Interview with Nathan Barz, CEO of DocVA

Nathan Barz is the Founder and CEO of DocVA, the most trusted virtual medical assistant agency for healthcare practices seeking premium support, flexible staffing, and hands-on client service. As healthcare organizations look for practical ways to manage rising administrative demands, DocVA helps practices add dedicated virtual medical assistants who can support phones, scheduling, documentation, billing workflows, and patient communication. For GlobalMed readers, Barz’s perspective is especially relevant because better care delivery often depends on more than technology alone. It also depends on giving clinical teams the support and capacity to use that technology well.

Q: What staffing problem are healthcare practices facing right now? 

Nathan Barz: Many practices are stuck between growing demand and limited staff capacity. Phones are ringing, patients need follow-up, providers are documenting after hours, and front-office teams are stretched thin. At the same time, hiring locally has become harder and more expensive. Even when a practice finds someone, turnover can restart the whole process. The result is not just an operations problem. It affects the patient experience. Delays in scheduling, long hold times, missed documentation, and slow prior authorizations can all create friction. Practices want to grow, but they do not want to burn out their teams or make patients feel overlooked.

Q: How does DocVA approach that problem differently from a traditional staffing vendor? 

Nathan Barz: We focus on dedicated support, not a rotating pool of people. A DocVA virtual assistant works with the same practice each day, learns its systems, and becomes part of the team’s workflow. The practice stays in control of its processes, while we help provide the right talent and ongoing support. That matters because healthcare workflows are detailed. A receptionist role in a primary care office is different from support in cardiology, physical therapy, dental, or chiropractic care. We start with a discovery call, learn what the practice needs, provide a shortlist of candidates, and let the practice interview them directly. Once someone starts, we stay involved so issues can be addressed quickly

Q: What kind of professionals does DocVA place with healthcare practices? 

Nathan Barz: We work with experienced healthcare professionals from the Philippines who have proven experience supporting U.S. clinics, facilities, and hospitals. Many are licensed Registered Nurses, including USRN and PHRN dual license holders. Others are Registered Pharmacists, certified medical billers and coders, prior authorization specialists, or highly experienced medical scribes with U.S. clinical support experience. The key is that they are not generic administrative assistants. They understand healthcare settings, patient communication, documentation needs, and the importance of accuracy. That gives practices more confidence when bringing someone into their daily operations.

Q: How do virtual assistants fit alongside healthcare technology and platforms like GlobalMed? 

Nathan Barz: Technology can do a lot, but people still need to coordinate the work around it. Telehealth platforms, remote care tools, and digital workflows are only as strong as the process supporting them. A virtual assistant can help schedule visits, prepare information, follow up with patients, manage messages, and reduce the manual work that slows teams down. We see virtual assistants as a practical extension of the care team. They do not replace clinical judgment or technology. They help practices use their time and tools more effectively.

Q: What is one practical takeaway for practices considering virtual support? 

Nathan Barz: Start with the bottleneck. Do not begin by asking, “Can a virtual assistant do everything?” Ask, “Where is our team losing the most time every day?” It may be phones, scheduling, chart prep, documentation support, billing tasks, or patient follow-up. Once you identify that pain point, define the workflow clearly and match the right person to it. Virtual support works best when expectations are clear, the assistant is dedicated, and the practice has a partner willing to stay involved after placement. That is where the model becomes sustainable.

DocVA provides dedicated virtual medical assistants who help healthcare practices manage scheduling, phone coverage, documentation, billing, prior authorizations, and patient follow-up. With an embedded staffing model and experienced healthcare support professionals, DocVA helps practices ease administrative pressure, improve responsiveness, and deliver a better patient experience.