Dr. Kim is very even keel and realistic, knowledgeable and transparent. He described my treatment plans, provided expectations that made sense for me based on my situation (not just someone my age), and was very communicative. He is very genuine and you can tell that he cares about getting a successful outcome...He is a great communicator - happy to share information whenever asked, or explain things in more detail, but also doesn't bombard you with so much data that you can go down the rabbit hole. I appreciate his calm demeanor and his knowledge. He saw me at all monitoring visits and procedures, and seems to be very skilled. I had few side effects from retrievals, and with two rounds of egg retrievals for IVF I had very similar (and positive) results. He c
Shelli [nurse at RMA of Southern California] is great about following up with test results, checking in at the start of the retrieval cycle and on trigger day to make sure you know everything, and going over all protocols...This clinic is very comfortable - it's super clean and you feel comfortable and welcomed, but it also has the look & feel of a medical practice. I first started coming here during the pandemic, so have only seen the clinic operate using COVID protocols. This includes a health screening when they confirm your appointment, taking your temperature and another verbal health screening at check-in, chairs are socially distanced (although I was never waiting with anyone else), everyone wears masks, and partners can't come to appointments. The only time you won't have a mask on is during the retrieval itself. The location is well accessible - close to the 10/405 split. There is parking, but I th
How was your experience with Thomas Kim at RMA of Southern California?
Dr. Kim is fantastic. I had done an initial consult at another clinic, where the doctor was overly enthusiastic, quick to jump to treatment, and used a lot of euphemisms. This made my husband and I really uncomfortable, as we wanted to understand the science of ART, what we could realistically expect, and what the process would be. Dr. Kim is a perfect fit for us - he wants you to be successful and treats you as a person, but also is great at explaining where you are in your fertility and setting realistic expectations (i.e. if my AMH is low and my AFC on day 3 is 8, a successful retrieval may be 7 eggs, not 30). He is a great communicator - happy to share information whenever asked, or explain things in more detail, but also doesn't bombard you with so much data that you can go down the rabbit hole. I appreciate his calm demeanor and his knowledge.
He saw me at all monitoring visits and procedures, and seems to be very skilled. I had few side effects from retrievals, and with two rounds of egg retrievals for IVF I had very similar (and positive) results. He checked in before and after, and is very patient with any questions. We are so grateful that we found this practice.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Thomas Kim at RMA of Southern California?
Stay calm and don't rush. I think that Dr. Kim is very methodical because he wants to get the best outcome for you (and the outcome is a healthy pregnancy). This may mean things take a little longer - you're not going to start the retrieval process the day of your consult, and since FET is their standard of care, it's going to be another month or more before you transfer. I think it's worth it - I'd rather not rush it. I appreciate that we waited a bit between my two retrieval cycles for my ovaries to calm down and have a better AFC, and he hasn't rushed me on the transfer, either, instead providing guidance on the best timing.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Thomas Kim at RMA of Southern California?
Dr. Kim is very even keel and realistic, knowledgeable and transparent. He described my treatment plans, provided expectations that made sense for me based on my situation (not just someone my age), and was very communicative. He is very genuine and you can tell that he cares about getting a successful outcome.
Describe the protocols Thomas Kim used in your cycles at RMA of Southern California and their degree of success.
IVF - We had the antagonist protocol (Follistim + low-dose HCG, Ganirelix, Leuprolide, Trigger Shot). In one round I was on BCP for a couple of weeks, in the other I wasn't but just had some estrace priming. In one cycle things went a little slower, so I was on Follistim a little longer than the first one, but all was good. I haven't yet started the transfer protocol.
Describe your experience with your nurse at RMA of Southern California. (Assigned nurse: Shelli)
Shelli is amazing! You'll wind up speaking/emailing with her the most, as she is the main point of contact when you call or e-mail. She is a fantastic communicator, understands the science, is compassionate while also being transparent, and has fantastic bedside manner during the retrieval. If there's an outstanding question, she follows up. She, too, really cares about a successful outcome. I can't imagine having as positive an experience as I have had if she were not at this practice.
Shelli is great about following up with test results, checking in at the start of the retrieval cycle and on trigger day to make sure you know everything, and going over all protocols. She was also great with helping me navigate the pharmacy side of things, as my insurance covered some items but not everything was available.
Describe your experience with RMA of Southern California.
Strengths - This is a smaller clinic that's part of a larger clinical network. To me, this means the best of both worlds: you get the insights from their cutting-edge technology and research, but you also have continuity of seeing the same doctors and nurses and staff when you come in. All of the staff here are so pleasant and skilled. The phlebotomists draw blood (and there's a lot of it) without any discomfort! They are responsive, it's easy enough to get appointments, and they are quick - I don't think I ever waited for more than 5 minutes. The surgical center (for retrievals/transfers) is on site, as is the embryology lab. The only thing not performed on site is the PGT-A testing; they send the biopsies to the east coast.
Another critical thing for me was insurance coverage. I am fortunate enough to have fertility treatments covered by my employer-based insurance, but many "in-network" fertility specialists that I reached out to (including both that my OB-GYN had initially recommended) did not do all of the treatment, and elements of the treatment would be out of network. Because of RMA-So Cal's set-up, the monitoring, retrievals, and fertilization/culturing were all in-house and therefore in-network. The only items out of network are anesthesiology during egg retrieval and the chromosomal testing.
I've seen some clinics that look like a "spa" experience (i.e. chandeliers) or instagram-worthy. That makes me feel a bit uncomfortable - at the end of the day, it's a medical clinic. This clinic is very comfortable - it's super clean and you feel comfortable and welcomed, but it also has the look & feel of a medical practice.
I first started coming here during the pandemic, so have only seen the clinic operate using COVID protocols. This includes a health screening when they confirm your appointment, taking your temperature and another verbal health screening at check-in, chairs are socially distanced (although I was never waiting with anyone else), everyone wears masks, and partners can't come to appointments. The only time you won't have a mask on is during the retrieval itself.
The location is well accessible - close to the 10/405 split. There is parking, but I think it's pricey - there are a lot of much cheaper meters (which are free before 8), and you'll always be in and out within 15-30 mins. There is also bike parking in the garage.
Not a weakness, per se, but when you're a new patient scheduling an appointment, it goes to a call center in NJ (where their largest practice or HQ is). It took a few days to hear back, which worried me at first. Have no fear! Once you become a patient, it's so easy to reach this clinic directly and get appointments quickly.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Thomas Kim at RMA of Southern California.
My treatments were largely covered by insurance, so I don't have a great sense of out-of-pocket fees. Anesthesia for retrieval was ~$450. PGT-A testing is $300/embryo - I think this is great as many clinics charge a lump sum per batch which is far more expensive (thousands of dollars). I think you'd need to have double-digit embryos for the cost to even get close to what others charge for PGT-A testing.
They work with MDR pharmacy for the stim cycle drugs, unless if your insurance requires another provider. Mine was a hybrid of sorts. The Follistim was ~$250 per vial (1 vial/day) and the low-dose HCG was around $200. MDR is far less expensive than the pharmacy my insurance works with; I think they mentioned that the cash price for a stim cycle would run around $2,500-3,000 had I purchased everything from MDR.
Describe Thomas Kim's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at RMA of Southern California.
I think eSET is the standard of care here, but have not yet done a transfer. We are planning to do SET.
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Clinic
RMA of Southern California
Los Angeles