Zeidan is pursuing his master’s degree in Information Technology Management with a focus on Healthcare Information Technology Management.

Henry, AHI’s chief informational officer, graduated VSU with a Computer Science degree. While still in school, Henry started working for Doctors Laboratory as an intern. Upon graduation he was promoted to software applications developer. In late 2003 Henry designed, coded, tested, and implemented an online laboratory reporting Web site for his former employer. The Web site delivers approximately 15,000 reports per week with over 1,000 unique log-ins daily.

AHI also is certified by the National Electronic Billers Alliance to provide contracted billing services to physicians offices, which includes direct negotiations to insurance companies to garner timely, maximum reimbursement for doctors and tracking co-payment accounts of their patients.

That comes under Swords’ mantra. Swords is the firm’s certified healthcare reimbursement specialist and graduated VSU with a degree in Finance.

Swords is AHI’s chief financial officer and graduated VSU Cum Laude. He began his career as a finance department intern at Doctors Laboratory during his senior year at VSU.

Within his first six months of employment, Swords was promoted to accounts receivable supervisor. In 2004, he was given the additional title of revenue analyst. As a supervisor, Swords gained extensive experience managing and training medical billing and accounts receivable employees who process payments, denials, and more for the 4,000 plus claims billed daily from Doctors Laboratory’s Valdosta headquarters for its clients in Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

The founders began dreaming up the new business when they worked together at Doctors Laboratory.

They entered their business plan in the Chamber competition. Win or lose, they intended to implement the plan and form AHI regardless, Zeidan said.

Now the company has its sights set on the future. They’re planning to add transcription services to their menu and also are developing original software products to benefit the medical community and are also building strategic partnerships with local and national companies to add more products and services to help physicians with day-to-day operations.

Even if an office doesn’t want to contract with AHI for accounts receivable or other billing services, the office can obtain Praxis software from AHI and get the training to run it too, Zeidan noted.

The company also offers custom Web development applications geared to medical healthcare providers, performs business continuity planning, custom programming and much more.

“The medical community’s infrastructure continues to grow in Valdosta, which has become a regional center for healthcare to thousands of South Georgians,” Zeidan said. “We believe the timing for our new company couldn’t have been better. And we’re very proud to be located in downtown Valdosta, the heart of the city which is now bustling with new business and activity.”

The founders also say they’re proud members of the Chamber’s MetroOne organization, which is geared to help young professionals who choose local careers to network and grow to help the Chamber meet its goal to help the city retain such high skilled employees and thus provide a boost to the local economy.

The founders are joined at AHI by Mark Poole, senior support manager, and Adam Foley, human resources manager.

Poole is a senior at Georgia Southern University majoring in Information Technology and has several years of experience in various aspects of Information Technology.