Jairo Garcia
Johns Hopkins Medical Institute
Available Lines of Communication
Doctor email
Nurse email
Nurse email
Direct line to nurse
Not available by personal cell phone
Medical SchoolU. of Antioquia
ResidencyHosp San Vincente (Col)
FellowshipJohns Hopkins
Baltimore
10753 Falls Road
Baltimore, MD 21093
410-583-2753
11 assessments
9
8
Age
34 - 36
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
6 IUI, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Other
9
8
Dr. Garcia treated me with respect and was not demeaning towards me concerning my weight....Dr. Garcia is knowledgeable but sometimes speaks quickly so I have to check in to make sure I understand along the way. He always listens to me concerns but sometimes what seems concerning to me is more normal to him. I suppose this is probably due to him dealing with many patients older than me or who have already persued IVF.
It is nice that the [Johns Hopkins] Greenspring Station location has the clinic, bloodwork lab, ART lab and pharmacy all on one campus. I felt that this helped to streamline my visits a bit more. I appreciated that the clinic got back to me quickly with bloodwork results as well....The nursing staff were always available to answer questions. My only qualm is that they didn't check in with me after IUIs unless I called them with a positive HCG test results.
Age
34 - 36
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Graphic Designer
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
6 IUI, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Other
9
8
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr. Garcia is knowledgeable but sometimes speaks quickly so I have to check in to make sure I understand along the way. He always listens to me concerns but sometimes what seems concerning to me is more normal to him. I suppose this is probably due to him dealing with many patients older than me or who have already persued IVF. As a plus sized woman, I had to visit 3 different clinics before I finally found one that talked to me like a person rather than act immediately dismissive based on my size alone despite the main fertility concern being MFI.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
I wish I had met with him first before having to deal with rude doctors or doctors that left me crying by the time I left their office. It would have saved so much heartache and I would have been further along in my progress than I am now.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Unlike other fertility doctors, Dr. Garcia treated me with respect and was not demeaning towards me concerning my weight.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
Prior to my first IUI, Dr. Garcia had me do an HSG test to make sure my tubes were clear. During my first IUI, he had me use Crinone after the procedure but I had an adverse reaction to it, he was open to me using PIO for my other 5 IUIs. He had his staff make sure I had mature follicles before attempting IUI. Before each IUI, I had to take Ovidrel since I was not ovulating without it depite having mature follicles. We later found out I had pelvis adhesions imparing one of my ovaries. Unfortunately it was the ovary that had follicles the first 4 IUIs. None of those IUIs would have ever worked due to that but there was no way of knowing short of exploratory surgery. The 5th IUI had 2 mature follicles that resulted in a pregnancy but ended early. The 6th IUI had 1 mature follicle and did not work for me. Right now I am taking a financial and mental health break from fertility treatment but I plan to return for egg retrieval and IVF this year.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff were always available to answer questions. My only qualm is that they didn't check in with me after IUIs unless I called them with a positive HCG test results.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
It is nice that the Greenspring Station location has the clinic, bloodwork lab, ART lab and pharmacy all on one campus. I felt that this helped to streamline my visits a bit more. I appreciated that the clinic got back to me quickly with bloodwork results as well.
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2
3
Age
31
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
6 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Male Factor
2
3
It all seemed very clinical, he [Dr. Garcia] did not want to know about what we wanted to do with treatments, he told us what he would and would not try.... He was also very negative about my husbands sperm count and the pregnancy risks because I am overweight.... He pushed for IVF and only IVF and then sent us to the financial people. He would not talk about other options or even ask how we felt about IVF.
The clinic [Johns Hopkins] is clean but a bit crowded. They have an on site financial counselor there to explain how you can borrow money for treatments. THey have ultrasound stuff and a place to draw blood in the building which is convenient, but you have to go somewhere else and make an appointment for sperm analysis ... They didn't call with results,
Age
31
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
No
Race
Prefer not to answer
Income
$0 - $49K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
6 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Male Factor
2
3
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
He was soft spoken but firm and very much pushed for IVF without asking our opinion or thoughts on the matter. He was also very negative about my husbands sperm count and the pregnancy risks because I am overweight. His examination was thorough though - the last place the nurses did all of that. I felt like a paycheck rather than a person
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Do your research before you go, know your options and speak up - I wish I spoke up more.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
It all seemed very clinical, he did not want to know about what we wanted to do with treatments, he told us what he would and would not try. He pushed for IVF and only IVF and then sent us to the financial people. He would not talk about other options or even ask how we felt about IVF.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
His only recommended treatment was that we start IVF and if we didn't have the money we were told to take out a loan. As a result, I left in tears and am hoping to see a different doctor when we have saved the money for treatments.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nurses seemed nice and efficient - the followed the doctors orders but didn't really talk to me much.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
The clinic is clean but a bit crowded. They have an on site financial counselor there to explain how you can borrow money for treatments. THey have ultrasound stuff and a place to draw blood in the building which is convenient, but you have to go somewhere else and make an appointment for sperm analysis - if you live far away this can be a pain in the behind.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
My insurance covered what we did do. IVF normally runs around $20,000 a cycle there but they do offer bundle plans and such.
What specific things went wrong at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
- Failed to call with results
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8
9
Age
42
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis
8
9
Dr Jairo’s education is definitely a strength... Communication across the clinic [Johns Hopkins] is a weakness. You kind of have to be an advocate for yourself regarding your own healthcare...our doctor prefers a single embryo transfer for donor egg transfers....Limited amount of time the doctor is able to see each patient and the amount of women using the clinic services....we tried to perform an egg retrieval using my remaining ovary but the endometriosis returned in the right ovary
This clinic [Johns Hopkins] is highly knowledgeable in areas of infertility. The clinic is clean and the staff is organized and available to patients at all hours. Weakness is lack of time for extremely personalized care due to the number of patients...The clinic operation is the weakness. Which is less to do with doctor and more to do with management. Communication across the clinic is a weakness. You kind of have to be an advocate for yourself regarding your own healthcare
Age
42
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Black or African-American
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
Business Executive
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis
8
9
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr Jairo’s education is definitely a strength. The clinic operation is the weakness. Which is less to do with doctor and more to do with management. Communication across the clinic is a weakness. You kind of have to be an advocate for yourself regarding your own healthcare but that is the way the healthcare industry operates as a whole.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Be your own advocate. Know what is going on with your body and don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions as this is a large investment and undertaking.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Limited amount of time the doctor is able to see each patient and the amount of women using the clinic services.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
Due to the fact that I have endometriosis and my having had surgery in 2015 to remove my left tube and ovary we knew there was a huge chance we would have to use donor eggs. However we tried to perform an egg retrieval using my remaining ovary but the endometriosis returned in the right ovary and in my pelvic cavity due to the stims so I had a subsequent surgery July 25th 2018 to remove my remaining right ovary and tube, and endometriosis from the pelvic cavity. However my uterus is fine and has no endometrisis with in. We meet with our doctor on September 17th 2018 to move forward with the process for donor egg transfer.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
This clinic is highly knowledgeable in areas of infertility. The clinic is clean and the staff is organized and available to patients at all hours. Weakness is lack of time for extremely personalized care due to the number of patients
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
My insurance paid for much of the services. Donor eggs however cost $15,000.00 and the storage for one year cost $500.00.
Describe Jairo Garcia's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
our doctor prefers a single embryo transfer for donor egg transfers.
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10
10
Age
35 - 38
Treated
2014 - 2017
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
11 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Tubal Blockage, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
10
10
I know that Dr Garcia does truly care about me, but at times I have felt like he was rushing. This was moreso in the beginning. Now that we've been through an awful lot together, I feel that our questions are answered with more patience. He has always been excellent about responding to emails, although I have kept those to a minimum out of respect for his very busy schedule....Dr Garcia has been very open to listening to what our preferences have been all along. He offers suggestions about treatment or procedures and then let's the patient decide. He doesn't push us one way or another. I believe he doesn't push donor eggs as a first option, which I have heard from other clinics. I never get the feeling that he is concerned with his clinic's annual statistics. They take patients that have failed elsewhere. He has taken my thoughts and suggestions into account. I had 4 IUI (the most he will do before IVF). The last one was positive but ended in a miscarriage. Dr Garcia performed my d&c. We did another five IUI hoping for a positive. After those we moved to IVF but I had some false starts and my meds needed to be tweaked. Unfortunately that took some time and in the end the IVF failed. He had offered a laproscopy after IUI and prior to ivf but at that time I wasn't interested. After our failed IVF I was almost out of insurance money for treatments. So we did the laproscopy and Dr Garcia found. Oth Fallopian tubes blocked. He opened one up and got rid of lots of adhesions as well. We went back to IUI- and had success the second month. Unfortunately that also ended in a miscarriage and again Dr Garcia performed my d&c. I am currently waiting for the genetic analysis of the conception tissue in order to determine our next step.
The morning scan system [at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute] is painful. I usually arrive there at 6am in order to be first in line. By 645 there are usually at least 15 people in line. The clinic opens at 7. If you are one of the first 2-3 people, you can be in and out quickly. If not, it can take well over an hour to be seen- then you have to go for labs downstairs. If I arrive at 6 am and am first in line, I am usually only one hour late to work (supposed to be there at 7am). It's exhausting though. The insurance/financial folks have been truly excellent. Dr Garcia's office coordinator (Melony) has been helpful- she fbelped me with my FMLA forms and was able to schedule procedures quickly when I needed them. I would have liked for someone to speak with me about counseling. When I asked about it, I was first given the contact of someone no longer practicing. Then it was suggested I go to a free support group- but the doctor running it wasn't offering them any longer. I found some resources in my own instead.
Age
35 - 38
Treated
2014 - 2017
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
11 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Tubal Blockage, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
10
10
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr Garcia has been very open to listening to what our preferences have been all along. He offers suggestions about treatment or procedures and then let's the patient decide. He doesn't push us one way or another. I believe he doesn't push donor eggs as a first option, which I have heard from other clinics. I never get the feeling that he is concerned with his clinic's annual statistics. They take patients that have failed elsewhere. He has taken my thoughts and suggestions into account. I had 4 IUI (the most he will do before IVF). The last one was positive but ended in a miscarriage. Dr Garcia performed my d&c. We did another five IUI hoping for a positive. After those we moved to IVF but I had some false starts and my meds needed to be tweaked. Unfortunately that took some time and in the end the IVF failed. He had offered a laproscopy after IUI and prior to ivf but at that time I wasn't interested. After our failed IVF I was almost out of insurance money for treatments. So we did the laproscopy and Dr Garcia found. Oth Fallopian tubes blocked. He opened one up and got rid of lots of adhesions as well. We went back to IUI- and had success the second month. Unfortunately that also ended in a miscarriage and again Dr Garcia performed my d&c. I am currently waiting for the genetic analysis of the conception tissue in order to determine our next step.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Understand the he does truly care, he has a HUGE amount of expertise and experience. Sometimes he is not he best communicator, go in with questions written so you can ask them all.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
I know that Dr Garcia does truly care about me, but at times I have felt like he was rushing. This was moreso in the beginning. Now that we've been through an awful lot together, I feel that our questions are answered with more patience. He has always been excellent about responding to emails, although I have kept those to a minimum out of respect for his very busy schedule.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
First we started stims (gonal f and menopur) immediately after a failed IUI. I didn't make many follicles which we were all surprised by (I respond well to Clomid). He stopped the cycle and I was to use ganerelix prior to my next period. Unfortunately it came early and I only got a few doses in, and that wasn't enough suppression. Next time we got enough doses of the ganerelix prior to my period starting and were able to make it to retrieval. I didn't produce many eggs. Next time we will add Clomid three times a day on cd2-5. It's frustrating to think that cheap old Clomid could have helped us in the last ivf cycle. It's so inexpensive and with two previous false starts I wish that we had done it in our full IVf cycle last year.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Good about returning phone calls same day. Would have been good to learn some tips about how to maximize insurance benefit. I used $12k of my $30k lifetime benefit on meds that would have cost me less than $6k out of pocket (it would have been smarter for me to pay oop for the meds and save the $12k of insurance coverage). The nurses were aware of this but no one warned me. They do a 2 hour mandatory IVF class which was informative. I am a nurse so some of it was redundant to me but I was glad my husband could go and learn about it. The nurses on a whole are excellent. On a few occasions I have felt like they were very rushed but usually they are great.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
The morning scan system is painful. I usually arrive there at 6am in order to be first in line. By 645 there are usually at least 15 people in line. The clinic opens at 7. If you are one of the first 2-3 people, you can be in and out quickly. If not, it can take well over an hour to be seen- then you have to go for labs downstairs. If I arrive at 6 am and am first in line, I am usually only one hour late to work (supposed to be there at 7am). It's exhausting though. The insurance/financial folks have been truly excellent. Dr Garcia's office coordinator (Melony) has been helpful- she fbelped me with my FMLA forms and was able to schedule procedures quickly when I needed them. I would have liked for someone to speak with me about counseling. When I asked about it, I was first given the contact of someone no longer practicing. Then it was suggested I go to a free support group- but the doctor running it wasn't offering them any longer. I found some resources in my own instead.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
See previous comments. This is not an ideal system.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Using insurance through my employer. I have received 11 IUI, one full ivf, and two false start ivf for about $30k. We paid about $3k or so for some IVF meds due to the false starts.
Describe Jairo Garcia's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
We were comfortable with multiple embryo transfer. No real comment here.
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10
10
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2016
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Tubal Blockage, Other
10
10
Dr. Garcia is very knowledgeable and I trust his experience and treatment. We've already established what is wrong with me and we are now working to increase my chances. I've been very happy with my experience so far even though I am not pregnant yet. His accent makes it difficult to understand but he takes the time to make sure I understand him...Probably the hardest advice any fertility patient could hear but to have patience and understanding that English is not his first language. Despite the language barrier, he is very knowledgeable and experienced...
The nursing staff [at Johns Hopkins] has been absolutely incredible. Each one of them has been understanding, sweet, showed compassion, were patient, answered any questions I had and were very reassuring. They always called me back to make sure I knew what the next step was and made sure I was on track... If you work or do not live nearby, the appointments could be tricky to keep. The waiting room is always packed with patients waiting to get ultrasounds. If you're not there early enough, be prepared to wait over an hour...
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2016
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Tubal Blockage, Other
10
10
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
It's easy to get frustrated with a doctor due to fertility. He can only assist you in increasing your chances. He can't cure every fertility issue. Every body works differently and each doctor has to use their expertise to help you conceive. With that in mind, I can't blame my doctor for how my body works. Dr. Garcia is very knowledgeable and I trust his experience and treatment. We've already established what is wrong with me and we are now working to increase my chances. I've been very happy with my experience so far even though I am not pregnant yet. His accent makes it difficult to understand but he takes the time to make sure I understand him.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Probably the hardest advice any fertility patient could hear but to have patience and understanding that English is not his first language. Despite the language barrier, he is very knowledgeable and experienced.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr. Garcia always answered my questions and was always attentive. He has a thick accent but still explained things well and repeated himself if I asked for clarification. He was very apologetic when I would get a negative pregnancy test.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
I started seeing Dr. Garcia because my husband and I were having trouble trying to conceive after 6 months of trying on our own. I had a feeling it was because I had spotting for a week before my menses began. The first test I received was a biopsy to confirm that I had low progesterone. We tried a few cycles of Femara and timed intercourse. I took 2 Femara tablets from day 2-6 of my cycle. When that did not work, we moved on to three cycles of IUI with Femara. A couple of times I needed a booster shot to force ovulation. The IUIs were not successful and I decided to have an HSG test done. It showed that one tube had some resistance (probably due to a mucous plug) but was now open. The left tube had no dye going through. I then decided to get a laparoscopy done. They found a rare congenital defect hanging over my tube which was pinching it closed. The defect was removed and my tube was open after that. My tubes are now both open but I still have low progesterone. I am now on my 4th IUI. I just finished my Femara medication and will be going in for an ultrasound next week and then will try another IUI. If that does not work, we will try one more IUI before moving on to IVF.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff has been absolutely incredible. Each one of them has been understanding, sweet, showed compassion, were patient, answered any questions I had and were very reassuring. They always called me back to make sure I knew what the next step was and made sure I was on track.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Probably the only weakness this clinic has is that they get super busy. If you work or do not live nearby, the appointments could be tricky to keep. The waiting room is always packed with patients waiting to get ultrasounds. If you're not there early enough, be prepared to wait over an hour.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
My insurance pretty much covered everything. The only thing insurance did not cover was going in to receive my diagnosis. All the medications and procedures were covered and I paid $30 copays for most of it. My most expensive procedure so far was my laparoscopy that cost $1400 but I only was responsible for paying $30.
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7
10
Age
33 - 39
Treated
2010 - 2016
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
3 IUI, 9 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis
7
10
Dr. Garcia has a very kind bedside manner. He listens to concerns, and considers them even if he ultimately disagrees with a change. He also was willing to try different protocols and adjust the protocol when not working well. In addition, he never discouraged us from trying with my own eggs.
Dr. Garcia has a very kind bedside manner. He listens to concerns, and considers them even if he ultimately disagrees with a change...The financial staff [at Johns Hopkins Fertility] is awesome and helps you navigate the horrible expense and insurance hoops. The nurses are great, but will not generally be flexible with your treatment and or blood draw dates. The morning clinic times work well for working ladies and the earlier you can get there the better. (There's usually a line before they open).
Age
33 - 39
Treated
2010 - 2016
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European, South Asian
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Accountant
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI, 9 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Endometriosis
7
10
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr. Garcia is very experienced and willing to try out of the box protocols. He is willing to take on older patients and still allows them to try IVF with their own eggs (multiple times) without refusing to cycle. His bed manner is kind. He can be a little distant when dealing with very emotional times (for instance he seems interested in looking forward rather than backward at losses or failure), but in general is very kind and patient with his patients.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
He comes with tons of knowledge and hands on experience. He generally wants you to succeed and will be flexible if something isn't working.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr. Garcia has a very kind bedside manner. He listens to concerns, and considers them even if he ultimately disagrees with a change. He also was willing to try different protocols and adjust the protocol when not working well. In addition, he never discouraged us from trying with my own eggs.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
We tried once cycle with birth control suppression and then antagonist cycle- this resulted in no growth and canceled cycle. We then did antagonist cycles without prior literal phase suppression and also with antagonist literal phase suppression- both of these yielded eggs that were viable- the ones without suppression had more variability.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Most nursing staff were great and very compassionate. There was some miscommunication of information with one of my cycles (for my 2nd). The nurses are not in charge of cycles or changes, however, and if you want something changed, you need to talk to your doctor!
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
The financial staff is awesome and helps you navigate the horrible expense and insurance hoops.
The nurses are great, but will not generally be flexible with your treatment and or blood draw dates.
The morning clinic times work well for working ladies and the earlier you can get there the better. (There's usually a line before they open).
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Clinics started at 7:00. There was usually a line waiting for the nurse to open the door by that time. Blood draws opened at 6:30a, but were a mix of patients so wait was sometimes long.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Primarily Covered under insurance - 20% copay and standard prescription drug coverage applied to meds (except PGS testing and biopsy- which was OOP).
What specific things went wrong at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Provided conflicting information
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2
1
Age
40
Treated
2015
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
IVF, Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
2
1
I never felt like anybody at the clinic knew who I was and after 4 cycles, I only saw the same doc [Dr Jairo Garcia] once...Dr. Garcia has a fairly thick accent, so that was an initial struggle...My gut was telling me that I could not take the 2+ hours of travel time and disorganization of the clinic [Johns Hopkins Fertility] any more. It was a PT job and often I was given misinformation (like, you are ovulating 2 days into your period, when in fact, I had the very common condition of having left over cysts from previous eggs. That necessitated multiple visits in a week and should not have been that confusing). So, go with your gut and don't push yourself to the bitter edge.
Disorganized. No phone support [at Johns Hopkins Fertility] at that time. Given very high expectations. Always left confused, or became confused about treatment cycle after the fact....I left utterly confused almost all the time...I never felt like anybody at the clinic knew who I was and after 4 cycles, I only saw the same doc once.
Age
40
Treated
2015
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 3 Docs
Treatment
IVF, Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
2
1
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr. Garcia has a fairly thick accent, so that was an initial struggle. He told me that 85% of the women who could get pregnant on their own, with DOR, with his treatment, had success with getting pregnant. I asked him why the other docs had me jump straight to DE and he told me that they over-medicalize, which is pretty much what I wanted to hear. During the time I was waiting to see him (about 4 months, and we specifically avoided getting pregnant during that time period) and the subsequent 4 months of treatment, my AMH went from super low to negligible and my FSH went high (so pretty much full into peri-menopause--yes, it can happen that fast). He still thought the next step was IVF with my OE and genetic testing. However, bc my experience there had been so confusing and the travel time so intense, I went back to SG with the intent of doing OE IVF (which they wouldn't do with my #s). By that time, I was emotionally exhausted and we decided it was in the best interest of our family to cough up the money, and let go of the idea of me having my own genetic child.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Like any fertility story, some things work for some people. Who knows if I had kept on. My gut was telling me that I could not take the 2+ hours of travel time and disorganization of the clinic any more. It was a PT job and often I was given misinformation (like, you are ovulating 2 days into your period, when in fact, I had the very common condition of having left over cysts from previous eggs. That necessitated multiple visits in a week and should not have been that confusing). So, go with your gut and don't push yourself to the bitter edge.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
I never felt like anybody at the clinic knew who I was and after 4 cycles, I only saw the same doc once.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
They had me come in for an U/S on Day 2 of my cycle, if it looked good, they had me take Femara for 5 days, then check me again on Day 8 (I ovulated early), and then do the trigger shot, then sex within 24 hours. Only 2 of my 4 cycles even worked and they wouldn't let me do the trigger shot on that first cycle bc I had 4/5 eggs and they didn't want me to get pregnant with high order multiples. I didn't know any better and they didn't know me, but that was best I got during my time there and I feel it was a wasted cycle when I could have had a lucky outcome, esp considering my MC history.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
I left utterly confused almost all the time. Like a doc or nurse would say "uh oh" and then that would scare me and make me feel uncomfortable, but I couldn't get any answers about why they said that. Impossible to get anybody on phone.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Disorganized. No phone support at that time. Given very high expectations. Always left confused, or became confused about treatment cycle after the fact.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Insurance paid their part of it. I had co-pays for blood draws, meds, appointments.
What specific things went wrong at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
- Lost paperwork
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
- Lost results
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
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10
10
Age
40 - 42
Treated
2012 - 2014
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
4 IUI, 6 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
Even when we faced difficulties, he [Dr. Jairo Garcia] remained informative, but positive. What was also great about choosing Dr. Garcia was that I got to meet and receive care from other highly trained physicians as well; from sought after Hopkins doctors like Dr. Lisa Kolp. I attribute my successful cycle in large part to her, because she was willing to LISTEN and made a slight modification to my meds (added some thyroid medication to my borderline hypothyroid-ish results).
The best. Great doctors, caring staff, all the research and knowledge in one place [Johns Hopkins Fertility]. With the exception of one Fellow (doctor in training), I was always treated with the greatest care. The office was not the prettiest/newest, but is that really important?...Dr. Garcia cared about how many shots needed to be taken, so he prescribed a protocol that allowed various medications to be combined into one shot. It was a much easier protocol than what I had with Dr. Timmreck. I took 2xMenopurs, 4xBravelles for four days, then reduced the Menopur, then added the Ganirelix, then used Ovidrel. After transfer, I used Endometrin. I have a beautiful two year old.
Age
40 - 42
Treated
2012 - 2014
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Operations
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
4 IUI, 6 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
He was great! Extremely smart, knowledgable, caring and reassuring. Even when we faced difficulties, he remained informative, but positive. What was also great about choosing Dr. Garcia was that I got to meet and receive care from other highly trained physicians as well; from sought after Hopkins doctors like Dr. Lisa Kolp. I attribute my successful cycle in large part to her, because she was willing to LISTEN and made a slight modification to my meds (added some thyroid medication to my borderline hypothyroid-ish results). She told us right before transfer during our last (6th) ivf cycle that our embrio was "perfect". That, is still the codename for our baby!!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Be patient!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
From the moment we met Dr. Garcia, he treated us with the kindest, most caring, most professional care.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
Dr. Garcia cared about how many shots needed to be taken, so he prescribed a protocol that allowed various medications to be combined into one shot. It was a much easier protocol than what I had with Dr. Timmreck. I took 2xMenopurs, 4xBravelles for four days, then reduced the Menopur, then added the Ganirelix, then used Ovidrel. After transfer, I used Endometrin. I have a beautiful two year old.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
At Hopkins, every appointment is handled by a doctor. It is amazing and is very reassuring.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
The best. Great doctors, caring staff, all the reasearch and knowledge in one place. With the exception of one Fellow (doctor in training), I was always treated with the greatest care. The office was not the prettiest/newest, but is that really important??
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Insurance covered everything, but the copays and the medications.
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9
9
Age
—
Treated
2014 - 2016
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IVF, 2 Embryo Freezing
Diagnosis
Unexplained
9
9
I would recommend Dr. Garcia to anyone. He is very caring and patient, and quick to respond to emails. He is also very up to date with the literature. In addition, all of my procedures and ultrasounds are performed by physicians, never nurses or ultrasound technicians, and I like that...Dr. Garcia has a very warm bedside manner. He is very truthful about prognosis and expectations, but remains very caring. During part of my treatment I did not have insurance coverage and he worked with me to minimize expensive monitoring while still keeping things safe. He is also very quick to respond to emails.
All of the nurses [at Johns Hopkins] are excellent. They also respond to phone calls within a couple hours, even on weekends...The financial counselors are not great. I have two insurances and they keep billing the wrong one, which means I have to spend hours on the phone trying to correct this. I keep calling them to ask them to make sure to bill the correct insurance, but they never do. They say the billing is not their fault, although everyone else in the clinic tells me that they do the billing...
Age
—
Treated
2014 - 2016
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Prefer not to answer
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IVF, 2 Embryo Freezing
Diagnosis
Unexplained
9
9
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
I would recommend Dr. Garcia to anyone. He is very caring and patient, and quick to respond to emails. He is also very up to date with the literature. In addition, all of my procedures and ultrasounds are performed by physicians, never nurses or ultrasound technicians, and I like that.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr. Garcia has a very warm bedside manner. He is very truthful about prognosis and expectations, but remains very caring. During part of my treatment I did not have insurance coverage and he worked with me to minimize expensive monitoring while still keeping things safe. He is also very quick to respond to emails.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
All of the nurses are excellent. They also respond to phone calls within a couple hours, even on weekends.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
The financial counselors are not great. I have two insurances and they keep billing the wrong one, which means I have to spend hours on the phone trying to correct this. I keep calling them to ask them to make sure to bill the correct insurance, but they never do. They say the billing is not their fault, although everyone else in the clinic tells me that they do the billing. I do not like wasting my time like this.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Ultrasounds start at 7 in the morning and there is usually a queue already. However, it moves pretty fast, and the medical assistants are very good at keeping things moving.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
I paid cash for my first IVF cycle which was around $12,000 including meds. I have been insured for the subsequent cycles and had to pay 20% of costs.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2
4
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2016
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
7 IUI, 6 IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
2
4
He's [Dr. Jairo Garcia] not terribly sensitive and tends to swallow his words. I wouldn't recommend him for DOR patients - he's not the one to propose different treatment protocols, which is important for poor responders...He did give time for all questions, but sometimes got frustrated when I wanted to know details. The way Hopkins monitoring is set up, you feel like they're trying to herd a lot of cattle through the ultrasounds.
Cattle call! And waits are long [at Johns Hopkins]...I paid entirely out of pocket. The finance team tries to help, but...they're up against insurers who don't want to provide coverage. I think one cycle would be more than $10G including meds...He's [Dr. Jairo Garcia] not terribly sensitive and tends to swallow his words. I wouldn't recommend him for DOR patients - he's not the one to propose different treatment protocols, which is important for poor responders.
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2016
Success with this Doc
No
Race
East Asian
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
3rd of 4 Docs
Treatment
7 IUI, 6 IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
2
4
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
He's not terribly sensitive and tends to swallow his words. I wouldn't recommend him for DOR patients - he's not the one to propose different treatment protocols, which is important for poor responders.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
To manage your own care and stay on top of all the details.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
He did give time for all questions, but sometimes got frustrated when I wanted to know details. The way Hopkins monitoring is set up, you feel like they're trying to herd a lot of cattle through the ultrasounds.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
High sim with ganirelix priming.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Cattle call! And waits are long.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
I paid entirely out of pocket. The finance team tries to help, but...they're up against insurers who don't want to provide coverage. I think one cycle would be more than $10G including meds.
What specific things went wrong at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
- Provided conflicting information
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
5
8
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2014 - 2015
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
6 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Other
5
8
Dr Garcia is very nice but didn't seem as understanding as I needed nor was he willing to think outside of the box to help us. Dr Kolp has a great bedside manner and very open to talking about new and less researched ideas even if she doesn't agree that that is the way to go.
Dr Garcia [of Johns Hopkins] is very nice but didn't seem as understanding as I needed nor was he willing to think outside of the box to help us. Dr Kolp has a great bedside manner and very open to talking about new and less researched ideas even if she doesn't agree that that is the way to go. [The Hopkins staff was] caring and compassionate.
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2014 - 2015
Success with this Doc
No
Race
Ashkenazi Jewish
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
6 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Other
5
8
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Dr Garcia is very nice and caring but not a good communicator for me. I felt that he was not compassionate about my situation of recurrent loss. I switched from Dr Garcia to Dr Kolp at Johns Hopkins. Dr Garcia is very nice but didn't seem as understanding as I needed nor was he willing to think outside of the box to help us. Dr Kolp has a great bedside manner and very open to talking about new and less researched ideas even if she doesn't agree that that is the way to go.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Good for some people but has to communicate in a way that works for you; not good fit for me
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
Did not always feel that info elaborated as much as I would like. Often did not get response to emails
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
caring and compassionate
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