Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2016, Unsuccessful
Dr. K called me personally after my retrieval, my transfer, and my chemical pregnancy. He took the time to answer our questions and address our concerns during our consultations and the numerous monitoring appointments...Dr. Kipersztock was compassionate and seemed to be invested in our success. He was optimistic and yet honest about my condition and our chances of success. I felt that he did the best he could with the volume of patients that he was seeing. I never felt like he did not care. He had good bedside manner during my monitoring appointments and he was understanding and patient when we became frustrated with our insurance company.
The staff [at Shady Grove] was pretty friendly (there has been some turnover since our last treatment), and we got to know them throughout our treatment process. Some are more compassionate about what is going on with you than others, some are more business oriented. I felt they were honest about whether we were good candidates for certain treatments, and about our chances of success. Though they will provide information on financing options, I wish there were more options in terms of payments. In my opinion, the credit company they use is predatory and charges an extraordinary loan interest/initiation rate. You will feel like part of a herd. That's the nature of a high volume fertility treatment. But I firmly believe that you decide what you get out of the staff and doctors. If you want to fly under the radar, you can. If y
How was your experience with Simon Kipersztok (retired) at Shady Grove Fertility?
Dr. Kipersztock was compassionate and seemed to be invested in our success. He was optimistic and yet honest about my condition and our chances of success. I felt that he did the best he could with the volume of patients that he was seeing. I never felt like he did not care. He had good bedside manner during my monitoring appointments and he was understanding and patient when we became frustrated with our insurance company.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Simon Kipersztok (retired) at Shady Grove Fertility?
Dr. Kipersztok will answer your questions, but you should bring them with you to your visit.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Simon Kipersztok (retired) at Shady Grove Fertility?
Dr. K called me personally after my retrieval, my transfer, and my chemical pregnancy. He took the time to answer our questions and address our concerns during our consultations and the numerous monitoring appointments.
Describe the protocols Simon Kipersztok (retired) used in your cycles at Shady Grove Fertility and their degree of success.
Due to our insurance coverage, we had to do 6 cycles of a lower cost treatment before going for IVF. Dr. K went with our preferences for timed intercourse/ovulation induction due to our financial restraints. The cost for 6 cycles of IUI was too much for us at the time, so we worked with us to satisfy the requirements for our insurance to cover half of the IVF cost. Dr. K also appealed to the director of our insurance company on our behalf (to move forward with IVF after 4-5 cycles), though it was denied. We really appreciated this. He was very clear that IVF was probably the only way we would be able to conceive.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Shady Grove Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Nikki LaChapelle)
It is difficult to not feel like "just a number" when you are going through numerous cycles of fertility treatments with a high volume clinic. No matter how wonderful the staff is, you cannot help but feel like part of a herd. The staff asked how we were doing at each visit and explained what was going on at each monitoring visit. They use fertility jargon so you have to come to understand the lingo, which I think is just about anywhere. Our nurse was very prompt and good with explaining next steps and instructions. She was accessible by email and phone, and we felt she cared about our success. The financial coordinator is very clear cut and to the point, which I guess is to be expected. She was patient and explained when we had questions about our bills, but we had to ask specific questions to get all the information we wanted/needed.
Describe your experience with Shady Grove Fertility.
I did not know what to expect when we first started out with treatments, but we chose the clinic because of the reputation and its proximity to home and work. The staff was pretty friendly (there has been some turnover since our last treatment), and we got to know them throughout our treatment process. Some are more compassionate about what is going on with you than others, some are more business oriented. I felt they were honest about whether we were good candidates for certain treatments, and about our chances of success. Though they will provide information on financing options, I wish there were more options in terms of payments. In my opinion, the credit company they use is predatory and charges an extraordinary loan interest/initiation rate.
You will feel like part of a herd. That's the nature of a high volume fertility treatment. But I firmly believe that you decide what you get out of the staff and doctors. If you want to fly under the radar, you can. If you want to be actively engaged with the team, be sure to have your questions ready. Do not feel bad about asking questions, because you are paying a good amount of money for your care and this is treatment you will be emotionally invested in. If you don't like a particular doctor/nurse, you can change to another doctor/nurse. At my particular office, there was only one doctor and two nurses, but you will see other doctors/nurses when you go for procedures at the bigger offices.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Shady Grove Fertility.
The monitoring appointments were very early in the morning- usually 7am-8:45am. This worked for me personally because of my work schedule, but it might not work for everyone. The phlebotomist was very nice and competent at my clinic. The clinic I went to was smaller than the other ones, so I did not mind the monitoring so much. However, the clinic was closed on weekends and holidays, so for monitoring on those days i had to drive an hour away. At the larger clinics, you definitely feel like a cattle in line. The nurse would call by 3pm with results and instructions.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Simon Kipersztok (retired) at Shady Grove Fertility.
Due to our insurance, we had to cover 50% of all procedures, sonograms, blood work, and x-rays. We paid for all our medication out of pocket. The cost of IVF was about 9,000 and our insurance covered half. The medication for IVF was about 2,000-3,000. Between our IVF and our 6 ovulation induction cycles, we spent almost 20,000.
Describe Simon Kipersztok (retired)'s approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Shady Grove Fertility.
Due to my unicornuate uterus, Dr. K was clear with us that a single embryo would be in the best interest of my health and a potential baby's health, especially knowing my desire to not have to terminate a fetus if two embryos did implant.