How was your experience with Janelle Luk at Neway Medical?
The number one reason why I like Dr. Luk is because it feels like she's really thinking about your cycle and about her own treatment philosophy. She's neither stuck on purely cookie-cutter conventional methods nor drawn to the latest trends. She seems to have a lot of confidence in her own opinion, which appeals to me. I also like that she's flexible in a way that I imagine is only possible in a small clinic like this; if I arbitrarily want to use one brand of medication instead of another because of something I read, she's willing to accommodate. If I want to come for monitoring a day early for my peace of mind, or more often than is strictly necessary, she is okay with it. My only complaint is that her style of communication can be disorganized; sometimes it seems her brain is moving too fast and she skips from one view to another without explaining what changed her mind. She also could improve her listening skills, stopping to fully hear a patient's question or concern before answering; it's not that her answers are dismissive, more like she's so eager to clarify or reassure you that she sometimes misses the specific point you were trying to get to.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Janelle Luk at Neway Medical?
You can trust her intentions completely. But make sure you understand why she wants to do certain things; sometimes she seems to give too much weight to what the patient might want based on something they said (e.g. she might push a less expensive protocol if she knows money is an issue) and so she'll advise accordingly when in fact the patient wants only to know what works best and can weigh factors like money or discomfort on their own.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Janelle Luk at Neway Medical?
Dr. Luk brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm into the exam room. She always seems happy to see you, even when the monitoring hours are busy with lots of patients. While her style of communication can be a bit chaotic, it feels as if she's thinking about your case, and her approach doesn't feel rote or one-size-fits-all. She seems willing to tweak protocols, either to satisfy the patient's psychological needs (as long as it's not harmful) or to account for specific issues that arise.
Describe the protocols Janelle Luk used in your cycles at Neway Medical and their degree of success.
I underwent an IUI (my second-- the first was with another doctor) with letrozole, which went smoothly but no pregnancy. Then had a diagnostic hysteroscopy and some other monitoring and eventually did an IVF cycle (antagonist with estrogen priming), using ICSI and freeze-all (for hormonal reasons) with later medicated FET. Achieved pregnancy but miscarried due to chromosomal abnormality.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Neway Medical.
This is tough because a couple of excellent nurses have left the practice in the time I've been there and I really feel their absence; hopefully someone will fill their shoes soon. The current nurses (as of early 2017) are pleasant enough, and they are reasonably available by phone or when you're in the office and want to have a chat about something. They always call promptly with the day's results. But some of the current nursing staff aren't as precise with their knowledge and communication as the ones that left. I'm fairly demanding, though, and extremely well-informed, so I may be a tough patient to impress in this regard.
Describe your experience with Neway Medical.
The truly great thing about this clinic is that as a smaller operation, there's room for flexibility in treatment, ease in communicating with (or across) various departments (nursing, billing, phlebotomy, etc.) and a comfortable, familiar feeling when you're there and seeing the same faces all the time. You don't feel as if you're in a factory. I find it very empowering to be able to stick my head into the billing office and ask a quick question, or to ask the person doing the blood draw to add a specific test at the last minute. My impression (based on my own experience) is that the embryology lab is strong. The word I keep returning to in my mind is flexibility. Going through infertility can be extra nightmarish for a control freak, so it helps a lot to go to a clinic that allows some customization (whether in IVF protocols, billing decisions, scheduling, etc.). Over time the prices have gone up and everything has gotten more busy, but it's still pretty good compared to what I hear about larger clinics.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Neway Medical.
For morning monitoring, which is first-come first-served, most of the time I only had to wait a short time, for maybe one or two patients, before being called in for blood or ultrasound. Every now and then, maybe one out of five times, the wait was longer.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Janelle Luk at Neway Medical.
Costs have gone up since we last paid for treatment so these prices are no longer relevant. In early 2016 we paid $800 for each of two IUIs. Then we paid $8900 for a conventional IVF cycle, but $1600 of that ended up being subtracted and applied to a later FET cycle, the total cost of which was $3200. Neway provides a discount for the second IVF attempt if the first one fails.
Describe Janelle Luk's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Neway Medical.
Her approach seems balanced. Very ready to transfer two blastocysts (not so risky for me given advanced maternal age). I'm not sure if she'd transfer more than two blastocysts.
What specific things went wrong at Neway Medical?
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Neway Medical.
Now and then I feel that the nurses give less-than-stellar advice over the phone, which later proves to be different than what my doctor would have advised. But this tends to be about general questions, not about the day's protocol instructions (which are specific, less room for interpretation).