Mark Ransom

Dr. Ransom is very knowledgeable. He takes time to explain things. My one issue is that he sometimes makes a recommendation but does not thoroughly provide rationale to the patient. I try to be very educated during appointments, and sometimes I lost a little trust because he would not give me all the information or background. I also wish he would give me more details related to treatment plans.

If you go to see Dr. Ransom, take lots of notes and come with questions because the office is not going to provide you with patient pamphlets or info sheets. He also left a lot of the "driving" of things to happen to me as the patient, so just be aware that it will be up to you to keep things moving forward, especially in the preliminary stages.

Dr. Ransom and his clinic is the primary infertility practice in the Tri-Cities area. At times, he was very compassionate and took time to explain things. During other visits, he was short and very to-the-point, without providing a lot of explanation. This was frustrating. I also struggled when dealing with his staff. Certain nurses handle his surgery scheduling only, but don't know about in-office practices. I always felt like I was being passed from one person to another and didn't always feel confident in the level of knowledge of the office staff or in their level of compassion.

The staff I worked with was a little inconsistent in terms of the care they provided. I worked with Jeanine on coverage issues; she was not always very patient with my questions (despite this being the first time I had to seek care outside of my benefits coverage). I also worked with Michelle, the nurse who schedules all of Dr. Ransom's surgeries with the local hospital (FWCH). Michelle did not always appear to have a clear knowledge of what was going on, which sometimes gave me pause. When I call to speak with her, she consistently needs to check with other office staff members before being able to answer my questions and commonly seems to fully understand what's going on with my treatment.

This clinic is centrally located near the hospital where testing and procedures are done. I've had no problems getting in to see my provider and scheduling appointments to be seen within a reasonable amount of time. One downside is having to go off-site for lab work and blood draws. I'm not sure if this is true for all infertility clinics, but there has been some instances in confusion about cost and coverage - I commonly have to call multiple places to get quotes to figure out just how expensive a test or procedure will be. While I have not gone through IVF, there was a clear breakdown of costs that was provided to me for that service. This clinic also does not widely publish some of their variety of services or protocols, similar to what I've seen at other clinics.

My office visits and most labs and diagnostic procedures were covered by insurance, so I was only responsible for paying my co-pay. IVF is not covered by my plan and I was told to plan on having at least $13,000 up front before proceeding with scheduling anything related to IVF. I did have some bad experiences with out-of-pocket costs at the hospital where Dr. Ransom does some of his outpatient testing. I was scheduled for a hysteroscopic septum resection and despite my insurance having pre-approved the procedure as medically necessary, I was told that the claim would likely be rejected. When I inquired to what my total costs would be for this outpatient procedure without insurance, I was quoted at over $25,000. As a result, I had to cancel the procedure. I'm not sure what was driving this cost up, but it did seem incredibly high.

Dr. Ransom strictly adheres to the ASRM IVF Guidelines. I am 33 years old and planning for my first IVF cycle, and Dr. Ransom was clear that I would only be a candidate for a single embryo transfer.

He was very professional and was very knowledgeable about what was going on. He explained things very well from our first consult to the egg retrieval and embryo transfer. Even when our cycle failed, he had us come back to the office and talk about it when we were ready. He gave us recommendations on what to do to prepare for another cycle. I just would have liked for him to give more detail regarding ultrasounds, lab results, etc.

I would tell a prospective patient to ask questions if they want to know something.

I felt like I was well respected like a human. He could have been more detailed about test results, etc.

I started Lupron 20 units daily twenty-one days after my period. This was to suppress ovulation. I was on that for 3 weeks. Then I started Follistim to stimulate the ovaries. Then the Lupron was decreased to 10 units. I was monitored about every other day with an ultrasound and labs (estradiol). Depending on those results, he would adjust the dose of Follistim. I stimmed for 13 days. I administered the trigger shot the 14th day. The Egg retrieval was two days later. Post egg retrieval, I started progesterone in oil shots. I also took an oral steroid and antibiotic for prophylaxis. Three days after egg retrieval, I had a 3 day fresh transfer. I continued the progesterone in oil shots until I had my beta test at day 9. Beta was negative, it did not work.

Michelle was the main medical assistant. She was wonderful and was there for the transfer. The other nurse was good too. I just felt like I was bothering her if I called to ask questions though.

Everyone is mostly friendly, especially the girls at the desk. They knew me by name after a few visits and made it feel personable. They could improve on communication though. I felt like I didn't know what was going on or what I needed to do next. I always had to call as ask.

Between $12000-$15000 is what a cycle of IVF costs including meds.

I love Dr. Ransom, his bedside manner is great. He sees a lot of patients and there were a couple of times I had to remind him of our particular situation and procedures I had already had done. That was frustrating for me.

Ask questions, don’t be afraid to speak your mind.

Dr. Ransom is very nice and always made me feel comfortable no matter the situation. The office staff are always friendly and helpful.

Initially he did the femvue after checking my labs, which were good. The femvue showed both tubes appeared to be blocked. I went in for laparoscopic surgery to try to clear the blockages l, but only one (left) was cleared. After healing, he started me on Clomid and HCG trigger. I did 3 cycles of that but it’s over an hour to his office and between the cost of the medication and the time it got to be too much. Especially considering my chances were slim with the blockage and my age. He recommended IVF, but it simply isn’t financially feasible for us.

All of the staff were nice. The one lady was a little gruff but I think that was just her personality. I did take it personally.

I think it’s a great clinic. I haven’t been to any others so I’m not sure if what I experienced was standard or not. The office staff are great and very knowledgeable. His MA is always very helpful and goes above and beyond to get questions answered. Overall they are great people and it was a pleasant experience.

Fortunately my insurance covered visits and monitoring. Medications were out of pocket which costed around $150/ per cycle. I met my deductible ($3,000) for the year early with the surgery so other than that and meds there were no expenses other than travel to and from clinic.

We never got that far so I have no knowledge of his approach.

Dr. Ransom is obviously knowledgeable in his practice. He has good bedside manner and is very caring. He is eager to move on to more aggressive treatment if something is not working like he wishes. Sometimes I wish he would be a little more on the "proactive" side of things though.

Write down your questions and ask them all. He always gives the opportunity for whatever questions I have but doesn't always cover all of my concerns unless asked.

Dr. Ransom is always sure to ask me how I am feeling or doing aside from treatment. His office staff is wonderful and knows me by name. I am always made to feel very comfortable at my visits.

I have PCOS that causes me to not ovulate on my own. When I went to him I had already given letrozole several tries and was not successful. I was ready to move on to injection medications but he wanted to give clomid a try. He said with his PCOS patients he likes to start pretty minimal because of the risk of over-stimulating. I understood and went with his recommendations. Three rounds of clomid + trigger shot and we still were not pregnant. Ovulating but not pregnant. I tried one IUI while on clomid + trigger. But my husband has no sperm issues so technically we should not need IUI. When that cycle failed, we moved on to a combo cycle of clomid + follistim + trigger shot. We are awaiting the results of that cycle.

I have seen two different nurses. One of them is great. She is friendly and very informative. I don't have to ask her many questions because she tells me what I want to know without my having to ask. The other nurse is less friendly and sometimes comes off as "in a hurry". I prefer to have the first nurse during my visits.

The clinic is wonderful. I have not had any issues with scheduling appointments and they are always willing to work around my job schedule. I unfortunately do not have any infertility insurance coverage and they are understanding of that when it comes to payment. They also offer a self-pay discount that is very helpful.

The initial consultation was roughly $250. IUI was roughly $500. Ultrasounds were roughly $200 each. Medications came from a separate pharmacy. Semen analysis was $150. The procedure to check my fallopian tubes was roughly $750.

He was very straight forward. Didn't get too personal. Good doctor and very knowledgeable. Sometimes I did feel like a number but the end result was what we wanted. Never had to wait long for appointments. Could always get in to be seen if needed without a problem. Wish he would take more time to discuss feelings and how the patient is coping emotionally.

Be proactive in your treatment. If you don't understand something, ask and make sure you do before you leave. Write down all questions and make sure they get answered in a way that you understand. Take things day by day. Research and know your options.

I didn't feel like I was treated as an individual person, bedside manner was not always the best.

We went through several cycles with Letrozole (Femara). Then moved on to IUI, did three (two of which were injectable cycles). At this point I asked about IVF, which we did and it worked on the first try. We were "Unexplained".

Michelle is wonderful. She is informed, knowedgeable, compassionate, and takes time to answer all your questions. There is another nurse who I don't know her name, but she doesn't have much personality and wasn't very warm.

Would love if they had extended hours. Also they need a lab in the clinic so you don't have to go somewhere else for blood work. Katie who works at the front desk is wonderful. She is efficient and goes above and beyond to answer questions. They get you in on Saturday if needed (while in a treatment cycle).

Very quick and efficient - in and out.

Very expensive as insurance does not cover treatment. All money is to be paid up front. No payment plans.

Dr. Ransom said he normally transfers two embryos, but we only had one to transfer in the end.

Dr. Ransom was incredibly passionate about our treatment and wanted success for us about as much as a doctor could! He was super informative and compassionate, he was very professional but also friendly at the same time. He always had a smile and was ready thank answer questions but seemed almost as happy as my husband and I to hear our baby’s heartbeat for the very first time!

Do not be afraid to ask questions! That’s what he is there for!!

As opposed to our previous doctor, Dr. Ransom was VERY friendly and incredibly honest and informative. He was ready to answer any and all questions we had and definitely wanted us to be successful!

For our fresh cycle, we used started out with birth control and Lupron 20 units a day for two weeks. At this point, we had our baseline and then began the Follistim at 300 units a day for about 4-5 days. At our monitoring appointment, it showed that I was creating way more follicles than we had hoped, so he had my coast for a few days to allow my body to absorb some of the follicles back. We had our egg retrieval on day 10 and a three day transfer of two embryos that resulted in a negative pregnancy test. About 3-4 months later, we did a frozen transfer beginning with Lupron 20 units again for two weeks, then Progesterone in oil intramuscular injections and estrogen taken orally to prepare the uterine lining for transfer. This process was about three weeks long when we transferred our last two embryos...this cycle resulted in our eight month old beautiful rainbow baby boy!

Michelle is beyond amazing! She is so compassionate and is very easy to talk to! She answered all of our questions happily and is definitely an asset to the team! She helped make such a difficult time just a little easier!

Dr. Ransom is incredibly knowledgeable and absolutely wants to see you get the results you desire! He’s very professional but still friendly! And his staff is super helpful and very easy to talk to! Since Dr. Ransom took over the practice, I honestly can’t think of anything to list as a weakness!

I am one of the lucky few that my health insurance covered my two rounds of IVF with Dr. Ransom so I just had my regular deductibles to pay. However, from what I have read, their billing seems to be pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

He is truly passionate about his work and it shows from the moment he walks in the room. If he says he will call you with test results later that day, he keeps his word. Even if that call is after the office closes.

As with any doctor, come prepared with questions and concerns. Write them down as notes to make sure you don't forget to ask an important question during your appointment. An appointment with a fertility doctor can be overwhelming and emotional with the calmest of doctors. So, have a list that helps guide you through so you don't miss anything while talking with him.

He is quick and concise but, never in too much of a rush.

I am still in treatment.

Very knowledgeable, compassionate and, quick to respond with return phone calls.

Very compassionate office as a whole. One of the doctors retired from there and there has been a lot of changes in the past year.

Testing was covered by insurance. IUI and IVF is out of pocket as with most insurance plans.

Wonderful, great experience, would do procedure again. Very nice man, very smart & compassionate. Always felt very comfortable with him and his staff. Very thorough, goes over all the information every visit. Never feel left out.

Very smart, experienced and very caring

Wonderful Dr & bedside manner

Letrozole with HCG injection, IUI procedures failed attempt once. Trying for a 2nd round

His older nurse retired after our first few visits, she was amazing. His new staff is young but still nice.

Very punctual with scheduling visits and calls, very well organized

the IUI with HCG was around $850 without insurance

no