring another local admin at Austin’s going rate of roughly $50K/year plus benefits, she brought on a virtual assistant through Ataraxis. The candidate was based in the Philippines with five-plus years of U.S. behavioral health experience, and was vetted through a full EHR simulation, HIPAA compliance review, and reference check before the first introduction.
Total cost: $2,000/month, all-in.
What changed in the first 30 days
The EHR backlog was cleared in two weeks. Standardized intake templates were built out. Patient calls were being answered within three rings, and appointment waitlist volume dropped by 40%. The practice finally had documented SOPs for refill requests, lab tracking, and prior authorizations, workflows that had previously lived entirely in one person’s head.
If your front desk is a bottleneck, whether that’s call volume, scheduling gaps, or chart work piling up after hours, this is what a well-placed virtual assistant actually looks like in practice.
No long-term contracts.
Hiring a virtual assistant for your therapy practice through Ataraxis delivers HIPAA-aware, behavioral-health-trained admin support at a fraction of U.S. salaries, handling intake, scheduling, and billing while keeping overhead low.
Offshore staffing through Ataraxis costs a fraction of what a comparable U.S. hire runs once you factor in salary, benefits, payroll tax, and recruiting overhead. There are no upfront fees, no lock-in contracts, and no billing surprises. The numbers below show exactly what you pay and what you save.
174 hrs · $11/hr all-in
87 hrs · $12/hr all-in
vs. $60–97k for a U.S. hire
2–3 vetted candidates
Here’s how virtual assistant companies like Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.PH, and Ataraxis compare on key hiring criteria.
Bringing on a remote team member in a therapy practice is not the same as hiring a virtual assistant for a retail business. The moment someone accesses a client’s PHI (protected health information), whether that’s pulling up a chart, confirming a session, or routing a message to you, HIPAA applies. Full stop.
At Ataraxis, every virtual assistant for therapists signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) before day one. They’re trained on HIPAA requirements and PHI handling best practices, work through secure, encrypted connections, and follow access protocols that limit PHI exposure to only what’s needed for the task at hand. Your practice remains the covered entity. We make sure your virtual staff holds up their end of the obligation.
This is not a checkbox exercise. It’s how we protect your clients, your license, and your practice.
Medical Virtual Assistant & Healthcare Admin Specialist | Kenya
$11/hr for full-time, $12/hr for part-time | US hours | Available now
Joyce is a Kenya-based Medical Virtual Assistant with 3+ years of direct US healthcare experience, a BS in Foods, Nutrition & Dietetics and fluent professional English developed through years of client-facing roles with US and international organizations. Her clinical academic background gives her a meaningful edge in understanding medical context, patient communication, and documentation accuracy.
She spent nearly three years as a Medical VA for a US family practice, where she was managing physician calendars, patient scheduling, EMR documentation (Accuro and OSCAR), lab and pharmacy coordination, insurance inquiries, and prescription follow-ups. Most recently she supported small mental health counseling practice as a Practice Assistant, handling TherapyNotes, insurance verification, claims submission, payment processing, and intake workflows.
EMR/Software: Accuro, OSCAR EMR, TherapyNotes, RingCentral, Square, Notion, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Canva, Slack
References (10/10 and 10/10 re-hire): Both a supervising Office Manager and a Media Manager independently confirmed she consistently exceeded expectations, maintained zero connectivity issues, and proactively created systems that improved team efficiency.
“She is absolutely wonderful and a joy to work with. I wish I had more for her to do and would give her a high recommendation to another employer. She is quick to respond, great with questions, very well organized and has great communication skills. If there is some way I can be a formal reference for her I am more than happy to do so.”
Best fit for: Family practices, behavioral health therapists, and telehealth platforms needing a HIPAA-aware, US-experienced Medical VA for scheduling, EMR management, patient communication, and insurance follow-ups.
Healthcare VA & Patient Care Coordinator | Psychiatry & Integrative Medicine | Philippines
$12/hr for full-time ($2,100/month), $13/hr for part-time ($1,200/month) | US hours | Available now
Alexies is a Philippines-based Healthcare Virtual Assistant with 5+ years supporting US-based psychiatry, integrative medicine, and home health organizations, and fluent professional English across phone, chat, and email. She completed STEM studies and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, giving her a systems-minded edge with EHRs and workflow tools.
Most recently she supported a Texas-based integrative psychiatry and wellness practice, progressing from Medical Virtual Assistant to Business Operations Manager, where she coordinated provider onboarding, multi-state licensing and credentialing across six states, patient scheduling, insurance eligibility verification via Availity, and prior authorization documentation for specialty treatments like Spravato/esketamine, all in Charm EHR. Earlier she coordinated caregiver scheduling, EVV visit verification, and payroll for a US private-duty senior home care agency, and served as a healthcare-billing subject matter expert and trainer in a high-volume contact center.
EHR/software: Charm EHR, Availity, WellSky, Viventium, RingRx, Airtable, Dialpad, GoTo, Google Workspace
Reference: The clinic owner and lead clinician, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, said she’d absolutely work with Alexies again and recommend her without hesitation.
Best fit for: Behavioral health and psychiatry practices, integrative medicine clinics, telehealth platforms, and home health agencies needing a HIPAA-conscious VA for scheduling, credentialing, insurance verification, and operations support.
Medical Virtual Assistant & Behavioral Health Biller | Philippines
$11/hr for full-time, $12/hr for part-time | US hours | Available now
Sheila is a Philippines-based Medical Virtual Assistant with nearly a decade of US healthcare experience, HIPAA certification, and fluent professional English developed through direct training by American clients at Aetna. She holds a BS in Biology and completed advanced coursework in Medicine and Allied Fields.
She spent six years supporting a US healthcare insurance account, progressing from Healthcare Specialist to Subject Matter Expert to Team Lead managing 17-20 agents, handling medical and behavioral health claims, insurance verification, prior authorizations, CPT/ICD-10 coding, and HIPAA compliance.
Most recently she spent three years at a US mental health telemedicine company, as a Behavioral Health Biller and Patient Coordinator managing claims, pre-certifications, EHR records, and provider scheduling.
EHR/software: SimplePractice, TheraNest, Athenahealth, AdvancedMD, NaviNet, CoverMyMeds, Zendesk, RingCentral, Google Workspace.
References (10/10 and 9/10 re-hire): Two former managers described her as consistently exceeding performance targets and one of the strongest assets on the team.
Best fit for: Mental health practices, behavioral health telehealth platforms, and medical billing teams needing HIPAA-certified, US-trained expertise in insurance verification, claims, and patient coordination.
A Virtual Assistant for Therapists is a remote administrative professional trained to handle the day-to-day operations of a therapy practice. They manage client-facing communication, scheduling, intake coordination, insurance verification, and EHR data entry, working within your existing workflows and systems so there’s minimal disruption to your care delivery.
A Junior Virtual Assistant typically has 0–2 years of experience and handles essential support tasks such as answering client inquiries, scheduling sessions, and updating basic client information. They are familiar with EHR systems, mental health terminology, and HIPAA compliance requirements.
A good fit for solo practitioners who need reliable support for scheduling, inbox management, and basic intake. Works best with defined SOPs and regular check-ins from the supervising therapist.
With 2–5 years of experience, a Mid-Level Virtual Assistant manages a broader range of responsibilities, including insurance verification, claims submission, prior authorization follow-up, and coordinating intake across multiple clients. They are skilled in using EHR platforms, managing confidential data, and resolving routine client questions with minimal oversight.
Well-suited for group practices or growing solo practices that need someone who can work independently across billing, scheduling, and client communication.
A Senior Virtual Assistant brings 5+ years of experience and excels in overseeing the full administrative function of a practice, from complex scheduling and billing oversight to workflow optimization. They often train junior staff, refine SOPs, and act as the first point of contact for escalated client or billing issues.
A strong fit for group practices or multi-provider clinics looking for someone to own the administrative function end-to-end.
Many of our virtual assistants have graduate degrees, so you’ll have access to high-level expertise, without the price tag.
Switching platforms is not the solution. Your virtual assistant integrates directly into the EHR you already use. Our candidates are screened for familiarity with the major systems used across mental health, psychiatry, and behavioral health practices. Below are the platforms we actively recruit for. If you are running something not listed here, let us know and we will screen specifically for that experience.
Scheduling, notes, billing, and telehealth support.
Documentation, scheduling, and billing workflows.
Integrated clinical documentation, patient engagement, and revenue cycle support.
Behavioral health scheduling, charting, and billing.
Behavioral health EHR workflows, e-prescribing, and billing.
Insurance paneling, credentialing support, and session admin.
Administrative support for practices operating.
Clinical workflows, population health tools, and billing.
Managed billing, scheduling, and documentation.
Not seeing your platform? We screen candidates for any EHR your practice runs. Contact us to request a platform-specific search, or browse our full list of supported EHR systems to see the complete range of platforms we recruit for.
Your Virtual Assistant should have a solid grasp of behavioral health admin workflows and understand how their role protects your clinical time. They’ll manage inbound client inquiries and messages, handle scheduling and session reminders, collect intake paperwork, verify insurance eligibility, submit claims, and route sensitive or urgent matters to you per your escalation protocol, all using secure, HIPAA-compliant communication tools.
When this role is staffed well, the impact is measurable. No-show rates drop, intake moves faster, billing stays current, and client satisfaction improves. It also reduces the administrative burden that leads to therapist burnout, protecting the time you actually trained to spend on care.
Answer inquiries with empathy, collect digital intake forms, and ensure all paperwork is complete before the first session.
Book, reschedule, and confirm sessions while managing cancellations and rebooking no-shows to keep your calendar optimized.
Check client benefits, confirm eligibility, and handle prior authorizations so there are no surprises at the time of service.
Submit insurance claims accurately and track reimbursements within your EHR or billing platform.
Send appointment reminders via email, text, or client portals to reduce late arrivals and last-minute cancellations.
Assist with formatting and organizing therapist-dictated notes or session summaries to streamline documentation.
Sort incoming messages, flag important client emails, and respond to routine questions promptly and professionally.
Send invoices, monitor outstanding balances, and follow up on unpaid sessions without adding to your plate.
Draft patient newsletters, post gentle reminders, or create social media updates to keep your community engaged and informed.
Track incoming referrals, follow up on prior authorization status, and keep providers updated so treatment isn’t delayed by paperwork.
Monitor and respond to messages in your client portal, upload intake documents, and keep client records current between sessions.
Reach out to clients who miss or cancel sessions, reschedule promptly, and flag patterns that may need clinical attention.
Clients get through when they call or message, intake moves faster, and scheduling gaps get filled before they become no-shows.
You spend less time on paperwork, insurance follow-up, and inbox management, and more time with clients.
You get experienced, full-time admin support at a fraction of the cost of a local hire, without benefits, PTO, or office space.
Ataraxis does the heavy lifting by thoroughly screening and vetting virtual assistants before they’re matched with you. This means you won’t waste time sorting through unqualified candidates.
Ataraxis virtual assistants are fluent in English and skilled at communicating professionally, ensuring there’s no miscommunication in your day-to-day tasks.
Unlike many freelancers who may not align with your work hours, Ataraxis virtual assistants are willing (and happy) to work in your time zone, making collaboration seamless.
All Ataraxis VAs are college educated and have specialized experience in various fields, so you can trust them to hit the ground running.
Hiring through Ataraxis gives you access to ongoing support. If your team of virtual assistants needs adjustments, Ataraxis is there to help, unlike freelancer platforms where you’re on your own.
Freelancer platforms often attract short-term gig workers who juggle multiple client projects at the same time. Ataraxis virtual assistants are committed to building lasting partnerships with one employer, becoming a true extension of your team.
When you’re ready to hire a virtual assistant, the best location depends on the mix of cost, language skills, time-zone overlap, and talent depth your business needs. Here’s a quick tour of the best regions, each with clear advantages and a few trade-offs, to help you decide where to hire a virtual assistant who fits your workflow.
We created the Global Outsourcing Talent Index, a data-backed audit of all 193 UN-recognized countries scored across five variables: labor cost, English proficiency, talent availability, digital infrastructure, and political stability.
The results were eye opening and are frequently cited by major news sites and industry blogs all over the world.
Pros:
It’s no surprise that many business owners choose to hire a Filipino virtual assistant. Candidates from this region have strong English proficiency, familiarity with western business culture, and experience working for U.S. clients. 24/7 support is also easy because night-shift work is common.
This region excels in customer service, lead generation, virtual assistance, data entry, bookkeeping, medical billing, and healthcare administrative support.
Cons:
Increasing demand for Filipino VAs is slowly pushing wages up and internet outages during typhoon season occasionally interrupt service.
*Ataraxis virtual assistants from this region have power and internet backups to minimize service interruption and are willing to work in your time zone.
Pros:
Near-shore time zones mean you can hire a virtual assistant who works the same hours as your U.S. team, reducing lag on urgent tasks. Businesses with a large Spanish-speaking customer base may also benefit from hiring bilingual virtual assistants.
This region excels in sales development, business development, digital marketing, customer success, and account management.
Cons:
Hourly rates are much higher and the talent pool is much smaller compared to the Philippines and other regions.
Pros:
Highly educated, English-first workforce with a neutral accent, which is a big plus for phone-based support, especially for U.K. and Australian companies. South Africa overlaps with U.S. mornings and U.K. afternoons, which is ideal for trans-Atlantic operations.
This region excels in virtual assistance, healthcare administrative support, sales development, business development, digital marketing, customer success, content moderation, and account management.
Cons:
Cost of talent sits between Latin America and the Philippines, trimming, but not eliminating, cost savings.
Pros:
Rapidly growing BPO sector that is less competitive compared to the Philippines and Latin America. Top candidates from this region have accents that are almost indistinguishable from U.S. based staff.
This region excels in virtual assistance, executive assistance, software engineering, accounting, data entry, social media management, and business development.
Cons:
Infrastructure and internet reliability still improving outside major hubs.
Pros:
Near-shore location for U.S companies delivers real-time collaboration for East-Coast teams and fluent English support. Very competitive operating costs versus onshore hires.
This region excels in customer service, BPO call centers, healthcare claims, technical support, and help desk support.
Cons:
Smaller population means fewer specialised VAs, so scaling a large team may be harder. Hourly rates trend closer to Latin American levels given limited supply.
Pros:
Countries in this region are well-known for high education levels and strong work ethic. Arguably, the deepest talent pools for technical roles and has an ideal time zone overlap for European companies.
This region excels in software engineering, quality assurance, DevOps, data analytics, and other technical roles.
Cons:
Costs are much higher than the Philippines, East Africa, and time zone differences may be a bigger obstacle for U.S. companies.
Hiring your first virtual assistant is perfectly doable on your own, but most business owners underestimate the hours it takes to sift through resumes, schedule calls, and run multiple interview rounds. Research shows that the DIY path typically drags on for weeks (or months), involves several interviews, and can still lead to mis-hires if you rush the vetting stage.
List everything you want your virtual assistant to own and create detailed instructions. Clarifying scope upfront helps with long term retention and minimizes confusion.
Having a set schedule helps create structure and consistency.
Write a descriptive JD with required experience, KPIs, schedule expectations, etc.
Post your job description to virtual assistant websites and craft a recruitment message you can use to reach out to candidates directly.
Expect to screen 40-100 candidates to find your ideal virtual assistant.
Give 2-3 finalist candidates a short take-home assignment to test their attention-to-detail, responsiveness, and work product.
A bad hire can cost up to 50% of first-year pay, so doing your due diligence is cheap insurance.
Draft an employment or contractor agreement, include an NDA, and grant tool access.
When you hire a virtual assistant through Ataraxis, you skip steps 2-7, saving you weeks of lost productivity.
Whether you’re growing a private practice or streamlining operations in a group setting, hiring a virtual assistant for your therapy practice can help you improve care, reduce burnout, and protect your time.
Start Hiring a Virtual Assistant Today
We source top talent globally from regions including the Philippines, Latin America, South Africa, and East Africa, and beyond.
Our team screens over 200 applicants with a 5% acceptance rate. Every candidate goes through:
You’ll only meet the top 3–4 finalists we’ve personally vetted and approved.
Read more about our vetting process here.
For each role, we’ll shortlist 3–4 highly qualified finalists based on your requirements. You’ll have the opportunity to interview each candidate and decide who’s the best fit for your team.
We set up and maintain secure VPN access and use timekeeping and productivity monitoring tools to ensure accountability. All staff are trained in data security best practices to maintain compliance and confidentiality.
Protecting PHI is a top priority. All staff sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) and strict confidentiality agreements, and Ataraxis signs BAAs with all of our customers. Our internal processes and systems are designed to maintain full HIPAA compliance at every level.
Ataraxis has been operating for just under two years, but our roots run deep. Our founder has led a successful recruitment business for nine years, employing global talent within that company as well. (We eat our own cooking.)
Yes. Once hired, your chosen candidate will work exclusively for you on a full-time basis. They’ll act as a dedicated member of your team, fully aligned with your goals and workflow.
We take care of all the back-end work including compliance, paperwork, and payroll. You’ll simply receive a monthly Stripe invoice for each person you hire, making the process seamless and hassle-free.
No. Our agreements are month-to-month, giving you complete flexibility. There are no deposits or lock-in contracts.
Hiring a virtual assistant saves money compared to having full-time office staff. This lets you and your team focus more on growing your business and doing what you do best.
Great virtual assistants for therapists often come from countries and regions like the Philippines, South Africa, Latin America, East Africa, and Eastern Europe. These countries are known for their skilled workers who speak fluent English and have strong work ethics.
Yes! At Ataraxis, your virtual assistant will match your local time zone, making teamwork easy and smooth.
US-based virtual assistants for therapists usually cost $25 to $50 per hour. Ataraxis offers MBA-level, full-time virtual assistants starting at just $11 per hour. This means you get great help for up to 70% less.
We keep your information safe by using secure VPN connections, regular monitoring, and privacy agreements signed by every virtual assistant.
Payments are easy and secure with Stripe. We also promise 100% satisfaction – if you’re not happy, we’ll fix it right away.
It depends on your workload. We offer both full-time and part-time virtual assistants, so you can choose the option that fits how much support you actually need. Full-time VAs tend to integrate deeper into your team and build more institutional knowledge over time, while part-time VAs are a good fit if you have a narrower, well-defined set of tasks.
Check out our pricing page to see rates for both options.
Ataraxis uses software to monitor your assistant’s activities, ensuring they are always working efficiently and staying productive.
It’s best to set up clear communication methods right from the start. You can use popular tools like Slack, WhatsApp, Zoom, or email, based on what works best for you.
Your satisfaction is our #1 priority. If you’re not happy, we’ll quickly address the issue and find you a better match, or issue a prorated refund if needed.
Great communication skills, attention to detail, strong work ethics, time zone alignment, work from home readiness, and problem solving skills. We carefully choose assistants based on their skills, experience, availability, and special abilities to make sure they match your business needs.
Yes! Many businesses find virtual assistants deliver even better quality work, especially for specialized tasks.
Paying very low rates, like $2-3 per hour, usually means getting less skilled workers and lower quality work. Ataraxis offers affordable assistants who are highly skilled.
It usually takes 1-2 weeks to get your virtual assistant fully onboarded and familiar with your business, ensuring you work well together from the very beginning.
Absolutely. They send text and email reminders, confirm attendance the day before, and offer to move sessions online when patients can’t make it in person, all of which helps reduce no-shows.
They gather basic details and follow your scripted escalation protocol, then transfer urgent situations to you or a designated on-call clinician. They never provide clinical advice.
