How to reference-check a medical VA company
References are the one check a website cannot fake. Most practices skip them. Ten minutes with a current client in your specialty tells you more than any sales call.
Practice Standards Review is reader-supported. We may earn a referral fee when you contact a provider through our links; it does not affect how we answer the vetting questions. How we make money · How we vet
Who to ask for
Two current clients in your specialty and practice size, at least one of whom has been with the provider for over a year, and one who has been through a replacement. Not a testimonial page — a phone number.
Six questions for a reference
- How long did it take from first call to the assistant's first productive week?
- What hours does the assistant work in their own time zone, and has that affected anything?
- Have you been through a replacement? How long did it take and what did it cost?
- Who manages the assistant's EHR access and device — you or the provider?
- What does the invoice actually look like against the published price?
- What would you do differently?
Answers that should stop you
- "We never got a BAA, it was fine."
- "The assistant changed three times in the first six months."
- "We share one login."
- "The invoice has fees that weren't on the website."
If a provider won't supply references
New providers may genuinely not have them; established ones always do. A refusal from an established provider is itself the reference.
Published 8 November 2026 · Last reviewed 8 November 2026 · Report an error