Tia, a startup that describes itself as a medical home for women, and UCSF Health are working to develop a network of clinically integrated clinics together, forming a cornerstone of a Bay Area women’s healthcare network.
Tia’s “Whole Woman, Whole Life” model includes virtual and in-person services, fusing primary care, mental health, and gynecological care with wellness services such as acupuncture and pelvic floor physical therapy in one integrated experience. Tia recently announced the grand opening of its first Bay Area clinic at Mission & Van Ness in San Francisco. It plans to open 10 sites in the Bay Area that will serve 40,000 women.
By connecting Tia’s retail-style clinics with UCSF Health’s specialty and inpatient facilities, the two organizations aim to fill a critical gap in primary care with connected, whole-person care that integrates physical, mental and reproductive health for women and their families.
The deal with UCSF Health follows the company’s expansion in New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. In April 2021, Tia announced a partnership with CommonSpirit Health, the nation's largest nonprofit health system, to create a new front door to healthcare for women. The deal enables the two organizationsto launch Tia-branded women's health clinics together that will provide blended virtual and in-person care – with its first clinic in Phoenix where CommonSpirit operates multiple Dignity Health medical centers.
Last September, Tia closed a $100 million Series B funding round to expand its footprint.
“Women deserve comprehensive primary care that centers on our experiences — clinically, psychosocially and experientially. Sadly, a ‘one-size-fits-most’ healthcare system leaves 50 percent of women without a primary care provider — depriving women of essential, preventive care and forcing them instead to bounce from specialist to specialist searching for answers, which drives up costs and worsens outcomes,” said Carolyn Witte, co-founder and CEO of Tia, in a statement. “Tia wants to change that by working with UCSF to create a women-centered healthcare system that spans outpatient to inpatient with an anchoring on prevention. The UCSF Health team are not only champions and trailblazers of clinically excellent care, but inclusive and equitable healthcare designed to affirm women’s choices. We are honored to collaborate with a health system whose values are uniquely aligned with our own.”
Tia and UCSF Health’s closely integrated program will include:
• Shared clinical leadership between UCSF Health & Tia, with UCSF Health medical directors and high-quality specialists working hand-in-hand with Tia medical directors and providers at all clinical locations;
• Shared clinical protocols and care coordination to ensure consistency between primary and specialty care and seamless baton passes for providers and patients;
• Coordinated measurement of and improvement on critical quality metrics that enable UCSF and Tia to work together to improve patient outcomes and women's healthcare standards across UCSF and Tia locations; and
• Deep technical integration that enables shared clinical notes, medical records, care coordination, and quality data reporting to drive better outcomes and experience for both patients and providers.
“Women nationwide struggle to find primary care that fully integrates their health care needs throughout their lives,” said Amy Murtha, M.D., professor and chair of the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, in a statement. “UCSF Health is a leader in women’s health and renowned for its integrated specialty care, but we can’t reach every woman in the Bay Area. This collaboration aims to help address that fragmentation by increasing women’s access to primary care services, with seamless access to UCSF’s specialty care when they need it.”
With a shared commitment to diversity, inclusion and health equity, Tia and UCSF Health said they would work to ensure diverse representation in their patient and provider populations. Tia also will continue to integrate robust training for all clinicians and clinical support staff on racial justice in healthcare and culturally competent care that’s tailored to the lived experience of women of color.
