ABOUT US
Our Story
IMBS was formed on a few simple principles: To provide quality, dependable, and affordable medical billing to all practitioners. IMBS is a multi specialty physician billing service. We are a company that advocates for our physicians.
The Owner & Operator of IMBS, Ida Thornton, has worked for over 24 years in the medical billing field with all types of practices and providers. Setting up new electronics systems, working to maximize profitability and providing superior customer service for each office has been her greatest accomplishment. Some of her greatest accomplishments include setting up and implementing new EHR systems, working to maximize practice profitability and providing superior customer service for each office.
We take pride in having Certified Professional Coders (CPC), Certified Pediatric Coders (CPEDC), Certified Medical Billing Specialists (CMRS) and, as of 2015, a Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA) on staff.
Meet Our Team
Trusted Experts who Treat your Practice like it’s their Own
Ida Thornton CPC, CPMA, CMRS
Owner, IMBS,INC.
Ida is the owner and operator of Insurance & Medical Billing Services (IMBS,INC.). Founded in 1996, Ida developed and built a thriving Medical Billing business with the help of family, friends and some wonderful providers. Ida’s main goal was to provide to the practices and providers of the Charlottesville area a premier medical billing function that would help all types of medical practices with their billing needs. IMBS has grown to service over 100 providers state wide.
Ida attended BYU University, Ricks in Rexburg Idaho where she studied Music Appreciation & Business Administration. She is a Certified Professional Medical Auditor, a Notary for Virginia and has her CMRS certification. She is the President of the Eastern Ridge Condo Association and likes to volunteer when she has time.
Ida has a wonderful, loving family. Married to Tom for 40 years, they have 2 children, 6 grandchildren and a dog named Kona. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her husband, play the piano and flute, read a good book and spend precious time with her grandkids. She grew up in Ballston Spa, NY with 9 siblings and has lived in many places such as Oahu, Hawaii; Upstate New York and Central Virginia.
Kari Thornton
General Manager
Kari has worked at Insurance & Medical Billing Services since 2008. As the General Manager, she is responsible for creating, implementing and maintaining policies and procedures, preserving client relationships, and making sure the business end of IMBS runs smoothly.
Kari graduated from Elon University with a degree in Communication and Business and has always been interested in financial numbers and streamlining processes to maximize profits. She prides herself in her accuracy, professionalism and her need to do an outstanding job for her clients.
Kari has a passion for traveling the world and learning about pretty much anything, thanks to google. Her dislikes include eating meat off the bone and double negatives. At night she goes home to her husband Tyler, and two amazing children, Gabriella and Lincoln.
Krista Rougie
Assistant Manager
Krista was recently promoted to Assistant Manager at IMBS while still fulfilling her duties as the A/R lead. She leads the team in the day to day operations. She continues to work all accounts receivable for IMBS and works with each billing specialist to help manage outstanding claims. She also has multiple accounts she handles from start to finish. Krista has been with IMBS since 2013 and completed her Medical Billing Specialist certification. Her favorite part of her job is reaching out to insurance companies to resolve unpaid claims. She is currently working on her CPC certification for 2020.
Krista and her family moved to Virginia in 2009. Her and her husband, Jon, have 3 children who enjoy various sports. Krista’s favorite hobby is reading a good book.
Donna Partusch, CMRS
Medical Billing Specialist
Donna has been a Medical Billing Specialist at IMBS for many years. She is responsible for several tasks at IMBS that include posting provider claims, insurance and patient payments, sending claims electronically to be submitted for payment, insurance rejections and works appeals on denied claims.
Donna is a Certified Medical Billing Specialist and has 17 years of experience working with multiple systems including ECW, e-MDS, Medical Manager, ChiroTouch and Athena. Donna likes to problem solve and is detail oriented. Here at IMBS, INC. we strive to make our work precise and personal.
Donna is an animal lover, enjoys drawing and painting and is originally from New Jersey.
Erica McIvor
Project Coordinator
Erica has been part of the IMBS team since its inception in 1996. She started as an envelope stuffer in the basement of her home where her Mom, Ida started the company. Erica has held many titles over the years but most enjoys planning events for the employees. Erica brings life to our Christmas gatherings, community projects and employee specific celebration days.
Erica is a 2005 graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Human Development and Family studies. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is also a Certified Medical Billing Specialist.
Erica is a mother of 4 beautiful, active daughters and enjoys CrossFit and traveling with her family. Her family has a goal to get to every US state together before her oldest daughter graduates from high school.
Thomas Thornton
Administrative Assistant/Courier
Tom has been an integral part of IMBS since its inception. As the husband of Ida, he has been her biggest supporter of the business for many years. He currently holds a position of Administrative Assistant on a part time basis to accomplish a multitude of tasks for IMBS. Such an important job, Tom is the keeper of scanning documents, managing deposits, attaching documents for claims processing, printing and a courier to our providers in the City of Charlottesville.
Tom is a 2001 graduate of Bluefield College with a Bachelor in Criminal Justice. He served in the US Army for 8 years, served the citizens of the City of Charlottesville as a Master Police Officer for 25 years before retiring and also served another 4 years with the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s office as a Courtroom Bailiff/Officer. Tom is a lifetime member of the Water Rescue/Dive Team at Lake Monticello.
Tom has been married to Ida for 40 years, has two children and 6 grandchildren. He was born in Beacon, NY. He loves to play pickleball and long-distance cycling. His hobbies are woodworking and he loves all kinds of music. Staff always tells him he is a funny guy. He loves to play practical jokes on his co-workers.
Colleen Christian: CPC, CMRS
Certified Professional Coder
Colleen is a Certified Professional Coder and a Medical Reimbursement Specialist who works with multiple provider accounts. She handles them all from start to finish, paying great attention to detail. Her many tasks include processing claims, troubleshooting
denials and posting insurance and patient payments. She also has experience with reception, training of new hires on the phones and accounts receivable. From working in medical billing since 2014, Colleen is very confident in her knowledge of the billing
process and executing her daily tasks.
Colleen received her Associates Degree in Health Information Management and Medical Administrative Support Assistant at Piedmont Virginia Community College in 2021.
When she is not at work Colleen loves spending time with her family. Colleen, her husband Elliott, and their daughter Avery all enjoy days at the beach, visiting light houses, and evenings at the ball field playing soft ball.
Maegan Miller
Collection Specialist
Originally hired by IMBS as a receptionist, Maegan has accomplished quite a few tasks and worked her way up in both stature and respect. Because of her hard work and diligence, she has been given additional responsibilities, including getting assigned some provider accounts where she handles all of their billing needs. Although relatively new to the company, she aspires to diversify her portfolio and continue to be an asset to IMBS providers and her fellow colleagues.
Growing up in a small town, the concept of giving back, paying it forward and being a good neighbor has always been a life standard. In a way, this mentality has molded me into truly understanding the importance of customer service and public relations. What better way to put morals into practice than assisting the hard-working medical professionals of central Virginia?
Maegan enjoys her husband and beautiful daughter, good food and football.
Lyndsey Cook, CMRS
Medical Billing Receptionist
Lyndsey recently joined the IMBS team as our office receptionist, ensuring the efficiency of our day-to-day operations. Additionally, she assists her colleagues in insurance payment processing and patient eligibility verification. She brings nearly a
decade of experience in office management and customer service within the medical industry. Lyndsey earned her Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist certificate this year.
After living in the Pacific Northwest for a number of years, Lyndsey, her husband Evan, and their teenaged Bullmastiff “Bea” relocated back to the area in order to be closer to their family. In addition to being a full-time dog mom, she enjoys hiking and
camping, cooking, and the occasional rock concert.
