Business phone system for physician practices in Tennessee

How many physician practices operate in Tennessee

Tennessee had 4,291 physician practices in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns (NAICS 621111, Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists)). They employed 82,335 people in mid-March and reported $8.3 billion in annual payroll. That is the 14th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Physician practices make up 2.9% of the 150,129 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Tennessee has 59.4 physician practices, in line with the national rate of 60.2. The average establishment has 19.2 employees against 13.2 nationally. Payroll per employee is $100,886, 4.5% below the U.S. figure of $105,652.

Physician practices by metro area in Tennessee

Census published medical practice counts for 27 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Tennessee. The largest is Nashville, TN, with 1,554 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 69% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at physician practices in Tennessee

41.7% of Tennessee's physician practices with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 52.7% nationally. 62.3% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

What physician practices in Tennessee use the phone for

Physician offices field a steady stream of scheduling, prescription refill and test-result calls, and the same few staff members usually answer all of them. Routing calls to the right person and capturing clear messages keeps the waiting room and the phone lines moving.

Calls a medical practice in Tennessee might handle in a typical week include:

• The office calls patients to confirm tomorrow's appointments.
• A patient calls asking whether lab results have arrived.
• A pharmacy calls to clarify a medication order.

Texting patients

Practices typically text appointment reminders, arrival instructions and requests to call the office, keeping clinical details for secure channels.

Texting from a local number in Tennessee requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

Phone system pricing for a 19-person medical practice

Physician practices in Tennessee average 19.2 employees, so the comparison uses a 19-person team. On a per-user plan that headcount sets the bill: $474.05 a month on Ooma Office Pro or $570.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core at list price (checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $379.00 a month for 19 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $2,292 less than RingCentral for a medical practice in Tennessee of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Tennessee

Tennessee has 8 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a medical practice can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for physician practices in Tennessee

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in Tennessee is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.

Practices that handle protected health information should review their own privacy obligations before recording calls, enabling AI summaries or texting appointment details, and keep clinical conversations out of text messages unless their policies allow it.