Dr. Traci Helps Support Vulnerable Florida Families at Work and in Her Free Time

John Barger, Humana's Medicaid President, joined Dr. Traci Thompson, Chief Medical Officer for Humana Healthy Horizons of Florida, at the grand opening of Dr. Traci’s House. Traci’s role at Humana and her experience leading a nonprofit overlap, allowing her to better understand the needs of Medicare beneficiaries and how to connect people to community resources.

All of us have that one friend – the one who is always in motion, always accomplishing something great at work, always involved in volunteering and community work.

If you don’t know her, Dr. Traci Thompson is that person. She joined Humana as the Chief Medical Officer for Humana Healthy Horizons of Florida about 6 months before opening the doors of her own nonprofit, Dr. Traci’s House.

In her job at Humana, Traci is responsible for a team of people who make sure Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in Humana Healthy Horizons of Florida can achieve their best health and live their best lives. Her role encompasses everything from care management and population health to medical utilization and authorization.

As the head of Dr. Traci’s House, Traci is working to improve health equity in a historically underserved area of East Tampa. Her goal is to give back to her community by bringing together all resources people need to thrive, from physical and mental healthcare to social services and youth programs.

When asked what the two roles have in common, Traci is quick to point out how the two overlap.

“I first had the idea to open Dr. Traci’s House in Feb. 2020, and, by the time I joined Humana in Sept. 2021, I’d spent a lot of time working with community organizations in Tampa,” says Traci. “That experience helped me hit the ground running because I see the overlap. I see the social issues Medicaid beneficiaries frequently experience in our community. And, I have relationships with community organizations that can help address those issues.” 

Connecting to purpose on and off the clock 
COVID shifted many things within society, including the importance of purpose at work. According to a recent study, 56 percentopens new window of those surveyed said the pandemic made them want to contribute more to society. People want to be in roles where they can use their skills to make a difference in the lives of others.

And, that’s exactly what Traci does, whether it’s pulling from her experiences at Dr. Traci’s House to understand how to help a young mother understand and use her Medicaid plan benefits or helping that same young mother navigate the complexities of the healthcare system by pulling from her experiences leading a Medicaid plan. 

“I’m excited to be able to take what I’m doing with Dr. Traci’s House and make it bigger by working at Humana,” says Traci. “Dr. Traci’s House makes me a better Chief Medical Officer, and Humana makes me a stronger community partner.”