Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2021 - 2022, Successful
she [Dr. Van Heertum] talked to me at the level of knowledge I had (rather than talking down to me as prior doctors had). She always listened to my concerns and ideas, discussed with me recent literature, worked to craft plans that I felt comfortable with, and gave me choices along the way...she took time to talk to me and listen rather than hurry me out. I saw her more frequently after success and sonograms, and it was nice to wrap up my time in the clinic working with her directly....
Most of the time I ended up communicating [with nurses at Nashville Fertility Center] through the portal with questions outside of office visits, and questions were typically answered within a few hours, if not shorter. I always had the chance to see my nurse during an office visit (after bloodwork and ultrasounds), ask questions, and get details on next treatment plans. These were also uploaded to the portal for me to check at home. The nurses were overall patient and kind, and listened to my questions and concerns...
How was your experience with Kristin Van Heertum at Nashville Fertility Center?
My prior experiences with fertility doctors had been hit or miss. When I came to her, I explicitly let her know that I had done a lot of research on the topic and wanted to be involved in my treatment. Because of this, she talked to me at the level of knowledge I had (rather than talking down to me as prior doctors had). She always listened to my concerns and ideas, discussed with me recent literature, worked to craft plans that I felt comfortable with, and gave me choices along the way. When I suggested treatments that were not as thoroughly supported by evidence-based literature, she was willing to entertain them (as long as they were not harmful), and many of these made the ultimate difference for me when abnormal embryos seemed to be my insurmountable problem.
Although I was not always in touch with her (often in touch with clinic nurses), relevant questions were conveyed to her, and in consults when we actually met, she took time to talk to me and listen rather than hurry me out. I saw her more frequently after success and sonograms, and it was nice to wrap up my time in the clinic working with her directly.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Kristin Van Heertum at Nashville Fertility Center?
You won't see her all the time, but she is accessible, especially when needed. Follow up, ask questions, and invest time and effort in your treatment, and she will do the same.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Kristin Van Heertum at Nashville Fertility Center?
Dr. Van Heertum was wonderful. She listened to my questions and concerns, took them into consideration in treatment, and worked with me to craft a plan forward to address prior problems/failures. I didn't always see her, but I was able to send questions through the message portal to her nurse, and if relevant, they were conveyed to her and I received a response typically always the same day.
Describe the protocols Kristin Van Heertum used in your cycles at Nashville Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Initial protocol was luteal start antagonist protocol due to early dominant follicles during prior IUIs. This worked well in terms of even follicle growth and retrieval of all seen, but low fertilization rate, poor egg quality, and only 2 blastocysts (both abnormal). Second round utilized the same protocol, but at my request, I added supplements and HGH, which resulted in double the follicles and 3x the number of blastocysts, but all abnormal/high mosaic. Last cycle we turned to estrogen priming and agonist protocol (plus same supplements). Response was equal to second round, with fewer mature follicles and blastocysts, but among those was a low-level segmental mosaic that resulted in a successful transfer.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Nashville Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Miranda Perotti; Laurie Lee)
The nursing staff was overall quite good. I usually saw the same nurse, but due to my primary leaving on maternity leave, I ended up seeing several. Most of the time I ended up communicating through the portal with questions outside of office visits, and questions were typically answered within a few hours, if not shorter. I always had the chance to see my nurse during an office visit (after bloodwork and ultrasounds), ask questions, and get details on next treatment plans. These were also uploaded to the portal for me to check at home.
The nurses were overall patient and kind, and listened to my questions and concerns. Miranda, my first nurse, was my favorite, and she was extremely patient with me through a lot of tough times and a million questions.
Describe your experience with Nashville Fertility Center.
First thing to know is that it is a larger clinic, and thus there are "departments" where individuals are in charge of certain areas/tasks (phlebotomy, ultrasonography, nursing, doctors, and finances). It may be frustrating to see so many different people each visit, but overall, I found the segmentation to work well and there tended to be strong communication among the units. I got to know the individuals in the various units over time and form relationships with them. Scheduling might be the most difficult aspect when trying to get a "new" appointment quickly (e.g. new cycle, consult, etc.), as given the nature of last minute appointments needed. However, they are willing to work with you if you explain why. They were also nice enough to work me in same day for my last appointment when I messed up the time.
In terms of the in-house finance department, they are very organized and I never had any problems. As long as you come in prepared and organized, it seems to facilitate things a lot in the finance area. They were also willing to submit and work with insurance until several claims were (unexpectedly but fortuitously) covered.
Working with Ovation, their lab, is a bit more frustrating. The lab staff and medical center staff are great and compassionate. However, the finance end of Ovation is confusing and sometimes frustrating due to the overall corporation being a much larger conglomerate. I think there was also a fair amount of turnover in staff there.
The online portal they use can be frustrating and has a bit of a learning curve, the most frustrating aspect of which is its finance/payment area and the "quotes" they give for treatment costs. It was always easier to see these printed and to discuss questions about these in person rather than attempting to use the portal for everything
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Overall, I never had any problems and don't have any real weaknesses to cite. As long as you're prepared to work within this system, ask questions, and self-advocate when needed, you should have a good experience.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Kristin Van Heertum at Nashville Fertility Center.
Freeze-all IVF Round + ICSI and PGT-A testing (each) - $14,000 (x3)
Mock transfer cycle - ~$1000 (some charges covered through insurance)
Frozen embryo transfer - $4000 (some monitoring sent through insurance)
Describe Kristin Van Heertum's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Nashville Fertility Center.
Multiple embryo transfer was only recommended if transferring lower viability embryos (e.g. high mosaics, abnormals) given the low likelihood of multiples. She recommended and we settled on eSET for the best mosaic embryo I had, which actually divided into identical twins anyway (a risk I was advised of, even if I didn't expect it!).