A Milestone Moment: How Deacon’s First Clinical Summit is Shaping the Next Chapter of Value-Based Care
When you put a roomful of some of the brightest minds in healthcare together, something remarkable happens. Ideas sharpen. Assumptions fall away. And a clearer picture of what’s possible for patients begins to emerge.
That’s exactly what happened at Deacon Health’s inaugural Clinical Summit last month. For two days, we gathered an extraordinary group of physicians and business leaders to challenge our thinking, identify workflow enhancements, and strengthen the foundation of how we serve our partners and their patients.
It was a milestone moment for Deacon.
Not just because of the impressive roster in the room (though I’m incredibly proud of that) but because of what the summit represented: a shared belief that the best healthcare solutions are built through collaboration, a service-oriented mindset, and relentless curiosity.
Why We Gathered
The summit wasn’t about presentations or slide decks. It was about partnership.
Our goal was to stress-test our model, pressure-check our assumptions, and ensure that every aspect of Deacon’s care navigation process is ready for day one in each new market we enter. We wanted to hear directly from the clinicians in the trenches about what’s working, what’s not, and what they need most from a partner like Deacon.
That kind of feedback is invaluable, and often hard to come by in this industry.
So, we asked tough questions of our esteemed guests (Drs. Deborah Robin, Michael Lipp, Aneesh Pakala, Trigg McClellan, Raymond Hakim, and Julius Torelli) and dedicated employees.
What makes Deacon fantastic? How do we strengthen provider networks? How can we better engage hospitals, clinicians, and families?
The discussions that followed were candid, inspiring, and deeply energizing.
Themes That Mattered Most
The Deacon Difference
Across every conversation, one thing came through loud and clear: the “Deacon Difference” is real. It’s the combination of data-driven precision and deeply human compassion that defines our approach.
We exist to prevent patients from being lost, alone, and uninformed in a fragmented healthcare system. That mission drives everything we do—from how we design our technology to how we train our care navigators and measure success.
As several physicians noted, Deacon’s approach is restoring control to patients, closing gaps in care and giving them a voice in their own recovery.
That’s exactly our goal.
Partnership in Action
Our model only works if it works for everyone involved. That’s why we talked a lot about partnership—not replacement.
Hospitals and clinicians are under incredible pressure to prepare for programs like CMS’s TEAM initiative, and we want to be the partner that makes that transition easier.
That means engaging early, supporting implementation teams, and building trust through transparency and results. From onboarding sessions and tailored messaging to peer-to-peer education, our strategy is rooted in real relationships.
Empowering Patients and Families
One of the most powerful discussions focused on caregiver engagement. Everyone agreed that families are an untapped force in improving adherence and recovery.
We’re now enhancing our workflows to include caregiver identification during intake, joint calls and virtual visits, and educational materials designed for both patients and families.
Because when caregivers are informed and empowered, outcomes improve for everyone.
Data as a Catalyst for Change
Finally, data. We’ve always believed that data is a catalyst for better care.
At the summit, we aligned around a refined set of KPIs (readmission rates, patient satisfaction (NPS), referral completion, care plan approval, functional outcomes (PROMs), PCP reconnection rates, and provider engagement) and committed to building dashboards that give partners real-time visibility.
We also discussed how to use claims and outcomes data to identify high-performing providers, benchmark performance, and support those who need help through peer-led education rather than punitive measures.
The Future of Deacon Health
The summit ended the same way it began: with energy, optimism, and a shared sense of purpose.
In the months ahead, we’ll build on this momentum through small-group discussions focused on refining conservative care pathways, further stratifying MSK episodes, and reviewing post-implementation outcomes. These are the steps necessary to build the most effective, evidence-based, and compassionate model of specialty care in the industry.
As I left the summit, I couldn’t help but feel both proud and motivated. Proud of the team we’ve built, the trust we’ve earned, and the mission we’re living every day. Motivated by the fact that there’s still so much more we can do—for hospitals, for clinicians, and above all, for patients.
Because our work isn’t just about reducing costs or improving metrics. It’s about restoring dignity, control, and confidence to people at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.
And that’s something worth gathering for.
Kyle Cooksey
Kyle is the president and CEO of Deacon Health. A seasoned healthcare executive with over two decades of experience, he specializes in value-based strategies, focusing on understanding the heart of the customer and translating those insights into strong financial results, retention, and aligned growth strategies.