Healthcare AI & Engineering Leadership

Turning Healthcare Complexity into Working AI

VP-level engineering and data leader with 28+ years across payer, provider, fintech, and enterprise platforms. I combine healthcare data operations, platform modernization, SRE/ITSM, and M&A integration experience with hands-on AI prototyping across claims, EDI, risk adjustment, quality, and workflow automation.

~30
Years in Tech
$30M+
Portfolio Managed
100+
Engineers Led
$20M+
Cost Savings
VK
Vandana Karthikeya
VP Engineering, Data & Ops
Platform Modernization Data & AI Engineering Business Process Optimization ITSM & SRE
Healthcare Tech (Deep Expertise)
FinTech & Enterprise IT
Platform / Tech Modernization
ITSM & Incident Management
Data Ops & AI/ML
M&A Tech Integration
Engineering Team Leadership
Cloud & DevOps
🤖 AI-Powered
💼 Open to Roles
Where Domain Expertise
Meets Engineering Execution

I'm a hands-on technology leader with close to 30 years of experience building, scaling, and modernizing technology organizations — across healthcare, fintech, and large enterprise IT. I bring equal comfort in the boardroom and the codebase, with a track record of turning complex technical challenges into measurable business outcomes.

Most recently as VP of Engineering, Data & Ops at a healthcare analytics SaaS startup, I built the entire engineering and data operations function from scratch. I led an AI-powered integration technology replacement — migrating from legacy tooling to industry-standard platforms, completing a complex tech migration with less than 2% issues post production go-live. The new stack was also successfully leveraged for the 2026 Annual Enrollment Period (AEP).

🏥 Healthcare — A Defining Chapter

A significant portion of my career has been spent at the forefront of healthcare technology — spanning payers, providers, and care delivery. From managing a $30M portfolio at a Fortune 50 health insurer and co-leading an EPIC EMR rollout across 43+ clinics, to building EDI processing systems and AI-driven payer analytics platforms, healthcare is where much of my deepest domain expertise lives. I understand the regulatory landscape, the interoperability challenges, and the human stakes that make getting it right non-negotiable.

"These tools show what's possible. I know the domain deeply enough to design the right solution, and I can build fast enough to prototype it in days. The path from here to production is an architecture and engineering conversation."

Previously, I served as Sr. Director of IT at a Fortune 50 health insurer, managing a $30M portfolio and 43+ clinics serving 100K+ patients. Before that, I built IT shared services at one of the nation's largest integrated health systems, and prior to healthcare, I led cloud transformation and enterprise platform initiatives at a global FinTech leader across US and UK operations. I carry an MS in Computer Science from BITS Pilani, leadership credentials from MIT Sloan, and a PG Diploma in AI/ML from UT Austin.

Beyond technology, I'm deeply passionate about mentoring and growing people. Throughout my career I've helped engineers, managers, and individual contributors find their path — whether that's stepping into their first leadership role, pivoting into healthcare tech, or discovering strengths they didn't know they had. Several people I've mentored have gone on to Director and VP-level roles. I believe great teams are built by investing in people first, and the best technology outcomes follow naturally from that.

I'm currently open to VP+ Engineering, Data, and Consulting roles at mid-size companies that are scaling and offer equity participation — in healthcare or adjacent industries where deep technical and operational expertise creates a real advantage.

Education
MS Computer Science, BITS Pilani
MIT Sloan Leadership
AI/ML PG, UT Austin
Certifications
SAFe Agilist 5.1
SAFe POPM 5.1
AI/ML Post-Graduate
Domain Expertise
Healthcare Tech (Payer/Provider)
FinTech & Enterprise IT
Platform Modernization
Data Ops & AI/ML
Tech Stack
Python • Java • C++
MuleSoft • SSIS • Mirth
AI/ML • GenAI/LLMs
AWS • Azure • DevOps
Mentorship
Mentored engineers into
Director & VP roles
Women in Tech advocate
DEI champion
Based In
Cerritos, California 🌴
28 Years of Scaling
Technology Organizations
From startups to Fortune 50 — across healthcare, fintech, and enterprise tech — I build teams, systems, and cultures that ship.
Jun 2024 – Present
VP Engineering, Data & Ops
Healthcare Analytics SaaS Startup — B2B Platform
Built engineering & data ops from scratch. Led AI-powered integration technology replacement from legacy to industry-standard tooling with <2% post-production issues. Successfully leveraged for 2026 AEP. Supported AI platform for payer and provider clients.
~15 Direct Reports $15M Portfolio $100K+ Saved/Customer
Sep 2022 – May 2024
Sr. Director IT
Fortune 50 Health Insurer — Care Delivery Division
Led technical vision for Care Delivery products, co-led EPIC EMR rollout, merged two data centers, and managed infrastructure for 43+ clinics serving 100K+ patients across the US.
~30 Engineers $30M Portfolio $1.2B Revenue Supported
Dec 2015 – Sep 2022
Director IT
Top 5 US Integrated Health System — 12.5M+ Members
Built IT shared services across 10 departments. Led Pharmacy, TeleHealth, and Care at Home strategy. Consolidated legacy apps saving $5M+.
17 Engineers $10-15M Portfolio $5M Saved
Oct 2009 – Nov 2015
Sr. Tech Manager, Projects
Global FinTech Leader — US & UK Operations
Led cloud transformation, enterprise monitoring as a service, and ServiceNow rollout across US and UK locations.
10 Engineers $8-10M Portfolio 20% IT Cost Reduction
1998 – 2009
Early Career — Tech Lead to Manager
Fortune 500 IT Services & Product Companies
Architected crew management system for a major aerospace manufacturer, led ITSM tooling rollouts, enterprise product management, and large-scale application development across US and India.
11 Years 3 Companies
Healthcare AI Proof, Not Just Portfolio Pieces
Working prototypes — not production software. Built around payer/provider workflows, data operations, quality, claims, and the operational realities behind healthcare platforms.
What This Lab Actually Is

"These tools show what's possible. I know the domain deeply enough to design the right solution, and I can build fast enough to prototype it in days. The path from here to production is an architecture and engineering conversation."

What They Demonstrate
Domain expertise, workflow design, and the ability to translate complex requirements into working interfaces — fast.
What They Are Not
Production software. These run on synthetic or sample data in a browser. No live integrations, no real patient or claims data.
The Next Conversation
Taking any of these to production involves real architecture — infrastructure, security, compliance, and scale. That's the conversation I want to have.
Recently Building With AI

Over the last month, I have been using AI agents, rapid browser-based prototyping, and n8n-style workflow automation to turn healthcare operations knowledge into usable demos. The strongest thread is practical AI: data normalization, claims/EDI workflows, risk adjustment, quality/Stars, patient communication, and operational decision support.

AI AgentsHealthcare Data NormalizationClaims & EDIRisk AdjustmentHEDIS / Starsn8n AutomationRapid MVPs
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Group 01
Healthcare AI, Data & Revenue Cycle
Payer/provider workflows across practice operations, EDI claims, risk adjustment, interoperability, and data transformation
🎙️
Group 02
Healthcare Voice, Translators & IVR
Patient communication, multi-language translation, and interactive voice response tools
🏥
Group 03
Healthcare Quality, Risk & Clinical Ops
Clinical decision support, prior authorization, care gap analysis, and quality measurement tools
⚙️
Group 04
Operational Tech — ITSM, Incident & RCA
IT service management, incident response, root cause analysis, and operational tooling
📊
Group 05
PMO & Estimation Tools
Project estimation, capacity planning, and program-management tools for AI transformation and modernization initiatives
🕉️
Group 06
Beyond Healthcare
Personal analytics, Sanskrit learning, Vedic chanting practice, and scripture study applications
Use These Tools — Free & Open
All apps are fully interactive and available directly on this site. For consulting, custom builds, or to discuss working together — reach out.
🚀
Use the Apps

All AI tools are fully interactive. Open any app and start using it — no login, no paywall, no strings attached.

🏗️
AI → Production

Have an AI prototype that needs to go to production? I assess the gap, design the architecture, and help you get there.

See Consulting →
💼
Full-Time Roles

Open to VP+ Engineering or Data leadership roles at scaling companies — healthcare, fintech, or adjacent industries with equity.

Get in Touch →
AI Prototype → Production Reality
Every organization is building AI. Most of those builds will fail to reach production. I help bridge that gap — with 28 years of real systems, real stakes, and real delivery behind every assessment.
"You built an AI thing. Now the question is: can it actually go to production — and what would that take? That's the conversation I'm built for."
🔬
AI Readiness Assessment
Is your AI prototype production-ready?

I review what you've built — architecture, data, governance, compliance posture — and give you an honest assessment of the gap and what it takes to close it.

🏛️
AI Governance Framework
Who owns your AI decisions?

Model registries, audit trails, drift monitoring, explainability, and regulatory alignment (EU AI Act, FDA, CMS). Built for boards and ops teams, not just engineers.

📉
IT Cost Rationalization
Fund AI by cutting what you don't need

Application rationalization, vendor consolidation, cloud cost governance, and Opex reduction modeling — grounded in $20M+ of delivered savings across healthcare and enterprise IT.

🔗
M&A Tech Integration
Post-acquisition systems don't merge themselves

System mapping, redundancy analysis, phased integration roadmaps, and data center consolidation playbooks — from someone who's done it at multi-million dollar scale.

🎯
Fractional VP Engineering — Featured Offering
Senior engineering leadership without the full-time cost

For startups and growth-stage companies building AI-powered products that need engineering leadership, team structure, and production discipline — without a full-time VP hire yet. Typically 2–3 days per week, outcome-oriented engagement.

All engagements start with a no-obligation conversation about your situation.
Start the Conversation →
What I'm Building Next
A mix of AI tools, tech experiments, and passion projects across healthcare, engineering, and personal curiosity.
01
AI Data Normalization Engine
Reusable AI pipeline to normalize messy structured and unstructured healthcare data across EDI, claims, and enrollment — modeled on the 40% speed-to-market gains achieved at Reveleer.
🔥🔥🔥
02
Security Vulnerability Triage Dashboard
AI-assisted tool to ingest CVE/vulnerability scanner output, auto-prioritize by risk and blast radius, assign remediation owners, and track closure — inspired by resolving 10K+ vulnerabilities in under a year.
🔥🔥🔥
03
Engineering Team Scaling Playbook
Interactive tool for engineering leaders to model team growth — headcount planning, SAFe Agile squad structuring, role gap analysis, and hiring sequencing — from 1 to 100+ engineers.
🔥🔥🔥
04
M&A Tech Integration Playbook Builder
AI-assisted tool to map post-acquisition systems, identify redundancies, and generate a phased integration roadmap — modeled on real integrations including data center consolidations and EMR migrations.
🔥🔥🔥
05
Risk Adjustment Coding Assistant
NLP-powered ICD-10/HCC coding suggestion from clinical notes with confidence scoring — building on retrospective risk adjustment work that achieved ~98% coding accuracy at Reveleer.
🔥🔥🔥
06
EMR Rollout Readiness Tracker
Multi-site EMR deployment management tool — clinic readiness scoring, go-live sequencing, issue tracking, and stakeholder dashboards. Based on real EPIC rollout experience across 43+ clinics.
🔥🔥🔥
07
IT Shared Services Cost Optimizer
Model and benchmark shared IT service costs across departments — SLA design, chargeback modeling, vendor consolidation analysis, and Opex reduction simulation. Built from 10+ department scale experience.
🔥🔥🔥
08
CI/CD Pipeline Health Scorecard
DORA metrics tracker with AI-generated improvement recommendations — deploy frequency, MTTR, change failure rate, and test automation coverage. Reflects real DevOps toolchain optimization experience.
🔥🔥🔥
09
ITSM Tool Migration Simulator
Simulate migrating from legacy ITSM platforms (Remedy, homegrown) to ServiceNow — data mapping, workflow translation, cutover risk scoring, and stakeholder communication templates.
🔥🔥🔥
10
Personal Wearables AI Coach
Extend my Oura + Apple Health dashboard into a conversational AI coach — ask natural language questions about your own data and get personalized weekly trend summaries and recovery insights.
🔥🔥🔥
11
Vedic Text Semantic Search
Search across Upanishads, Bhagavatam, and Stotra texts by meaning and concept — not just keyword. AI-powered semantic indexing with multilingual support across Sanskrit, Tamil, and English.
🔥🔥🔥
12
Vendor & Outsourcing ROI Analyzer
Compare build vs. buy vs. outsource scenarios with TCO modeling, vendor risk scoring, SLA benchmarking, and Opex/Capex impact simulation — grounded in $20M+ cost optimization experience.
🔥🔥🔥
13
PMO Tools Suite for AI Transformation
Complete program-management toolkit for AI transformation — estimation framework (live), capacity planner, RAID log, and stage-gate tracker. Built from 28 years of $30M+ portfolio management and AI delivery experience.
🔥🔥🔥
Let's Build Something
Together

I'm actively exploring VP+ Engineering and Data leadership roles, fractional engagements, and consulting opportunities at companies scaling with AI — in healthcare, fintech, or adjacent industries. If my work resonates with your mission, let's talk.

App

⚠️
Important Disclaimer
Demo & Training Only

All apps use synthetic or publicly available sample data. Not intended for clinical, billing, or operational use without proper validation and compliance review.

Not Production-Ready

These POCs are prototypes. Taking any tool to enterprise scale requires infrastructure design, reliability engineering, security hardening, and cost architecture.

AI Governance

AI governance is a rapidly evolving field. Use these tools with caution and always apply appropriate human oversight before acting on any outputs.

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Enjoying these tools?

All 12+ apps are 100% free — no logins, no paywalls, no ads. If they helped you, a coffee keeps them running! 🙏

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