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John Rapisarda

Fertility Centers of Illinois

Rated 8
Strongly recommend: 61%Neutral: 17%Don't recommend: 22%8
61% strongly recommend
25 reviews
Humanity
8.3
8.3
Humanity

Ratings of 1 mean patients felt this doctor treated them as "a number."

Ratings of 10 mean patients felt this doctor treated them as "a human."

Communication
9
9
Communication

Ratings of 1 mean poor communication.

Ratings of 10 mean excellent communication.

Frequency Seen
5.1
5.1
Frequency Seen

Ratings of 1 mean patients only saw this doctor once or twice during treatment.

Ratings of 10 mean patients saw this doctor at every appointment.

Responsiveness
7.9
Good
Responsiveness

Scale is "poor, ok, good, excellent" and measures how responsive a care team was when patients needed to speak to them.

Education

Medical School
U. of Michigan
Residency
Michael Reese Hosp
Fellowship
Michael Reese Hosp

How Doctor Communicates

doctor, nurse available by email
nurse available by directline
nurse available by directline
not available by personal cell phone
not available by personal cell phone
John Rapisarda works in 2 offices at

Fertility Centers of Illinois
Rated 8.1
Strongly recommend: 64%Neutral: 16%Don't recommend: 20%8.1

Explore Clinic
Chicago/River North
900 N. Kingsbury
Chicago, IL 60610
312-222-8230
Glenview
2555 Patriot Blvd
Glenview, IL 60026
847-998-8200

5 patient reviews filtered by:

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Top Reviews
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2019, Unsuccessful
NPS
4
NPS
4
Age 34
1 IVF
Unexplained
European
Income $200K - $499K
1st of 2 Docs
1 IVF With Other Docs
Doesn't Recommend
Doesn't Recommend
Unsuccessful
Review of
When I did speak with Dr. Rapisarda he was very kind, but could never answer questions or give me the guidance I was looking for...We tried ~5 separate times for an FET and the doctor barely made any changes to my protocal that clearly was not working...was very kind and compassionate. He listened, but he did not give me enough details on my treatment...I had multiple cancelled FET's due to thin lining, and not one time did I receive a call from the doctor.
I always felt like I was bothering the nursing staff [at Fertility Centers of Illinois]. When I called, they sounded annoyed when answering the phone. When I got results, if I asked a question, they sounded annoyed. The nursing staff is clearly overworked...Monitoring was a well-oiled machine, but sometimes long wait times. There were at least 30 people waiting for monitoring each time I went...There are too many patients. You see a different ultrasound tech, blood work tech, talk to different people always. No one knows you and your troubles. The nurses, nor the doctors can truely care because they have too many other patients.
How was your experience with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Dr. Rapisarda was very kind and compassionate. He listened, but he did not give me enough details on my treatment. On my first IVF cycle, the dr. nor the nurses showed me how to do my injectable meds. I had multiple cancelled FET's due to thin lining, and not one time did I receive a call from the doctor. Only from the nurse, who always gave me the feeling that I was bothering her. We tried ~5 separate times for an FET and the doctor barely made any changes to my protocal that clearly was not working.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Be your own best advocate. Document everything.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I felt like a number because of the clinic, not the doctor. I was treated with the dr for a year and only saw him 3-4 times. When I did speak with Dr. Rapisarda he was very kind, but could never answer questions or give me the guidance I was looking for.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Misty)
I always felt like I was bothering the nursing staff. When I called, they sounded annoyed when answering the phone. When I got results, if I asked a question, they sounded annoyed. The nursing staff is clearly overworked
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
There are too many patients. You see a different ultrasound tech, blood work tech, talk to different people always. No one knows you and your troubles. The nurses, nor the doctors can truely care because they have too many other patients.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Monitoring was a well-oiled machine, but sometimes long wait times. There were at least 30 people waiting for monitoring each time I went.
Describe the costs associated with your care under John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
My insurance covered most costs. Out of pocket for ERA test, genetic testing, embryo storage
4
Doctor
John Rapisarda
NPS
Humanity
1 of 5
Communication
3 of 5
Frequency Seen
2 of 5
Trustworthiness
3 of 5
Compassion
3 of 5
Explained risks
4 of 5
Adaptability
1 of 5
4
Clinic
Fertility Centers of Illinois
Chicago/River North
NPS
Operations
3 of 5
Scheduling
5 of 5
Billing Department
3 of 5
Nursing Staff
1 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
1 of 5
Educational Resources
1 of 5
Review of
2012 - 2017, Unsuccessful
NPS
3
NPS
4
Age 31 - 36
5 IUI
3 IVF
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Unexplained
European
Income $200K - $499K
Only Doc Seen
Doesn't Recommend
Doesn't Recommend
Unsuccessful
Review of
Nothing alarmingly negative to report about Dr. Rapusarda, but nothing extremely positive...Advocate for yourself - no question is a stupid question. If you want to explore a different protocol, or medication - ask! Don't assume that because he doesn't mention it that it's not possible...We found that I responded very well to crinone vs other progesterone products. With my third IVF, we used the estrogen priming protocol to hopefully recruit more eggs - I did end up with the most eggs of my 3 retrievals
Due to the format of FCI in general, I never felt like a unique patient, but more like running on an assembly line,...Strengths - efficient, mostly organized Weaknesses - you don't feel like a unique patient...Lucky to have great insurance which has covered most of my treatment...Nothing alarmingly negative to report about Dr. Rapusarda, but nothing extremely positive...If you want to explore a different protocol, or medication - ask!
How was your experience with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Nothing alarmingly negative to report about Dr. Rapusarda, but nothing extremely positive. Due to the format of FCI in general, I never felt like a unique patient, but more like running on an assembly line,
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Advocate for yourself - no question is a stupid question. If you want to explore a different protocol, or medication - ask! Don't assume that because he doesn't mention it that it's not possible.
Describe the protocols John Rapisarda used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
We found that I responded very well to crinone vs other progesterone products. With my third IVF, we used the estrogen priming protocol to hopefully recruit more eggs - I did end up with the most eggs of my 3 retrievals, but in the end, still only had 2 embryos on day 5. (13 retrieved, 8 ICSI'd, 5 fertilized, 2 embryos on day 5, transferred one (miscarriage at 9wks), froze one).
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Strengths - efficient, mostly organized Weaknesses - you don't feel like a unique patient
Describe the costs associated with your care under John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Lucky to have great insurance which has covered most of my treatment
Describe John Rapisarda's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I've only ever had one or two to transfer so we've always done SET. In my first SET, the embryo split to identical twins (miscarriage at 8.5wks)
3
Doctor
John Rapisarda
NPS
Humanity
2 of 5
Communication
3 of 5
Frequency Seen
2 of 5
Trustworthiness
3 of 5
Compassion
4 of 5
Explained risks
3 of 5
Adaptability
4 of 5
4
Clinic
Fertility Centers of Illinois
Chicago/River North
NPS
Operations
4 of 5
Scheduling
4 of 5
Billing Department
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
3 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
5 of 5
Educational Resources
6 of 5
Review of
LGBTQ+
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2015, Successful
NPS
3
NPS
N/A
Age 29
1 IVF
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
Endometriosis
Tubal Blockage
European
Income $50K - $99K
Only Doc Seen
Donor Sperm
LGBTQ+
Doesn't Recommend
Successful
Review of
He [Dr. John Rapisarda] probably won't do any of your procedures. Don't expect warmth, but he is very direct and professional. He will give you a lot of information if you do your research in advance and know what questions to ask. Don't expect him to give you a sense of the process, that is more what his nurses will do.... It felt chaotic and I never knew what the next steps were. I was never sure if Dr. Rapisarda even knew what was going on.
Christy [a nurse at FCI] was really great, but there were times when she was out of the office during my treatment and that was incredibly stressful. I found the other nurses to never know my treatment plan, to be confused frequently, and once I never received a call regarding my medication for that evening and I had to call the on-call number 3 times before someone called me back to apologize and inform me what the dosage was for the day.
How was your experience with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
He was certainly very professional, but not warm or friendly. I also felt judged around some of my decisions to stay on medications during pregnancy. It felt chaotic and I never knew what the next steps were. I was never sure if Dr. Rapisarda even knew what was going on. I was a very involved patient - I called frequently and was always asking for updates and clarification - I would hate to think of what it would be like for someone who wasn't that persistent. I felt in the dark a lot in a very intense process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Be ready to advocate for yourself and ask lots of questions. He probably won't do any of your procedures. Don't expect warmth, but he is very direct and professional. He will give you a lot of information if you do your research in advance and know what questions to ask. Don't expect him to give you a sense of the process, that is more what his nurses will do.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
It was challenging to get in touch with him and he never actually spoke to me during my cycle. I know the process is unpredictable and there's no way you can get the same doctor every time, but I truly NEVER spoke with him besides at the beginning and at the very end, once we had a successful pregnancy. When we met for our ending session, my wife and I both felt like he had no idea who we were. Even though we achieved a pregnancy, it was a very stressful process and I was looking for more care and interaction from my provider.
Describe the protocols John Rapisarda used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
I had a uterine polypectomy. Follistim and several other drugs during stim cycle (can't remember them all). 10 day cycle before retrieval. Then 5 day embryo fresh transfer. While waiting for pregnancy test, endometrin suppositories, estrogen, and baby aspirin. He didn't do any of the procedures.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Christy)
Christy was really great, but there were times when she was out of the office during my treatment and that was incredibly stressful. I found the other nurses to never know my treatment plan, to be confused frequently, and once I never received a call regarding my medication for that evening and I had to call the on-call number 3 times before someone called me back to apologize and inform me what the dosage was for the day.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Lots of resources, so everything can happen there and you don't need to be referred out for much. Some nursing staff are great. Downsides of this clinic are that it is so huge, you are frequently being shuffled around with hoards of other people. It's hard not to feel absolutely like a number or cattle at times, which is so challenging when you're pumped up on hormones and dealing with infertility.
What specific things went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
  • Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
  • Lost paperwork
  • Lost appointments
  • Failed to call with results
  • Failed to order appropriate test
  • Failed to send your chart to another clinic
  • Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
  • Lost results
  • Provided conflicting information
  • Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I had one day during my stim cycle where the nurses did not call me to inform me of my results and tell me what the plan was for the day's medication dosage. I had to call a number of times to get the information and finally received a call back (and we were going to do the retrieval once I received the call). I also had them lose all the paperwork that we filled out on freezing embryos and we had to resign everything on the day of our transfer. They misinformed me about the start of my cycle and I had to rush to get medications last minute from a local pharmacy because we started earlier than they originally told me. I also had an instance where they informed me to take a medication on the day of the transfer, but then when I arrived told me I had to wait to take it until I signed the consent forms.
3
Doctor
John Rapisarda
NPS
Humanity
1 of 5
Communication
2 of 5
Frequency Seen
1 of 5
Trustworthiness
3 of 5
Compassion
1 of 5
Explained risks
5 of 5
Adaptability
3 of 5
Operations
5 of 5
Scheduling
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
4 of 5
Review of
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2015, Unsuccessful
NPS
0
NPS
0
Age 35
1 IVF
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
Poor Egg Quality
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Unexplained
European
Income $100K - $199K
Sales Representative
1st of 2 Docs
6 IUI With Other Docs
Doesn't Recommend
Doesn't Recommend
Unsuccessful
Review of
We did 6 rounds if IUI [with Dr. John Rapisarda]. First two with injectables (gonal F). The first IUI resulted in a pregnancy. I misscarried at 7 weeks. IUI cycles 4 through 6 were just using chlomid. We were trying to get through 6 rounds of IUI for insurance purposes so we could move on to IVF/FET. Those attempts were unsuccessful. We proceeded with an egg retrieval and did a FET and not IVF so that we could do PGS. First FET attempt resulted in pregnancy but again I miscarried at 7-8 weeks.
It [FCI- Chicago] felt like a cattle call. So many patients. Nurses were nice. It was all about the numbers and volume of patients for the doctors. If Dr. Rapisarda wasn’t available to do a procedure, I was scheduled with another doctor and I didn’t like that.... I had 3 nurses while under treatment and all were nice, compassionate, and helpful... The waiting room was always full and I felt like my treatments were basic and not customized to my situation. Dr. rapisarda also missed that I had a septum uterus that was probably the main cause of my many miscarriages.
How was your experience with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
As states earlier, he missed that I had a septum uterus which was most likely causing my miscarriages. I spent a lot of time and money on treatments that were unsuccessful and towards the end he had to recommended course of action or next steps.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Find another doctor. Get a second opinion.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
FCI is all about the volume of patients and not qaulity of care. The waiting room was always full and I felt like my treatments were basic and not customized to my situation. Dr. rapisarda also missed that I had a septum uterus that was probably the main cause of my many miscarriages.
Describe the protocols John Rapisarda used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
We did 6 rounds if IUI. First two with injectables (gonal F). The first IUI resulted in a pregnancy. I misscarried at 7 weeks. IUI cycles 4 through 6 were just using chlomid. We were trying to get through 6 rounds of IUI for insurance purposes so we could move on to IVF/FET. Those attempts were unsuccessful. We proceeded with an egg retrieval and did a FET and not IVF so that we could do PGS. First FET attempt resulted in pregnancy but again I miscarried at 7-8 weeks. That’s when I chose to search for another doctor.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
I had 3 nurses while under treatment and all were nice, compassionate, and helpful.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
It felt like a cattle call. So many patients. Nurses were nice. It was all about the numbers and volume of patients for the doctors. If Dr. Rapisarda wasn’t available to do a procedure, I was scheduled with another doctor and I didn’t like that.
Describe the costs associated with your care under John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
We spent a lot of money even though a good portion was covered by insurance. I would say over $30k.
Describe John Rapisarda's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
N/a
0
Doctor
John Rapisarda
NPS
Humanity
1 of 5
Communication
2 of 5
Frequency Seen
3 of 5
Trustworthiness
2 of 5
Compassion
4 of 5
Explained risks
3 of 5
Adaptability
4 of 5
0
Clinic
Fertility Centers of Illinois
Chicago/River North
NPS
Operations
3 of 5
Scheduling
5 of 5
Billing Department
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
3 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
1 of 5
Educational Resources
6 of 5
Review of
Verified

This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.

2013, Unsuccessful
NPS
6
NPS
5
Age 36
1 IVF
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
European
Income $200K - $499K
Accountant
2nd of 4 Docs
3 IUI With Other Docs
Donor Eggs With Other Docs
Surrogacy With Other Docs
Doesn't Recommend
Doesn't Recommend
Unsuccessful
Review of
I only did one cycle with Dr. Rapisarda. It was unsuccessful and we moved on to CCRM...I felt they [the staff at FCI] communicated very well...Loved my nurse. She was so sweet...aggressive antagonist approach.... Cheaper than Indiana because I was a self-pay and most people in Illinois have fertility coverage....They didn't have the best statistics. But I liked the people and I liked the facility.
I only did one cycle with Dr. Rapisarda. It was unsuccessful and we moved on to CCRM...I felt they [the staff at FCI] communicated very well...Loved my nurse. She was so sweet...aggressive antagonist approach.... Cheaper than Indiana because I was a self-pay and most people in Illinois have fertility coverage....They didn't have the best statistics. But I liked the people and I liked the facility.
How was your experience with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I only did one cycle with Dr. Rapisarda. It was unsuccessful and we moved on to CCRM.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
Do research.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois?
I felt they communicated very well.
Describe the protocols John Rapisarda used in your cycles at Fertility Centers of Illinois and their degree of success.
aggressive antagonist approach.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Fertility Centers of Illinois. (Assigned nurse: Donna)
Loved my nurse. She was so sweet.
Describe your experience with Fertility Centers of Illinois.
They didn't have the best statistics. But I liked the people and I liked the facility.
Describe the costs associated with your care under John Rapisarda at Fertility Centers of Illinois.
Decent. Cheaper than Indiana because I was a self-pay and most people in Illinois have fertility coverage.
6
Doctor
John Rapisarda
NPS
Humanity
4 of 5
Communication
5 of 5
Frequency Seen
4 of 5
Trustworthiness
4 of 5
Compassion
5 of 5
Explained risks
4 of 5
Adaptability
4 of 5
5
Clinic
Fertility Centers of Illinois
Chicago/River North
NPS
Operations
4 of 5
Scheduling
4 of 5
Billing Department
4 of 5
Nursing Staff
4 of 5
Clinic Atmosphere
4 of 5
Educational Resources
5 of 5
Review of

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