THE TEAM

We believe that our people are the key to our success. Our company culture is grounded in a strong set of values that guide everything we do.

Denver Fernando

Chief Executive Officer

Denver is a trusted advisor and an experienced Senior Management Executive with over 18 years of US Healthcare experience helping GPs, Specialists, ASCs, Hospitals, Ancillary…

Brett Walker

Chief Client Success Officer

Brett Walker, the founding partner and CCSO of HealthRecon Connect is a 25-year revenue cycle management veteran who has managed large CBOs that billed and collected for an array of ancillary…

thilini ekanayake, chief people officer at healthrecon connect

Thilini Ekanayake

Chief People Officer

As the Chief People Officer, Thilini helps shape the overall People Strategy for HealthRecon Connect. With over 15 years of experience in both HR specialist and generalist disciplines, Thilini has a…

Stephen Williamson

Chief Growth Officer

Stephen brings over 25 years of extensive experience in sales and marketing within the Healthcare Information Technology industry…

Jaya Gupta

Senior Vice President - People

Jaya is a dynamic and proven business leader with over 24 years of diverse experience in leading global learning and development, human resources, operations, and first line of defense…

Madhur Sharma

Head of Product

Madhur is a seasoned product leader with over 15 years in healthcare technology, having contributed to both large SaaS enterprises and fast-paced startup environments…

Rilwan Ismail

Vice President - RCM Operations

Rilwan is a management executive with over 17 years of experience in the RCM industry with verifiable success achieving revenue, margin and business objectives within start-ups…

Christy Ritchie

Vice President - RCM Operations

Christy brings over 27 years of expertise in healthcare operations, with a focus on client delivery, medical billing, and practice management. Her passion for continuous improvement drives her to achieve exceptional results…

Julie Stanfield

Senior Director - RCM Operations

Julie has over 35 years of experience in the medical/healthcare industry and extensive skills in project management, revenue cycle management, compliance, medical record audits and billing…

Laura Andre

Senior Director - RCM Operations

Laura brings over 20 years of experience leading Revenue Cycle Operations, with an emphasis in Patient Financial Services, for both hospitals and physician groups… 

Benjamin Stokes

Sales Director

Benjamin Stokes is an energetic, young leader in the Healthcare RCM industry. Prior to joining HealthRecon Connect he served as a dual role Business Services and Network Development…

Kyle Bradley

Sales Director

Kyle brings nearly 30 years of experience in healthcare sales and revenue cycle solutions, with a proven track record of driving sales growth, managing complex client relationships…

Mark Melfa

Sales Director

Mark brings over 25 years of extensive experience in enterprise sales and client relationship management within the healthcare sector. His expertise includes sales strategy development…

William Baus

Director of Laboratory Services Support

William has over 15 years of experience in healthcare revenue cycle management. His last decade had been entirely focused on laboratory revenue cycle management building onshore…

Dr. Alberto J. Montero, MD, MBA, CPHQ

Compliance Advisory Panel

Dr. Montero is clinical director of the Breast Cancer Medical Oncology Program at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and an associate professor of medicine at…

Dr. John McHenry, MD

Compliance Advisory Panel

Dr. John McHenry, MD is a Cardiology Specialist based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He received his medical degree from University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and has been in…

M. Rajaram

Chairman

With an illustrious career spanning decades in the legal industry, M. Rajaram brings a wealth of experience and a stellar reputation to our organization. He is widely recognized as a leading expert…

Denver Fernando

Chief Executive Officer

Denver is a trusted advisor and an experienced Senior Management Executive with over 18 years of US Healthcare experience helping GPs, Specialists, ASCs, Hospitals, Ancillary Care and Allied Care Providers achieve sustainable revenue growth and financial stability.

His experience includes setting up and managing large scale global delivery centers and leveraging many reputed healthcare, IT and related service providers in enabling end-to-end Revenue Cycle Management, Revenue Cycle Transformation, Healthcare Analytics and consulting services and solutions. Denver has an expert understanding of the healthcare system, key drivers, best practices, disruptive technologies and emerging healthcare delivery models. He is passionate in the use of technology and advanced statistical modelling to drive quality outcomes in patient care and satisfaction levels while reducing costs and increasing revenue for healthcare providers.

Denver holds a First-Class BSc (Hons) in Technology and Computing from the University of Portsmouth, UK, and an MBA (Finance) from the University of Leicester, UK. He currently lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and 3 children.

Brett Walker

Chief Client Success Officer

Brett Walker, the founding partner and CCSO of HealthRecon Connect is a 25-year revenue cycle management veteran who has managed large CBOs that billed and collected for an array of ancillary and acute organizations. Through his philosophy of operational excellence and leadership development, Brett successfully increased the net revenue at all the organizations overseen by the CBOs he managed.

Brett has demonstrated an execution-oriented success record, improving clients’ cashflow and increasing their time to collect. Brett has seen his clients have an average reduction in time to collect of 21 days and increased up to $223 million in cash per year for organizations he has managed. His specific areas of expertise are in large CBO Management, Hospital Revenue Cycle, RCM Strategies and Solutions as well as leadership development and mentoring.

Brett specializes in applying his RCM expertise and industry knowledge to find unique and strategic ways to increase and maintain net revenue yield for his clients. His knowledge not only includes work with many small practices and groups, but also management with organizations such as Gentiva Health, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, and Dignity Health. Billing and collecting in multiple ancillary and acute organizations have given Brett a diversified perspective on the connections between all areas of the revenue cycle process and how to work with regional and national payers to reduce denials and increase payment adjudication timelines.

thilini ekanayake, chief people officer at healthrecon connect

Thilini Ekanayake

Chief People Officer

As the Chief People Officer, Thilini helps shape the overall People Strategy for HealthRecon Connect. With over 15 years of experience in both HR specialist and generalist disciplines, Thilini has a deep domain knowledge of Human Capital Management within the Business Process Management Industry. While she is passionate about learning and development and technology enabled HR services, she drives the overall strategy for Human Capital Management for HRC in her current role. Her Industry experience includes 15+ years in the BPO/KPO space, Revenue Cycle Management, Finance and Accounting. During her career, Thilini has worked with multicultural teams and has supported global operations, whilst adhering to international quality and process improvement standards and industry best practices.

Thilini holds an MBA from the University of Colombo and a BA in Business Administration from the University of London.

A mother of one and an Entrepreneur, Thilini also plays an advisory role for the BPO Connect Group of companies.

Stephen Williamson

Chief Growth Officer

Stephen brings over 25 years of extensive experience in sales and marketing within the Healthcare Information Technology industry. His expertise includes sales process improvement, lead generation, national sales strategies, account management, and managing complex sales cycles. He is highly skilled in enterprise software, EHR, practice management, and revenue cycle management, with a proven history of driving revenue growth in competitive markets.

Stephen joins us from MDS Medical, where he recently served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In that role, he successfully implemented several sales processes, expanded revenue streams, and significantly increased company revenues, doubling the company’s revenue pre-COVID and achieving record-breaking revenues post-COVID by pivoting the company’s direction.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Missouri Southern University and served as a U.S. Army Paramedic, where he completed a three-year enlistment with an honorable discharge. 

Stephen is a lifelong resident of Missouri and he loves to travel extensively with his wife Karen. An active thrill-seeker, he is also an avid hunter, accomplished scuba diver, and skydiver. Nearly 30 years ago, Stephen owned a skydiving business, where he met and fell in love with Karen. Together, they have two incredible adult sons, Jared and Blake.

Jaya Gupta

Senior Vice President - People

Jaya is a dynamic and proven business leader with over 24 years of diverse experience in leading global learning and development, human resources, operations, and first line of defense (regulatory, compliance, audits) in both India and the US. She has driven transformation and automation through innovative solutions, analytical insights, and collaborative partnerships in multiple global matrixed environments.

As a Certified LSS Green Belt, Jaya has successfully led projects to improve colleague performance and customer experience while automating controls to reduce business risks. As a HR and Training Leader, Jaya has managed and co-owned P&Ls of ~USD 200M. Her responsibilities included managing E2E of colleague lifecycle ranging from talent acquisition, training and development, driving retention, talent strategy and assessment, succession planning, total rewards, and driving DEI and CSR initiatives. She is very passionate about Talent Development and brings 10+ years of coaching experience across organizations with expertise across career transitions and growth, competency development, personality development, brand consulting, and wellness.

Jaya joins us from American Express, where she held the position of Vice President – Enterprise Testing, Operational Excellence. In her role, she led the first line of defense for regulatory and procedural risks testing, including outside agency audits across global markets, 20+ languages, covering 25,000+ colleagues with ~500 multicultural teams across 10 global locations.

Jaya earned her Bachelor’s degree in Retail & Trade from the University of Delhi and her Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing and Sales Management from the Rajendra Prasad Institute of Communication and Management. She is formally trained and certified on ‘The Art and Science of Coaching’ program from Erickson Coaching International and is currently pursuing her ACC/PCC certification from the International Coaching Federation.

On the personal front, Jaya is an avid traveler who has explored over 25 countries and 80 cities. This has provided her with the opportunity to experience new cultures, locations, cuisines, music, and interaction with diverse people from around the world.

Madhur Sharma

Head of Product

Madhur is a seasoned product leader with over 15 years in healthcare technology, having contributed to both large SaaS enterprises and fast-paced startup environments. With his extensive exposure and experience across the product lifecycle, he has been instrumental in guiding organizations from initial concept through launch and continuous improvement, driving impactful and lasting product success.

Starting his career as a software engineer, Madhur contributed to the development of B2B SaaS products within the healthcare payer sector. Over time, he moved into product leadership roles at leading health technology firms, refining his skills in market analysis, product strategy, and user experience design. Throughout his career, Madhur has led cross-functional teams of product managers, designers, engineers, and marketers, guiding them to deliver products that resonate with customer needs and support business growth for the payer and provider space.

Madhur’s experience includes spearheading the development of multiple SaaS platforms, as well as 20 enterprise web applications and over 15 mobile applications across both direct-to-business and direct-to-consumer space. His work has impacted nearly 80 million lives across more than 10 countries, underscoring his dedication to creating products that bring real value to users.

A lifelong learner, Madhur holds a Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology from Amity University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Health Administration from Apollo Hospitals Educational & Research Foundation, and an Executive Program in Mastering Design Thinking from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Outside the professional sphere, Madhur is an avid table tennis enthusiast and has won multiple corporate tournaments. He is grateful for the company of his supportive wife and their energetic 8-year-old son. Together, they share a passion for travel and have explored 19 countries, an experience Madhur deeply values for the opportunity to connect with diverse cultures, landscapes, and cuisines.

Rilwan Ismail

Vice President - RCM Operations

Rilwan is a management executive with over 17 years of experience in the RCM industry with verifiable success achieving revenue, margin and business objectives within start-ups and rapid-change environments. He has a proven ability to lead diverse and inclusive teams to success via the creation of customer-focused and performance-driven cultures. He also has extensive experience with Healthcare Revenue Cycle Optimization solutions and automations.

Rilwan has a bachelor’s degree in Medicine from the Saint Petersburg I. I. Mechnikov State Medical Academy and is currently pursuing an MBA in Business Administration and Management from the University of Southern Queensland. He is also a Certified Ambulance Coder and a CrossFit Level 01 Trainer.

Christy Ritchie

Vice President - RCM Operations

Christy brings over 27 years of expertise in healthcare operations, with a focus on client delivery, medical billing, and practice management. Her passion for continuous improvement drives her to achieve exceptional results by emphasizing predictability, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness. Throughout her career, Christy has successfully managed complex physician groups and healthcare systems.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Strategic Leadership and Operational Management from Southwestern College and is a Certified Revenue Cycle Representative (CRCR). Christy is also an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA).

Julie Stanfield

Senior Director - RCM Operations

Julie has over 35 years of experience in the medical/healthcare industry and extensive skills in project management, revenue cycle management, compliance, medical record audits and billing. She has handled all aspects of a physician’s office from medical records to managing a group practice of six specialty physicians and has a track record of achieving successful and timely outcomes of demos, charge capture/coding, charge entry, insurance and patient AR, payment posting and customer service. She has also worked in family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, ENT, orthopedics and medical devices; providing her with well rounded experience in patient care, billing and compliance in any healthcare setting.

Julie has an associate degree in Liberal Arts from the Trinity Valley Community College and has completed her studies in Healthcare Administration at the Texas State University. She has a son in grad school and is also a huge baseball fan. She loves travelling, spending time at the beach and shopping at antique stores.

Laura Andre

Senior Director - RCM Operations

Laura brings over 20 years of experience leading Revenue Cycle Operations, with an emphasis in Patient Financial Services, for both hospitals and physician groups. She has demonstrated expertise in leading high-performance work teams and driving workflow optimization, resulting in improvements in key performance areas across the revenue cycle continuum.

In addition to becoming a certified coder, with a specialty certification in orthopedic surgery, Laura has led coding and follow-up teams for multiple physician specialties including orthopedics, cardiology, gastroenterology, general surgery, hospitalist medicine, and emergency medicine. Over the course of her career, she has had several opportunities to lead revenue cycle transitions to systems, including Epic, Athena, and Cerner, resulting in a well-rounded knowledge base.

Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona and is a Certified Professional Coder (CPC)/Certified Orthopedic Surgery Coder (COSC). She is a native of Arizona and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. She enjoys traveling, especially when kayaking can be incorporated, visiting her son on the East Coast and spending time with her daughter, who will be graduating in 2026.

Benjamin Stokes

Sales Director

Benjamin Stokes is an energetic, young leader in the Healthcare RCM industry. Prior to joining HealthRecon Connect he served as a dual role Business Services and Network Development Representative at Vantage Health Plan where he led the network and market expansion in the state of Mississippi and South Louisiana parishes. He has a strong passion for excellent client relations and team leadership and development.

Benjamin has strong ties to his local community of Monroe, Louisiana. He is a 2014 graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe where he served as the Theta Chi chapter President of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He is involved in the Louisiana HFMA chapter, and other local organizations. While not working he enjoys spending time with his wife, Kelsey, a local veterinarian and their children Bennett and Catherine. He enjoys upland hunting, hiking, and traveling with his family.

Kyle Bradley

Sales Director

Kyle brings nearly 30 years of experience in healthcare sales and revenue cycle solutions, with a proven track record of driving sales growth, managing complex client relationships, and delivering tailored solutions. His expertise includes sales strategy development, enterprise account management, C-suite engagement, and fostering partnerships to enhance client outcomes.

Kyle holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been a member of the Gulf Coast HMFA since 2016 and served as Co-Chair of the Programs Committee from 2021–2024.

Kyle resides in Missouri City, TX with his wife Tami, son Cole and their pets.  Kyle is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing. He is a long-time volunteer with BSA Scouting America and currently serves as Scoutmaster for the local scout troop.

Mark Melfa

Sales Director

Mark brings over 25 years of extensive experience in enterprise sales and client relationship management within the healthcare sector. His expertise includes sales strategy development, market trend analysis, team building, and revenue growth. Mark is highly skilled in managing complex accounts, engaging with C-suite executives, and delivering tailored solutions to meet client needs.

Mark holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Management from Loyola University Maryland.

William Baus

Director of Laboratory Services Support

William has over 15 years of experience in healthcare revenue cycle management. His last decade had been entirely focused on laboratory revenue cycle management building onshore, offshore and hybrid teams to satisfy the needs of his clients. William has worked inside laboratories as the internal revenue cycle director with preview over every step in the revenue cycle process as well as managing RCM vendors. He has also worked outside the laboratory as the RCM company owner which gives him a uniquely balanced approach to servicing the revenue cycle for laboratories.

William is tirelessly focused on compliantly maximizing the revenue for laboratories, whether that is through the adoption of technology, application of deep state knowledge of payor and national coding policies or providing access to relationships that can change the bottom line for labs.

William is a resident of Carrollton, TX with twin boys that enjoy swimming, basketball and Roblox.

Dr. Alberto J. Montero, MD, MBA, CPHQ

Compliance Advisory Panel

Dr. Montero is clinical director of the Breast Cancer Medical Oncology Program at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and an associate professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He is board certified in medical oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Montero has been in academic practice for over 13 years and has demonstrated a strong track record of clinical research in breast cancer. Prior to joining the UH Seidman Cancer Center team, Dr. Montero spent seven years at the Cleveland Clinic, where he served as a staff physician in the hematology and oncology department, as well as chief quality improvement officer and patient experience officer. Before that, Dr. Montero was on staff at University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center as Breast Cancer Site Disease Group co-leader, and at the Medical University of South Carolina Division of Hematology/Oncology.

Dr. Montero graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree at University of Texas at Austin and earned his medical degree from University of Texas, Galveston. He also earned his MBA at University of Miami School of Business. He completed his internal medicine residency training at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and his hematology-oncology fellowship at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Montero is very active in breast cancer research and has served as Principal Investigator in numerous clinical trials. He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications. He has served on numerous committees and editorial boards, including serving as associate editor for Breast Cancer Research & Treatment, and recently has served as a reviewer and study chair for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). He is a member of several professional societies, including American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association of Cancer Research, and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

Honors and awards Dr. Montero has received include membership in the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, the Papanicolaou Corps for Cancer Research Pap Corps Fellowship, and the ASCO/AACR Methods in Cancer Research Workshop and School of Breast Oncology Course travel awards.

Dr. John McHenry, MD

Compliance Advisory Panel

Dr. John McHenry, MD is a Cardiology Specialist based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He received his medical degree from University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 33 years. Dr. McHenry also has the following credentials. 

  • Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease
  • Diplomate, Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology
  • Diplomate, National Board of Echocardiography, Adult Comprehensive Echocardiography
  • Diplomate, Certification Board of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography
  • Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine
  • Diplomate, National Board of Medical Examiners, Physician & Surgeon
    Colonel (Ret), Medical Corp, United States Army

M. Rajaram

Chairman

With an illustrious career spanning decades in the legal industry, M. Rajaram brings a wealth of experience and a stellar reputation to our organization. He is widely recognized as a leading expert in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and banking.

As a Partner and Chairman of K&L Gates Straits Law, he has been instrumental in advising on some of the most significant transactions in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Beyond his legal acumen, M. Rajaram is also a Specialist Mediator with the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC). He has effectively resolved numerous complex disputes, further showcasing his versatility and problem-solving skills.

Rajaram’s involvement in the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony underscores his commitment to promoting religious understanding and harmony in Singapore. His dedication to community service and ethical leadership aligns perfectly with the values upheld by HealthRecon Connect.

Throughout his career, M. Rajaram has earned several accolades, including being recognized and cited by Asia Law Profile, International Financial Law Review and Legal 500.

As advisor, M. Rajaram will help steer HealthRecon Connect towards achieving its strategic goals. His strong relationships, keen business acumen, and strategic thinking will undoubtedly prove invaluable to the organization’s growth and success.

Meet Us for Dinner