Rick Abbott is seeking to innovate how healthcare works for our most vulnerable populations, and his mission is personal
Healthcare today is complex, frustrating and disparate. The ecosystem of employers, health plans and health providers is confusing and time-consuming to navigate. Especially if you are one of 34 million Americans with multiple chronic conditions. Managing various providers, specialists, medications and therapies—along with maintaining a job, raising a family, eating healthy and exercising—the tasks and the burdens are never-ending.
Clinically defined as polychronic, this population is unmanaged, overwhelmed, expensive and growing—to approximately 83 million by 2030. That’s a staggering number of people that aren’t fully supported by the healthcare ecosystem, and it’s precisely the group that needs it the most.
Rick Abbott—a seasoned healthcare professional and rising innovator in the industry—recognized this gap in care and struggled with it first-hand for years. “We are failing those who need us most,” said Abbott, Co-founder and CEO of Lyn. “My family and I have personally experienced the adversity and anxiety far too often associated with managing multiple chronic conditions. When I was presented with the opportunity to tackle this problem—which I believe is the single largest one in healthcare—I felt a moral obligation to start Lyn. Each and every one of us has someone in our life who would benefit from greater love, empathy and compassion, and our mission at Lyn is to restore hope for our families, friends and loved ones.” In fact, ‘Lyn’ is the middle name of one of those family members, further solidifying the personal meaning and ever-present connection to the people Lyn is serving.
Love, empathy and compassion
More than words, these are Lyn’s core values that Rick and the new team live every day—while working in fast-paced start-up culture or when speaking to a member or customer. Lyn approaches everything it’s creating from a human-centered place first – from branding to service design, behavioral science to tech. “Our purpose and mission is urgent,” says Abbott “and is exactly aligned with what our loved ones and our healthcare system needs. We believe we can deliver a better solution than what is currently offered. Love, empathy and compassion must serve as the centerpiece of a new care experience—one that can heal and restore hope to those we serve.”
“Love, empathy and compassion must serve as the centerpiece of a new care experience—one that can heal and restore hope to those we serve.”
The Care Circle
Lyn’s Care Circle is the answer to that new care experience for people with multiple chronic conditions. A dedicated, multi-disciplinary team focused on the holistic care of each member. Comprised of a Care Partner, Nurse Care Manager, Medical Director, Pharmacist, Dietician and Behavioral Health Specialist. “We are building a model around and inclusive of our members, rather than having them interact with the system as it exists today” says Abbott. “We are wholly obsessed with unburdening people living with multiple chronic conditions, and solving their most pressing healthcare needs.”
What’s Next
Coming out of stealth just 4 days ago on December 6th, Lyn will launch in a few months only 1 year from its inception date. With first-generation customers from Fortune 500 companies, leading health plans, and third-party administrators, Lyn is moving quickly and poised to lead the market in polychronic care management.
Who Is Rick Abbott?
A tested and proven innovator, Rick was named a Modern Healthcare Top 25 Emerging Leader, as well as the Puget Sound Business Journal Disruptor of the Year in 2020. Most recently the VP of Product and Market Solutions for Premera Blue Cross, Rick has held various leadership roles within the healthcare industry for 10+ years. He has an MBA from DePaul University and advanced coursework in Medical Informatics from Northwestern. Rick is a proud father of 5, currently living in the Seattle area.
Lyn Health can be found on the Web, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
Learn more, watch the GeekWire Studios Virtual Roundtable event “Restoring Hope: Tackling Healthcare’s Biggest Challenges Through Collective Action” with Sheila Savageau, Global Health and Well-being Leader at General Motors, Claire Verity, President of Regence BlueShield of Washington, Naomi Allen, Co-founder and CEO of Brightline, and Rick Abbott, Co-founder and CEO of Lyn Health, moderated by Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky, founding Chief Medical Officer, Lyn Health.
