Meet Jess Horowitz, MPH FNP-C, VP of Virtual Care and Clinical Operations

A nurse practitioner by training, Jessica is the mind behind our seamless patient and provider experience. Read on to learn more about her!

What drew you to medicine?

I thought I wanted to work in healthcare policy and advocacy but found myself in healthcare operations roles and drawn to providing care. I felt out of place making decisions about how healthcare should be run without really understanding what it meant to be a healthcare provider myself, so I embarked on a post-graduate program to become a nurse practitioner and earn my master’s in public health.

What do you find most challenging about healthcare?

Our healthcare system in the U.S. is actually a sick-care system. We don’t have a good infrastructure for engaging people with healthcare to keep them healthy. In other words, when someone needs healthcare they are often already ill, and are left to navigate a complex system.

We need structures and systems in place to keep people healthy with easy-to-navigate pathways to help people return to health when they are ill. We need to meet people where they are physically and emotionally. We need to provide options and shared decision making. And we need to provide transparent pricing and safety nets for people to get care no matter when or how they need it.

Why did you decide to join the team at Tia?

I was incredibly moved by the idea of helping create a distinctly female model of care delivery. Nearly every research study, protocol, and health system is designed with men in mind, and with women as an afterthought. Tia is changing that — and I knew I wanted to be part of it.

What healthcare challenges are you excited to see Tia address?

Just as much as healthcare consumers are unhappy with the current system, medical providers are not happy either. Clinicians are burning out at alarming rates, with many practicing for just a few years before throwing in the towel. This isn’t happening because they dislike providing care, it’s happening because the system makes it impossible for them to provide high-quality care.

It makes you wonder, if patients aren’t satisfied and providers aren’t satisfied, who is this system working for? Tia is changing this.

Tia works to provide an integrated and personalized experience for patients while also providing a new pathway for medical providers to deliver care. One where they can spend time with their patients, one where there are varied approaches to treatment, one where they are given opportunities to learn and expand their toolkit, and one where the clinician experience is valued as much as the patient experience.

We all benefit when clinicians feel good about the care they provide and how it's delivered.

What does being a “Well-Woman” mean to you?

Being a Well-Woman, first and foremost, means preserving a state of health and providing space to address physical, mental, and emotional health. Often a Well-Woman visit is thought of as nothing more than a Pap or a pelvic exam. Sure, this can be part of it, but a Well-Woman is about understanding what makes someone feel well and then working to help someone be on their way to achieving that. It is about addressing nutrition, stress, and support networks. It is about sleep and exercise as much as it is about medications and ailments. It is about understanding someone’s goals and helping them achieve those goals.

How do you practice self-care?

I take time to breathe and move my body every day. I find peace enjoying the incredible produce of Northern California and in cooking and nourishing my body and my family. I do my best to turn my computer off for lunch and a few hours in the evening. I spend time in nature and do my best to be present in the moments we have. Oh, and I eat dessert!

Stay tuned as we share more stories and wisdom from the people who make Tia go ‘round!