instED Taps Healthcare Veteran Don Stiffler as CEO to Steer Expansion

BOSTON, MA – December 29, 2025

Mobile acute care provider instED has named Don Stiffler its new Chief Executive Officer, a strategic move signaling an aggressive push for growth in the rapidly expanding home healthcare market. Stiffler, a seasoned executive with over three decades of experience, will assume the role on January 1, 2026, tasked with scaling the company’s innovative model of delivering hospital-level care directly to patients' homes.

An Insider's Ascent to the Top

The appointment is less a changing of the guard and more a strategic alignment of leadership with an existing vision. Stiffler is no stranger to instED, having served multiple terms as the company's board chair and leading its day-to-day management as part of his previous executive role at Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA). Most recently, he was CCA's Chief Growth and Transformation Officer, where he was instrumental in developing new markets, identifying business opportunities for CCA and its subsidiaries, and driving data-led performance improvements.

His extensive background spans both the payer and provider sides of the healthcare industry. Before his tenure at CCA, Stiffler spent nearly a decade at UnitedHealth Group/Optum, where he served as a National Vice President, overseeing business and network operations for the Complex Care Management Division across dozens of markets. This dual expertise in navigating complex insurance frameworks and managing on-the-ground clinical operations makes him uniquely suited to lead instED in its next phase.

“At a time when hospitals and EMS systems are increasingly overburdened, offering convenient and high-quality alternatives to the emergency department is essential to keeping our healthcare system running smoothly,” Stiffler stated in the announcement. “This is why I’m so passionate about bringing instED to more patients. Being able to receive timely, expert-level acute care in place yields better outcomes and lower costs for the patients and communities who need it most.”

The leadership transition is designed for continuity. Dr. Evan Berg, who served as interim CEO, will resume his roles as Chief Medical Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. His focus will remain on clinical innovation and enhancing the company's care model, ensuring that quality and patient safety remain central to the expansion strategy.

Navigating a Shifting Healthcare Landscape

Stiffler takes the helm at a pivotal moment for the “hospital-at-home” sector. What was once a niche concept has accelerated into a mainstream movement, propelled by patient demand, technological feasibility, and crucial policy support. The global market for at-home hospital care was valued at over $11 billion in 2024 and is projected by some analysts to exceed $44 billion by 2033, demonstrating a robust compound annual growth rate of nearly 12%.

A significant catalyst for this growth has been the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) “Acute Hospital Care at Home” (AHCAH) waiver. Launched in 2020, the program provided regulatory flexibility for hospitals to offer inpatient-level care in a patient's residence. However, its reliance on short-term extensions tied to the COVID-19 public health emergency created long-term uncertainty for providers.

That uncertainty may be receding. Just this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act (H.R. 4313), a bipartisan bill that would extend the AHCAH waiver for a full five years, until September 30, 2030. The bill’s passage to the Senate is seen by industry insiders as a critical step toward providing the stability needed for health systems and companies like instED to make significant, long-term investments in infrastructure, technology, and staffing for their at-home programs.

Competition Heats Up in At-Home Care

The promise of this burgeoning market has not gone unnoticed, and the competitive landscape is intensifying. In a landmark move earlier this year, two of the sector's largest players, DispatchHealth and Medically Home, announced a merger. The combined entity, operating under the DispatchHealth brand, now represents one of the nation's most extensive providers of advanced medical care at home, with a presence in over 20 states.

This consolidation puts pressure on other providers to scale rapidly to remain competitive. instED, which has operated for over a decade, currently serves patients in Massachusetts and holds licenses in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Oregon, and Texas. The company's model relies on a network of highly trained paramedics, physicians, and nurses who provide on-demand acute care, supported by a proprietary technology platform that coordinates communication between the mobile care team and the patient's longitudinal care providers.

Stiffler’s appointment is a clear signal of instED’s intent to accelerate its own expansion and solidify its market position. His experience in market development at CCA and network management at Optum will be directly applicable to building out instED's footprint and forging the necessary partnerships with health plans and hospital systems.

The Future of In-Home Acute Services

The delivery of complex medical care in the home is made possible by a convergence of technologies. Remote patient monitoring devices, real-time data analytics, and secure telemedicine platforms allow clinicians to maintain constant virtual oversight and connection with patients who would have previously required a hospital bed. Studies have consistently shown that these models are not only safe but can lead to better outcomes, including lower readmission rates, reduced risk of hospital-acquired infections, and higher patient satisfaction.

Patients often report feeling more comfortable and recovering faster in the familiar environment of their own homes. Economically, the model is also compelling, with some analyses showing that hospital-at-home programs can reduce the cost of an acute care episode by as much as 30% compared to a traditional inpatient stay.

As instED prepares for this next chapter under Stiffler's leadership, the focus will be on leveraging these technological and clinical advancements to expand access. The company's mission to serve as a vital alternative to overcrowded emergency departments aligns with a broader systemic shift toward more efficient, patient-centric, and sustainable healthcare delivery models. With a seasoned strategist at the helm, instED is positioning itself not just to participate in this transformation, but to lead it.