My husband has a rare genetic disorder and she [Dr. Lauren Johnson] educated herself about the disorder. I ended up having fibroids and had to have a hysteroscopy and she was very patient and kind in explaining everything to me. When we learned that I was having a miscarriage, she sat with me and went through all the options and wouldn't let me leave the office without knowing she was incredibly and profoundly sorry for what I was going through.
REACH has a fantastic nursing staff, embroyolgy dept, doctors and surgical nurses. Their front desk is lacking in warmth and their financial department is an absolute disaster. I would carefully go over each and every bill; and request bills if you do not receive them.... The nurses (Shana and Mary) were phenomenal. Anytime I had a question they would answer it as quickly as possible. They would call and give me the next steps and ensure that I was at ease with what they were telling me. Lisa- who took my blood each visit was kind and compassionate. She remembered me and had a great rapport.
How was your experience with Lauren Johnson at REACH?
We have male factor infertility and she was the most caring and compassionate towards that. My husband has a rare genetic disorder and she educated herself about the disorder. I ended up having fibroids and had to have a hysteroscopy and she was very patient and kind in explaining everything to me. When we learned that I was having a miscarriage, she sat with me and went through all the options and wouldn't let me leave the office without knowing she was incredibly and profoundly sorry for what I was going through.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Lauren Johnson at REACH?
Be open and real with Dr. Johnson. She is an extremely thoughtful and caring doctor. Trust her process and ask all the questions you can think of.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Lauren Johnson at REACH?
Dr. Johnson got to know my husband and me and truly wanted the best for us. She would break difficult to understand information into smaller, easier to understand parts without being condescending. I received personal phone calls from her on more than one occasion. She is very easy to talk to.
Describe the protocols Lauren Johnson used in your cycles at REACH and their degree of success.
We used gonal-f and menopur. It was a slow and steady growth. The rationale was that I was healthy and ovulating well on my own, so she didn't feel the need for me to have large doses. I started low on gonal-f, and gradually increased the dosage. I had 14 eggs retrieved, 11 mature and 8 fertilized.
Describe your experience with your nurse at REACH. (Assigned nurse: Shana)
The nurses (Shana and Mary) were phenomenal. Anytime I had a question they would answer it as quickly as possible. They would call and give me the next steps and ensure that I was at ease with what they were telling me. Lisa- who took my blood each visit was kind and compassionate. She remembered me and had a great rapport.
Describe your experience with REACH.
REACH has a fantastic nursing staff, embroyolgy dept, doctors and surgical nurses. Their front desk is lacking in warmth and their financial department is an absolute disaster. I would carefully go over each and every bill; and request bills if you do not receive them.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at REACH.
Monitoring was held from 7-9:30 a.m. I would show up around 7:30, sign in and would be seen quickly (about 10 minutes) for ultrasound. Then would go to have blood drawn. I was quick and efficient. Completed in under 30 minutes most days.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Lauren Johnson at REACH.
Around $13,000 with ICIS.
Describe Lauren Johnson's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at REACH.
My Dr. saw that I was a healthy, young woman and did not want a high-risk pregnancy (twins) with me, so transferred one 5-day embryo. The rationale was the likelihood of twins from multiple embryo transfer was too great.
What specific things went wrong at REACH?
- Lost paperwork
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at REACH.
During our finance meeting we were told that we did not have insurance coverage for IVF and that we would pay upfront for service. We were told that our insurance would not be billed. About one month after our cycle, I noticed that I was receiving EOBs that showed my insurance was billed and actually paid for a number of things at REACH. I contacted REACH for an itemized bill and was told that I had a balance of over $2,000. I spoke with my insurance AND was informed that REACH billed insurance and received payment. It took REACH over 4 months to return money to my insurance company and I was still threatened to be sent to collections over a billing error on their part.