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Offshore customer support for healthcare organizations has matured from a cost-cutting experiment into a sophisticated operational strategy. When implemented correctly, offshore healthcare support delivers 40-60% cost savings while maintaining or exceeding domestic quality benchmarks.

The Cost Advantage

Offshore healthcare support agents in countries like the Philippines, India, and Jamaica typically cost 40-60% less than equivalent US-based agents. For a healthcare organization spending $500,000 annually on call center operations, this translates to potential savings of $200,000-300,000 per year — savings that can be redirected to patient care, technology, or growth initiatives.

Quality Considerations

The key to successful offshore healthcare support is partner selection. Look for operations with healthcare-specific training programs, HIPAA compliance certifications and audited processes, accent-neutral English proficiency, US healthcare system familiarity, and quality assurance programs with call monitoring and scoring.

Factor
Onshore
Offshore
Cost Per Agent
$5,200/mo
$1,800/mo
Time Zone Coverage
Single zone
24/7 global
Language Skills
English native
Bilingual/Multilingual
HIPAA Training
Available
Available
Scaling Speed
4-6 weeks
1-2 weeks
Cultural Alignment
High
Moderate-High

HIPAA Compliance Note

HIPAA applies to all entities handling US patient health information, regardless of geographic location. Any offshore partner must maintain full HIPAA compliance through Business Associate Agreements, encrypted systems, trained staff, and regular audits.

Best Functions to Offshore

Not all healthcare call center functions are equally suited for offshore delivery. The best candidates include appointment scheduling and confirmation calls, insurance eligibility verification, general patient inquiries and information requests, billing inquiries and payment processing, and prescription refill requests. Functions requiring deep clinical knowledge or complex decision-making may be better suited for domestic agents.

Conclusion

Offshore customer support for healthcare is a proven strategy when implemented with the right partner and proper safeguards. The cost savings are substantial, and with proper quality controls, patient satisfaction can actually improve.

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