By Dr. Fahimeh Sasan, Founding Physician & Chief Innovation Officer, Kindbody
I have sat with patients who came to an appointment carrying far more than a medical question. They came with uncertainty, hope, fear, and often the weight of decisions they never expected to have to make. They wanted to know why getting pregnant had been difficult, whether they should freeze their eggs, or what treatment might give them the best chance of building a family. And underneath those questions were others that felt just as urgent: Where do I go next? Can I afford this?
As a physician and a mother, I know these decisions do not happen in a vacuum. They are shaped by relationships, culture, finances, work, family and plans for the future. Patients deserve time to ask questions, understand their options and feel supported well beyond a single appointment.
That belief has shaped my work at Kindbody from the beginning, and it continues to shape how I think about expanding the Kindbody network and broader women’s health. Access is not simply about having more providers available. It’s about giving members meaningful choice, helping them find care they can trust, and making it easier to understand and use the benefits available to them.
What access feels like to a patient
When we talk about access in healthcare, we often start with a map. Is there a clinic nearby? That matters. Kindbody’s network now includes more than 450 clinics, with 90% of members able to access care within 60 miles of home. Virtual specialty care can also help people connect with expertise.
But patients have taught me that distance is only one part of access. As a physician I know the bigger questions patients have are centered on their individual needs, including what treatment is best for them, whether they are a good candidate, what optimal timing looks like, and what the benefits and risks are. And then, of course there are the logistics: can they get an appointment when they need one? Do they understand their options? Do they know what their benefits cover and how to use them? Is someone there to help when the next step is unclear?
A person who cannot answer those questions may still feel very far from care, even if a clinic is close to home.
Employers and their consultants have an important role in closing that gap. Access cannot be measured by network size alone. The bigger question is whether members can use their benefits with confidence and get appropriate care without unnecessary confusion or delay.
Earning trust in the quality of care
Patients often ask me a version of the same question: How do I know I’m going to the right place? Employers and consultants are asking that question, too. They want to know how providers are evaluated and whether a broader network delivers the quality, experience and value their people deserve.
The goal is not only to measure quality, but to continue raising the bar for what members, employers and consultants can expect from a fertility network.
As we expand Kindbody’s network, we evaluate providers using clinical quality and outcomes, along with treatment appropriateness, access, member experience and provider performance. SART outcome data is an important part of that work and gives us an established way to assess fertility care. But published data generally reflects treatment from roughly two years earlier. That lag makes it important to look beyond retrospective outcomes and use more timely signals to understand how quality is evolving now.
I want us to keep asking what else we can learn sooner. Are members able to begin care without unnecessary delays? Do they understand their treatment plans and costs? What are members telling us about what is working in their experience and where they are encountering friction? Are there changes in provider performance that deserve a closer look?
Building a more timely picture of quality takes reliable data and care in how we interpret it. Fertility outcomes depend on many factors, including a patient’s individual circumstances.
For employers and consultants, the goal is confidence not only in the breadth of the network, but also in the quality and value it delivers over time. That also means visibility into how the network is performing, where there is room to improve, and how those insights are being used to strengthen care. Members should be able to feel the benefit of that accountability in their experience.
Staying with people through the journey
Some of the most stressful moments happen between appointments. A patient may be waiting for an authorization, trying to get medication, or wondering who to call about a cost they did not expect. I have seen how much a clear answer at the right time can matter.
Those moments matter to employers, too. A benefit can look comprehensive on paper and still leave members struggling to use it. Navigation, clear financial information and coordination with providers help turn coverage into care people can actually use.
Reproductive health extends beyond one decision or treatment cycle. Someone exploring fertility preservation today may pursue treatment years later. Someone who completes IVF may later need pregnancy or postpartum support. At another stage of life, they may be looking for menopause care. Their needs change, but they should not have to start over with an entirely new system each time.
Kindbody has evolved, and so has the way we support people across their reproductive health journey. What has not changed is the need for trusted care, clear guidance and support at the moments that matter most. What I have learned from my years with patients is simple: people want to be heard, to know they are receiving high-quality care and to understand what comes next. By working with employers, consultants and providers to improve access, strengthen quality and measure what matters, we can make that kind of support possible for more people.
