The doctor [Althea O'Shaughnessy] was very reachable and seemed very open in her communication. I cannot fully trust that the large number of tests that totaled more than $5,000 were only driven by necessity and not by the clinic's desires to make additional money ( tests were not covered by insurance). My cycle at the institute (which was my third IVF - and i"m a normal 35 yo with no known problems) did not succeed, so I have mixed feelings about the Dr., who seemed to be very convinced of success rates. Also, she put me on lupron depot which was probably the worst kind of medication for my body so far. I never was told of the side effects , and in my case happened to be quite bad.
I cannot fully trust that the large number of tests that totaled more than $5,000 were only driven by necessity and not by the clinic's desires to make additional money ( tests were not covered by insurance)....The clinic [Sher Fertility of New York] was very small, clean and quite well organized in terms of scheduling. I never had an issue with scheduling. The billing process however was very disorganized, they very convincingly sent me a bill for additional $2,000 and were pushy with immediate payments. Given that this is a private clinic, I did have the feeling that much of the treatments and tests were cost driven.
How was your experience with Althea O'Shaughnessy at Sher Fertility Solutions New York?
The doctor was very reachable and seemed very open in her communication. I cannot fully trust that the large number of tests that totaled more than $5,000 were only driven by necessity and not by the clinic's desires to make additional money ( tests were not covered by insurance). My cycle at the institute (which was my third IVF - and i"m a normal 35 yo with no known problems) did not succeed, so I have mixed feelings about the Dr., who seemed to be very convinced of success rates. Also, she put me on lupron depot which was probably the worst kind of medication for my body so far. I never was told of the side effects , and in my case happened to be quite bad.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Althea O'Shaughnessy at Sher Fertility Solutions New York?
Ask as many questions as possible and fully understand what you are actually being tested for - what the purpose is and how the results are being interpreted.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Althea O'Shaughnessy at Sher Fertility Solutions New York?
The care was very personal, and the clinic was very careful.
It did feel however that some of the tests were done as a matter of practice, and upon their receipt there was no diagnosis provided. Ultimately, I never understood the true value of the results of the test - Endometrial function test and NK cell test.
Describe the protocols Althea O'Shaughnessy used in your cycles at Sher Fertility Solutions New York and their degree of success.
She ultimately gave me the same treatment for the IVF as the past doctors. She used a lupron protocol. However, we did a genetic test on the embyos so we had to continue with a frozen cycle. Because the endometrial function test showed some slight abnormatlities ( a test debated by many) - she put me on lupron depot. This was followed by an FET cycle - one embryo out of 5 tested was deemed good - and we transfered it. I was put on nightly injections of progesterone and delestrogen. Ultimately the cycle failed.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Sher Fertility Solutions New York. (Assigned nurse: annie choi)
The nurse was good, a bit overwhelmed at times, but ok. I had to remind her of medication that Dr. Oshaughessy suggested, and needed to make sure that she called in all the medication to the pharmacy - so I can't say she was very careful, but was helpful most of the time.
Describe your experience with Sher Fertility Solutions New York.
The clinic was very small, clean and quite well organized in terms of scheduling. I never had an issue with scheduling.
The billing process however was very disorganized, they very convincingly sent me a bill for additional $2,000 and were pushy with immediate payments.
Given that this is a private clinic, I did have the feeling that much of the treatments and tests were cost driven.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Sher Fertility Solutions New York.
Monitoring appointments were scheduled generally early in the morning, but everyone was put on a waitlist with desired times. Usually if i requested lets say 8:30, i would get that time. So the appointment process was quite easy to manage.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Althea O'Shaughnessy at Sher Fertility Solutions New York.
$11,000 (+/- a few hundred) - it was so expensive that I actually did a spreadhseet. Also i had insurance cover the IVF - this was only for tests, and FET.
What specific things went wrong at Sher Fertility Solutions New York?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Lost paperwork
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Sher Fertility Solutions New York.
I had issues with the nurse calling in medication to the pharmacy. I had to call back a few times, and send her an email detailing what the the decisions of our conversations were. It seemed difficult for her to make sure that medication was called in on time.
5
Doctor
Althea O'Shaughnessy
6
Clinic
Sher Fertility Solutions New York
New York