Crane Center

What Crane Center does

Crane Center for Transgender Surgery is a U.S. private medical practice specializing in gender-affirming surgical care for transgender and non-binary individuals. Founded in 2013 in San Francisco by Dr. Curtis Crane (a board-certified plastic surgeon and reconstructive urologist) and rebranded under the Crane Center name in 2019, the practice operates three offices in Austin, San Francisco (Greenbrae), and Boulder, and reports being one of the highest-volume gender surgery centers in the country, with 1,000+ phalloplasties performed since 2012, 150+ vaginoplasties annually, and 200+ top surgeries annually.

The practice's service portfolio spans the full spectrum of masculinizing and feminizing procedures: top surgery (double incision, keyhole), bottom surgery (phalloplasty via radial forearm, anterolateral thigh, musculocutaneous latissimus dorsi, and abdominal flaps; metoidioplasty; vaginoplasty including robotic-assisted peritoneal flap technique; vulvoplasty), facial feminization and masculinization, breast augmentation, body contouring, and non-binary/nullification procedures. Differentiated technical offerings include the robotic-assisted peritoneal flap vaginoplasty and the hand-carved silicone Glans Implant pioneered by Dr. Crane. A team of board-certified surgeons across plastic surgery, reconstructive urology, microsurgery, and craniofacial surgery supports the service lines.

The business model is a professional-services surgical practice. Revenue is generated from surgical procedure fees and consultation fees, billed primarily through insurance (in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Anthem, United Healthcare, Kaiser) with a dedicated in-house authorization and appeals team, supplemented by self-pay. New patient acquisition runs through online registration (Athena patient portal, JotForm), direct consultations across three offices, and referrals from the WPATH provider network. The practice is physician/founder-owned, has not raised external funding, and has 11-50 employees. Marketing relies on the company website, YouTube educational content, organic social media, conference participation, and clinical publications.

Name

Crane Center

Legal name

Crane Center

Website

https://cranects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crane Center for Transgender Surgery is a U.S. private surgical practice operating three offices (Austin, San Francisco, Boulder) that delivers comprehensive gender-affirming procedures, including phalloplasty, vaginoplasty, top surgery, and facial feminization, to transgender and non-binary patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gender-Affirming Surgery

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) (621111)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Plastics / Cosmetic & Dermatologic Surgery Centers (HLAFAIAK)

Keywords

• Gender affirmation surgery
• Top surgery
• Phalloplasty procedures
• Vaginoplasty surgery
• Facial feminization surgery

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Surgical Procedure Fees: Revenue generated from gender-affirming surgical procedures including phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, vaginoplasty, vulvoplasty, top surgery, facial feminization, and body contouring. Procedures are billed to insurance or paid out-of-pocket by self-pay patients.
2. Consultation Fees: Revenue from initial patient consultations which precede surgical procedures. Insurance verification is performed prior to consultation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Crane Center for Transgender Surgery provides comprehensive gender-affirming surgical care for transgender women, transgender men, and non-binary individuals across three U.S. offices. Core offerings span masculinizing and feminizing procedures — including top surgery, phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, vaginoplasty, facial feminization, breast augmentation, and body contouring — delivered by a team of board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeons. Revenue is generated primarily from professional surgical and consultation fees billed to insurance or paid out-of-pocket by self-pay patients, with a dedicated insurance authorization team supporting coverage and appeals.

Product overview

Crane Center for Transgender Surgery is a multi-location surgical practice offering comprehensive gender-affirming care across three U.S. offices (Austin, TX; San Francisco, CA; Boulder, CO). The portfolio centers on masculinizing and feminizing surgical procedures including top surgery (double incision, keyhole), bottom surgery (phalloplasty via RFF/ALT/MLD/abdominal flaps, metoidioplasty, vaginoplasty including robotic peritoneal flap technique), facial surgeries (facial feminization, facial masculinization), breast augmentation, body contouring, and non-binary/nullification procedures. Supporting services include insurance verification, patient portal access via Athena, and Med Spa offerings. The center has completed over 1000 phalloplasties since 2012 and performs over 150 vaginoplasties and 200 top surgeries annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Top Surgery (FTM/Transmasculine)
• Phalloplasty Genital reconstruction surgery creating a penis using donor tissue from the forearm (RFF), thigh (ALT), back (MLD), or abdomen, performed by microsurgeons with the goal of standing urination, sexual function, and natural appearance.
• Metoidioplasty
• Vaginoplasty (MTF) Gender-confirming vaginoplasty creating female genitalia including vaginal vault, labia, and clitoris, using penile inversion and robotic-assisted peritoneal flap techniques, with more than 150 procedures performed annually.
• Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) Comprehensive facial feminization procedures including forehead contouring, rhinoplasty, cheek augmentation, mandible reduction, genioplasty, lip augmentation, and thyroid cartilage reduction for transfeminine patients.
• Breast Augmentation (MTF) Breast augmentation surgery for transgender women using silicone or saline implants with various incision options to create a feminine chest.
• Facial Masculinization Surgery Facial procedures including jaw/chin implants, thyroid cartilage implants for Adam's apple, eyebrow thickening, rhinoplasty, and forehead contouring for transmasculine and non-binary patients.
• Body Feminization Surgery Body contouring and implant procedures to create a feminine waist-to-hip ratio using liposuction and fat repositioning for transfeminine patients.
• Body Masculinization Surgery Body contouring procedures using liposuction to create a V-shaped torso and remove fat from the abdomen, hips, and thighs for a masculine appearance.
• Non-Binary Surgery Customized surgical options for non-binary individuals including top surgery variations, metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, vulvoplasty, and nullification procedures, designed to fit non-binary gender identities.
• Nullification Surgery (Nullo) Gender-diverse surgery removing all external genitalia for asexual or gender non-conforming individuals, creating a smooth transition from the abdomen to the groin.
• Insurance Verification and Authorization Services Team of in-house insurance specialists who verify benefits, obtain prior authorizations, and appeal insurance denials on behalf of patients for gender-affirming procedures.
• Med Spa Services Medical spa services offered at the Crane Center by Lauren Puthoff, R.N., as a complementary non-surgical offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ phalloplasties completed since 2012
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery: Hospital-based multidisciplinary gender-affirming surgery program offering the full spectrum of procedures Crane Center provides (vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, top surgery, FFS), with overlapping surgical techniques and shared referral sources. Largest academic-system comparator.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health: Academic multidisciplinary gender-affirming surgery program offering gender-affirming procedures across multiple specialties. Comparable in scope and academic credibility.
• NYU Langone Transgender Medicine and Surgery: Academic medical center program providing comprehensive gender-affirming surgical services including bottom surgery, top surgery, and FFS. Directly comparable scope of services and patient demographic to Crane Center.
• Boston Children's Hospital Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS): Major pediatric and young-adult gender-affirming program. Comparable care model and patient demographic for adolescent and young-adult transgender care, though with hospital-system scale.
• University of Michigan Health – Gender-Affirming Surgery: Academic program providing gender-affirming surgical procedures including vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, and top surgery. Comparable in clinical scope and trainee pipeline.
• UCSF Gender Affirming Health Program: Academic program in San Francisco providing surgical and non-surgical gender-affirming care. Direct geographic overlap with Crane Center's Greenbrae/SF office and overlapping service lines.
• OHSU Transgender Health Program: Academic program offering comprehensive gender-affirming surgical care including bottom and top surgery. Comparable in multidisciplinary offering and similar patient demographic.
• Marci Bowers, MD (private practice): Independent private practice specializing in gender-affirming surgery, particularly vaginoplasty. Operates at a smaller, surgeon-led scale than Crane Center but directly competes for the same patient demographic and procedures.

Others

• WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health): Standards-setting body whose SOC guidelines govern Crane Center's clinical protocols and referral pipeline. Not a competitor but a foundational ecosystem participant whose policy updates directly affect Crane Center's operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Cleveland Clinic Center for LGBTQ+ Care: Large health system offering gender-affirming surgical services as part of a broader LGBTQ+ care portfolio. Less specialized than Crane Center in complex bottom surgery but represents integrated-system competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crane_cts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgs1dpT-dn4GJLJPZWWFrZw?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/CraneCTS
• Instagraminstagram.com/cranects
• TikToktiktok.com/@cranects

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crane Center