Practitioners wear a lot of hats throughout the day. Running the front desk, managing clinic finances, keeping the website going. And all of that sits alongside actually treating patients or clients.

A busy practice generates a volume of admin work that one person, especially one whose primary job is treating patients, was never meant to absorb alone. That’s what Jane’s virtual receptionists and assistants are trained to do, to help with some of this load.

Ginger Desk to Jane

A naturopathic physician with 20 years in practice and founder of Restoration Health Clinic, Dr. Julie Durnan, ND, saw her colleagues struggling with a few key aspects of their practices. “I saw the gap in the market. Practitioners were doing their own admin, and they didn’t know where to turn for support,” Julie says. Additionally, hiring felt like a big hurdle to overcome on their own.

Meanwhile, emails went unanswered, practitioners were responding to patients after their kids went to bed, and insurance approvals were squeezed in between consults. The clinical work was where her colleagues thrived, but the administrative scaffolding around it was collapsing.

That observation became the foundation of Ginger Desk, a virtual assistant service Julie built for health practitioners, which is now part of Jane. Today, those same virtual assistants operate as Jane’s virtual assistant and receptionist services, which means practitioners can access trained, human, support directly through the platform already running their clinic.

What are virtual assistants and virtual receptionists?

Jane’s virtual assistants and receptionists are real people who are able to hop in and work as a natural extension of your team. If you need to supplement your existing front desk staff, that’s available. Or if you’re hoping to hand off the admin entirely, the service is flexible enough to fit your clinic’s needs.

Coverage runs from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm across all time zones in both Canada and the US, from Monday through Friday. And because the team are Jane experts, there’s very little ramp-up time needed. They already understand the platform, the workflows, and what a busy clinic day looks like.

Virtual receptionist (VR)

A virtual receptionist is the real human on the other end of the line that patients hear when they call your clinic. Beyond the phones, they handle it all: scheduling appointments, updating patient information, and making sure no call goes unanswered. They’re front desk staff, just remote.

Virtual assistant (VA)

A virtual assistant handles the admin work that lives outside the phone. That includes managing your inbox, responding to patient emails, collecting payment and insurance information, uploading documents, and supporting the day-to-day workflows that keep your clinic moving.

Some clinics use a VA, some use a VR, and some use both.

Real people, supporting your practice

With Jane’s virtual receptionists and assistants, the support for your practice is human.

A virtual receptionist is a real person working on your behalf. They can navigate the unexpected, adjust their approach mid-conversation, and handle the kind of nuanced back-and-forth that defines a front desk interaction in a clinical setting. Jane’s admin assistants are in the same boat. Real people, trained on your workflows, and available during your clinic hours.

Support for your existing team

A lot of practices use virtual support to give their existing team more breathing room, especially for repetitive or behind-the-scenes work.

And for solo practitioners, it’s often a way to keep pace with a growing practice before bringing on permanent staff. Julie finds practices really start to feel the benefit within two months, “Around eight weeks of working with a practice, we’ve seen practitioners pass off everything. They realize how good it feels to have someone helping them, and they see that they can earn more revenue if they’re not doing the minutiae of the administrative tasks.”

How to get started

At Jane, pricing depends on which services you need and the level of support that fits your clinic. The best starting point is a discovery call, where the team learns about your workflows, your volume, and what kind of support would actually make a difference.

And it’s important to note that you do need to be an active Jane customer to access these services. Not using Jane yet? That’s something they can help you get started with, too.

If you’d like to learn more or get in touch with the team, we’d love to speak with you.

FAQ

What does a virtual receptionist or assistant do for a healthcare practice?

A virtual receptionist handles the front desk functions of your clinic remotely. That includes answering phones, scheduling appointments, and fielding patient inquiries, without being physically present in your clinic. In a medical context, it’s particularly useful for practices that need consistent, responsive coverage but aren’t ready to hire a full-time, in-house team.

A virtual assistant handles the admin work that lives outside the phone. That includes important background work like managing your inbox, collecting payment and insurance information, and uploading documents.

What’s the difference between a virtual receptionist and an AI assistant?

A virtual receptionist is a real person. An AI assistant is software designed to handle pre-set interactions automatically. Both have a place in a modern practice, but they serve different needs. Jane’s virtual receptionist and admin assistants all have a real, live human on the other side.

In the future should Jane offer an AI alternative, it will always be clearly labeled as AI-powered.

How does my clinic work with a VA or VR, practically?

During onboarding, the virtual assistant or receptionist will work with the clinic to create a manual of all the policies and procedures of your clinic. This is what the assistants and receptionists will reference to be sure they’re handling things correctly. And since your virtual assistant or receptionist is working within your Jane account, you’ll have full visibility into what they’re doing.

Is my patient data safe with a virtual receptionist or assistant service?

Jane meets HIPAA, PIPEDA, and SOC 2 Type 2 standards, and the virtual receptionist and admin assistant services operate within those same compliance frameworks. The team is trained to handle patient information with the same care and discretion you’d expect from your own staff.

Do I need a specific Jane plan to access virtual receptionist or assistant services?

No specific plan is required, but you do need to be an active Jane customer. If you’re not using Jane yet, the team can help you get set up.

Can a virtual assistant help with insurance billing?

Yes, the team can support Direct Insurance Billing in Canada and prior authorizations in the US.

What hours does coverage run?

The team provides support from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm across all timezones in Canada and the US from Monday through Friday.