Don Calcagno

About Don Calcagno

As a senior executive at a $36B health system, I ran hospital P & Ls and non-clinical operations at a $6B health system before serving as Chief Population Health Officer. In this role, I built a Value-Based Care (VBC) platform serving 2.4 million lives across 17 networks. My team managed a $1.6B capitation portfolio, delivering strong margins and generating over $900M in Medicare Shared Savings—the nation\'s most successful IDN-based MSSP program.I have seen firsthand that while the industry is attempting to establish a Value-Based Care \"operating system,\" it is often incomplete. To work, governance, operating models, and business models must fit together into a cohesive engine that produces high-quality care and sustainable financial performance.I co-founded Value’s Edge LLC to build the \"Gold Standard\" VBC Intelligence Platform—a practical hub helping leaders cut through noise to deliver clear intelligence to make better decisions faster.Value’s Edge delivers: Curated, high-signal intelligence on policy, models, and market shifts Strategic implications and “what to do next” recommendations Operating playbooks (risk, incentives, performance management) Transparent vendor landscape context and peer learning A community grounded in respectful debate and lessons learnedMy track record at Advocate includes: Generated $900M in Medicare Shared Savings (MSSP) Built VBC platform across 17 networks, physicians, 73 hospitals, 6 states Managed P&L (60% margin) on a 130 contract portfolio, including $1.6B capitation Transformed a $40M loss ACA contract into a $20M annual profit Grew value-based lives almost 2x in 4 yearsWhile developing the Value\'s Edge platform, I partner with health systems, startups, payors, and investment firms (VC & PE) to conduct due diligence, create structure out of ambiguity, and drive success.Some areas of expertise include: Board Leadership: AristaMD, Devoted Health, Oak Street/Advocate JV, Capstone Healthcare, and multiple MSSP/REACH ACOs VBC Strategy: Governance, Operating and business models for ACOs/CINs Risk Contracting: Negotiation for FFS, shared savings/risk, and capitation across Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial, and ACA. Physician Alignment: Incentive design and behavioral economics. Performance Turnaround: Quality, utilization, and total cost of care. Platform Enablement: Analytics, interoperability, and operating cadence.If you are building, operating or scaling value-based care and want operator-grade guidance, message me here on LinkedIn or at d•••@valuesedge.com.

Experience

1. Strategic Advisor

   Bamboo Health

   Nov 2025 — Present

Education

• Purdue University

  BS, Medical Technology

  1988 — 1993

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  Certificate, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• DePaul University

  Computer Career Certificate, Computer Programming/Programmer, General

  1997 — 1998

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  MBA, Finance, Management and Strategy

  1999 — 2002