Cool Blue VA vs Medical Staff Relief
Both companies publish a rate, so they can actually be compared. Everything below is quoted from each company’s own website with the date we read it. Blank means the company publishes nothing on that point — click ⓘ to see which pages we checked.
| Cool Blue VA | Medical Staff Relief | |
|---|---|---|
| Published rate | $9.95/hr Verified i$9.95/hr comes from this sentence on their site: “Cool Blue VA Medical Virtual Assistants offers an affordable rate starting at $9.95 per hour for customer service virtual assistants.” | $10.00/hr Verified i$10.00/hr comes from this sentence on their site: “STARTING AT $10/HOUR” |
| Setup fee | Not disclosed Not stated i | None Verified iNone comes from this sentence on their site: “Services have no long-term contracts, setup fees, hidden fees, or cancellation penalties.” |
| Minimum commitment | No minimum Verified iNo minimum comes from this sentence on their site: “No contracts, no fees, or hidden charges. You can cancel anytime without cost.” | No minimum Verified iNo minimum comes from this sentence on their site: “Experience a hassle-free healthcare VA hiring process with complete flexibility—cancel anytime without commitment.” |
| Free trial | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Replacement guarantee | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Assistants based in | Philippines Verified iPhilippines comes from this sentence on their site: “All our Virtual Assistants are local Filipinos and are governed by the Philippines' Data Privacy Act of 2012.” | Philippines, Latin America Verified iPhilippines, Latin America comes from this sentence on their site: “At Medical Staff Relief, we offer high-quality virtual medical assistant services at competitive pricing by leveraging talent from the Philippines and Latin America (LATAM) for bilingual support.” |
| Qualifications held | registered nurses Verified iregistered nurses comes from this sentence on their site: “Many are registered nurses in the Philippines.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Dedicated or shared | Dedicated to one client Verified iDedicated to one client comes from this sentence on their site: “It means this person is dedicated to performing tasks for you.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Works your time zone | Yes Verified iYes comes from this sentence on their site: “But regardless of their location, they work based on your work hours.” | Yes Verified iYes comes from this sentence on their site: “We adapt to your specific timezone for seamless integration.” |
| Background checks | Not disclosed Not stated i | Yes Verified iYes comes from this sentence on their site: “Medical Staff Relief protects patient information through HIPAA-certified assistants, background checks, secure hardware, antivirus software, multi-factor authentication, and encrypted cloud storage.” |
| Fastest stated start | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| Cover when assistant is out | Not disclosed Not stated i | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| The BAA is between | Not disclosed Not stated i | A BAA is mentioned, but not who signs it Stated iA BAA is mentioned, but not who signs it is what this company states, in these words: “Practices may also use restricted EMR access, secure remote desktop software, and a Business Associate Agreement.” |
| Claims HIPAA training | Yes Stated iYes is what this company states, in these words: “They are also HIPAA certified.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
| EHR systems named | eClinicalworks Verified ieClinicalworks comes from this sentence on their site: “Our Medical VAs are trained in eClinicalworks, but are adaptable to other systems as well.” | Not disclosed Not stated i |
Before you decide
- Ask both for the actual Business Associate Agreement, not a sentence about one.
- Ask what happens on a sick day — the answer varies far more than the price does.
- Ask which EHR, by name, and for how long.
- If a figure here is out of date, tell us and we will re-check it within a day.