He [Dr. John Nichols] was the first to explain my fertility problems and actually telling and showing me the reason he came to that conclusion...I wish he was a little more straight forward with information and on treatment plan(s), but he does answer all of our questions....
we purposefully made our consultation [at PREG] on my day 3 cycle day so we could also get labs done. However, after our consult, we were informed they could not complete the labs because the person who does them left early and we were instructed to wait until my next cycle to complete the labs in our home state...We also noticed the paperwork the person left unattended at the window was confidential paperwork that was being processed...Confidentiality and patient center mentality needs to be addressed.
How was your experience with John Nichols at Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group?
Dr. Nichols is my third fertility doctor I have seen over a 10 year span. He was the first to explain my fertility problems and actually telling and showing me the reason he came to that conclusion. I don't know if I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact I was infertile with the two prior doctors and I had come to accept it or it truly was just never explained to me. I wish he was a little more straight forward with information and on treatment plan(s), but he does answer all of our questions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of John Nichols at Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group?
Be prepared to be asked if someone else sent you said lab results or documents, etc. It's frustrating when you find out that they received results days before and thought someone else may have contacted you but didn't.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with John Nichols at Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group?
During our consultation, the facility prioritized a staff birthday over our appointment, making us 25 minutes late to be seen. We are traveling from out of state to be seen at this facility. In addition we purposefully made our consultation on my day 3 cycle day so we could also get labs done. However, after our consult, we were informed they could not complete the labs because the person who does them left early and we were instructed to wait until my next cycle to complete the labs in our home state. Also, during this visit the person who manages the front check-in area did not consistently attend the front desk, we had to repeatedly ring their bell for assistances with questions we had as we completed insurance and other forms. We also noticed the paperwork the person left unattended at the window was confidential paperwork that was being processed. I was frustrated when I left there. We are continuing to seek treatment through this facility but are on edge doing so. We decided to continue and hopes it was a bad day because equally we don't want to believe we were wrong and invested so much time and energy into deciding on our next steps to be wrong as soon as we walked into an office. I have been more assertive with the staff there when I call and if they even seem like they are going to say the words "next cycle" I tell them, "...no they are not pushing this out..." We have had numerous email and phone exchanges with our IVF nurse and financial advisor and after the first couple exchanges we have come to a common ground and I am pleased with the results. My husband and I are scheduled to go back to the facility next week for orientation and to be honest I am feeling a little uneasy and fear disappointment with their disposition.
Describe the protocols John Nichols used in your cycles at Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group and their degree of success.
We have orientation scheduled for next week. I started my period over the weekend, called Monday to report and started Birth Control the same day. I was informed I will be on birth control for two weeks, stop, and in a couple days later will begin my stim shots. It is estimated I will take shots 10-12 days before egg retrieval. Then hopefully we have embryos that made it to blast to transplant in 5 days. When I asked about the rationale for the birth control I was told it's like a holding place and give us two weeks to get everything in order like payment and meds ordered. I still wonder why we couldn't have started that last cycle, especially when I was informed you can stay on birth control for up to 40 days.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group. (Assigned nurse: Mikayla Carver)
It was a rough start. At first we heard over and over if so and so contacted us with the results of x. We would contact them and they would ask the same question. Now I feel my husband and I have established a good communication exchange with our nurse and it is going much better.
Describe your experience with Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group.
The physical clinic and equipment seems standard from what I have experienced with other clinics that offer these type of services. With that being said, my husband and I have only been there once. As far as services it is taking a bit to get things moving in the right directions. It seems like the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing and it created some uneasiness with us. Confidentiality and patient center mentality needs to be addressed.
Describe the costs associated with your care under John Nichols at Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group.
We qualified for some tier with a shared risk company. We are paying $25,000 for three IVFs (without genetic testing) within 12 months contract. If no live birth occurs after three IVFs or after 12 months, maybe 18 months if the doctor is generous (per the financial advisor) then we are expected a small refund. I believe it's $6000. We are requesting the contract have verbiage for COVID-19 risks. That is when we were told how generous the doctors are and to expect the contract to be 18 months... The financial advisor was going to speak with Dr. Nichols regarding our request but we have not heard back.
What specific things went wrong at Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group?
- Lost paperwork
- Failed to call with results
- Lost results
- Provided conflicting information
- Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group.
We had our medical history recorders sent to Preg. The clinic said they sent them and Preg kept stating they didn't. Come to find out they had received them. That required several phone call and my husband making a physical visit to the clinic who was supposedly not sending the docs to make sure it would get done. My husband was given a semen analysis to have completed and the results sent to Preg and of course that required more phone calls and the same occurred for my blood work. The part that got me was when we did get the results and Preg reported on my husbands semen results but then on another call later they stated they still hadn't received it. We had to inform them they had because someone told us the results from Preg! As I reported in prior comments, we were delayed right off the bat, pushing out to the next cycle due to a staff member leaving early that day when we specifically selected that date to make our physical appointment in order to complete labs. Remember we are also from out of town and traveling to this clinic for treatment. We are also still unsure as to why we did not start birth control last cycle since they push us out already once and being birth control was a holding place which we can "hold" up to 40 days... Luckily I have short cycles (third cycle since the beginning of March), otherwise this could have been a 6-7 month ordeal, especially if we left it up to Preg to track down documents or results.
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Clinic
Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group
Asheville
