Imelda Dacones, MD, PACP

Dr. Imelda Dacones is the Optum Pacific Northwest Market President, overseeing both the Washington and Oregon markets. She is an internist/hospitalist and is widely recognized for her leadership in driving value-based care models, innovation, and transformation.

Before joining Optum in 2021, she spent over 22 years at Kaiser Permanente (KP) Northwest, where she held various roles including primary care physician, hospitalist, Chief of Staff/Chief Medical Officer, and regional medical director of hospital operations.

In her last six years at KP, she served as the President and CEO of Northwest Permanente P.C., co-chair of the national KP Program Group, and chair of The Permanente Federation representing the eight medical groups of KP with its more than 22,000 physicians. In these roles, Dr. Dacones played a significant role in shaping enterprise and market strategy, modernizing business functions, and expanding the KPNW footprint while improving margins. She also drove innovations such as hospital care at home and promoted clinician and team member engagement.

Dr. Dacones is a founding director of the KP School of Medicine Board and has been recognized for her exceptional work as a physician and leader. In 2020, she was named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Minority Leaders, and in 2019, she received the Portland Business Journal’s Health Care Leadership Award. Her colleagues have also recognized her with the PBJ Top Docs recognition for multiple years.

Dr. Dacones received her B.S. in biochemistry and M.D. degrees from the University of Chicago, where she also completed her internship and residency training in internal medicine.