Last updated: 2026-08-24
Honest Taskers, Ditto Transcripts, and Hello Rache lead this year's shortlist of optometry virtual medical assistant companies, seven firms ranked on published pricing, the Business Associate Agreement position each states in its own words, commitment terms, and what each publishes about itself. For optometry practices the work that matters is booking routine eye exams and contact lens fittings against the recall cycle. Below we set out which recall work a remote assistant can run, how a vision plan claim is told from a medical one, what the work costs, whether a provider knows both benefit types, and what to fix before the next cycle. Of the seven here, three publish a rate and three state a signed BAA, and those two columns narrow the list faster than any claim about quality.
Disclosure: Honest Taskers publishes this list and appears at position 1. We're judged on the same five published criteria as every other company here.
At a glance
- 1Honest Taskers
- 2Ditto Transcripts
- 3Hello Rache
- 4HelpSquad Health
- 5MEDVA
- 6My Mountain Mover
- 7DocVA
How we chose the best optometry virtual medical assistant companies
We ranked these firms on five facts, each read at the provider's own website on August 24, 2026: the scope each offers optometry practices, the HIPAA and Business Associate Agreement position in the firm's exact wording, published pricing, commitment terms, and the verified detail each publishes. We ignored claims about screening quality and talent percentiles, because every firm in this market makes them and none is checkable from outside. What's checkable is what a firm will commit to. For optometry practices the additional question is whether the assistant can handle verifying vision plan and medical benefits separately without being taught the basics first.
Best optometry virtual medical assistant companies compared
The table ranks all 7 on the same columns, Honest Taskers first because we publish the list. Facts were read on August 24, 2026 and change often, so treat them as a starting point, not a quote.
| Company | What the firm offers | HIPAA / BAA as stated | Published pricing | Model | Notable verified facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honest Taskers | Hourly placed staff working in your own systems across reception, intake, records, prior authorization, billing support and patient outreach | BAA when PHI is accessed; HIPAA compliance verified by Accountable | $10.00–$12.65/hr | Hourly, no minimum; two-week trial | Licensed nurses and physicians in pool; 99.6% average monthly retention |
| Ditto Transcripts | Medical transcription with EHR, LIS and PACS interfaces | HIPAA-compliant | $0.10–$0.16/line | Documentation service | Category A AI-assisted with human editing; Category B 100% human, US-based; $0.10–$0.16/line; flat $0.25–$3.00 per report; HIPAA-compliant; 99% accuracy guaranteed |
| Hello Rache | Virtual medical scribe, receptionist, administrative assistant and optometry assistant roles; dental and veterinary lines | "HIPAA-Trained & Certified", but no BAA terms stated | $9.50 USD per hour | Cancel anytime, no long-term commitment | Scribe, receptionist, admin, optometry; Arizona offices |
| HelpSquad Health | Patient-facing voice work priced separately from back-office digital work (billing, claims, AR, data entry); live chat available | BAA and virtual desktop included in the rate; individual HIPAA certification per assistant | $8–10/hr back office; $10–13/hr patient-facing | 20 hrs/week minimum; 3-month rolling term | US-based and US-managed; $0 upfront, setup and replacement |
| MEDVA | Receptionists, administrative assistants, licensed medical assistants, certified scribes, billing assistants and RPM; bilingual Spanish | HIPAA training validated by a third party (Compliancy Group), but no BAA wording | Not publicly listed | No long-term commitment to begin; free replacement | 1,000+ practices: 400+ medicine, 200+ surgical, 290+ dental, 75+ PT |
| My Mountain Mover | Receptionist, scribe, administrative assistant and billing assistant roles across 50+ specialties, plus dental lines | Signed BAA is part of the contract for all healthcare clients | Not publicly listed | Hired within 7–14 days | 1000+ practices; 1600+ VAs; 50+ specialties; staff experienced in major EHRs |
| DocVA | Patient calls, scheduling, insurance verification and prior authorization, records and chart prep, billing and live scribing | "HIPAA-certified" assistants handling PHI to in-office standard, but no BAA wording | Not publicly listed | Contract with no lock-in; cancel anytime | RNs, pharmacists, certified billers; Philippines; 150+ practices |
Read the compliance and pricing columns together. The firms that publish a rate aren't the ones with the weakest compliance position, which is the usual assumption, and several firms publish neither a price nor commitment terms nor a Business Associate Agreement, which means three separate negotiations before you can compare them to anything. For optometry practices the scope column matters too, because since most patients carry both isn't work every provider has done before.
1. Honest Taskers
Best for: optometry practices that want a published hourly rate, a signed BAA and third-party verified compliance with no minimum.
Pricing: $10.00–$12.65/hrCompliance: HIPAA verified by Accountable; BAACommitment: Hourly, no minimumFirst hire: Two-week working trial
Honest Taskers is where this list starts because the compliance and pricing questions are answered in public rather than in a quote. For optometry practices the placed assistant works your time zone inside your own systems on booking routine eye exams and contact lens fittings against the recall cycle, verifying vision plan and medical benefits separately, since most patients carry both, and coordinating frame and contact lens orders and calling patients when they arrive. Staff are trained on HIPAA and data privacy under a dedicated compliance officer, a Business Associate Agreement is signed before anyone touches protected health information, and HIPAA compliance is verified by Accountable rather than asserted internally. The talent pool includes licensed nurses and physicians. Rates run $10.00 to $12.65 an hour depending on role, background, schedule and location, billed hourly with no weekly minimum, and the first hire comes with a two-week working trial. Honest Taskers reports 99.6% average monthly retention. See the multi-purpose virtual medical assistant service for role detail.
Limitation: staff work remotely and administratively, so clinical assessment, treatment decisions and every clinical conversation in optometry practices stays with your own clinicians, and Honest Taskers describes its security environment as SOC 2 audit ready rather than holding a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification of the kind Staffingly and MyOutDesk publish.
2. Ditto Transcripts
Best for: Optometry practices weighing a documentation option alongside placed assistants.
Pricing: $0.10–$0.16/lineCompliance: HIPAA-compliantModel: Documentation serviceCategory: Documentation
Ditto Transcripts is a documentation and transcription specialist, so it targets the charting load rather than the schedule. On its own site: Services: Medical transcription with EHR, LIS and PACS interfaces; People or AI: Category A AI-assisted with human editing; Category B 100% human, US-based; Published pricing: $0.10–$0.16/line.
Limitation: scribing isn't offered, so it covers transcription only
3. Hello Rache
Best for: optometry practices testing a remote hire on the lowest published rate with no commitment.
Pricing: $9.50/hrCompliance: HIPAA-trained and certifiedCommitment: Cancel anytimeBase: US offices in Arizona
Hello Rache is the lowest published rate among the firms listed here. It publishes $9.50 an hour on a cancel-anytime basis with no long-term commitment, which makes it a low-risk way to find out whether a remote hire works here at all. Roles cover virtual medical scribe, receptionist, administrative assistant and optometry assistant, with dental and veterinary lines alongside, and it operates US offices in Arizona.
Limitation: it names no Business Associate Agreement anywhere on its pricing page, which is the gap to close in writing first, and its own placement counters render as placeholder zeros.
4. HelpSquad Health
Best for: optometry practices wanting a full published rate card with the BAA and secure desktop built into it.
Pricing: $8–10/hr digital; $10–13/hr voiceCompliance: BAA and virtual desktop includedCommitment: 20 hrs/wk, 3-month termSetup: $0 upfront
HelpSquad Health publishes the only full rate card in this market. It is the only firm in this pool publishing a full rate card, separating back-office digital work at $8 to $10 an hour from patient-facing voice work at $10 to $13, with shared live chat from $185 to $600 a month. The rate includes a HIPAA BAA and a virtual desktop, and it states individual HIPAA certification for every assistant. It is US-based and US-managed with $0 upfront, implementation and replacement costs.
Limitation: the 20 hours a week minimum on a 3-month rolling term is the least flexible published commitment here, so it suits a settled need rather than a trial.
5. MEDVA
Best for: optometry practices wanting the largest verified practice base and certified scribes.
Pricing: Not publicly listedCompliance: Training validated by Compliancy GroupCommitment: None to beginScale: 1,000+ practices
MEDVA brings the largest verified practice base here. Its scale is the strongest verified claim in the pool: 1,000 or more practices, comprising 400 or more medicine clinics, 200 or more surgical practices, 290 or more dental and orthodontic offices and 75 or more physical therapy and chiropractic clinics. Staff include licensed medical assistants and certified medical scribes, screening is multi-stage with competency assessments, HIPAA and cybersecurity training is validated through third-party partner Compliancy Group, and a replacement is placed at no additional cost.
Limitation: no pricing is published, and its compliance position is third-party validated training rather than a stated Business Associate Agreement, so ask for the BAA explicitly.
6. My Mountain Mover
Best for: optometry practices that want a signed BAA as standard contract terms and breadth across specialties.
Pricing: Not publicly listedCompliance: Signed BAA in every healthcare contractCommitment: Not publicly listedSpeed: Hired in 7–14 days
My Mountain Mover settles the compliance question in the contract rather than in negotiation. It gives the clearest contractual answer here, stating that a signed HIPAA Business Associate Agreement is part of the contract provided to all healthcare clients rather than something you negotiate. Talent is described as pre-trained healthcare staff experienced in major EHR systems such as Epic and athenahealth, and it reports 1000 or more practices served, 1600 or more pre-trained assistants and coverage of 50 or more specialties, with hiring completed in 7 to 14 days.
Limitation: it publishes no pricing at all, and its claim that practices save up to 70% on overhead carries no published methodology.
7. DocVA
Best for: optometry practices whose work runs into clinical or medication questions and want no lock-in.
Pricing: Not publicly listedCompliance: HIPAA training (company-reported)Commitment: Contract, no lock-inStaff: RNs, pharmacists, certified billers
DocVA hires from a different pool than most, which shows on anything clinically adjacent. What's different is who it hires: it states every assistant is an experienced healthcare professional, naming registered nurses, pharmacists, certified billers and experienced medical scribes. Commercially it's unusually clear, stating there's a contract but no lock-in period and you can cancel at any time. Delivery is from the Philippines, assistants are described as HIPAA-certified handling protected health information to in-office standard, and it reports 1,000-plus assistants placed across 150 or more practices.
Limitation: no pricing is published, and while assistants are described as HIPAA-certified there is no Business Associate Agreement wording, which is the document that allocates liability.
Which optometry recall work can a virtual medical assistant run?
Booking routine eye exams and contact lens fittings against the recall cycle, and verifying vision plan and medical benefits separately. The cost gap is large: a medical secretary or administrative assistant earned a median $22.08 an hour, about $45,930 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 wage data for secretaries and administrative assistants, before benefits, payroll tax and a desk, against published remote rates from $9 an hour. Keep in the building whatever genuinely needs a person there: greeting patients, physical specimens and mail, and anything requiring a wet signature. The practical route is to start with the single task costing you the most rather than defining a whole role upfront, because the job's easier to scope once somebody's doing it. Hourly and cancel-anytime arrangements suit that far better than a quarterly minimum. For the task-level breakdown, see virtual medical assistant duties.
How does an optometry virtual medical assistant tell a vision plan claim from a medical one?
By checking both at booking, because optometry is where two benefit types collide daily, and four contractual points are settled alongside it.
- BAA versus HIPAA training. A Business Associate Agreement puts breach liability in writing. "HIPAA-trained" describes a person who sat a course. Five firms in this market state a BAA; the rest state training. Ask which you are getting, in writing.
- Vision plan billed as medical, or the reverse. Optometry is the specialty where two separate benefit types collide daily. Agree the verification script that establishes which applies before the visit, because getting it wrong means a rejected claim and an annoyed patient.
- Commitment before certainty. Terms run from a Flexi Plan with no minimum hours to a 3-month minimum at 20 hours a week. Match the term to how sure you are.
- Access scope. Grant the minimum systems access each task needs and review it quarterly and on every staff change.
- Time zone against your day. Ask for the shift pattern rather than the delivery country, which matters most where staff are offshore.
How much does an optometry virtual medical assistant cost?
Three firms publish a rate here. Honest Taskers is $10.00 to $12.65 an hour with no weekly minimum. Hello Rache is $9.50 an hour, cancel anytime. HelpSquad Health is $8 to $10 for back-office work and $10 to $13 for patient-facing, with a BAA and virtual desktop included but a 20 hours a week minimum on a rolling 3-month term. The other four on this list, Ditto Transcripts, MEDVA, My Mountain Mover and DocVA, quote on request. For optometry practices the unit worth computing is cost per exam booked with the correct benefit verified, which you can work out from a two-week sample rather than from a quote. Rates were checked on August 24, 2026 and change often. For rate context, see how much a virtual medical assistant costs in 2026.
Does the optometry virtual medical assistant company know both benefit types?
Ask how it decides which applies, plus a signed BAA, a published rate and an exit you can use.
- A signed Business Associate Agreement. Five firms in this market state one. Get the document before access, not after the first shift.
- A published rate. An undisclosed rate means you negotiate compliance terms alongside the money.
- An exit you can use. Cancel-anytime, no lock-in, month-to-month and a no-minimum Flexi Plan all exist here.
- Dual benefit verification. Ask how the assistant establishes whether a visit is vision-plan or medical before it happens.
- Named systems experience. Ask which practice management and EHR systems the specific assistant has worked in, and who trains them on yours.
What should an optometry virtual medical assistant fix before the next recall cycle?
The claims going out under the wrong benefit type, because they are countable now and avoidable next cycle.
- Measure one month of recall completion rate and claims rejected for wrong benefit type so you have a baseline to judge against.
- List the five tasks you would hand over in week one, with the system each requires.
- Mark which touch protected health information, which decides whether a BAA is mandatory.
- Shortlist on stated BAA, published pricing and exit terms before reading any quality claims.
- Review at four weeks against the baseline rather than against an impression, then widen scope.
For a fuller hiring walkthrough, read how to hire a virtual medical assistant.
Methodology and sources
We read each company's own website on August 24, 2026, recording the scope offered, the HIPAA and Business Associate Agreement position in each firm's exact wording, published pricing, commitment terms and the verified facts each publishes. We set aside claims about screening quality and talent percentiles, because every firm makes them and none is checkable from outside; where such figures appear above they are labelled as the company's own claim. Wage context is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Business Associate Agreement obligations are set by the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Where a company published no figure we marked it "not publicly listed" rather than guessing; practice counts, retention rates and savings claims are company-reported and we did not audit them. Portiva, Pearl Talent and Wishup were excluded because their sites refuse automated requests, and Phoenix Virtual Solutions was excluded because its domain now returns an expiration notice.
Related staffing guides
The fastest way to narrow this market is to decide which tasks touch patient data, because that single question removes several firms. Our explainer on what a virtual medical assistant is covers the scope a remote hire can own for optometry practices, and where the compliance obligation begins.
Speak with Honest Taskers about staffing optometry practices.