AmeriHealth Caritas has announced a strategic investment in Deon Health. Deon Health is a Michigan-based specialty managed care organization. The company focuses on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The investment will support Deon Health’s efforts to advance specialized and coordinated care. Its care model focuses on individual needs, personal choices, and local communities. In addition, the model uses specialized technology and strong local provider relationships.
Deon Health will continue operating as an independent organization. Therefore, the investment will not change its existing partnerships or care decisions. Direct support professionals will also remain central to its care model. The transaction will not affect their employment or relationships with people they support. Instead, the investment will help Deon Health strengthen its existing approach to specialized care.
“Through our work serving people with I/DD, we know that their care needs are deeply personal and require an approach built around the individual,” said Kelly Munson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Independence Health Group. “That understanding is core to our mission and one of the reasons we see such strong alignment with Deon Health’s specialized, locally focused approach. We are proud to support its work and help expand its impact.”
Specialized Care Model Supports Local Communities
Deon Health works with experienced local providers of home and community-based services. Through these partnerships, the organization brings different areas of care together. Its Community Supported Care Model connects clinical and behavioral services. It also combines home and community-based services around each individual. Furthermore, direct support professionals play an important role in delivering this care. Their involvement helps keep services connected to each person’s daily needs.
The model places individuals and their families at the center of care. It also recognizes the role of professionals who provide support every day. Deon Health created this approach to improve how care reaches people with I/DD. The organization also aims to support families and care professionals through stronger coordination.
“We built Deon Health to create a better way to organize care around people with I/DD, their families and the professionals who support them every day,” said Sara Ratner, Chief Executive Officer of Deon Health. “AmeriHealth Caritas brings deep Medicaid experience and shares our commitment to a model built around strong local relationships. This investment will help us strengthen that work while preserving what makes our approach distinctive.”
The investment gives Deon Health additional support while maintaining its existing structure. Meanwhile, AmeriHealth Caritas brings extensive experience in Medicaid healthcare solutions.
Investment Strengthens I/DD Healthcare Approach
Deon Health’s leadership also highlighted the importance of local relationships. The company believes families and direct support professionals should have a stronger voice.
“We built the company around them with partners already doing this work well. AmeriHealth Caritas brings deep Medicaid experience to that structure without displacing it, and that is the only kind of investment we were interested in.”
Shane Spotts, Founder and President of Deon Health, also discussed the company’s founding principles.
“Deon Health exists because the people closest to this population, families, direct support professionals, and the local providers who serve them, were rarely the ones shaping how care gets delivered,” said Shane Spotts, Founder and President of Deon Health. “We built the company around them with partners already doing this work well. AmeriHealth Caritas brings deep Medicaid experience to that structure without displacing it, and that is the only kind of investment we were interested in.”
The investor group includes AmeriHealth Caritas and Deon Health’s existing and new investors. Town Hall Ventures also participated in the investment. First Trust Partners Capital Partners LLC also joined the investor group. Difference Partners and other investors also participated. However, the companies did not disclose additional transaction terms. The investment reflects growing attention toward specialized healthcare models. It also highlights the importance of coordinated services for people with I/DD.
AmeriHealth Caritas brings significant Medicaid experience to the collaboration. Deon Health, meanwhile, continues focusing on locally connected and individualized care.
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News Source: Businesswire.com
