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Joe Holtschlag

Joe joined Ascellus as Chief Executive Officer in 2023, bringing more than 20 years of experience scaling operations and building innovative healthcare technology solutions. He has spent his career focused on improving patient outcomes through technology across government, healthcare delivery, and high-growth organizations.

Prior to Ascellus, Joe spent 15 years at athenahealth, where he held leadership roles across sales, operations, product development, and customer service. As Vice President of Operations Scale and Optimization, he led the company’s largest growth initiative, launching three new technology-enabled services.

Earlier in his career, Joe worked at Masspro, the Quality Improvement Organization for Massachusetts, advancing healthcare technology adoption, and at Joslin Diabetes Center, where he helped recover a failed electronic health record implementation.

Joe also serves as an Executive in Residence at 406 Ventures, advising portfolio companies on growth and operational strategy.
He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Purdue University. Outside of work, Joe is a violinist with Symphony Pro Musica and an avid board game player.

Recent Posts

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Insight
04.05.2026
Transforming Workers’ Compensation with Behavioral Health: Insights from Ascellus & .406 Ventures

In a recent episode of the Expanding Access podcast from Behavioral Health Tech, Joe Holtschlag and Liam Donohue dive into how behavioral health is reshaping the workers’ compensation landscape.

Insight
04.05.2026
Building the Next Generation of Behavioral Health Access in Workers’ Comp

For many years, behavioral health has been missing from workers’ compensation’s recovery approach. Clinicians have long understood that psychological and social factors slow

Insight
04.05.2026
Ascellus Announces Creation of Vice President of Sales and Customer Activation Role

With years of customer implementation, retention, and growth experience, Nancy Schaefer is appointed to the role

MIAMI (Jan. 20, 2026) – Ascellus, a leading behavioral health provider focused on helping injured workers restore their physical and emotional wellbeing, today announced the appointment of seasoned industry professional Nancy Schaefer as vice president of sales and customer activation.

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