Teammate spotlight: Bridging healthcare experience and architectural thinking
From home care software to AI-driven platforms, John Riekena brings more than a decade of engineering experience to his role as a staff software engineer at WellSky. He believes strong architecture should serve both end users and developers, helping systems remain reliable while making engineers more effective.
Based in Ozark, Missouri, John has spent most of his career building software for healthcare teams. He began at McKesson, where he spent six years developing home care and hospice products using C#. That early experience shaped how he approaches reliability, system design, and the real-world impact of software.
He later transitioned into the Ruby on Rails ecosystem at Artemis Health and ValueHealth, where he helped build and scale platforms across a range of healthcare domains, including data analytics and surgical care coordination.
“Starting out in home care and hospice gives you perspective,” John said. “It made me care deeply about reliability and clear architecture. Good architecture keeps systems stable and makes the work more enjoyable for engineers.”
Returning to the home care and hospice space made WellSky feel like a natural fit.
“It felt like a homecoming,” John said. “I wanted to use the domain knowledge I’ve built and apply it at a staff level, helping solve more complex architectural challenges.”
He was also drawn to the balance WellSky strikes between scale and innovation.
“It’s rare to find an established healthcare company that still prioritizes modern engineering practices,” he said. “That mindset, combined with the mission, makes the work meaningful.”
Since joining WellSky in August, John immerses himself in the company’s modernization efforts. He contributes to platform upgrades, including a recent Rails upgrade, and supports AI-related initiatives, with a focus on understanding how systems connect across the broader platform.
“There’s a lot happening, and the team has been incredibly welcoming and supportive,” he said. “That makes a big difference when you’re joining a company with a complex platform.”
Outside of project work, John experiments with large language models like Claude and Gemini, exploring practical ways to integrate them into development workflows.
“It’s a fast-moving space,” he said. “I’m always testing what actually helps engineers solve problems more effectively.”
Outside of work, family comes first. John and his wife stay busy with their two daughters, ages 10 and 7. They enjoy spending time outdoors, whether hiking or visiting nearby Silver Dollar City in Branson.
He also enjoys running and listening to audiobooks, even if he doesn’t always finish them.
“I start more audiobooks than I complete,” John said. “Using Gemini to catch up on where I left off helps me decide which ones are worth sticking with.”
For John, the combination of meaningful impact, modern approaches, and a collaborative culture makes WellSky a place where he’s excited to keep learning and building.
