Innovator Award

Ann Barnes, CEO of IMO Health, is the recipient of the 2026 Healthcare Leaders Innovator Award.

Ann Barnes is a recognized healthcare technology leader whose career has been defined by building and transforming organizations at the intersection of healthcare, data, and technology. Since becoming CEO of IMO Health in 2018, she has led the company through a period of significant growth and evolution, expanding its product strategy beyond its foundation in clinical terminology to encompass data quality, enablement, analytics, and clinical intelligence.

Under Barnes’ leadership, IMO Health has strengthened its position as an important part of the healthcare data infrastructure. Today, the company serves as a clinical data intelligence partner to 95% of U.S. providers and every major electronic health record platform, helping turn complex clinical information into reliable, actionable data that can support care delivery, research, operations, and emerging applications of artificial intelligence. The company has also continued to earn industry recognition for its innovation, including Modern Healthcare’s Best in Business Awards for Data Analytics and Healthcare IT in 2024 and Data Analytics and Revenue Cycle Management in 2025.

Barnes has also helped guide IMO Health through major strategic growth. In 2022, Thomas H. Lee Partners acquired a majority interest in the company from Warburg Pincus in a transaction reported to value IMO Health at more than $1.5 billion. The investment supported an expanded vision for IMO Health—building on its longstanding leadership in clinical terminology while extending its capabilities across the broader healthcare ecosystem.

Beyond her impact on healthcare technology, Barnes has become a prominent advocate for developing women leaders and building more diverse and inclusive organizations. She was named to the 2022 PharmaVoice 100 Most Inspiring People list for her leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and has been a vocal champion of mentorship and creating opportunities for women in healthcare and technology. Her commitment has extended from deliberately building diverse leadership teams at IMO Health to mentoring women inside and outside the organization.

Prior to joining IMO Health, Barnes served as President and CEO of MedData, where she helped grow the healthcare technology-enabled services company and led it through its sale to MEDNAX. Across these leadership roles, she has demonstrated an ability to combine growth and operational execution with a focus on improving the way healthcare organizations serve clinicians and patients.

In honoring Ann with the 2026 Ian Adler Innovator Award, Healthcare Leaders recognizes not only her leadership in transforming IMO Health, but also her broader impact on the evolution of healthcare data and technology. Her ability to combine innovation, business leadership, and a commitment to developing people reflects the spirit of the award—challenging convention, building for the future, and creating meaningful and lasting change across healthcare.