Really an Ajuba: Tony Mira

From 2 employees three decades back to 5000 employees globally, the story of Ajuba is really one of fantasy

Ajuba Solutions is a global company based in the US with presence in US, India, Phillipines and now in the UK. The company offers revenue cycle outsourcing services to healthcare systems, hospitals, physician practice groups, academic medical centres, medical equipment suppliers, and billing and receivables management companies. It has operational centres in Chennai. Ajuba has about 5000 employees globally.

"We set our foot in india in 2000 with few employees which today has over 3000 employees and over 500 in Manila," said Tony.

INITIAL DAYS

When Tony started his company there were only two employees, Tony and his wife. "Together we did everything. From picking up the mail to creating insurance claims to submitting the claims to various insurance companies. Once payment was received for the services we also manually posted the claims in various patient accounts. We picked up the phone and called patients and insurance companies in order to resolve their account. I have touched and had experience in all aspects of the operations. I believe that this is the best experience a CEO can have by rolling up his or her sleeves and actually doing the work in all areas of the operations. When you do that then you get to appreciate the work your employees are doing and see a greater value to that work," shared Tony.

Tony's education background has been health sciences and business administration.

CAREER TAKE-OFF

Tony has always been an entrepreneur. His career as a healthcare management service provider began right after his education when he started a small medical billing company in the US.

"When healthcare witnessed a major boom and hospitals realized the importance of patient information management, We started Ajuba Solutions to cater to this rising need. We chose India as our major destination keeping in mind the quality talent pool India has to service the healthcare sector. We set our foot in india in 2000 with few employees which today has over 3000 employees and over 500 in Manila," said Tony. The journey so far has been rewarding with many ups and downs but with each down turn there has always been greater up turns for him.

"You need to have faith in yourself and your employees and never give up. A journey that you never give up and continue moving forward is ultimately the most rewarding journey," Tony added.

Ajuba Solutions as an organization is a global company. Ajuba offers services to healthcare organizations like physician groups, hospitals on the provider side and provide back office operations. Ajuba specializes in revenue cycle management offering end to end solutions to large healthcare organizations and large physician groups. The company offerings extend right from payment posting and processing, medical coding, medical billing, insurance services and data entry. Tony says, "Our major destination is India. Manlia is our back office operating centre which helps to extend our services to our clients across all states in the united states."

ACHIEVEMENTS

Tony has reached where he is today because of his determination, ability to execute and thinking skills. Tony's biggest achievement is taking a company that was formed 33 years ago with only two employees to today to over 5000 employees globally.

THREATS AND DARE

"My most crucial steps were, as the company grew, I decided to acquire other companies to expand the foot print and service line. Integrating acquisitions to the exiting company was a crucial and critical step that could either create a much larger organization or could potentially have a negative financial effect on the organization with various disruptions," said Tony when asked about the diffficulties and challenges he faced. Tony believes that consolidation was a critical time in the organization which ultimately makes up what he has today.

‘TO LEAD IS TO SERVE', KEY OF SUCCESS AND LIFE MANTRA

Tony's success mantra has been very simple, be patient and respectful to your employees. In simple words ‘To Lead is to Serve' is the right success mantra for Tony.

"Always look at failure as a stepping stone to future success. Always use failure to your advantage and learn from it and push forward. Failure is part of everyones life, how you deal with it will determine your future' are few advices given by Tony to the young entrepreneurs.

PERSONAL LIFE

For tony, family means the world to him. He loves spending time with his family.

"It is said that behind a man's success stands a strong woman and my journey is no different. My wife has been my support all through both in good time and in bad and owe my success to her," Tony said proudly.

Tony likes to read and he believes in the saying that ‘the more you read, the more you learn' and he duly follow it. He also likes to destress after a long day's work and yoga has always been his first preference.

FUTURE PLANS

"Few years down the line I see myself focused on my company with one thing, I will continue to grow the company globally and enter new markets. Globalization is happening very rapidly and companies like Ajuba need to stay ahead of it and go where the client opportunities are," Tony concluded.