Senior Leadership Team

MedData’s seasoned management team possesses levels of expertise that extend across various functional areas.  Combined, senior management brings a total of 270 years of combined related experience to the business.

Ken Bloem
Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

Ken Bloem is Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors for MedData. From 2006 until MedDirect was acquired by MedData, he served as CEO and Chairman of MedDirect, a retail revenue cycle company serving hospitals and physician groups in 50 states.
His career includes leadership positions at four major academic health centers: CEO at Stanford University Hospital, CEO of Georgetown University Medical Center, EVP at University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, and AVP at Boston University Medical Center. He has also held board directorships of a number of for-profit and publicly held health companies (including CEO of the Advisory Board Company), contributed to health policy development through appointments to university and association fellowships and committees, and served as an international public health and health services administrator. From 2000 to 2005 he led planning efforts for the development of a major biomedical research center and hospital, sponsored by the Qatar Foundation, in conjunction with the new Cornell University Medical School established in Doha, Qatar. He is a former Peace Corps Volunteer and staff member (Malawi and Congo), and a graduate of Calvin College and Harvard School of Public Health. He has taught and/or held academic positions at Stanford University, University of Chicago, Harvard and Boston University.

He is a recipient of the World Health Organization's "Order of the Bifurcated Needle" award for his contributions to the successful global smallpox eradication program. He was a Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies. In addition to his former consulting practice, he was a member of the American Hospital Association's Ad Hoc Committee on Payment for Health Services as well as multiple other professional task forces and committees. He currently serves on the boards of a number of healthcare enterprises.

Douglas S. Thompson
Chief Executive Officer

Doug Thompson has served as CEO since 2007, leading the company’s day-to-day business, as well as serving on MedData's Board of Directors. Prior to joining MedData, he spent his 25-year career dedicated to serving technology, software and services businesses. He has been the president of the Electronic Commerce Division and senior vice president of Customer Operations / Sales of DST Output (OTS), a public company providing paper and electronic bill statement outsourcing for over 150 million bills and statements per month; chairman, CEO and president of Avolent, Inc., a private company providing enterprise software solutions for electronic bill presentment and payment and interactive customer care; president and COO of NWP Services, a private Billing Services Company; and chairman and CEO of Open-c Solutions, a billing and customer care services company. In addition to these formal positions Doug has provided executive consulting and leadership for several of the premier billing and collections companies in the United States. He currently serves on the EDPMA Board of Directors.

Thompson is Harvard University graduate.

Ann Barnes
President and Chief Operating Officer

Ann Barnes initially joined MedData as vice president of client services in November 2008. In August 2009, she was promoted to the post of chief operating officer, and in February 2013 to president. Her 21-year career includes positions spanning sales, client services, operations and marketing functions. Before joining MedData, Barnes was executive vice president for the student loan division of Wachovia Bank. Previously, she led a national sales force for New Horizons Computer Learning, the world’s largest computer training company. During the first 18 months of her employment there, revenues grew from $12 million to $44 million. Prior, Barnes held various leadership roles with Avolent, an enterprise software solution for electronic bill payments. She began her career with Xerox Corporation in the mid-1980s, where she was consistently promoted into positions throughout the central and western regions. At the time of her departure in December 2000, she held the role of vice president, general market operations in the western region. 

Barnes is a graduate of the University of the Pacific in San Francisco.

David Lamm
Chief Financial Officer

David Lamm was appointed to the post of chief financial officer in March 2008. He brings more than 15 years of healthcare industry experience to MedData. Lamm joined MedData from U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group, a California-based company specializing in the delivery of employer-based programs, such as those focused on workers compensation, return-to-work, injury prevention and wellness. He was an integral member of the management team, serving as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Previously, Lamm spent nine years at Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest health maintenance organization (HMO), where he was national vice president of patient billing services and controller of the California Division.

Lamm is a registered certified public accountant and a graduate of Ohio State University.

Dr. Hallet Watz MD, MDA, FACEP
Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Hal Watz serves on the executive committee of MedData and holds the position of chief medical officer. Since 1987, he has led the billing, coding, and collection operations for Peak Emergency Medical Billing (PEAK), a billing service acquired by MedData in May 2008. In this capacity, he grew the business to one of the premier billing companies in the southwest. He is also a practicing Emergency Medicine Physician and president of Front Range Emergency Specialists, DESCRIBE. Dr. Watz utilizes his expertise in both medicine and billing management to provide strategic direction for the company as well as to drive tactical programs that optimize reimbursement and provide critical reporting and practice management information for clients.