Emergency Medicine Billing Company Thinks Outside the Box to Increase Value and Improve Profitability

In a highly competitive world of service providers, one our clients found themselves wondering how they were going to remain competitive and still provide superior services to their client base. Since 1980, they have provided billing, coding, data management, and software development services exclusively to Emergency Physicians across the US . Throughout their history, they stood for exceptional client service and world-class solutions to ER groups across 22 states in the US. In the early part of 2002, they were struggling with issues related to industry expertise, inability to aggressively scale operations and high operating costs. All of these factors left them wondering how their business would continue to grow under such conditions. Knowing they had to find a solution, they started thinking outside the box and looking for innovative ways in which they could drastically change their business model.

Realizing change was essential; This client began exploring many options to resolve some of their growth issues. The concept of using offshore labor was beginning to surface and although interested, they were also very apprehensive due to such a drastic change in their current service delivery. Like others, they feared the reaction from their client base, they worried whether offshore resources would have the appropriate domain expertise, and most of all whether their data would be secure. In spite of these fears however, they forged ahead and began a very intensive due diligence process with Ajuba. This process included site visits, employee interviews and even preliminary testing with a small sample of accounts.  

After working with Ajuba during the due diligence process, not only did they gain the confidence in Ajuba's abilities but they also saw the obvious value in using the offshore business model. In early 2002, the client began working with Ajuba to create a transition plan that would allow them to outsource specific clients and targeted processes in a managed and phased approach. They focused on those processes that would be transparent to their client base and also easy to transition from a knowledge and training perspective. By the end of the first year, Ajuba had six dedicated staff members providing the initial billing services for this client.

Over the next several years, the client invested heavily in the transfer of knowledge pertinent to their industry so that Ajuba could truly become a remote extension of their staff. The commitment from both parties has truly demonstrated the ability to build a dedicated center of excellence across the globe. Ajuba's staff today feels totally integrated into the client’s entire back office. Likewise, the client looks to Ajuba for the critical information necessary to continue the superior customer support they have always provided to their end users. They now make use of Ajuba's expertise in every billing related area from data entry to the actual medical coding of the chart. They no longer need to worry about getting all of the information into the system for timely billing nor do they find themselves chasing claims to see why they have not been paid. Instead, they can focus on growing their business and ensuring their clients are 100% satisfied with the level of service provided. With close to 200 staff now dedicated to this client’s business, we have truly not only formed a partnership with the client but we have defined a business model that has reshaped the structure of emergency medicine billing.