Business phone system for nursing care facilities in Illinois

How many nursing care facilities operate in Illinois

County Business Patterns counts 793 establishments in Illinois classified as Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (NAICS 623110) for 2023. They employed 66,392 people in mid-March and reported $2.9 billion in annual payroll. That is the 5th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Nursing care facilities make up 0.25% of the 322,415 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Illinois has 6.2 nursing care facilities, 17.1% above the national rate of 5.3. The average establishment has 83.7 employees against 78.7 nationally. Payroll per employee is $43,800, in line with the U.S. figure of $44,479.

Where nursing care facilities in Illinois are concentrated

Census published nursing care facility counts for 31 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Illinois. The largest is Chicago, IL-IN, with 454 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 26% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at nursing care facilities in Illinois

11.1% of Illinois's nursing care facilities with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 12.9% nationally. 12.9% 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.

Why the phone matters for nursing care facilities in Illinois

Skilled nursing facilities field admission inquiries, family calls and calls from hospitals and physicians, and each needs to reach a different department. Reliable routing keeps admission calls from waiting behind routine questions. That holds for nursing care facilities in Illinois as much as anywhere.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for nursing care facilities in Illinois:

• A family calls to schedule a care conference.
• A hospital discharge planner calls about an admission.
• A family member calls for an update on a resident.

Business texting for nursing care facilities

Facilities text visiting updates and care-conference reminders to families.

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

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for nursing care facilities in Illinois

Nursing care facilities in Illinois average 83.7 employees, so the comparison uses an 84-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 84 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $2,520.00 a month and 84 on Ooma Office Pro cost $2,095.80. Callata comes to $1,679.00 a month for 84 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $10,092 less than RingCentral for a nursing care facility in Illinois of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Illinois

Illinois has 17 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a nursing care facility can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for nursing care facilities in Illinois

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

Porting a number you already use in Illinois 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.