How was your experience with Alexis Melnick at Weill Cornell Medical College?
Dr. Melnick is very smart, sensitive, and efficient. Early on (maybe our first meeting), she told us that she likes to take the stress off of her patients and that they will be monitoring all of my hormones, etc.. I think she made this statement after I had asked about or shown my ovulation testing (urine strips vs. temperature). My husband and I have relief with this statement for sure, but we also want to know and wrap our heads around things. My first bloodwork was uploaded onto MyChart (Weill Cornell uses this system), which was great because we could go in and see - but all of the following results were never uploaded. I think Dr. Melnick’s philosophy is that unless we ask for details about things or have specific questions, she will continue with the next course without giving a lot of details or explanation. (Maybe this is standard practice because nothing was alarming in any of my test results) This has worked out well for us as it has taken the stress away at times. It has also made us gather a list of questions to ask before a visit. Dr. Melnick was recommended to me by a friend and I see why. For me (and I’m sure others), she’s been a great balance of warmth and cool / calm / efficiency.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alexis Melnick at Weill Cornell Medical College?
Morning appointments have always been really easy to get in and out for me and come with specific questions to ask as your meeting with her will be quick.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alexis Melnick at Weill Cornell Medical College?
Dr. Melnick and her team are very warm and very efficient. Most of my appointments have been in the morning before work (as it seems with most of her patients). She teaches and has surgeries during the regular hours I would have possibly been able to go in. My experience was always one of an efficient morning with caring people getting things done (reminded me of a family environment getting ready to go school / work in the morning).
Describe the protocols Alexis Melnick used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.
I have had 7 rounds of Clomid and 4 IUI’s. My body responded well the first month to Clomid (I believe it was 50mg), but the second month only 1 or 2 follicles so the third cycle the prescription was increased to two tablets. This worked well for the last 5 cycles. Everything she prescribed made a lot of sense. Our insurance does not cover IVF - and, if it did we probably would have tried IVF after 2 IUI’s. She told us that the percentage of IUI working goes down each time, but she worked with us with what made sense financially. Because our insurance deductible was paid, we continued with IUI’s and Clomid through the rest of the calendar year. Now we are gearing up for IVF in this new year.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Holly Nadal)
Holly the nurse who helps with prescriptions and such is super helpful - responds well to emails and is very informative. The other staff - Connie (manager?), Lindsay (nurse who assists Dr. Melnick and takes bloods), and Jersey (front desk) are all very nice and work really well as a team.
Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.
The facilities are great. The waiting area has nice light and comfortable seating. The clinic is quite big and feels very different from seeing Dr. Melnick at her office, which is a few blocks away and quite small (but, also new and very nice!).
Even though there are comfortable couches, due to it’s size - it feels like a hospital. I have had to wait quite a while a few days. My first trigger shot, I somehow ended up waiting for like 2 hours (there was a class - it is a teaching facility). After that, my husband always gave me the trigger shot. All of the staff are very nice.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alexis Melnick at Weill Cornell Medical College.
I now am out-of-pocket that I’m starting the process for IVF and I just paid $600 for my sounding. The IUI procedures along with all the bloodwork and ultrasounds were paid by insurance and I saw some very bizarre negotiations between the clinic and the insurance so I don’t have straight numbers for them. All of my medications needed pre-authorization and I would pay out of pocket mainly due to timing for Clomid, which is quite inexpensive.
Describe Alexis Melnick's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.
I haven’t really gotten to a conversation with her about this yet. She said that it’s most efficient for the clinic to fertilize all of the eggs that are extracted and freeze extras - but we didn’t talk about how many would be transferred.