At Accolade, building trusted and personal relationships is one of the most important ways we measure success — and is key to improving health outcomes. Our members and 24/7 Care Team demonstrate this best with their own stories, which is why we created Humans of Personalized Healthcare, a social media campaign that can be found on our Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter channels.  

Meet care advocate, Grace Chae and Accolade members Bonnie and Grace — some of the Humans of Personalized Healthcare — as they share their stories.   

A trusted relationship gets Cindy the emergency care she needs 

  Grace Chae, Accolade care advocate

  "I received a call from Cindy, who had been experiencing severe headaches for the past couple of days. Her symptoms had progressed to include a stiff neck, fever, vomiting, sensitivity to light and numbness in her left foot. These symptoms were highly concerning, and I recommended she call 911 immediately. But Cindy insisted on going to the emergency room (ER) herself. I reassured her, encouraged her to stay safe and helped her prepare for her ER visit. 

But when I followed up after a couple of days, Cindy still hadn’t gone to the ER. She said that she was still having headaches and even had pain in one of her eyes now. At this point, I urged her to go to the ER as soon as possible before these symptoms continued or worsened — because they indicated Cindy’s health issues could be very serious.  

It was serious. When Cindy got to the ER, the initial findings included a mass in her brain. After further testing, doctors found that Cindy had a ruptured aneurysm and needed immediate brain surgery. She was transferred to a more specialized facility where they were able to operate and fix her aneurysm. 

Cindy called me from the ICU after her surgery, and I was relieved to hear she had survived such a close call. When Cindy thanked me for being so diligent in pushing her to go to the ER and get treatment that ended up saving her life, it really drove home the incredible impact I have as an Accolade care advocate."  

Consulting a specialist helps new parents pursue a heart transplant 

 Bonnie, Accolade member   

“We began to learn that something was wrong in the 20-week ultrasound when the sonographer started taking lots of pictures and went to get the doctor. A fetal echocardiogram revealed that my baby Alfie would be born with only half a heart and would need a heart transplant after birth. 

After visiting the doctor, a coworker suggested that I talk to Accolade.  

The Accolade Care Team nurse was able to give us a few specialists to choose from, set up the consultation and even schedule it for us. The specialist consultation was very easy, we were able to ask questions, discuss several things that I had not considered and get all the information we needed to make an informed decision.  

I felt confident that the doctors where we lived were doing everything that the specialist we consulted with said he would have recommended for Alfie. And I was confident that we weren't going to have to wait for any additional testing or information because we had gotten those answers through our consultation with Accolade.  

I could not be more grateful for the partnership, help and encouragement that Accolade provided us at a time when we really needed it. There were some dark days, and Accolade really provided some light and hope for us.”   

Urgent care access made easy with virtual visits 

Grace, Accolade member   

“Recently our family had a need for two urgent care visits. One was for bronchitis, while the other was for a torn muscle. Our nearest urgent care was full, so rather than waiting for our local clinic to have availability, I scheduled an appointment online with Accolade.   

For both issues, our family received care from licensed physicians via video, and we spoke with the physicians within two hours of scheduling each visit. Both doctors were personable, smart and efficient.   

The preparation and follow-up for the visits were also helpful. The app texted me a reminder before each appointment, and the prescriptions were immediately sent to our local pharmacy. This is a truly valuable medical service. I’ve referred my family and close friends and will reach out again for our urgent care needs. I’m so grateful for their help.”  

To learn more about Personalized Healthcare and how it can help employers, health plans and members, visit our website or contact us today.