Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2018 - 2019, Unsuccessful
Review of
I also wasn't crazy about Dr. Babayev recommending at least 6 IUIs. Other clinics will not do more than 3. I feel like he just keeps churning you through the process. I also feel like they don't really push for you to have a successful result. There is a goal of pregnancy with fertility and you pay a lot of money and I didn't feel any urgency with him to get us there. He is also very very conservative in his approach which can be good, but after a couple of rounds I needed something more. I felt like we would never get there with his guidance.
UTSW is a teaching hospital and it became very clear that this was an area I didn't want them learning on me... I needed to move on and get results. The Billing office is also terrible. I had to make about a dozen calls and still waiting to get issues resolved. They charge you for the cycle upfront (insurance doesn't cover).. then, it goes to insurance because apparently their system sends everything through insurance... even if insurance would cover some of the testing it doesn't matter because it's all or none.
How was your experience with Samir Babayev at UT Southwestern?
Dr. Babayev is knowledgeable, however, I feel that he really limited me. Based purely on my first AMH test, he first told me that it appeared I had no eggs left, have no chance, should look into an egg donor, etc. When he finally did an ultrasound he found that was not the case at all. It was very frustrating in the meantime. Even afterwards, he decided that I have low ovarian reserve and would not be a good candidate for IVF. I have since had other opinions that are the exact opposite and my treatment has also proven so.
I also wasn't crazy about Dr. Babayev recommending at least 6 IUIs. Other clinics will not do more than 3. I feel like he just keeps churning you through the process. I also feel like they don't really push for you to have a successful result. There is a goal of pregnancy with fertility and you pay a lot of money and I didn't feel any urgency with him to get us there. He is also very very conservative in his approach which can be good, but after a couple of rounds I needed something more. I felt like we would never get there with his guidance.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samir Babayev at UT Southwestern?
Push for more answers. Push for what you want.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samir Babayev at UT Southwestern?
At least 3 or 4 times I got misinformation or instructions. When I talked to Dr. Babayev about one of these instances, he told me that they process 20-25 patients a day and don't remember all of the details (basically). In this particular instance, I had talked to one of the Fellows, Dr. Babayev himself, and another Fellow that did my scan that day about my situation and timing, and she still sent me wrong instructions and then didn't follow up.
A different Fellow or nurse can call you each time, so there is no consistency and that can lead to mistakes and oversights.
Describe the protocols Samir Babayev used in your cycles at UT Southwestern and their degree of success.
I went through 2 IUI cycles with Dr. Babayev and team.
For my 1st, he started me on 37.5 iu of menopur. This resulted in basically nothing happening and after 5 days increased my dose to 75iu. I had 1 mature follicle before trigger.
For my 2nd IUI, he had me on 75 iu for 10 days and resulted in 2 mature follicles.
Both resulted in negative pregnancy tests.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at UT Southwestern.
The nurse that I originally met and taught me how to do the injections - I believe her name was Babitha - was very nice and caring. I talked to several different nurses along the way and it honestly seemed like they were clueless. In my last round, I had to push the nurse for what was supposed to happen.... she gave me wrong instructions and kept insisting. They are unfamiliar with your particular case since it's always someone different.
Describe your experience with UT Southwestern.
Strengths - it's cheaper than others (IUIs were $1050 instead of $2100 at my current clinic)
Weaknesses - the amount of people involved and rotating through. At any point you would deal with Dr. Babayev, any of his 3 Fellows, any of the many nurses, have residents in the room during your procedures. There were 3 instances where I was given wrong information and I had to correct them. UTSW is a teaching hospital and it became very clear that this was an area I didn't want them learning on me... I needed to move on and get results.
The Billing office is also terrible. I had to make about a dozen calls and still waiting to get issues resolved. They charge you for the cycle upfront (insurance doesn't cover).. then, it goes to insurance because apparently their system sends everything through insurance... even if insurance would cover some of the testing it doesn't matter because it's all or none. Then they sent me statements with the remainder. All of which I had already paid for upfront. Nothing was done to remedy this and I called and talked to the financial counselor, her manager, the billing department, their manager.. and still waiting on resolution. It's a horrible process.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samir Babayev at UT Southwestern.
The IUI cycle, including monitoring ultrasounds, labs and the actual procedure (without meds) was $1050 out of pocket.
What specific things went wrong at UT Southwestern?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at UT Southwestern.
1. One of the Fellows told me the wrong timing because it was daylight savings and they didn't account for it. I called and asked and at the last minute they changed my timing.
2. One of the Fellows gave me wrong instructions. I had communicated with two of them, including her that day, and Dr. Babayev previously that I would be out of town and would be starting once we returned. She sent me instructions to start that day and come back Monday (while I was gone). When I replied telling her I wouldn't be here then and when should I actually come back I got no respo. I insisted nse whatsoever. I felt like I was not being heard at all.
3. On my 2nd IUI, Dr. Babayev was out and Dr. Bukelmez oversaw it. When the nurse called later with instructions she just told me to do a home pregnancy test in 2 weeks. I asked her about progesterone (which I had done the first time) and blood test (also done the first time) and she said no. I insisted.. and when they finally asked Dr. Babayev the instructions all changed to what I thought.
4. Billing is a mess. I pay upfront and they still bill me
Review of