Do not expect Dr. Karande to be personal. He will give you information if you ask, but doesn't volunteer it...will only transfer 1 embryo at a time, no exceptions...Dr. Karande described their typical egg retrieval process for separate petri dish fertilization. He outlined the medications used and each cycle, a hysteroscopy is done...He gave canned answers about policy, and I felt like he ignored feedback about how poorly his billing department works...
The clinic's [InVia Fertility Specialists] weakest points are the billing department - disorganized, not following protocol...The nurses are personable. I saw several multiple times, and they remembered me by name...This office never does multiple embryo transfers. No exceptions...The billing department lost track of payments made and invoices. I kept on top of things because they're so bad at keeping track of information...
How was your experience with Vishvanath C. Karande at InVia Fertility Specialists?
Dr. Karande outlined our initial treatment cycle on paper, in person in 2019. I saw him once in a while during treatment, for maybe 5 minutes towards the end of appointments. I don't remember who did the egg retrieval. His partner did the actual fresh egg transfer. At our last appointment of 2019, I felt my feedback about his billing department was brushed off. They didn't improve in the intervening time with storage billing. After being released from treatment, I saw him occasionally as we worked in the same building (I worked for a different company). He was polite, but I didn't feel like he recognized me. My virtual appointment in 2021 was very brief. He didn't ask about my fiancé or previous experience. He asked to see a photo of my child, but I was on my phone at home during the appointment, which has all my photos. He didn't remember that I showed him a photo in the elevator at work in 2020. He's old school.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Vishvanath C. Karande at InVia Fertility Specialists?
Do not expect Dr. Karande to be personal. He will give you information if you ask, but doesn't volunteer it. He is completely detached from the billing department. He is strict about following policy. This office will only transfer 1 embryo at a time, no exceptions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Vishvanath C. Karande at InVia Fertility Specialists?
Dr. Karande did not recognize me outside of the office. I worked in the same building as one of the offices for 2 years. He gave canned answers about policy, and I felt like he ignored feedback about how poorly his billing department works. We will be transferring our frozen embryos from this clinic due to their inflexible policy. I also felt that they nickel and dime for everything. If you want records sent out, fees increase for every 5 pages.
Describe the protocols Vishvanath C. Karande used in your cycles at InVia Fertility Specialists and their degree of success.
Dr. Karande described their typical egg retrieval process for separate petri dish fertilization. He outlined the medications used and each cycle, a hysteroscopy is done (uterus is filled with liquid to check for pregnancy potential). Our cycle produced 3 embryos. 1 was fresh transferred and 2 were frozen. We have a healthy toddler now.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at InVia Fertility Specialists.
The nurses are personable. I saw several multiple times, and they remembered me by name. There was one who had an issue with a blood draw that got messy and she became a bit flustered about that. My fiancé is also an RN, and he would critique their technique as not best practices (i.e. no one should be fanning air over an injection site that had been rubbed with alcohol to dry the alcohol faster).
Describe your experience with InVia Fertility Specialists.
I went to the Crystal Lake and Hoffman Estates locations the most. The one in Crystal Lake had fewer staff. I felt I often walked into an empty front office there. The Hoffman Estates office was busy. I always had to wait there. with other patients. The nurse educator for the medications was very thorough and kind. The clinic's weakest points are the billing department - disorganized, not following protocol. Storage billing should start with $1000, then bill $50 for 3 months, then go to $150 quarterly. I received a $1150 bill, then a $50 bill immediately. Was told it was from the upcoming month after. Next bill was a quarterly bill, re-billing for the single month I had already paid for. I felt I was constantly dealing with contacting the billing department with corrections. They didn't improve during COVID-19, billing 6 months close together, missing a mailing altogether, then I was contacted by e-mail. Very inconsistent. I knew this ahead of time from online reviews.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Vishvanath C. Karande at InVia Fertility Specialists.
Billing was vaguely detailed in the beginning. Dates, costs. I always compared them to my insurance benefits statements. I had to push back on them multiple times about billing errors. Many costs are in their fine print, but they didn't follow their fine print. I had to deal with multiple billing errors over the years. Phone calls needed to be made. Errors with double-billing months, not acknowledging online payment, receiving letters and phone calls about nonpayment after, and beware, if you want to sent records to another place, there are fees for every 5 pages. Storage billing began as vague. I felt lied to about their mistake in billing in the beginning. I think it is part of why they double-billed a month and then had to correct the invoice. Even with insurance, medication costs were very expensive. I was thankful to have reached my out of pocket maximum before the end of the year.
Describe Vishvanath C. Karande's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at InVia Fertility Specialists.
This office never does multiple embryo transfers. No exceptions. The reason I was given was "for healthy babies."
What specific things went wrong at InVia Fertility Specialists?
- Lost paperwork
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at InVia Fertility Specialists.
The billing department lost track of payments made and invoices. I kept on top of things because they're so bad at keeping track of information. I paid online, but still received phone calls about non-payment about a week later. I had to call the billing department multiple times to clarify from 2019 to 2021. Unfortunately, this seems to be a common experience, as I saw multiple reviews with billing department complaints online prior to starting my cycle.
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Doctor
Vishvanath C. Karande
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Clinic
InVia Fertility Specialists
Hoffman Estates