LGBTQ+
Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2017 - 2019, Unsuccessful
Dr. Garcia is an intelligent man and skilled, and at times he was quite personable and likeable and even funny. But it was just not the right match for me...my treatment plan appeared to be the exact same plan as everyone else at the clinic. I was also subjected to the standard lecture about weight/BMI...He tends to be more on the blunt side so if that is not something you want also be aware of that...
[at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute] No long waitlist to begin as a patient. On-site lab and specialty pharmacy...I was asked multiple times for paperwork or labs that had already been completed and/or should have already been on file...disorganized without a primary contact for patients to speak to or coordinate their care...Policies changed in the middle of my treatment (on two seperate occasions) and I was not informed until I was in the building ready to begin a new cycle; the change in policies led to significant cost increase for me as well as a lengthy delay in the start of my next treatment cycle....
How was your experience with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
I was expecting Dr. Garcia to be the utmost professional and expert in the field due to his years of experience and he was formerly that clinic's director. However, I feel as though he was not interested in reviewing the unique details of my case and prepare a treatment plan based on those details. I prefer "Health At Every Size" practitioners and this was certainly not the situation here- it was assumed I had PCOS based on my weight alone, which bloodwork later determined was not true. I had also been clear early on that I would not like to hear the recommendation to "lose weight" without any other treatment recommendations to treat the actual deficiencies shown in bloodwork and ultrasounds, but it was brought up several times after that. I do believe that Dr. Garcia is an intelligent man and skilled, and at times he was quite personable and likeable and even funny. But it was just not the right match for me and I was too shy or anxious to request a different physician due to the system of having you see whatever doctor is on duty that day (was afraid I would end up seeing him again and receiving subpar treatment).
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
This is not the physician you should see if you are queer/gender non-conforming and/or are "overweight". He tends to be more on the blunt side so if that is not something you want also be aware of that.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
I did not feel like the time was taken to review my specific case/scenario and to create a treatment plan specifically around it. Instead, my treatment plan appeared to be the exact same plan as everyone else at the clinic. I was also subjected to the standard lecture about weight/BMI even though there is a wide range of research indicating BMI does not have the affect on fertility that many REs believe it does.
Describe the protocols Jairo Garcia used in your cycles at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and their degree of success.
Unfortunately I don't recall, but I definitely remember speaking to other patients in the clinic both in person and online and finding out we all had the same protocol despite our varying reasons for needing ART.
How competent was Jairo Garcia at LGBTQ+ care?
Only one individual that I came across in the practice (and I saw many, because for monitoring you see whichever doctor(s) and nurses are on duty that day) used my correct gender pronouns, and unfortunately I believe she was a resident and was not a permanent doctor there. Additionally, all kept referring to my known donor as my husband despite being corrected many times over about that. They did not understand or accept (or try to understand and accept) my unique situation of having a partner as my known donor, and another partner who was to co-parent with me (polyamorous relationships).
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
There is unfortunately not one specific nursing staff that is consistent in your treatment, which I would have preferred. Therefore, messages weren't always relayed in a timely manner and it was difficult to reach a person on occasion. However, there were some nursing staff that I saw pretty frequently, and I recall that at least one, possibly two, were my "favorites" because they were happy to see me and were compassionate about my circumstances.
Describe your experience with Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Strengths: the positive reputation of John Hopkins with their skilled and knowledgable physicicans and clinical teams. No long waitlist to begin as a patient. On-site lab and specialty pharmacy. Weaknesses: disorganized without a primary contact for patients to speak to or coordinate their care. While no one was aggressively discouraging of queer identities, no one was respecting my gender indentity or unique relationships. Policies changed in the middle of my treatment (on two seperate occasions) and I was not informed until I was in the building ready to begin a new cycle; the change in policies led to significant cost increase for me as well as a lengthy delay in the start of my next treatment cycle. They significantly changed their BMI restriction and refused to grandfather me in to their services, despite having successfully gone under anesthesia multiple times with them AND despite having been successfully pregnant on one occasion (resulted in early miscarriage, but demonstrated that I was able to get pregnant at my weight).
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
There were specific hours in the morning you could arrive and then it was on a first-come, first-served basis. There were lengthy wait times on occasion due to that. Once your monitoring was done it was convenient to go downstairs to the lab to get bloodwork completed. However, there was another often times lengthy wait at the lab as well. I will say that it was nice that the lab was ONLY open to ART patients during those hours, and opened to the general public later in the morning.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jairo Garcia at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
I was fortunate to have very good health care coverage, so I am not sure I can speak knowledgably to this.
Describe Jairo Garcia's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
I believe I was sufficiently educated on the benefits and risks of a single embryo transfer vs. a multiple embryo transfer. If I recall correctly, I was encouraged to do a single embryo transfer but was told I would be supported if I chose to go with two embryos. In my recollection I don't believe more than two embryos was even suggested as a possibility.
What specific things went wrong at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute?
- Lost paperwork
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Failed to send your chart to another clinic
- Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.
Please see previous comments. I was asked multiple times for paperwork or labs that had already been completed and/or should have already been on file. There is no one primary point of contact for organizing or coordinating treatment so it can be confusing at times. Additionally, as stated, there were two occasions during which their internal policy and protocol changed significantly and it was not communicated broadly to their patients, nor to at least the patients it specificially affected until I called to notify them my cycle had started. The second policy change affected my ability to continue services at that clinic, and occurred months before I was ready to start a new cycle. Had I been informed prior to calling to schedule an appointment, when the policy change actually went into effect, I could have transferred to a new clinic months earlier which resulted in further delaying my care.