This past July, the U.S. Senate introduced the Keep Call Centers in America Act, a pivotal piece of legislation aimed at curbing the offshoring of call center jobs and ensuring transparency in customer service operations.

This bill reflects growing concerns over the impact of overseas outsourcing on job losses, service quality, data privacy, and economic security. It also mandates key disclosures during customer service interactions and restricts access to federal grants and contracts for companies relocating call centers abroad.

What the “Keep Call Centers in America Act” Means for Healthcare Providers

Healthcare providers rely heavily on call centers to manage patient scheduling, insurance verification, and customer service. These functions are critical for delivering timely care and maintaining efficient revenue cycles. The Act requires companies operating call centers with 50 or more employees to notify the Department of Labor at least 120 days before relocating jobs overseas or contracting out work that goes offshore. Companies that offshore significant call center tasks face penalties such as disqualification from federal grants and guaranteed loans for up to five years and public listing that can hurt reputation.

This law incentivizes healthcare organizations to keep their call centers domestic, ensuring higher quality patient interactions, data security, and better compliance with healthcare regulations. Offshore call centers, while often cheaper, introduce communication challenges, cultural differences, and regulatory risk, which can directly affect patient satisfaction and billing accuracy.

Why Keeping Call Centers in America Benefits Patients

Research shows that U.S.-based call centers deliver superior service for healthcare providers. Patients prefer speaking with representatives who understand their needs and speak clearly with native English proficiency. Domestic call centers also have more direct oversight, streamlining compliance with regulations like HIPAA and healthcare payer requirements.

Moreover, call centers located in the U.S. can integrate more seamlessly with clinical and administrative teams, supporting proactive patient engagement such as insurance verification before appointments and timely reminders. This tight coordination reduces costly claim denials caused by administrative errors and missed authorizations.

Outsourcing healthcare call center services to offshore locations can severely impact reliability, especially during major weather events like typhoons and hurricanes, negatively affecting both operations and the patient experience. Below are specific points you can add to your blog post:

Reliability Risks of Offshore Call Centers

Offshore call centers, particularly those in the Philippines, are highly vulnerable to typhoons, hurricanes, and monsoon flooding. Such events routinely cause local infrastructure failures—agents may be unable to access offices, power and internet are disrupted, and servers become unreachable, leading to sudden operational shutdowns.

During severe storms, healthcare providers relying on offshore call centers face missed patient calls, unreturned messages, and breakdowns in appointment scheduling, severely undermining patient trust and continuity of care.

Even when cloud technology is used, local infrastructure failures mean that agents cannot access those resources if stranded at home with no electricity or internet.

Impact on the Patient Experience

Patients attempting to make appointments or seek clinical guidance during disasters are often met with busy signals, long wait times, or dropped calls, leading to missed, delayed, or cancelled appointments. This disruption in access to care can have serious health consequences, especially for those needing urgent or follow-up care.

Long wait times and increased call abandonment are common during weather-driven call surges in offshore locations. Studies show call abandonment rates can rise by 20–30% during major weather events, compounding patient frustration.

Continuity of care is jeopardized as unscheduled or missed appointments break down care coordination, putting revenue at risk and further eroding patient loyalty.

Reputation Risks of Offshoring

Reputational harm for healthcare providers is significant: when trust erodes because access is unreliable, patients may switch to competing providers and become less likely to refer others.

In contrast, U.S.-based call centers—like American Health Connection—are able to seamlessly reroute calls across domestic time zones and maintain service continuity even during localized weather disruptions, ensuring uninterrupted patient access and preserving provider revenue cycles.

You can learn more about the risks of offshoring in our blog post The Hidden Risks of Call Center Offshoring and How to Avoid Them

American Health Connection: A Trusted Leader

in U.S.-Based Healthcare Call Centers

American Health Connection (AHC) exemplifies the benefits of keeping healthcare call center services onshore. As a 100% U.S.-based, healthcare-specialized call center, AHC partners with providers to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and most importantly, improve the patient experience.

AHC’s fully centralized call center is staffed by trained healthcare communicators who understand complex medical insurance requirements and payer policies. Their expertise minimizes errors in scheduling, insurance eligibility verification, and authorization processes—all key contributors to claim denials and revenue loss.

How AHC Improves Call Center Efficiency and Reduces Costs

Through predictive analytics and advanced technology, AHC identifies high-risk patient populations to target with personalized outreach, improving appointment adherence and reducing no-shows. Automated reminders and flexible scheduling options optimize appointment flow, maximizing provider capacity and revenue.

AHC’s integration with electronic health record systems and insurance payers enables real-time benefit verification and authorization status checks. These features prevent denials before claims are even submitted, boosting cash flow and financial performance.

Additionally, by consolidating scheduling under one centralized team, AHC helps healthcare organizations cut administrative overhead and staffing costs by up to 35%. Providers benefit from streamlined workflows without sacrificing service quality, proving that onshore call centers can be both cost-effective and patient-friendly.

Enhancing the Patient Experience with American Health Connection

Patient satisfaction is paramount in today’s healthcare environment. American Health Connection prioritizes empathetic communication tailored to patient needs, significantly improving engagement and lowering frustration rates often associated with automated or offshore call centers. Their multi-channel outreach via phone, text, and email ensures patients receive timely, clear information in their preferred communication style.

Moreover, AHC’s commitment to U.S.-based staffing cultivates customer trust. Patients feel more comfortable and confident when interacting with knowledgeable, accessible representatives who can efficiently resolve questions about scheduling, insurance, and treatment options.

The Broader Impact of Domestic Call Centers on Healthcare

Beyond immediate operational gains, keeping call centers in America helps support the US economy by preserving vital jobs and supporting local economies. The healthcare sector, as one of the largest employers in the U.S., plays a central role in this ecosystem.

Legislation like the Keep Call Centers in America Act also addresses data security concerns. Domestic operations reduce the risk of breaches through stricter compliance oversight. This is especially critical given the sensitive nature of healthcare information and the growing threat of cyberattacks.

Why Healthcare Providers Should Embrace the Keep Call Centers in America Act and Partner with AHC

The Keep Call Centers in America Act signals a regulatory and cultural shift that will reshape how healthcare providers manage patient communication and customer service. It enforces accountability, transparency, and domestic job retention in call center operations—factors that ultimately enhance patient care quality and operational integrity.

American Health Connection stands ready to help healthcare organizations navigate this new landscape. With dedicated U.S.-based staff, cutting-edge technology, and deep healthcare domain expertise, AHC ensures providers meet regulatory mandates while delivering superior service. Providers gain not only compliance assurance but improved efficiency, significant cost savings, and enhanced patient satisfaction.

For healthcare leaders committed to complying with evolving federal policies and elevating patient communication, choosing American Health Connection to keep call center operations in America is a strategic decision that yields tangible benefits across the board. If you have questions or want to learn more about the benefits of using a US-based call center, get in touch with us today.