Why I joined Fathom: Matt Baron

From time to time, Fathom invites recent hires to share their experience in deciding to join our team. In this blog, Matt Baron, Engineering Manager, shares how personal healthcare challenges shaped his perspective and how he's now expanding the engineering community at Fathom's New York office.

I was born and raised on Long Island, and apart from a brief three-year stint in the Bay Area, New York State has always been my home. Throughout my career in tech, healthcare was never on my radar. In fact, I had never worked in healthcare before Fathom. 

However, before I joined Fathom, I had an experience with healthcare that frustrated me and really opened my eyes to the communication gaps in healthcare. I watched a loved one go through cancer treatment, and a lack of coordination between her surgeon and oncologist led to starting chemotherapy before surgical wounds had properly healed, significantly extending her treatment timeline. Witnessing these disconnects firsthand made me realize just how much room for improvement exists in healthcare.

The right problem at the right time

This experience stayed with me, and when I learned about Fathom, something clicked. Before joining, I was Head of Engineering at a seed-stage startup called Foraged, which is a marketplace for unique and wild foods. When I first heard about Fathom, I'll admit I had to Google what medical coding was. But the more I learned, the more excited I became. The product-market fit was brutally clear, and the market opportunity was massive. What really clicked for me was realizing how automation could give physicians more time with their patients and ensure patients weren't overcharged necessarily – leading to better healthcare outcomes for everyone.

Now that I'm here as the first engineering manager in our New York office, I've had the unique opportunity to help shape our culture and build community. Being in office has shown me just how valuable in-person collaboration can be. There's an energy that comes from working alongside your teammates that's hard to replicate virtually. Whether it's quick problem-solving sessions or just sharing lunch together, those small daily interactions create a really tight-knit energy that makes working together easier – and more fun. Plus, we moved into a bigger office space with room for all of us to hang. We just kicked off a new office ritual where on Tuesdays, everyone comes in and spends time together over coffee and bagels. 

The commute, which might sound like a downside to some, is my time to process ideas, plan ahead, or simply decompress. Having a dedicated space outside my apartment has been so helpful in creating a healthy work-life balance while allowing me to stay connected with our growing team.

Growing together

One of the things that sets Fathom apart is the focus on mentorship and professional growth. When I joined, I was immediately paired with two exceptional mentors – one of which was Nathan, a fellow engineering manager – through our onboarding buddy system. Nathan helped me navigate the transition into managing and gave me great advice about leading teams and strategic planning. Another colleague in the New York office became my go-to person for day-to-day questions and technical discussions. Their guidance was invaluable in helping me hit the ground running.

This mentorship culture extends beyond the onboarding period. Our engineers are unusually helpful, and if you're looking to grow in your abilities, you'll find plenty of opportunities to learn from experienced colleagues who are genuinely invested in your success.

Looking ahead, I couldn't be more excited about what we're building at Fathom. The team is smart, kind, and collaborative (essential qualities when you work with people daily!) and we're building something that makes a real difference in healthcare. If you're looking to join a team where you can grow, make an impact, and help fix healthcare's biggest challenges, I'd love to hear from you.