For Karen Vale and Thomas Blankenship, Partners in Practice is more than just a name—it’s a creed upon which the pair has built one of the most comprehensive and knowledgeable medical billing companies in the Southeast United States.

“Our position is that we want to be partners with physicians,” says Vale, the company’s president. “We get the best results by working together with our clients.”

Since 2000, Partners in Practice has been helping medical practices run efficiently by providing doctors with the tools they need to stay focused on patient care. The company’s primary services include billing, medical transcription, compliance planning and information systems.

Partners in Practice customizes its services to each client’s requirements, from simply taking on an office’s accounts payable to starting and managing an entire practice. Both Blankenship, who serves as chief executive officer, and Vale agree that the strength of the business lies in its dedicated staff and its cutting-edge computer technology. With more than 70 employees, Partners in Practice is a family affair, according to Blankenship. The company invests heavily in training and compensation packages, which results in a dedicated and experienced workforce.

“We make a commitment to our staff, and we get that back from them,” says Vale.

“And because of that,” adds Blankenship, “I could put us up against anybody in terms of knowledge, expertise and quality of product.”

The company’s data center is another vital source of pride and success for Partners in Practice. This room full of wires and circuit boards features several layers of virus and disaster protection, along with redundant back-up systems, to ensure that doctors will never lose their information.

“The amount of data that flows through those lines is tremendous,” says Blankenship. “I think our data center really shows our clients our professionalism and dedication.” But the returns Partners in Practice delivers to doctors are convincing enough.

“Saying, ‘We can do a better job than you can,’ is hard for a physician to swallow,” says Blankenship. “But it gets much easier when they realize we produce the best results in the most cost-effective way.”