MikeWorldWide PR alum John Digles has launched Ascent Strategy Group, a new healthtech communications agency aimed at addressing the digital health transformation. 

Ascent Strategy Group provides services in digital transformation, corporate storytelling, employer brand strategy, marketing of clinical research and ROI measurement. The agency’s IP uses a proprietary communications algorithm combining online community insights with medical professional perspectives, patient observations and market data to promote adoption of telemedicine, remote patient monitoring and healthcare artificial intelligence, among other offerings, the firm said in a statement. 

“I founded the agency to fuel the digital health revolution,” Digles said. “We are being asked to help companies reinvent themselves and that takes a really unique skill set to understand what the digital health future is going to look like. I have assembled a team that is really experienced in developing expertise in this. We’re committed to that because nobody’s an expert in digital health just yet, even among the physician class.”

The agency name was inspired by wanting to help companies rise to the “mantle of leadership.” It also helps that the name puts the firm at the head of an alphabetical list, Digles said. 

Digles and his team began building the infrastructure at the end of last year with the intent to launch during the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show this week. 

Digles serves as CEO and founder alongside a team of four full-time staff and five senior practitioners under long-term agreements. By the end of the month, he anticipates adding three more specialists to the team with intention of meeting key opinion leaders to collaborate with at CES. 

A veteran of the healthcare space, Digles is focused on targeting issues of health equity and education and how digital health can be used to bridge these gaps. The healthcare staffing crisis is also a key reason he said he felt the need to create an agency in this space. 

“There’s 83 million Americans right now that don’t have access to a primary care physician. That’s significant, and that’s only going to grow,” Digles said. “How can digital health tools help bridge a staffing gap, and then how can you bridge disparities gaps that have been long standing and are only going to get bigger as you have a system that is really stretched?”

The agency is currently working with four clients, some of which came on this month for CES. Others are expected to join in anticipation of healthcare conferences coming up this spring.

Ascent’s office is based in Chicago, but supports employees nationwide with a remote-first policy. The agency’s structure is unique, Digles says, pulling from the talent pool of senior free agents by allowing them to work flexible hours and days.

The firm’s growth is already 90 days ahead of forecast, according to Digles. 

Financial backing for the launch was supported significantly by Digles. He did not disclose how much was raised in the seed round. 

Digles previously served as EVP, partner, practice chair and Midwest GM at MWW, where he worked for 11 years across a variety of healthcare accounts and launches. He left in September to embark on founding his own firm. MWW founder Kempner has been supportive of the move, Digles said. 

The agency will not be replacing the position as it has transitioned to a fully remote workforce in Chicago, Kempner confirmed. 

Digles started with MWW in 1997 as SVP and Chicago GM. He rejoined the agency in 2012 as Chicago GM. Prior to his second stint at MWW, Digles served as an SVP at Edelman. 

Digles is also the founder and producer of Traveller Jones Productions, a feature film and documentary production company.

Looking ahead this year, Digles’ hopes for Ascent include gaining more assignments, purposefully growing his team and expanding awareness of the brand and its purpose. He did not disclose specific financial goals for the firm.

“I’m definitely going to shake some things up with the business,” Digles said. “I’m going to challenge the industry model on some of this, but I also want to really be an example on how we can do things creatively, strategically and look at different structures.”

This article originally appeared on PRWeek US.