Boston IVF

2018 - 2019, Unknown Success

Age 34 - 35

IUI

2 IVF

Unexplained

Prefer not to answer

Income $100K - $199K

Marketer or PR

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

As a patient I had very limited interactions with Dr. Wright. She did call after a cancelled cycle which I thought was appropriate. I did feel like the info structure as a whole was like an “IVF Farm” one in and one out. I had to be persistent if I felt something didn’t seem right...The best description I can give is that all my conversations with her were very transactional. Only when I pushed back or questioned something were changes made. I had to trust my instincts and question everything to have treatment adapted to me and my situation and not cookie cutter.

The nursing staff [at Boston IVF] were very caring. Some days it took a while to call back; however, I feel that may have been more related to the whole system...Cancelled cycle was - 5,500 included retrieval but no transfer. Medication each cycle was 1,700...Strengths - open every day of the week, numerous locations, nursing staff Weaknesses - big clinic feel, you are a number and must advocate for yourself every step of the way if not you fall on the standard protocol which may not best for your body. It’s overwhelming and they move so fast by the time you are back in your car your head is spinning. Ask then to slow down and explain everything in detail. Ask lots of questions.

How was your experience with Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

As a patient I had very limited interactions with Dr. Wright. She did call after a cancelled cycle which I thought was appropriate. I did feel like the info structure as a whole was like an “IVF Farm” one in and one out. I had to be persistent if I felt something didn’t seem right. While Dr. Wright has done this hundreds of time it was my first time seeking IVF treatment so you have to advocate yourself.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

Ask questions. A lot of questions. If the questions come later call and ask them. Don’t wait - this is your body and your potential child.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

The best description I can give is that all my conversations with her were very transactional. Only when I pushed back or questioned something were changes made. I had to trust my instincts and question everything to have treatment adapted to me and my situation and not cookie cutter.

Describe the protocols Kristen Wright used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

2 cycles of an antagonist cycle, Gonal-F 300 iu, menapur 150iu - 225iu, then cetrotide for the last few days. Triggered with 10,000iu of HCG.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Marianne)

The nursing staff were very caring. Some days it took a while to call back; however, I feel that may have been more related to the whole system.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Strengths - open every day of the week, numerous locations, nursing staff Weaknesses - big clinic feel, you are a number and must advocate for yourself every step of the way if not you fall on the standard protocol which may not best for your body. It’s overwhelming and they move so fast by the time you are back in your car your head is spinning. Ask then to slow down and explain everything in detail. Ask lots of questions.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kristen Wright at Boston IVF.

Cancelled cycle was - 5,500 included retrieval but no transfer. Medication each cycle was 1,700

Doctor

Kristen Wright

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Lexington

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2018, Unknown Success

Age 35

2 IUI

1 IVF

Unexplained

European

Ashkenazi Jewish

Income $200K - $499K

Engineer

2nd of 2 Docs

Doesn't Recommend

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

[Dr. Wright] clearly had years of experience behind her, which was helpful and reassuring. And she was not condescending in our discussions...The down side to the experience with Wright is that at a few points, I decided that the recommended approach would not be enough.This example occurred when, after 2 failed IUI cycles, she recommended a third and I just didn't see how the third would yield any different result.

The clinic [IVF New England] in Waltham is accessible, clean, safe and secure. I felt the doctors and nurses were attentive and personal, and made every attempt to make me comfortable. I had several tests performed here (HSG, sonohysterogram, and IVF extraction), and they were done smoothly and quickly...I often got a call in the afternoon after lab results were available. The nurses were direct but compassionate, especially Nicki. There were a few times where either the nurses or the pharmacies would get the medication quantities wrong, and that led to out of pocket expenses which were infuriating. For the most part though, I was happy with the nursing team response.

How was your experience with Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

Kristen Wright was more relatable than other doctors in New England IVF, but she spoke matter-of-factly and took the factors of my fertility challenges into account. Wright clearly had years of experience behind her, which was helpful and reassuring. And she was not condescending in our discussions, as some other doctors have been in the past. The down side to the experience with Wright is that at a few points, I decided that the recommended approach would not be enough. This example occurred when, after 2 failed IUI cycles, she recommended a third and I just didn't see how the third would yield any different result. I also often had to follow up our visits with online research to better understand the recommended treatments and the process, as doctors don't often have time to show patients all of the steps in the process. I also didn't always know the timeline for the various treatment approaches. One IUI cycle is straight forward, but the IVF process is more convoluted and often requires many weeks of insurance approvals, so there were frequently longer than expected stretches of time between treatments.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

Do your reading offline after consultations and follow up visits, and ensure you are informed on the treatments so there are no surprises. Be direct and get as much information as you can about the timelines for treatment and what is involved in getting insurance approvals.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kristen Wright at Boston IVF?

Dr. Wright addressed all of my and my husband's questions, but she was perfunctory and with minimal emotion. I felt like her office took our situation as a unique case, rather than as one of many routines, but I did sometimes feel like I had to advocate for myself and my combination of factors in order to get a good recommendation that was not generic.

Describe the protocols Kristen Wright used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

1. Rounds of pre-treatment testing and genetic testing, these were expensive and tough to schedule around my travel, but we completed this in a few months. 2. IUI - I performed two rounds of this treatment, using Letrozol as a trigger around days 14 of my cycle. This required monitoring of my bloodwork and ultrasound results every other day over the course of approximately 2 weeks. This was unsuccessful. 3. Egg retrieval - I used Gonal F, Cetrotide and Lupron as trigger during this time. The egg retrieval yielded 42 eggs, of which 25 fertilized, and ultimately 7 embryos were preserved. I was expecting a transfer but given my response to the retrieval, the decision was made to make this a freezing cycle. I will perform the transfer in a few months.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

I often got a call in the afternoon after lab results were available. The nurses were direct but compassionate, especially Nicki. There were a few times where either the nurses or the pharmacies would get the medication quantities wrong, and that led to out of pocket expenses which were infuriating. For the most part though, I was happy with the nursing team response.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

The clinic in Waltham is accessible, clean, safe and secure. I felt the doctors and nurses were attentive and personal, and made every attempt to make me comfortable. I had several tests performed here (HSG, sonohysterogram, and IVF extraction), and they were done smoothly and quickly.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kristen Wright at Boston IVF.

Genetic testing - $400 for husband, $700 for me Each ultrasound appointment was around $400, and ~50% was covered by my insurance. IUI medication - $100 out of pocket IVF process - $7,500 of my lifetime maximum under United Health insurance, and additional $750 out of pocket. For medication, each Gonal F pen was $750 at Village Fertility Pharmacy (and a whopping $1,300 at CVS specialty care), various other medication totaled $2,500 in sum. Embryo Freezing - $1200 for first 3 months, $85 per month following Embryo Transfer - Expected to be around $1,000 per attempt

Describe Kristen Wright's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

I am Type I diabetic and it was not an option for me to receive a multiple embryo transfer.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Failed to order appropriate test

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

For my second IUI cycle, I was to receive a double dose of medication and the clinic failed to call it in to the pharmacy, so I only received half the dosage initially. For my egg retrieval, the communication with the pharmacy was off, and I did not receive any medication the day I was scheduled to start. There were a lot of phone calls trying to rectify the mistake, and I ended up driving to several pharmacies to pick up meds. The saving grace was a nurse named Barbara, who ended up staying late at the clinic in New Hampshire to hold a donated medication pen to give me so that I could start a cycle on time and not need to wait an extra month.

Doctor

Kristen Wright

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

North Chelmsford

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2018 - 2019, Unsuccessful

Age 31 - 32

5 IUI

2 IVF

Unexplained

European

Other

Nurse or HC Services

2nd of 3 Docs

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

I liked [Dr. David Ryley] but hated BostonIVF and because of a lot of errors. Each time Dr Ryley apologized for theses errors and told me that he couldn’t be with me each step of the way because of patient volume. He is a nice person but he is practicing in the wrong place... had a great bedside manner but BostonIVF is a large organization that doesn’t make patient individual care a priority. You see so many doctors and PAs that aren’t your direct care provider and it makes the process extremely hard and stressful to manage.

we found out they [Boston IVF] accidentally billed the wrong insurance and are refusing to take ownership and are trying to charge us over $15,000 for IVF and transfer when I had 2 insurances!!!! They do not document well and each department makes mistakes they cover up!...They do not internally communicate well and documentation is a problem...We had an early miscarriage and when we went for follow up, they found they had “lost” the other embryo in thaw. I was shocked and so upset they didn’t tell me and took the opportunity to discuss what we should have done during transfer.

How was your experience with David Ryley at Boston IVF?

I liked Dr Ryley but hated BostonIVF and because of a lot of errors. Each time Dr Ryley apologized for theses errors and told me that he couldn’t be with me each step of the way because of patient volume. He is a nice person but he is practicing in the wrong place.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of David Ryley at Boston IVF?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do research and when things feel wrong or you think things are being handled poorly speak up. I felt I gave them so many times to mend relationships because of errors and felt like I had to stay with the practice but I was wrong! No one knows you like you do and you have to put yourself first! Leave and find a different practice if things aren’t right!!!

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Ryley at Boston IVF?

Dr Ryley had a great bedside manner but BostonIVF is a large organization that doesn’t make patient individual care a priority. You see so many doctors and PAs that aren’t your direct care provider and it makes the process extremely hard and stressful to manage.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Heidi)

Heidi up front didn’t like me because I was a nurse and had very specific questions. I felt she would speak to me very poorly, not return my calls at times or call me right before leaving so if I missed her call I wouldn’t speak to her.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

They appeared from the outside that they were this amazing world class facility and I went to them because I thought I would be cared for. They do not internally communicate well and documentation is a problem.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Lost or damaged samples
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

There were multiple small errors that occurred during my time at BostonIVF but always seemed to catch them before being a problem myself. We did a FET has 2 PGS embryos. We were told on the day of transfer everything was perfect. We had struggled to develop a thick lining but my doctor stated because we would do a single transfer we could go ahead. We placed our embryo and knew we had one left frozen. We had an early miscarriage and when we went for follow up, they found they had “lost” the other embryo in thaw. I was shocked and so upset they didn’t tell me and took the opportunity to discuss what we should have done during transfer. They also couldn’t give me specifics about what happened that day and had no documentation. We left the practice after that. Then we found out they accidentally billed the wrong insurance and are refusing to take ownership and are trying to charge us over $15,000 for IVF and transfer when I had 2 insurances!!!! They do not document well and each department makes mistakes they cover up!

Doctor

David Ryley

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Armando Arroyo Boston IVF

2018 - 2019, Successful

Age 35 - 36

7 IUI

1 IVF

Donor Sperm

Male Factor

European

Income $100K - $199K

Consultant

2nd of 2 Docs

LGBTQ

Doesn't Recommend

Successful

Review of

With genetic testing, Dr. Arroyo discouraged multiple embryo transfer...never knew my case prior to our meeting, was constantly re-asking me questions, etc...provided very few details about his treatment plan, would always speak very vaguely. He never included us in decision-making or made any adjustments to the standard care plan. His bedside manner was awkward and made me uncomfortable on many occasions...I did one egg retrieval with fertilized with frozen sperm and did genetic testing on the embryos. I can't remember the medications or doses. Though I remained on several through 10 weeks of pregnancy.

There were several points where my treatment was delayed or nearly delayed by 4-6 weeks due to poor communication on the clinic's [Boston IVF] part...When I was getting treatment, the clinic was newly-established. The clinic itself was mostly easy to navigate. One challenge is that (at least at the time that I was receiving treatment), there wasn't a large enough patient population to support an embryologist on-site. This meant needing to sync up cycles with all patients undergoing retrieval or transfer so that an embryologist could come from Boston and do all the procedures in a single week. This led to a prolonged course of treatment that I hadn't expected.

How was your experience with Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

Dr. Arroyo provided very few details about his treatment plan, would always speak very vaguely. He never included us in decision-making or made any adjustments to the standard care plan. His bedside manner was awkward and made me uncomfortable on many occasions.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

Use the nurses to your advantage in communicating with him. Make sure you keep asking questions until you get a satisfactory answer.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF?

Dr. Arroyo never knew my case prior to our meeting, was constantly re-asking me questions, etc.

Describe the protocols Armando Arroyo used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I did one egg retrieval with fertilized with frozen sperm and did genetic testing on the embryos. I can't remember the medications or doses. Though I remained on several through 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

When I was getting treatment, the clinic was newly-established. The clinic itself was mostly easy to navigate. One challenge is that (at least at the time that I was receiving treatment), there wasn't a large enough patient population to support an embryologist on-site. This meant needing to sync up cycles with all patients undergoing retrieval or transfer so that an embryologist could come from Boston and do all the procedures in a single week. This led to a prolonged course of treatment that I hadn't expected.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Armando Arroyo at Boston IVF.

My insurance covered most of my costs with the exception of genetic testing. I had some copays for procedures and office visits.

Describe Armando Arroyo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

With genetic testing, Dr. Arroyo discouraged multiple embryo transfer. I agreed with this decision.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

There were several points where my treatment was delayed or nearly delayed by 4-6 weeks due to poor communication on the clinic's part.

Doctor

Armando Arroyo

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

LGBTQ Care

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Syracuse

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

LGBTQ Care

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Armando Arroyo Boston IVF

2014 - 2018, Unsuccessful

Age 36 - 40

2 IUI

2 IVF

Poor Egg Quality

East Asian

Income $200K - $499K

3rd of 3 Docs

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Wendy Kuohung Boston IVF

[Dr. Kuohung] was candid and professional but she handed off most of her tasks to her nurses. I only saw her to sign consent forms and she only called me to give me results after my cycle failed. However, she was prompt in answering questions over email when I felt that the nurses were not responding to me..The doctor also did not spend time walking me through the protocol. When it failed, she tried to hurry me into starting another cycle. I felt like it was just about generating more sales for them.

Boston IVF looks like it was just starting out. It’s office was under construction when I visited and their nurses were not organized at all. I got mixed answers when I called. I had to call to ask them when I could start because no one had gotten back to me... One nurse told me one thing while another told me different so I had to request that they provide me patient education and a treatment plan. When they had to double my dose, one of the nurses was nice enough to put aside samples for me so that I would have enough medication but I felt like I should never have been put in that situation in the first place. They didnt prompt me ahead of time to know what to expect, I had to ask if I knew.

How was your experience with Wendy Kuohung at Boston IVF?

Wendy was candid and professional but she handed off most of her tasks to her nurses. I only saw her to sign consent forms and she only called me to give me results after my cycle failed. However, she was prompt in answering questions over email when I felt that the nurses were not responding to me.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Wendy Kuohung at Boston IVF?

Ask a lot of questions and talk through the regimen with her as sometimes the nurses give mixed responses

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Wendy Kuohung at Boston IVF?

I had a great experience the first time around with New England IVF. After Boston IVF acquired them and since I moved, it was more difficult to get answers to my questions. The nurses didn’t spend as much time explaining next steps and I had to ask them to go over all the details with me mid cycle after I felt that I was getting mixed messages. The doctor also did not spend time walking me through the protocol. When it failed, she tried to hurry me into starting another cycle. I felt like it was just about generating more sales for them.

Describe the protocols Wendy Kuohung used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

The first cycle was Gonal F and then crinone after the transfer. It resulted in 7 follicles, then 3 embryos, 1 transferred and 2 frozen. I had 1 live birth. A couple years later, only one frozen embryo was viable and transferred. I used progesterone in oil at the time and disliked this regimen. Had I known that I had a choice, I would have picked the crinone but it was not discussed with me. This transfer failed. I went back a year later to start a fresh cycle and was put on follistem and lupron. I was not responding and my dose was doubled mid cycle. They had to freeze my cycle after the retrieval which obtained only 3 follicles. Only 1 follicle moves onto the embryo stage. They waited a few days to freeze it but unfortunately it did not make it.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

The first time I did it, was ha nurses at New England IVF walked me through each detail. The second time around Boston IVF did not do any patient education but just told me to watch videos online. I also didn’t know I had a choice between crinone or progesterone otherwise I would have definitely picked the crinone. The third time, the care just got worse. The nurses told me different things and no one got back to me to start the cycle, I had to call and ask them to start. One nurse told me one thing while another told me different so I had to request that they provide me patient education and a treatment plan. When they had to double my dose, one of the nurses was nice enough to put aside samples for me so that I would have enough medication but I felt like I should never have been put in that situation in the first place. They didnt prompt me ahead of time to know what to expect, I had to ask if I knew.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Wendy Kuohung at Boston IVF.

We experienced issues with our insurance denying some services because paperwork was filed incorrectly. That caused delays and it made me nervous how much we were going to have to pay. When I needed more medication, I wondered if it was due to the nurses incompetence because it took me a week to get more medicine. I Also ended up paying for medicines which I did not use because my embryo did not make it to transfer. Had I been told what medicines to get when, I would not have gotten them

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

My husband gave the receptionist consent forms which were lost and found days later. When I needed medication, they told me they had to wait for insurance to authorize it which took a week but I wonder if it was a delay on their part as well. They told me conflicting messages about my treatment regimen, when to start and how much. When I had questions, sometimes they needed clarification and had to call me back with a response

Doctor

Wendy Kuohung

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Wendy Kuohung Boston IVF

2017 - 2018, Unsuccessful

Age 24 - 25

Embryo Freezing

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Tubal Blockage

Other

Black or African-American

Income $200K - $499K

Engineer

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Dr Rylely himself was pleasant, but he never left me with any notes to take home. I always left feeling like I had missed something because he said so many new things and just expected me to understand what was happening or what to do next...He's a decent doctor but it hardly matters; what you need as a patient is a good billing specialist and good nursing staff. Dr. Ryley has neither.

It took 6 months to get to the egg retrieval process because communication [at Boston IVF] is just so bad. By time I was ready to start my meds, I decided to switch clinics...The nursing and administrative staff is terrible. There were repeated clerical errors - wrong birth dates, lost vials, etc. For example, I had blood drawn 3 times for diagnostics because they kept forgetting to test me for things or insisted on testing me for things I already knew I had (e.g. I knew I had sickle cell trait, but they insisted on testing me, even though I had my test results forwarded form another doctor). It's impossible to get a hold of a person by calling. You always have to wait for them to call you back and they call whenever they feel like it. At some point I was waiting for probes to be made for PGD testing. They said they would call me when they were ready to proceed and that it usually takes 1-2 months for the probes to be made. After 2 months, I called them. They said "Oh, they've been ready for a month; you should have received a call".

How was your experience with David Ryley at Boston IVF?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of David Ryley at Boston IVF?

He's a decent doctor but it hardly matters; what you need as a patient is a good billing specialist and good nursing staff. Dr. Ryley has neither.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Ryley at Boston IVF?

The nursing and administrative staff is terrible. There were repeated clerical errors - wrong birth dates, lost vials, etc. For example, I had blood drawn 3 times for diagnostics because they kept forgetting to test me for things or insisted on testing me for things I already knew I had (e.g. I knew I had sickle cell trait, but they insisted on testing me, even though I had my test results forwarded form another doctor). It's impossible to get a hold of a person by calling. You always have to wait for them to call you back and they call whenever they feel like it. At some point I was waiting for probes to be made for PGD testing. They said they would call me when they were ready to proceed and that it usually takes 1-2 months for the probes to be made. After 2 months, I called them. They said "Oh, they've been ready for a month; you should have received a call". Literally you are on your own with these people. It took 6 months to get to the egg retrieval process because communication is just so bad. By time I was ready to start my meds, I decided to switch clinics. I just couldn't deal with BIVF.

Describe the protocols David Ryley used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I didn't get to this point. Right after I was prescribed Gonal-F along with other things and 2 days before I was supposed to start them, I switched clinics.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

Terrible. They never answer the phone. You're always sent to voicemail. They call back about half of the time. If you request to be called back at a specific time, they don't call you back at all. There was an issue with the lab where they couldn't find my medical records for Boston IVF. We eventually realized it was because BIVF had inputted the wrong birth date. I had my blood drawn repeatedly during the diagnostic phase because they kept forgetting stuff or refused to consult my medical records. They also referred me to a genetics counselor that was out of network. Getting that bill in the mail was great. It took me 6 months, from August to February to actually get to the point where I could start the fertility meds/injections. They're also pretty grouchy when you call.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

I had an issue with insurance where Boston IVF outright lied and said my insurance would cover PGD testing. There was a lot of back and forth where they said my insurance company said they would cover it and I called my insurance and they said they were waiting on medical documents from Boston IVF. I asked them if they could give me a note in writing saying that it was covered, but of course they couldn't/wouldn't. In the end, my claim was denied by my insurance and I had to come $5,000 out of pocket. I'm not even mad, I expected this from their staff because they're egregiously impatient, overbooked, and too busy to deal with their patients. When I switched clinics, they told me it would take up to 10 business days to have my records transferred over. On the 11th business day, they still hadn't sent it over. When I called, they said "they had sent them over a week ago, but they would try again". For some reason, it went through the second time. I'm 100% sure they didn't try to send it a first time.

Describe the costs associated with your care under David Ryley at Boston IVF.

I had insurance and did not complete my cycle

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Provided conflicting information
Scheduled the wrong procedure

Doctor

David Ryley

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Clinic

Boston IVF

Brighton

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kim L. Thornton Boston IVF

2017 - 2018, Unsuccessful

Age 37 - 38

1 IUI

1 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

European

Income $200K - $499K

Marketer or PR

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Dr. Thornton was kind and somewhat compassionate. If I was down about a high FSH she reminded me it wasn't that high (11). She is straight to the point though, she isn't really going to coddle you. After my first round of treatment only resulted in 2 dominant follicles and I was converted to an IUI, she asked me if I ever considered donor eggs. I was really disappointed that was discussed so quickly, but she was being real with me I guess. She agreed to change the protocol and move forward if I only had one follicle next time. Unfortunately that cycle was cancelled when they went in to retrieve and found no follicles, they assume I prematurely ovulated.

Boston IVF has its good and its bad points. They service a TON of patients and its easy to get lost in the shuffle, but I do feel the nurses and staff in Waltham care about the patients and want us to succeed. The downside to the high volume is not getting much for personal care because your doctor is too busy to really be adjusting protocols or meeting with you personally. I also didn't love that they aren't much into research... other websites for clinics have studies and videos and information for patients. I felt like Boston IVF was like the Costco of reproduction, and you are fortunate to be successful if you have only a small issue to work through or try enough times. Anyone with specific issues that need special attention or outside the box thinking would probably do better elsewhere.

How was your experience with Kim L. Thornton at Boston IVF?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kim L. Thornton at Boston IVF?

Be prepared going in. Dr. Thornton goes over things for sure, but there is a lot of information out there and questions you should be asking of any doctor. If she hesitates on proceeding, keep in mind that it is your choice and your body and don't give up.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kim L. Thornton at Boston IVF?

My husband and I met with Dr. Thornton once, and I met with her once alone. She was always very nice and explained things in a way my husband liked, as her undergrad is in chemical engineering as is his. She seemed confident that I would be successful, and she explained the process well with pictures, etc. However, past those meetings I have felt like any other patient being pushed through the clinic. Three times a nurse told me to take a medication I didn't have (the insurance sometimes sends Cetritide but I had Ganirelix, and the insurance sometimes sends Gonal F, but I had Follistim) so it felt like no one was even reading my chart before speaking to me. After my second fail (premature ovulation prior to retrieval) I didn't receive a follow up call from the clinic to schedule a follow-up and next steps. I don't know if Dr. Thornton cares if I come back to Boston IVF ever, she likely has enough other 'numbers' to deal with.

Describe the protocols Kim L. Thornton used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Cycle 1 - Day 3 start, 450 iu Follistim, low dose HCG; Day 5 Ganirelix, up to 600 iu Follistim, low dose HCG. One decent follicle, one smaller - converted to IUI. Ovidrel shot. BFN Cycle 2 - Ganirelix and Estrogen patch prior to cycle start, Day 3 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menupur; Day 9 Ganirelix, Follistim same, and Menupur same. Day 11 had two dominant follicles and some smaller ones starting. Pregnyl shot, retrieval 36 hours later showed no follicles. Was instructed to go home and have sex (not sure why they didn't do an IUI at that point)

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Dawn)

I was so very NOT a fan of Dawn (Worcester office only) that I asked to be switched to a nurse out of the Waltham office. She lacks compassion as well as a knowledge of what she should say to a patient vs. what the doctor should be communicating. Abbey and Sonya (Dr. Thornton's other nurses) in Waltham are excellent though. The nursing staff in Waltham overall has been incredible - everyone you meet from the time you walk in, get blood taken, ultrasound, checked in for surgery, etc - they are SOOOOO great. They see your eyes start to tear and they always have tissues. I had to visit Waltham on Mothers Day for an ultrasound and they had a big bucket of roses and a sign that said "thinking of you all today and everyday" and I lost it. So touching. They are A+++++. In Waltham.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kim L. Thornton at Boston IVF.

Pretty much 100% insurance paid after deductible. I think we paid $150 for one medication through Village Pharmacy. My scripts cost me a small co-pay (like $30) but the 'real' price was $15,000 just for the drugs! Phew!

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Provided conflicting information

Doctor

Kim L. Thornton

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Worcester

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kim L. Thornton Boston IVF

2017 - 2018, Unsuccessful

Age 27 - 28

IUI

1 IVF

Donor Sperm

PCOS

Tubal Blockage

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Unexplained

Other

Income $0 - $49K

Only Doc Seen

LGBTQ

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Michael Alper Boston IVF

Dr Alper is very knowledgeable and well recognized for fertility treatment. I have experienced two miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy and did not receive much compassion about this, although he provided me with factual and realistic information in regards to these occurrences. In my circumstances, he seemed to be very focused on the medical and scientific aspect of the treatment and did not seem to give any sympathy to my losses, which was hard for me. He provided me with very detailed and accurate information in regards to my procedures and what to expect.

Clinic [Boston IVF-South Portland] was slow at returning calls with important results. They were always able to schedule me if I needed to be seen but when I received bad news they lacked compassion or emotional support. Doctors and staff are fact a based and knowledgeable on the process and procedures but if you are looking for a clinic that provides emotional support during what can be a very trying time, I would be recommend this clinic.

How was your experience with Michael Alper at Boston IVF?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michael Alper at Boston IVF?

If you are looking for bedside manner and emotional support through the process, I would recommend looking for a different provider

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michael Alper at Boston IVF?

During my continued treatment, I have had a number of misfortunes; such as two chemical pregnancies and one ectopic pregnancy resulting in the removal of my fallopian tubes. I have had a number of diagnostic tests done and although I have follow ups to review the results, at my next visit, the Doctor suggesting testing that has already been completed and reviewed. This makes it seem as though he does not remember my case or take the time to review my file before my appointments.

Describe the protocols Michael Alper used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

When I started working with Dr Alper, I had already completed 5 failed IUI cycles with my OB/GYN. Dr Alper completed all of the initial testing and stated that I was young and healthy and there was no reason that In-Vitro should not work. He determined that one of my fallopian tubes appeared to be blocked but we would be bypassing that with the in-vitro so there was no need to worry. During my first in-vitro cycle I took the injectable medications during the initial egg retrieval process. I had 15 eggs retrieved, 7 fertilized, and one embryo transferred in a fresh cycle. After the embryo transfer, I was put on progesterone gel once time daily. This cycle resulted in a positive pregnancy test, rising HCG until around 6 weeks and then miscarriage. Once my HCG level returned to 0, we completed a thaw cycle. This time after transfer I was put on progesterone suppository three times daily, estrogen patch that was changed 2 times a week, and estrogen pill two times daily. This cycle resulted in a positive pregnancy test with rising HCG until around 6 weeks with miscarriage. After this, Dr Alper did antibody testing, imaging of the lining of my uterus, and a biopsy of the lining of my uterus; all of these tests came back normal so Dr Alper approved another thaw cycle. This cycle resulted in a positive pregnancy test with HGC levels that were not rising appropriately. I was treated for ectopic, my HCG levels lowered, but it resulted in a hematoma in my fallopian tube, hemorrhage with internal bleeding, and I had both of my fallopian tubes removed as there was a cyst in my other tube. Still Dr Alper feels hopeful for a healthy pregnancy, although I am not feeling so optimistic.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Barbra Delsignore)

Slow in returning phone calls with important results

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Clinic was slow at returning calls with important results. They were always able to schedule me if I needed to be seen but when I received bad news they lacked compassion or emotional support. Doctors and staff are fact a based and knowledgeable on the process and procedures but if you are looking for a clinic that provides emotional support during what can be a very trying time, I would be recommend this clinic.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Michael Alper at Boston IVF.

My initial in vitro cycle with egg retrieval was 8,900 dollars and an additional 2500 for my injectable medications. When I used progesterone gel, this was 300 dollars for 2 weeks worth. My first thaw cycle was 3500 plus costs of medications, and my third thaw cycle was 4000 plus costs of medication. I had all of my monitoring ultrasounds and blood work done at a hospital that was more convenient for me, so this was an additional cost in my treatment.

Describe Michael Alper's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

After my two miscarriages and ectopic pregnancy, Dr Alper approved to transfer 2 embryos at next transfer if this is what I wish to do.

Doctor

Michael Alper

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Portland

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Michael Alper Boston IVF

2016 - 2018, Successful

Age 30 - 32

1 IVF

Endometriosis

Tubal Blockage

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Prefer not to answer

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Strongly Recommends

Doesn't Recommend

Successful

Review of

Isaac Glatstein Boston IVF

[Dr. Isaac Glasteing is a] Very knowledgeable doctor who wants to find out what the problem is, come up with the best plan accordingly for a positive outcome. He is very facts and stats mind set. He answered all of our questions without making us feel overwhelmed.

They [IVF New England- Lexington] are hard to get ahold of. They primary nurse you speak to us good he was super helpful and didn’t make you feel like you should know all of this brand new information and drugs. The nurses you see daily however really could use a reminder that they are there to be apart of a beautiful experience. Very negative interactions. Horrible at drawing blood.

How was your experience with Isaac Glatstein at Boston IVF?

Very knowledgeable doctor who wants to find out what the problem is, come up with the best plan accordingly for a positive outcome. He is very facts and stats mind set. He answered all of our questions without making us feel overwhelmed.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Isaac Glatstein at Boston IVF?

If you want the best doctor to get you a positive outcome he’s your doctor. If you’re looking for a bit more of handholding he’s not for you.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Isaac Glatstein at Boston IVF?

I felt he was very “matter a fact “. Which did work for us. We didn’t need to be coddled. We knew what was wrong and we wanted the facts of how we were going to fix it.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

Feel like with how much you interact with the nurses this is where I thought patents would get more compassion. You see them daily. They should be more friendly. I can’t tell you how many blood draws I’d go in where the nurse smelt of fresh smoked cigarettes. It was disgusting yet here she is trying to draw blood. Also, they 100% need more training on how to actually draw blood. I left there covered in bruises every single time.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

They are hard to get ahold of. They primary nurse you speak to us good he was super helpful and didn’t make you feel like you should know all of this brand new information and drugs. The nurses you see daily however really could use a reminder that they are there to be apart of a beautiful experience. Very negative interactions. Horrible at drawing blood.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Provided conflicting information
Failed to consider drug intolerance
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

There was a lack of communication during our egg retrieval. No one informed us of over stimulation. They just kept saying the odds were so slim. However I ended up in the hospital for a week due to being overstimulated. Which resulted in cancelling the fresh transfer and waiting months to get a frozen transfer. I understand things happen. But I wish I had more support after this did happen also wish I had more information.

Doctor

Isaac Glatstein

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Lexington

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Isaac Glatstein Boston IVF

2016 - 2018, Unsuccessful

Age 39 - 41

6 IUI

Donor Sperm

PCOS

European

Native American

Only Doc Seen

LGBTQ

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

[Dr. Brian Berger is a] Nice enough doctor, but hardly actually see him. The IUI procedures are even performed in another office, and are performed by staff from that office. Have had maybe 2 in person visits with him, and one or two phone consults...Of the numerous IUI cycles, only one egg fertilized, but it was a biochemical pregnancy, and what I thought was just a heavy period was apparently actually miscarrying at not even a full 4 weeks. I'm turning 43 in a matter of weeks and am super frustrated with the fact that after so much time, money, stress and tears, I still have no children.

A couple of times I wasn't called back with next step instructions [at Boston IVF] when I was supposed to be, despite my calling the office repeatedly, and both times that happened, it wound up being a canceled cycle. I still wonder if it is because they screwed up and I didn't get the instructions properly...Let's just say that, for the 7 or 8 IUI attempts we tried, I maxed out 3 credit cards...Theyre often very, very behind schedule. Have sat in the waiting room for over an hour before being called in. The woman who does the blood draws is absolutely fabulous, though. Im a tough draw, my veins like to roll away and hide, but she can always manage to get one to cooperate.

How was your experience with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Nice enough doctor, but hardly actually see him. The IUI procedures are even performed in another office, and are performed by staff from that office. Have had maybe 2 in person visits with him, and one or two phone consults.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

You may get frustrated with the entire clinic.

Describe the protocols Brian Berger used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Of the numerous IUI cycles, only one egg fertilized, but it was a biochemical pregnancy, and what I thought was just a heavy period was apparently actually miscarrying at not even a full 4 weeks. I'm turning 43 in a matter of weeks and am super frustrated with the fact that after so much time, money, stress and tears, I still have no children.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

Some were great. One older woman does NOT belong working there. No empathy at all. I wish I'd written down her name to be more specific. Made an already heartbreaking day worse.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Theyre often very, very behind schedule. Have sat in the waiting room for over an hour before being called in. The woman who does the blood draws is absolutely fabulous, though. Im a tough draw, my veins like to roll away and hide, but she can always manage to get one to cooperate.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Berger at Boston IVF.

Let's just say that, for the 7 or 8 IUI attempts we tried, I maxed out 3 credit cards.

Describe Brian Berger's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

N/A

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call with results

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

A couple of times I wasn't called back with next step instructions when I was supposed to be, despite my calling the office repeatedly, and both times that happened, it wound up being a canceled cycle. I still wonder if it is because they screwed up and I didn't get the instructions properly and threw off what should have happened w

Doctor

Brian Berger

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Shore

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2018, Unsuccessful

Age 37

2 IUI

Other

European

Income $200K - $499K

Marketer or PR

Only Doc Seen

Neutral

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Thomas Toth Boston IVF

We met with him [Dr. Toth] 3-4 times throughout our treatment...during the treatment process we most definitely felt like a number. We only heard from Dr. Toth when we made an appointment and visited the office. He never reached out in any other manner...And in a frustrating way he always reminded us that we were lucky to have one child and to focus on that fact as things progressed. We know we are lucky, but that didn't make it any easier to go through this process.

The nurses [at Boston IVF] provided very little information, usually without any context. For example one cycle we were unable to move forward with an IUI because of an "ovarian cyst", the nurse was unable to explain why it was a problem or what we should do about it. The location is Waltham is enormous, and very impersonal...Nicole [nurse] was wonderful to work with. She was easy to be in touch with and always advocating for us. We saw and heard from many nurses in addition to Nicole, for the most part they were good, however since we didn't see anyone regularly outside of Nicole it was mostly impersonal experiences.

How was your experience with Thomas Toth at Boston IVF?

Dr. Toth was warm and caring. He seemed engaged in our conversations and always wanted to know how we were doing and what was going on in our lives. However, we never heard from him unless we proactively made an appointment to see him in his office. While he was realistic about our chances of becoming pregnant, he never offered any guidance (like diet or lifestyle) outside of ambiguous medical information. And in a frustrating way he always reminded us that we were lucky to have one child and to focus on that fact as things progressed. We know we are lucky, but that didn't make it any easier to go through this process.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Thomas Toth at Boston IVF?

Advocate for yourself. Make sure you have a way to hear from and contact Dr. Toth along the way.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Thomas Toth at Boston IVF?

Dr Toth was so warm and caring. We met with him 3-4 times throughout our treatment. However, during the treatment process we most definitely felt like a number. We only heard from Dr. Toth when we made an appointment and visited the office. He never reached out in any other manner. The nurses provided very little information, usually without any context. For example one cycle we were unable to move forward with an IUI because of an "ovarian cyst", the nurse was unable to explain why it was a problem or what we should do about it. The location is Waltham is enormous, and very impersonal.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Nicole)

Nicole was wonderful to work with. She was easy to be in touch with and always advocating for us. We saw and heard from many nurses in addition to Nicole, for the most part they were good, however since we didn't see anyone regularly outside of Nicole it was mostly impersonal experiences.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Boston IVF has done wonderful things for so many families. It's a huge facility/network with so many doctors and resources. However, it's very easy to feel like a number. The location in Waltham is huge and hard to navigate. It feels more like a factory than a doctor's office. It made us feel very uneasy.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Thomas Toth at Boston IVF.

We were lucky that insurance covered a significant portion of our treatments.

Doctor

Thomas Toth

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Thomas Toth Boston IVF

2017 - 2018, Successful

Age 30 - 31

1 IVF

Male Factor

Unexplained

East Asian

Only Doc Seen

Neutral

Doesn't Recommend

Successful

Review of

Dr Penzias put us on 6 months of medicated cycles...he had a scientific and statistical approach to everything. He would explain things thoroughly in statistical terms, which is great if your mind works that way, but sometimes I would've preferred more layman terms. We were pleased during our times with him, but the main problem was we could rarely get a hold of him for any ad hoc questions, and appointments with him took a while to schedule out. We also thought he would be performing our procedures (ie egg retrieval) but that was not the case.

Diagnostic testing [at Boston IVF] that was not covered by insurance amounted to about 2-3k, which came as a surprise to us and I would've elected not to do some of it (like for STDs)... I was happy overall with my doctor when I got to see him, and the latter dedicated nurses I had were very helpful and caring...it was a little clumsily run. Every time I would check in at the main front desk, there would be three employees sitting there chatting and I would rarely be pointed to the right place for secondary check-in. Oftentimes I was sent to wait by the blood testing wing and they would be calling my name in the other wing or vice versa, and have me marked as late for my appointment. The staff that were at the payment windows were also terribly unfriendly more often than not ... they'd be on their phones and roll their eyes when I approached asking if I pay for my appointment there.

How was your experience with Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF?

Dr Penzias seemed to be very knowledgeable and had a scientific and statistical approach to everything. He would explain things thoroughly in statistical terms, which is great if your mind works that way, but sometimes I would've preferred more layman terms. We were pleased during our times with him, but the main problem was we could rarely get a hold of him for any ad hoc questions, and appointments with him took a while to schedule out. We also thought he would be performing our procedures (ie egg retrieval) but that was not the case.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF?

For the first 75% of my cycle I was under the care of a rotating stream of nurses. I would get monitoring result and other related calls from a different person each day, and they were not always on the same page. Some of the nurses were very nice and some were curt. I'm not sure if this was sorted out and they now have 1 dedicated nurse for Dr Penzias, but the rotating care was frustrating since i had to re-explain a concern or re-ask a question constantly to different people.

Describe the protocols Alan S. Penzias used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Dr Penzias put us on 6 months of medicated cycles (he gave us the choice of IUI vs just timed relations each month - we did the latter due to our travel schedule) before we moved on to IVF. I was on standard Gonal F, ovidril, cetratide prior to egg retrieval and then progesterone in oil prior to embryo transfer.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Ashley)

The latter reviews for primary nurse are specifically for Sara and Ashley. In the first portion of my time with Dr Penzias I was treated by a rotating schedule of nurses which was frustrating. But when Sara was working she was very attentive, compassionate, super responsive and helpful and then when Ashley took over she was also amazing.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Even though Boston IVF Waltham is a large center, it was a little clumsily run. Every time I would check in at the main front desk, there would be three employees sitting there chatting and I would rarely be pointed to the right place for secondary check-in. Oftentimes I was sent to wait by the blood testing wing and they would be calling my name in the other wing or vice versa, and have me marked as late for my appointment. The staff that were at the payment windows were also terribly unfriendly more often than not ... they'd be on their phones and roll their eyes when I approached asking if I pay for my appointment there. If you can look past these administrative issues, I was happy overall with my doctor when I got to see him, and the latter dedicated nurses I had were very helpful and caring.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF.

Our insurance ended up covering our IVF cycle, but we were quoted about 15k for the cycle. Diagnostic testing that was not covered by insurance amounted to about 2-3k, which came as a surprise to us and I would've elected not to do some of it (like for STDs).

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy

Doctor

Alan S. Penzias

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Waltham

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2018, Unknown Success

Age 34

3 IUI

Donor Sperm

European

Ashkenazi Jewish

Income $50K - $99K

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Kerri Luzzo Boston IVF

Dr Luzzo appears knowledgeable but also to be going through the motions at times with not a lot of compassion or concern. At times, I felt like I had to advocate for myself and do my own research and then ask about things. She tended to talk fast and made me feel rushed.... I have had 3 IUIs. The first was with 50mg Clomid and the next two we bumped up to 100mg. I asked to use progesterone suppositories after the first IUI due to my short cycle length. I did OPK the first cycle. Then I missed my surge one month. The

One aspect which is frustrating is that sperm is stored at another office and you have to pick it up in the day of the IUI and bring it to this clinic [Boston IVF]. Also, the nurse who does the IUIs has been out a lot and in those situations, you speak to a nurse at the Boston office who are not very familiar with the Providence location. The office staff are very nice overall - the people who answer the phone, the phlebotomist, etc. the office is small and can feel crowded in the morning when you come for lab work.

How was your experience with Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

Be prepared to advocate and speak up

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF?

The initial appointment I felt very rushed and as though Dr. Luzzo was just giving a spiel she had given 1,000 with very little affect or interest. My two follow up appointments have been a little better - still not a lot of emotion and feeling a bit rushed along.

Describe the protocols Kerri Luzzo used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I have had 3 IUIs. The first was with 50mg Clomid and the next two we bumped up to 100mg. I asked to use progesterone suppositories after the first IUI due to my short cycle length. I did OPK the first cycle. Then I missed my surge one month. The next two IUIs I did blood test monitoring only to detect my surge. I am in the two week wait now after my third IUI.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Wendy)

Wendy has been responsive when I reach out but is not in the office very much. Also, she doesn’t always seem to remember my situation which can be frustrating. I have also had to remind her about calling in prescriptions and such for me. It has been a bit stressful at times.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

One aspect which is frustrating is that sperm is stored at another office and you have to pick it up in the day of the IUI and bring it to this clinic. Also, the nurse who does the IUIs has been out a lot and in those situations, you speak to a nurse at the Boston office who are not very familiar with the Providence location. The office staff are very nice overall - the people who answer the phone, the phlebotomist, etc. the office is small and can feel crowded in the morning when you come for lab work.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Kerri Luzzo at Boston IVF.

Most was out of pocket IUI is about $450

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

I have had issues with not getting results, office not communicating with another office that had to do my IUI when clinic nurse was out, as well as prescriptions not being called in and overall poor communication at times about treatment plan.

Doctor

Kerri Luzzo

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Providence

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Kerri Luzzo Boston IVF

2018, Unknown Success

Age 25

2 Fertility Medications

Other

Income $50K - $99K

2nd of 2 Docs

Doesn't Recommend

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

I would say that he [Dr. Benjamin Lannon] should maybe do blood tests of the female to really check hormonal levels prior to jumping into IUI and other fertility treatments...He mentioned doing an HSG first then from there doing IUI’s for as many rounds as we wanted depending on if my tubes were found to be open. If that didn’t work, then he recommended Clomid IVF where they monitor my follicles and only remove 2 mature eggs and fertilize them and then implant them back into my body. He understood we do not feel right doing General IVF.

Some [nurses at Boston IVF] were rushed but we had one great nurse that we chatted with on the phone when we needed bloodwork for our pregnancy...Consolation was $250-$300...Ultrasound for miscarriage was $350-400...he was open to what we wanted but felt at least 2 embryos transferred were best in order to boost...chances...They were great about getting us in quickly and great to talk with. The secretary’s could be a bit more understanding of the patients fear and having lots of questions about the paperwork. Great company

How was your experience with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

Dr. Lannister’s was gentle and kind. Though he felt that us not getting pregnant on 4 rounds of clomid was an orange flag and not a red flag, he didn’t take the time to explain why. He was organized and very kind but never thought to test my hormones or my thyroid. I felt that he was the same as my PCP and OB in that sense. Jumping right into IUI or clomid IVF is intense and may not be necessary if all other body parts are working. (Fallopian tubes) ext. We did get pregnant on our own only to miscarry after our first consultation. But he said if we weren’t pregnant in 6 months to call him to start IUI. So we left feeling like we were broken and not heard and pushed into treatment even though we conceived on our own. Over all he’s kind, not rushed, and understands that we don’t want to be there for help as we want to do it naturally but have no other option. But he gets that bedside manner is important and that it is a huge leap of faith. I do recommend him!

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

I would say that he should maybe do blood tests of the female to really check hormonal levels prior to jumping into IUI and other fertility treatments. Obviously doing this after the males sperm has been tested first.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

He took the time with us to answer all questions. He gently explained things. Though he did good, we left feeling that there wasn’t enough testing done in order to confirm his plan was right for us. But he was kind and understanding and willing to listen to us.

Describe the protocols Benjamin Lannon used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

He mentioned doing an HSG first then from there doing IUI’s for as many rounds as we wanted depending on if my tubes were found to be open. If that didn’t work, then he recommended Clomid IVF where they monitor my follicles and only remove 2 mature eggs and fertilize them and then implant them back into my body. He understood we do not feel right doing General IVF.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

Some were rushed but we had one great nurse that we chatted with on the phone when we needed bloodwork for our pregnancy.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

They were great about getting us in quickly and great to talk with. The secretary’s could be a bit more understanding of the patients fear and having lots of questions about the paperwork. Great company

Describe the costs associated with your care under Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF.

Consolation was $250-$300. Not covered by insurance. Ultrasound for miscarriage was $350-400.

Describe Benjamin Lannon's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

No, he was open to what we wanted but felt at least 2 embryos transferred were best in order to boost purchases chances.

Doctor

Benjamin Lannon

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Portland

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2013 - 2017, Unknown Success

Age 43 - 47

4 IUI

IVF

Donor Eggs

Donor Sperm

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

European

Income $100K - $199K

Consultant

2nd of 2 Docs

Neutral

Doesn't Recommend

Success w/ Doc Too early to know

Review of

Although he [Dr. Brian Berger] wasn't the most assessable person comma when I did schedule appointments, whether by phone or in person, he took an incredible amount of time to answer my questions in detail. One of the things I loved about him is his bedside manner. The compassion he showed always put me at ease no matter what I was asking or the difficulty of the explanation. I wish I could say the same for his staff which I thought should be completely replaced they're so bad! This mainly applies to the extended staff at the Waltham Clinic. Other than the lab staff, and the wonderful woman at the front desk, the rest really didn't have a clue about my treatment plan and consistently gave me wrong directions. I had to take my treatment and my knowledge of the process sees into my own hands time and time again.

After I had arranged for a known donor for sperm, Sharon [at Boston IVF] left me a terrible message that broke my heart. I played the message 5 times because it was so confusing. She told me that my donor was approved and that we could move forward with the process. Then in the second breath, she said that the donor was not approved by the FDA because he's gay and lives in a European country where they have mad cow disease. So I wasn't sure what to think and was panicked because I had just flown this man over and paid for all of his testing. I felt like the information she shared with me should have been provided in advance of all of the expenditures. When I called her to ask for an explanation, it was inadequate and she didn't understand in the least what a confusing and upsetting situation she created. I immediately asked her to be removed from my care team.

How was your experience with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

By all means, Dr. Brian Berger is one of the leading infertility practitioners out there. I was thrilled that he took on my complicated case as a single woman who went through early menopause and would need to use both donor egg and donor sperm in order to have a child. Although he wasn't the most assessable person comma when I did schedule appointments, whether by phone or in person, he took an incredible amount of time to answer my questions in detail. One of the things I loved about him is his bedside manner. The compassion he showed always put me at ease no matter what I was asking or the difficulty of the explanation. I wish I could say the same for his staff which I thought should be completely replaced they're so bad! This mainly applies to the extended staff at the Waltham Clinic. Other than the lab staff, and the wonderful woman at the front desk, the rest really didn't have a clue about my treatment plan and consistently gave me wrong directions. I had to take my treatment and my knowledge of the process sees into my own hands time and time again.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Be prepared to spend more than you budgeted! Boston IVF is terrible at giving accurate numbers on ehat you'll spend and I am now double what I had budgeted. But with 9 frozen, high quality embryos, I have to keep going.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

I can't count how many times the nursing staff and donor staff gave me inaccurate directions based on premenopausal women. Things like "let us know when your next period is" so we can move to the next step in the process, when I haven't had a period in over 4 years. It made it feel incredibly impersonal.

Describe the protocols Brian Berger used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

After many rounds of IUI with another doctor, I went through early menopause and needed to consider other options. From the first time I met with Dr. Berger, he laid out the options and consistently worked with me to choose the best one for my situation. My diagnosis with pre ovarian failure and donor egg donor sperm with a fresh transfer is what we did the first time around. I have nine Frozen embryos and dr. Berger will be doing my next transfer next week.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Sharon)

After I had arranged for a known donor for sperm, Sharon left me a terrible message that broke my heart. I played the message 5 times because it was so confusing. She told me that my donor was approved and that we could move forward with the process. Then in the second breath, she said that the donor was not approved by the FDA because he's gay and lives in a European country where they have mad cow disease. So I wasn't sure what to think and was panicked because I had just flown this man over and paid for all of his testing. I felt like the information she shared with me should have been provided in advance of all of the expenditures. When I called her to ask for an explanation, it was inadequate and she didn't understand in the least what a confusing and upsetting situation she created. I immediately asked her to be removed from my care team.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Most of my testing was done at Waltham IVF. For the most part, the testing is readily available and at convenient times. All blood tests are done in the morning and unfortunately, the clinic is located in a place where rush hour traffic impacts the ability to get there on any weekday. Not only did I have to go in every 3 days for pregnancy tests, but when my pregnancy didn't work out I had to keep going back for HCG tests. So every morning this took hours out of my day. I finally asked if there was any way that I could get a simple blood test at my local doctors office or anywhere else. Again, I had to manage my own care and ask to use Quest Diagnostics for my blood test. It ended up that there is an office one block from my house and I could have saved so much time by going there in the first place. Another time, I was told by my donor coordinator to "come in for labs." So when I got there and signed in, I wasn't sure which box to check for testing. I wasn't sure if it was blood, ultrasound, ETC. So every time somebody came out and saw my name on the list with no check box, they ignored me. I sat there for an hour with no one checking the records to see what kind of test I needed. It was woefully inadequate and completely unprofessional.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Berger at Boston IVF.

When I made the decision to move ahead with treatment, I told Dr. Berger that my goals were to spend $25,000 and to attempt the process three to four times. At this point, it has cost me twice as much and I've only gone through a fresh transfer one time with a pending frozen transfer scheduled for next week. No one at the clinic seem to be able to give me an accurate breakdown of costs at any point during my treatment even though I asked for it. And the information they provided was not laid out in a sensible way and did not take into consideration unique circumstances. My donor egg process was the part that was so much more expensive than I ever could have imagined. Boston IVF never gave me a realistic expectation of this additional cost .

Describe Brian Berger's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

As a single woman, the clinic I highly encourage me to only transfer one at a time for "social" reasons. They actually asked me what I would do with two children! It was offensive. In addition, when I asked about increased chances of having one child by transferring two embryos, they couldn't give me any statistics. This may be true of any doctor and not just Boston IVF.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

I've already mentioned the impersonal care and specific mistakes I felt like the clinic made. One of my biggest issues is that I never knew who was in charge of my care and which office to call. One time I got transferred 4 times back and forth between Waltham and South Shore. It was incredibly frustrating. Also, no one could give me an explanation about what to expect for my HCG numbers to reset to normal. I found the staff to be very limited in their knowledge, or if not limited in their knowledge, Limited in their willingness to explain the situation with any depth. Just know that you are going to have to really take control of your own care if you go to Boston IVF. Every interaction I had with dr. Berger was amazing, but love the majority of interactions I had with his staff were unsatisfactory. Unfortunately, my fertility acupuncturist tells me that this is the case with all of the clinics in the Boston area. Very poor customer service for the high price of treatment.

Doctor

Brian Berger

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Waltham

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2016 - 2017, Unsuccessful

Age 29 - 30

2 IUI

1 IVF

1 Egg Freezing

Male Factor

Other

Income $100K - $199K

1st of 2 Docs

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Overall my experience of him [Dr. Berger] is that he is conceited and too busy. When on the rare occasion we did get to see or speak to Dr Berger he seemed smug and smirked when you asked questions. My experience as a patient was that I was treated as a number. We had two failed IUI's and a miscarriage with our first IVF cycle and barely ever spoke to the actual doctor let alone see him. He has his nurses do everything...

During my 10 months under Dr Bergers [at Boston IVF] care we had something go wrong with every single appointment. From smaller things such as forgetting to book our appointments, calling and asking about procedures I didn't have, not remembering why I was in for certain appointments - to larger things like having me wait over an hour before an IUI transfer and not telling me why or that it was ok, nurses thinking I was doing a fresh transfer 5 minutes before surgery when we paid and signed for a freeze all PGS, cancelling appointments with the actual doctor 2 minutes after telling me I am miscarrying (just to name a FEW instances).

How was your experience with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Brian Berger was my first meeting about IVF. It took me 3 weeks to get an appointment to see him. During my initial IVF meeting, mixed with being new to it and Dr Berger putting on a show like he cared about me, I was excited to choose him as my doctor and get started on making a baby. Overall my experience of him is that he is conceited and too busy. When on the rare occasion we did get to see or speak to Dr Berger he seemed smug and smirked when you asked questions. My experience as a patient was that I was treated as a number. We had two failed IUI's and a miscarriage with our first IVF cycle and barely ever spoke to the actual doctor let alone see him. He has his nurses do everything. Which makes them seem overwhelmed and uninterested in patients as humans. During my 10 months under Dr Bergers care we had something go wrong with every single appointment. From smaller things such as forgetting to book our appointments, calling and asking about procedures I didn't have, not remembering why I was in for certain appointments - to larger things like having me wait over an hour before an IUI transfer and not telling me why or that it was ok, nurses thinking I was doing a fresh transfer 5 minutes before surgery when we paid and signed for a freeze all PGS, cancelling appointments with the actual doctor 2 minutes after telling me I am miscarrying (just to name a FEW instances).

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Don't have high expectations

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Berger at Boston IVF?

Of the 10 months I was under Brian burgers care I saw him a total of three times. One of which was only because the nurse that I know there insisted that he see us. You are not allowed to talk to the doctor. During the 2 1/2 months that are pregnancy consisted of he canceled appointments that were previously set to talk with him. Different nurses called me all of the time and everyone contradicted each other. No one ever knew who I was or why they were calling me. Does anyone look at a chart there?

Describe the protocols Brian Berger used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Before beginning any IVF treatments Berger ordered us do blood tests, semen analysis and hysterosalpingogram to see how my Fallopian tubes were. Blood test came back good and tubes were open. At our follow up he said my husband had low morphology and that there is nothing to help that. Suggested we do anywhere from 1 to 3 IUI's then IVF. We did two IUI's - first one failed second was a chemical pregnancy. There was nothing done after these. No additional testing. No uterine exams. We proceeded with IVF cycle which we did egg retrieval process, freeze all with Pre genetic screening, and implant. Dr Berger used estrogen pills and patches as well as progesterone in oil and crinone. My lining was a problem as it wasn't getting thick enough but Berger never increased my dosage or checked my uterus. Just eventually said it was layered enough but never reached 8mm. After an abnormal pregnancy and miscarriage at 8 1/2 weeks my HCG levels were going down very slow - only thing done here was blood tests. I found out after I left Boston IVF that there was fluid in my lining. That was never brought to my attention at Boston IVF.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

The only reason I kept my sanity with the nurses at Boston IVF was because I knew Dr Bergers nursing assistant and could text or call her with all my questions when they went unanswered. Other people wouldn't be that lucky. The nursing staff is young and they have high turnover. There were different nurses calling all of the time from Quincy and Waltham. They get agitated with questions and ALL of them contradict what the other says and what the Doctor says. When they call it's as if they don't even bother to open your file beforehand. They call and ask about procedures you didn't have, they call with results and don't even know why you were in for that appointment, they misplace documents, they forget to make your appointments and they lack compassion in every sense.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Strengths: they call when they say they will Weaknesses: take time to get insurance approval, takes weeks for an appointment with the doctor if THEY decide you can even have one, unorganized, lack compassion, contradict each other, it's run like a factory.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Berger at Boston IVF.

Covered by insurance. Insurance approvals took a while. They didn't willingly offer information if it required you to pay out of pocket. I think all options should be presented and the patient should decide if they want to pay for it or not

Describe Brian Berger's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

The doctor made it known that he doesn't promote multiple embryo transfer as there are risks involved. One of the NP's also have us a lecture on why not to do multiple embryo transfer. When we were approved by insurance for single embryo transfer I asked the financial coordinator if it doesn't work can we implant 2 next time - she said no. I then asked if my husband and I were willing to pay for a second embryo to be implanted could we do that and the financial coordinator said no. After our single embryo miscarriage I found out this was not true. We are absolutely entitled to pay out of pocket for embryo transfers.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Lost appointments
Failed to convey critical information

Doctor

Brian Berger

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2016 - 2017, Unsuccessful

Age 33 - 34

2 IVF

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Male Factor

Poor Egg Quality

European

Other

Income $100K - $199K

Sales Representative

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Steven Bayer Boston IVF

Dr. Bayer did his best in the beginning to give us hope and lay out the game plan, but the first cycle was very disorganized (mainly with the financial coordinator and nurse instructions) and we did not talk to Dr. Bayer at all during the process until he called to tell us both cycles failed. Our last follow up appt with Dr. Bayer was very discouraging and he did not give us any hope.

During our first cycle [at Boston IVF], the financial coordinator left our paperwork on the fax machine (which was supposed to be sent to the insurance company for approval) and she left for vacation for 2 weeks, so it pushed our whole cycle back a few weeks and it kept me on birth control for way longer than I should have been. I had two nurses call with two different timelines to kick off the first cycle with conflicting recommendations. When I addressed it and asked which one I should go with, one nurse criticized the other nurse's plan.

How was your experience with Steven Bayer at Boston IVF?

**To clarify, we were not undergoing cancer treatments. I must have clicked the wrong Boston IVF option. We were just undergoing standard IVF treatments. Steven Bayer was great in the beginning with the game plan and giving us lots of hope in the treatment plan. After that point, we did not speak with him, see him or work with him until he called us with negative results. During our follow up meeting he did not seem hopeful or committed to finding the right solution.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Steven Bayer at Boston IVF?

Go to another clinic.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Steven Bayer at Boston IVF?

**To clarify, we were not undergoing cancer treatments. I must have clicked the wrong Boston IVF option. We were just undergoing standard IVF treatments. Boston IVF felt like a factory, where my husband and I were just a number. Dr. Bayer did his best in the beginning to give us hope and lay out the game plan, but the first cycle was very disorganized (mainly with the financial coordinator and nurse instructions) and we did not talk to Dr. Bayer at all during the process until he called to tell us both cycles failed. Our last follow up appt with Dr. Bayer was very discouraging and he did not give us any hope.

Describe the protocols Steven Bayer used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

**To clarify, we were not undergoing cancer treatments. I must have clicked the wrong Boston IVF option. We were just undergoing standard IVF treatments. Birth control (which backfired), injections and a healthy lifestyle. Birth control to suppress the ovaries. Injections to stimulate follicle growth. A healthy lifestyle to give us the best possible chance.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

The nurses were good at answering my questions when I had them, but in general, it felt a bit disorganized because there were several nurses on staff so I didn't feel anyone, in particular, was really monitoring my progress or had a handle on my treatment plan.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

**to clarify, we were not undergoing cancer treatments. I must have clicked the wrong Boston IVF option. We were just undergoing a standard IVF process** Strengths: good reputation, big facility with local offices (e.g. they had an office in Quincy which was convenient for us for blood and ultra-sounds) and I loved their acupuncture team in the Domar center. Weaknesses: because Boston IVF is so massive, as a patient I felt like a number being funneled through a factory. No one really seemed to "own" us. Stephen Bayer was very disconnected from our process and my last follow up meeting with him to discuss our failed cycle was awful, not helpful/hopeful and he basically walked me out hysterically crying. I left feeling like a failure with no clear game plan, so my husband and I decided it was time to work with a new facility and team of doctors.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Steven Bayer at Boston IVF.

Fortunately, our insurance covers up to 6 rounds of IVF and genetic testing due to my husband's translocation, so we only had to pay co-pays most of the time.

Describe Steven Bayer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to this stage during either IVF cycle.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Lost paperwork
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

**To clarify, we were not undergoing cancer treatments. I must have clicked the wrong Boston IVF option. We were just undergoing standard IVF treatments. During our first cycle, the financial coordinator left our paperwork on the fax machine (which was supposed to be sent to the insurance company for approval) and she left for vacation for 2 weeks, so it pushed our whole cycle back a few weeks and it kept me on birth control for way longer than I should have been. I had two nurses call with two different timelines to kick off the first cycle with conflicting recommendations. When I addressed it and asked which one I should go with, one nurse criticized the other nurse's plan.

Doctor

Steven Bayer

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Steven Bayer Boston IVF

2017, Unsuccessful

Age 38

2 IVF

European

Income $100K - $199K

1st of 2 Docs

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Dr. Penzias did take the time to answer my questions but I felt as though I was expected to perform my own research on the IVF process rather than being provided with options to consider.... I was not able to contact Dr. Penzias directly during the process and was required to work with the nursing staff...Due to my bicornuate uterus I was supposed to have an ultrasound to confirm that I have 2 kidneys. This test was never included in my ultrasound testing to confirm the bicornuate uterus.

[Boston IVF] Strengths: Ultrasound and blood testing begins early in the morning...Testing is done quickly and is staffed to support each patient even when they are early for their appointment. Billing and insurance verification is efficient. Domar center provides nutritional counseling and acupuncture in one location. Weaknesses: . Results of ultrasounds and blood test results were not discussed regarding the implications of fertility or responsiveness but only put in the context of the IVF progress.

How was your experience with Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF?

Dr. Penzias did take the time to answer my questions but I felt as though I was expected to perform my own research on the IVF process rather than being provided with options to consider. I do not feel as though the IVF treatment was tailored to my husband and I's specific fertility challenges. I was not able to contact Dr. Penzias directly during the process and was required to work with the nursing staff. We had a Day 3 fresh transfer in round 2 without prior understanding of this strategy being utilized. The Day 3 fresh transfer felt like a financial decision to ensure complete billing of the cycle rather than a decision that would result in a successful pregnancy.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF?

Consider a second opinion.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF?

During my cycles I only had contact with the nursing staff, despite a change protocols the drugs ordered were incorrect, we did a day 3 embryo transfer on cycle 2 despite prior poor embryo survival in the first round.

Describe the protocols Alan S. Penzias used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Bicornuate uterus requiring single embryo transfer. Cycle 1 started on 06-Jul-2017: OCP/Antagonist - birth control, 375 Gonal F + 75 Menopur, cetrotide, ovidrel. Crinone vaginal progesterone. Resulted in retrieval of 9 eggs, 5 fertilized (ICSI), 3 embryos made it to Day 3, 2 embryos made it to Day 5. Fresh transfer of 1 embryo at Day 5. Acupuncture twice after embryo transfer. Remaining embryo did not survive for freezing. Menstruation occurred 4-5 days after transfer. Negative pregnancy test. Cycle 2 started on 08-Oct-2017: OCP/Microdose Lupron - birth control, microdose Lupron 10 IU (am & pm), 475 IU Gonal F, 75 IU menopur, Ovidrel. Resulted in retrieval of 12 eggs (10 mature). Intramuscular progesterone injections twice a day. Two eggs fertilized (ICSI) with fresh transfer at Day 3 of one embryo. Second embryo was necrotic at Day 5.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Amanda Merchant)

After completing the birth control for cycle 1 the nurse informed me that we would not be abel to proceed with the cycle because my husband had not completed the Counsyl screening. At no point had this testing been communicated as a contingency for proceeding with the cycle. I asked to speak with the Dr. Penzias but received a call from the nursing manager explaining that Amanda had mistakenly not given me the correct information regarding the completion of the Counsyl testing being a requirement. The nursing manager gave me the option to either waive my husband's testing or to have the testing done as soon as possible while the IVF cycle continued. After my embryo transfer I was not told to schedule a follow-up visit with Dr. Penzias which resulted in my not being able to proceed to the next cycle until an additional month had passed. Before cycle 2 I shared my concerns with Dr. Penzias that Amanda seemed to be disorganized and the communication was not ideal. I met with Amanda to discuss the next cycle and I asked her whether I was able to combine the drugs for the second cycle and if it was possible for me to utilize any drugs I had left over from the previous cycle. Amanda indicated that she did not know and referred me to the pharmacy. The pharmacy stated that my clinic should provide a response about mixing of medications. The second cycle started with my receiving Cetrotide despite this medication being removed from my protocol. It was confirmed that the error was in the orders coming from Dr. Penzias' office. For both cycles I was given the incorrect time for my embryo transfer.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Strengths: Ultrasound and blood testing begins early in the morning which is convenient for testing before work. Testing is done quickly and is staffed to support each patient even when they are early for their appointment. Billing and insurance verification is efficient. Domar center provides nutritional counseling and acupuncture in one location. Weaknesses: You never see the same surgeon or embryologist. Contact with your doctor is extremely limited. Results of ultrasounds and blood test results were not discussed regarding the implications of fertility or responsiveness but only put in the context of the IVF progress.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Alan S. Penzias at Boston IVF.

$1200 for the first cycle including preliminary testing. I have not yet been billed for the second cycle.

Describe Alan S. Penzias's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

Utilized single embryo transfer due to bicornuate uterus making multiple pregnancy a risk to my health.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

Due to my bicornuate uterus I was supposed to have an ultrasound to confirm that I have 2 kidneys. This test was never included in my ultrasound testing to confirm the bicornuate uterus. For both cycles I was given the incorrect appointment time for my embryo transfer. The first time I was told to arrive at 7:30 but the appointment wasn't until 9 am. The second time I was told to arrive at 8:30 but the appointment wasn't scheduled until 10:45. I received the inappropriate medications for cycle 2. For cycle 2 I was not given my pregnancy test results until almost 5 days after the test.

Doctor

Alan S. Penzias

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Waltham

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

2013 - 2016, Successful

Age 33 - 36

6 IUI

2 IVF

Male Factor

Unexplained

European

Income $200K - $499K

Consultant

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Successful

Review of

Just make sure you consider factors besides bedside manner. He [Dr David Ryley] was very friendly and we connected on a personal level but ultimately we were not that happy with our experience at the clinic...Early on, we were very confused about several aspects of our cycles. For example, I was not confident that they had the timing of our first IUI cycles correct. Furthermore, they did not tell me in advance that I would have to schedule a follow-up appointment with the doctor, and that it would take weeks to get on his schedule. So we saw the nurse practitioner instead for the first few cycles, and it took several IUI cycles before we were able to address our concerns with the doctor and make changes.

Early on, we were very confused about several aspects of our cycles. For example, I was not confident that they [staff at Boston IVF] had the timing of our first IUI cycles correct. Furthermore, they did not tell me in advance that I would have to schedule a follow-up appointment with the doctor, and that it would take weeks to get on his schedule. So we saw the nurse practitioner instead for the first few cycles, and it took several IUI cycles before we were able to address our concerns with the doctor and make changes.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of David Ryley at Boston IVF?

Just make sure you consider factors besides bedside manner. He was very friendly and we connected on a personal level but ultimately we were not that happy with our experience at the clinic.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Ryley at Boston IVF?

He has a very good bedside manner. Almost too good - I think he was overly optimistic about our chances of success on multiple occasions.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Heidi or Susan depending on the cycle)

We were frustrated on multiple occasions at the lack of coordination and organization on the part of the nursing and administrative staff. Early on, we were very confused about several aspects of our cycles. For example, I was not confident that they had the timing of our first IUI cycles correct. Furthermore, they did not tell me in advance that I would have to schedule a follow-up appointment with the doctor, and that it would take weeks to get on his schedule. So we saw the nurse practitioner instead for the first few cycles, and it took several IUI cycles before we were able to address our concerns with the doctor and make changes.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

We were very concerned by a couple incidents. First, they had a typo that led them to miscount the number of vials of sperm we had used. This raised a number of red flags for us, as the only reason we have confidence that the baby inside us is in fact our own is our level of confidence in their data management system. Second, the insurance coordinator forgot to call us after getting approval for one cycle. I had to call her and she claimed she had called me several days previous because she "always did."

Describe the costs associated with your care under David Ryley at Boston IVF.

I had insurance

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information

Doctor

David Ryley

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Boston

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Rita Sneeringer Boston IVF

2012 - 2016, Successful

Age 41 - 45

8 IUI

IVF

Donor Eggs

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Poor Egg Quality

European

Income $50K - $99K

3rd of 3 Docs

Neutral

Doesn't Recommend

Successful

Review of

Samuel Pang Boston IVF

He [Dr. Samuel Pang] is all business. He is an excellent doctor but not warm and fuzzy. Very uptight and by the books. He knows his stuff but he wouldn't be who I would call if I needed something explained. I did not see him every appointment and I was ok with that. Sometimes I felt like he was a bit judgmental. He didn't perform my transfers and again I was ok with that.

Strengths.....organized, clean, staff, worked with my local RE. Weakness.....a hospital setting - not warm, fiscal people suck, it was far for me, a lot of changes since they became part of Boston IVF....I loved Alicia [a nurse at IVF New England] and she left the clinic. I then had Paula and she was ok. Attentive etc but sometimes a scatter brain. I LOVED my coordinator....Linda Hillis. She was instrumental in me getting through the process and getting pregnant. She helped with donors and made sure that I received the best care possible.

How was your experience with Samuel Pang at Boston IVF?

He is all business. He is an excellent doctor but not warm and fuzzy. Very uptight and by the books. He knows his stuff but he wouldn't be who I would call if I needed something explained. I did not see him every appointment and I was ok with that. Sometimes I felt like he was a bit judgmental. He didn't perform my transfers and again I was ok with that.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Pang at Boston IVF?

If you are looking for warm and fuzzy....this is not the doctor for you. If you are looking for a good doctor with an amazing coordinator....go for it.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Pang at Boston IVF?

I felt like a human with some and number with others. I ended up being at the clinic for so long that I got to know many of the staff. I LOVED my coordinator. Dr. Pang is all business.

Describe the protocols Samuel Pang used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

I don't even know. Lupron, estrogen (all forms), PIO. I had a lot of stupid things happen. Eggs didn't thaw.....lining issues.....crappy embryos......My last cycle the book was thrown at me. Lupron, estrogen (all forms), Deletrogen shots, PIO.....it finally worked.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: Alicia and then Paula Duan (I think))

I loved Alicia and she left the clinic. I then had Paula and she was ok. Attentive etc but sometimes a scatter brain. I LOVED my coordinator....Linda Hillis. She was instrumental in me getting through the process and getting pregnant. She helped with donors and made sure that I received the best care possible.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Pang at Boston IVF.

$35,500 plus meds (most covered by insurance)

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Canceled a cycle due to clinic error

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

Not necessarily....I had lots of things go wrong. One major issue was that after my first cycle failed, I had to pay for another cycle even though the clinic had adopted a guarantee program. It was complete crap because I would have qualified for the guarantee. They cancelled a cycle due to no eggs thawed and they were that clinic's eggs. I was not reimbursed for meds or anything even though it was a clinic error. I had another cancelled cycle due to lining issues and they tried to charge me for cancelling....needless to say that did not go over well but I didn't have to pay the fee. The fiscal department sucks.

Doctor

Samuel Pang

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Lexington

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Samuel Pang Boston IVF

2015 - 2016, Unsuccessful

Age 42 - 43

1 IUI

3 IVF

Unexplained

European

Income $200K - $499K

Operations

Only Doc Seen

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

I had a positive experience with Dr. Sneeringer. I felt she listened and gave thorough explanations for both procedures and the reasoning behind it. She was compassionate and supportive. Ultimately though, I interacted with her nurses on a more daily basis. I would see Dr. Sneeringer to follow up and go over results, but my day to day treatment (injections, monitoring, etc) were done by the support staff... I wasn't getting (or perhaps just wasn't understanding) the information about the protocols.

The people at the clinic [Boston IVF], because they do this every day, would talk about procedures or results like I should already know what they were talking about. A lot of times, though, I didn't, which was very frustrating...I was not crazy about my experience with [Nurse] Carol. I felt she was very scattered and rushed, and I never really understood what was coming next. I asked a lot of questions and I started to feel like she thought I was taking up too much of her time.

How was your experience with Rita Sneeringer at Boston IVF?

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rita Sneeringer at Boston IVF?

To really make sure that you are comfortable with the support staff, since that's who you'll be interacting with on a regular basis.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rita Sneeringer at Boston IVF?

The first cycle was the hardest, because I felt like I didn't understand exactly what was going on. The people at the clinic, because they do this every day, would talk about procedures or results like I should already know what they were talking about. A lot of times, though, I didn't, which was very frustrating.

Describe the protocols Rita Sneeringer used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

Unfortunately I don't remember the specifics of my protocols. I went through one IUI and three unsuccessful cycles of IVF.

Describe your experience with your nurse at Boston IVF. (Assigned nurse: They were two- Meg and Carol)

I was not crazy about my experience with Carol. I felt she was very scattered and rushed, and I never really understood what was coming next. I asked a lot of questions and I started to feel like she thought I was taking up too much of her time. I do want to add that those feelings were from my first cycle, which was all new and very overwhelming. I did two more cycles after that and had a much better experience with her. I don't know if that was because she improved or because I already had a basic idea of what to expect, or both.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

The front desk staff are great, as are the phlebotomists and the ultrasound techs- these are the people that you see on a regular basis. The hours of the clinic were good- during the monitoring period I could have my blood and ultrasounds done starting at 6am so I didn't have to miss work, which was VERY helpful.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Rita Sneeringer at Boston IVF.

I was very fortunate that our insurance covered almost everything but the genetic testing, which I believe was around $2000.

Describe Rita Sneeringer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

We chose to transfer one embryo at a time, as my husband was terrified of multiples. Our egg harvesting was not great, so after genetic testing we generally only had one viable embryo anyway.

What specific things went wrong at Boston IVF?

Provided conflicting information

Describe the specific things that went wrong at Boston IVF.

Nothing specific- it was mainly feeling like I wasn't getting (or perhaps just wasn't understanding) the information about the protocols.

Doctor

Rita Sneeringer

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

Waltham

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of

Rita Sneeringer Boston IVF

2016, Unsuccessful

Age 34

3 IUI

Unexplained

European

Income $100K - $199K

Teacher

1st of 2 Docs

Doesn't Recommend

Unsuccessful

Review of

Dr. Lannon I would rate as Ok, he really did not give me any new information that I already didn't know and was not upfront about all my options (pushed IVF hard before trying anything else)...I always felt like a number, when we met with him for our first consult I felt as though he was giving me the same info he had given every patient. Nothing felt individualized. He also pushed IVF very hard on us and did not let me know all my options. I did 2 IUI's at Boston IVF which were done by nurses. I never saw him after our initial consult.

First off, any time I called to ask a question the receptionist would hurry me off the phone like I was bothering her and used a very unfriendly tone. If you are a self-pay patient like me (insurance will not cover any of my treatments) you must pay for the treatment or consults you are having in advance before they will even let you make the appointment. This has to be done through their website with a credit card. After your payment is accepted then they will take your call to make an appointment. This continued to make me feel like a number and the entire practice just felt like a business trying to make as much money as they could a and not a care team....The clinic [Boston IVF] is pretty simple, I thought it would actually be a little nicer for the amount of money patients are paying for the service. I did like that they had coffee in the Lobby though for the patients.

How was your experience with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

I always felt like a number, when we met with him for our first consult I felt as though he was giving me the same info he had given every patient. Nothing felt individualized. He also pushed IVF very hard on us and did not let me know all my options. I did 2 IUI's at Boston IVF which were done by nurses. I never saw him after our initial consult.

What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

I would say advocate for what you need and want because he is not very straight forward.

During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF?

I did not have a very positive experience at Boston IVF. First off, any time I called to ask a question the receptionist would hurry me off the phone like I was bothering her and used a very unfriendly tone. If you are a self-pay patient like me (insurance will not cover any of my treatments) you must pay for the treatment or consults you are having in advance before they will even let you make the appointment. This has to be done through their website with a credit card. After your payment is accepted then they will take your call to make an appointment. This continued to make me feel like a number and the entire practice just felt like a business trying to make as much money as they could a and not a care team. Dr. Lannon I would rate as Ok, he really did not give me any new information that I already didn't know and was not upfront about all my options (pushed IVF hard before trying anything else). I would not recommend Boston IVF South Portland to anyone I know.

Describe the protocols Benjamin Lannon used in your cycles at Boston IVF and their degree of success.

He used Clomid and we did 2 IUI's. We did not do anything else with him because we did not feel comfortable.

Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Boston IVF.

I met with one nurse that was very nice who did one of our IUI's but the others often made me feel like a number and just seemed like they wanted to get me out of there as soon as possible. They spoke very quickly, often did not make eye contact and did not spend any time listening to my questions.

Describe your experience with Boston IVF.

The clinic is pretty simple, I thought it would actually be a little nicer for the amount of money patients are paying for the service. I did like that they had coffee in the Lobby though for the patients.

Describe the costs associated with your care under Benjamin Lannon at Boston IVF.

IUI's were $500, I did not do IVF but the price I was quoted was $8000 for the procedure and $4-5000 for the medication.

Describe Benjamin Lannon's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Boston IVF.

We did not do this.

Doctor

Benjamin Lannon

Humanity

Communication

Frequency Seen

Trustworthiness

Compassion

Explained risks

Adaptability

Clinic

Boston IVF

South Portland

Operations

Scheduling

Billing Department

Nursing Staff

Clinic Atmosphere

Educational Resources

Review of