What you need to know
Accolade helps you navigate your medical plan, connect with care, and get expert insight—so you can make confident health decisions. Make Accolade your first stop for PPO benefit questions, including live and on‑demand educational webinars.
Who is Accolade?
Accolade is your health care advocacy service available exclusively to UC Care and HealthSavings+ plan members. Accolade is your first stop for everything related to your PPO plan coverage. Accolade Care Advocates offer personalized guidance to help you navigate the health care system—all at no cost to you. They can help you:
- Understand your PPO health plan coverage, make sense of your Explanation of Benefits (EOB), and estimate out-of-pocket costs for a test or procedure.
- Find a great doctor, specialist, urgent care or other health care facility based on your preferences.
- Schedule and prepare for an in-person appointment, and better understand your options for care.
- Connect you to Accolade Care virtual health care providers.
- Connect you with a nurse who can help you understand your symptoms, learn about a condition or explore treatment options.
- Get an expert medical opinion (through 2nd.MD) about a diagnosis, possible surgery or treatment plan.
- Locate an in-network pharmacy near you, understand your prescription drug coverage and what you’ll pay, and your options for filling prescriptions in person and by mail order.
- Support a range of acute and chronic conditions and connect you with clinical experts to help.
To help ensure a smooth journey through the care experience, Accolade may proactively contact UC PPO plan members to ensure you are doing well and accessing the care you need.
Webinars: health support and expert insights
Learn through interactive webinars designed to help you understand your benefits and hear directly from leading medical experts
Navigate your benefits with confidence. Register for a monthly webinar or view a recording to learn more about your PPO plan’s features and benefits and how Accolade can support you.
Hear from leading medical specialists. 2nd.MD House Calls feature live and recorded webinars with specialists discussing a variety of health topics.
How Accolade works with Blue Shield of California and Navitus
Accolade, Blue Shield of California and Navitus partner together behind the scenes to provide you with the best experiences. Here’s how:
Accolade — your personal health care advocate
Accolade helps you navigate your PPO plan benefits. Care Advocates can answer your health care questions, help you understand your coverage, find a new doctor or provider, resolve claims or billing issues, and so much more. Accolade is your first stop when you have questions or need help.
Blue Shield of California — medical plan provider network and claims administrator
Blue Shield of California manages the provider network and processes claims. When you or a covered family member need care, you have access to Blue Shield of California’s network of doctors, behavioral health providers, urgent care centers, hospitals, and other medical facilities.
When you receive medical care, your doctor / provider will bill Blue Shield of California for services. Blue Shield of California will then pay their portion of your medical claim and will provide you with an Explanation of Benefits (EOB).
You do not need to contact Blue Shield of California. Any questions that would normally go to Blue Shield of California should be directed to Accolade.
Navitus — pharmacy benefits manager
Navitus manages the retail and mail order network of pharmacies and processes claims. If you have questions about coverage, finding a pharmacy, or the cost of a drug, Accolade should be your first point of contact.
What members are saying about Accolade
Patient, kind and knowledgeable
Patient, kind and knowledgeable
"My Health Assistant was patient, kind, and incredibly knowledgeable — she made navigating the insurance system stress-free. Having a personal advocate through Accolade is a game-changer and gives me confidence every step of the way.”
Incredible customer service
Incredible customer service
“Accolade delivers exceptional service — pleasant, professional, and incredibly helpful. They answered every question, handled everything in one call, and went above and beyond. Truly one of the best customer experiences I’ve had in months.”
Can’t say enough good things
Can’t say enough good things
“Accolade has been a lifesaver — friendly, attentive, and incredibly helpful. My Health Assistant made navigating insurance easy, even with international claims. Truly one of the best experiences I’ve had in 20 years.”
Great advocate
Great advocate
"My experience with [my Health Assistant] was fantastic. She’s articulate, thoughtful, empathetic, [and] efficient. She took care of my issues [and] clearly knew what she was doing. She is a great advocate for people who are calling. Thank you so much for having her at Accolade.”
Get started
To get started with Accolade, register with the Accolade member portal, download the mobile app or call Accolade at (866) 406-1182 (Monday–Friday, 5 a.m.–8 p.m. PT). You can call or message your Care Advocates or nurse directly from the mobile app.
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about Accolade’s services by reviewing frequently asked member questions.
* Accolade and its affiliates (“Accolade”) are not an emergency medical service. Accolade provides a personalized health care information service to support you to better understand and utilize your benefits, receive information from expert medical resources, and facilitate your access to medical care from various health care professionals, including virtual medical care services. Virtual medical care services offered by Accolade are provided through independent professional medical practices, including under the Accolade Care brand, to which Accolade provides various platform and related services.