James A. (Jim) Deal is founder and chief executive officer of Compassus. He has worked in the health care services industry for more than 40 years and began his career in the investor-owned hospital business as a regional executive. Subsequently, as CEO of multiple health care companies, Deal led the creation of a national network of diabetes treatment centers, was instrumental in leading, developing and operating the first 16 at-risk disease/care management contracts in the U.S., grew a regional high-end medical imaging business into a multiregional provider, and led the restructuring, refinancing and growth of an organization focused on high-quality medical care and attendant cost of treating the elderly.
More than 10 years ago, Deal founded Compassus in partnership with Cressey & Company, a Chicago-based private equity firm. In 2014, he led the recapitalization of Compassus when Formation Capital and Audax Private Equity replaced Cressey & Company as the company’s financial partners. The nation’s largest private hospice provider, Compassus employs more than 4,000 colleagues who provide a range of hospice, palliative and home health care services to benefit patients and families. Today, the company operates more than 86 programs with 125 locations serving 30 states across the U.S.
Deal formerly served on the board of directors of Envision Healthcare, a leading national physician services and office-based ambulatory surgery provider, and of MedCath, the leading operator of cardiac specialty hospitals.
Deal earned a master’s of public administration in health services administration from the University of Arizona and a bachelor’s of business in economics from Western Illinois University.