More Than Case Management: Deacon’s Operational Value for Hospitals (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this series, we explored how Deacon Health transforms the patient experience with high-touch navigation across the full 30-day surgical episode. In this second installment, we shift focus to the hospital: how Deacon’s approach strengthens internal operations, streamlines transitions, and supports measurable performance improvement under CMS’ TEAM mandate.
From reducing staff burden to improving coordination across care settings, Deacon’s model is designed to extend hospital capacity without adding headcount or complexity.
Greater Control, Smoother Coordination
In-house case managers can make recommendations to patients but lack decision-making authority. However, because Deacon navigators have formal approval on the care plan from the surgeon, we have greater control over the care journey, enabling faster transitions, fewer errors, and more decisive follow-through.
This direct oversight reduces readmissions and prevents escalation of minor issues.
“I had a patient call worried about a blood clot in the arm,” says Deacon Health Patient Navigator, Kayla Cross, RN. “After some questioning, we determined it was where the IV had been removed. Thankfully it was nothing more than inflammation, and an ER visit was diverted.”
Real-Time Visibility for Providers
Hospitals often lose sight of their patients once they transition to post-acute care. That visibility gap can result in missed red flags, misaligned follow-ups, and delayed interventions.
Deacon solves this by delivering real-time documentation that keeps all stakeholders informed. From discharge status to post-acute location to ongoing risk assessments, our updates provide a complete picture of the patient’s recovery, reducing blind spots and enabling more collaborative care.
“We are here to make everyone’s job easier,” Kayla shares. “We take pressure off the staff by handling tasks they don’t have time for, or by surfacing important information they might not have uncovered on their own.”
Operational Efficiency Without Added Headcount
Deacon acts as a true extension of the hospital’s internal team without requiring additional staff or infrastructure. Our model improves communication across departments, reduces redundant follow-ups, and optimizes handoffs between inpatient and outpatient providers.
That operational lift matters. As care demands increase under TEAM, hospitals need a streamlined, scalable system for managing every patient touchpoint. Deacon makes that possible.
Strategic ROI Hospitals Can Measure
Improved coordination doesn’t just enhance care quality. It also drives measurable business impact. Deacon’s model helps hospitals lower utilization, reduce risk exposure, and capture financial gains through improved performance on quality metrics.
Our average client results include:
- 13.5% average MLR reduction
- 5% 30-day readmission rate (vs. 17% national average)
- 3% SNF utilization (vs. 28%)
- 2% inpatient rehab utilization (vs. 9%)
These improvements reduce penalties and create space for hospitals to reinvest in strategic initiatives and improve operational resilience under value-based care models.
Ready for What’s Next
With CMS’s TEAM model going live in 2026, hospitals face a new level of accountability—one that spans the full 30-day surgical episode and requires deeper coordination than ever before.
Deacon’s approach is aligned with evolving CMMI expectations, designed to adapt quickly to policy changes, and proven to improve both outcomes and efficiency.
Explore how Deacon’s care model improves patient care in Part 1.