Welcomes Dr. Connie Hwang as chief
medical officer, creates roles of chief health officer and chief
nursing officer
SEATTLE, Sept. 18,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Accolade (Nasdaq: ACCD)
announced the expansion of its care delivery team, strengthening
the company's ability to streamline healthcare experiences through
physician-led advocacy. Connie
Hwang, MD, MPH, joins Accolade to lead population health
strategies for employers and health plans. Led by Shantanu Nundy, MD, executive vice president,
chief health officer, the care delivery leadership team includes
Dr. Hwang, senior vice president, chief medical officer;
James Wantuck, MD, senior vice
president, associate chief medical officer and co-founder of
PlushCare; Kate Rollins, MSN, RN,
senior vice president assuming the newly created role of chief
nursing officer.
"We fundamentally believe that easy access to care and a
long-term relationship with a primary care doctor are the
cornerstones of exceptional healthcare – whether that relationship
is virtual or in-person. Through our investments in care delivery
and physician executive leaders, Accolade is making access to
high-quality care a reality for employers, who provide over half of
Americans with healthcare insurance," said Rajeev Singh, Accolade CEO. "We welcome Dr.
Hwang, who brings substantial experience in population health and
integrated care to our accomplished team of physician leaders."
Growth of the physician-led organization represents Accolade's
continuing investment in continuity of care across a fragmented
healthcare system. Accolade connects physicians longitudinally with
members through its advocacy and healthcare services. Accolade
treating physicians are uniquely positioned to connect
brick-and-mortar physicians with members' benefits and pharmacy
coverage through claims and benefits specialists. They can refer to
and provide care collaboratively with specialists, therapists, and
digital health solutions for specific medical conditions that are
covered under the member's employer health plan. The care delivery
team further integrates Accolade's distinctive blend of care,
member advocacy, and accessible health and benefits data into an
extensible service that closes gaps and decreases confusion across
a growing number of points in the healthcare experience for
members.
"Accolade serves a unique role with our customers, providing the
benefits advocacy and navigation services their members need to
fully leverage their healthcare options, as well as operating a
large and growing national care delivery organization. We close the
critical gaps in the care experience that impact members' health
outcomes, costs of care, and overall healthcare experience.
Connie's experience with population health strategies, Kate's
experience as a long-time nursing executive, and James' extensive
clinical background, give us a powerhouse leadership team to help
Accolade lead the next wave of healthcare innovation," said Dr.
Shantanu Nundy, chief health
officer.
"I'm thrilled to join Accolade in helping millions of families
access the care they need to live their healthiest lives.
Accolade's industry-leading benefits navigation, patient advocacy
and care delivery services have much to offer in equitably
improving outcomes, experience and costs of care," said Dr. Hwang,
chief medical officer.
Shantanu Nundy, MD, chief
health officer
As chief health officer, Dr. Nundy leads care delivery with a
charter to develop strategies that restore and improve the trusted
connection between members and physicians, expand Accolade's
coordination with brick-and-mortar healthcare providers, and
improve health equity and outcomes. A respected author and thought
leader, Nundy's second book, Care After COVID: What the Pandemic
Revealed is Broken in Healthcare and How to Reinvent
It, will be available on audiobook platforms this
fall.
Connie Hwang, MD, chief
medical officer
Dr. Hwang joins Accolade as chief medical officer responsible
for executing clinical and population health strategies for
customers. She brings extensive experience in working with
employer and health plan executives to accelerate clinical
innovation, value-based care and care delivery transformation.
Hwang will lead a team of medical directors and clinical analysts,
driving clinical outcomes for members and their employers. She will
shape the clinical direction of Accolade's products and services,
innovating and reimagining existing and future solutions and serve
as the primary clinical representative of the company to enterprise
customers and health plan partners.
James Wantuck, MD, associate
chief medical officer
As associate chief medical officer, James Wantuck leads the clinical team that
supports the Accolade Care solution and contributes to significant
strategic initiatives company wide. He is focused on managing a
large and growing group of physicians, therapists, and clinical
operations staff with a goal of creating a high performing clinical
organization that is viewed as the premier place to work. Dr.
Wantuck is a board-certified internal medicine physician, having
trained at Stanford University Medical
Center and completed his Medical Doctorate (MD) at Vanderbilt
University Medical School. He co-founded PlushCare in 2015,
building the company from the ground up to include over two hundred
physicians that continue to provide high-quality and accessible
direct-to-consumer virtual care for hundreds of thousands of
patients.
Kate Rollins, RN, chief
nursing officer
As chief nursing officer, Kate
Rollins oversees Accolade's nurses and other clinicians that
serve members with empathy and trusted guidance. Rollins'
operational team of nurses, pharmacists, social workers and
dieticians provide 24/7 nurse triage, case management, expert
medical opinion and virtual practice operations. Her team partners
closely with customers to implement clinical population health
goals, maximize referrals to their digital health solutions if part
of Accolade's Trusted Partner Ecosystem, and coordinate member care
with brick-and-mortar providers.
Rollins led Accolade's successful application for a three-year
accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance
(NCQA) for case management.
About Accolade
Accolade (Nasdaq: ACCD) is a Personalized Healthcare
company that provides millions of people and their families with
exceptional healthcare experiences so they can live their
healthiest lives. Accolade's employer, health plan and consumer
solutions combine virtual primary care and mental health, expert
medical opinion and best-in-class care navigation. These offerings
are built on a platform that is engineered to care through
predictive engagement of population health needs, proactive care
that improves outcomes and cost savings, and by addressing barriers
to access and continuity of care. Accolade consistently receives
consumer satisfaction ratings of over 90%. For more information,
visit accolade.com. Follow us
on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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SOURCE Accolade