Ivor Horn, chief medical officer at Accolade, knows what it’s like to feel lost in the maze of healthcare. When she was a child, her father experienced a traumatic brain injury—opening her eyes to just how complex and disempowering patient-provider interactions can be.
But the struggle to know who to ask questions, how to reach them, and what the right questions are isn’t unique to Horn’s experience: these are challenges typical patients face every day.
“Knowing what my family experienced during my father’s diagnosis and treatment, I wanted to find ways to improve how patients and providers interact,” she said. So, she became a pediatrician and researcher of the patient-provider communication dynamic.
Horn found two factors to be key: trusting relationships and patient self-efficacy. And those are precisely the things Accolade is looking to improve.
“We work from an influence model that doesn’t just focus on clinical conditions, diagnoses, or procedures,” Horn says. “Health situations are often stressful and confusing, so we listen and engage with our members ahead of time so they understand what’s going on and can make better decisions.”
She continues, “By developing holistic views of our members, we’re able to truly personalize their care.”
Read more about Horn’s experiences and Accolade’s approach in this profile on American Health Leader.