Dr. Maclin, while we didn't see her very much, got straight to the point and didn't try to waste our time or her time with additional procedures such as IUI-knowing that my husband's sperm sample wouldn't be successful with IUI. She is blunt, but gets her point across in an understanding way. She took the time to answer our questions and make sure we understood everything she was telling us. When we had our first cycle canceled due to my ovaries not responding appropriately, she took the time to call us and explain what she would like to do differently for the next cycle. She takes the time to greet you and answer questions before starting any procedures, so she has good bedside manner.
Depending on how busy the waiting room is, the front desk staff [at Heartland Center] can be either cold or warm when you check in. But after they get to know you, they get friendlier. I found all of the nurses and everyone involved in my care to be friendly and caring. Jo in billings is very friendly and helpful in letting you know the costs of the procedures. She also had suggestions for how we could finance things as well. The nurses and Jo are also helpful with finding discounts for the medication and letting you know where to apply for those discounts.
How was your experience with Victoria Maclin at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine?
As a patient of Dr. Maclin, I appreciated her bedside manner before, during and after procedures. As busy as she is, she makes you her focus during your appointment. She takes the time to thoroughly and clearly explain what or why she is doing things. She also takes the time to answer any of your questions, she wants you to understand. She cares about the financial aspects of this investment that we make also, and was very clear with us what to expect to spend so we appreciated that.
During monitoring, I never saw her. And my questions were often referred to Dr. Gustin. I appreciate that Dr. Gustin and Dr. Maclin work closely together as a team, working on achieving the best success for their patients. It would have been reassuring to know this before hand rather than in the midst of treatments.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Victoria Maclin at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Have your questions ready, there's no such thing as a stupid question for Dr. Maclin. She will take the time to answer them and make sure you understand what is happening.
Know that Dr. Maclin cares for you as a patient and wants the best success for you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Victoria Maclin at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine?
My husband and I met with Dr. Maclin for our initial consult where she explained the testing she wanted to do before starting IVF. She performed several of the procedures done before we could start IVF. She then met with us again to discuss how she wanted us to proceed-doing IVF with ICSI. The nurses then took over for the injection teaching, monitoring appointments, and followups. We saw Dr. Maclin again for the egg retrieval.
Dr. Maclin, while we didn't see her very much, got straight to the point and didn't try to waste our time or her time with additional procedures such as IUI-knowing that my husband's sperm sample wouldn't be successful with IUI. She is blunt, but gets her point across in an understanding way. She took the time to answer our questions and make sure we understood everything she was telling us. When we had our first cycle canceled due to my ovaries not responding appropriately, she took the time to call us and explain what she would like to do differently for the next cycle. She takes the time to greet you and answer questions before starting any procedures, so she has good bedside manner.
Describe the protocols Victoria Maclin used in your cycles at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
First cycle: Birth control pills then Gonal-F in the AM, Menopur in the PM. My cycle was canceled after the first monitoring appointment. My ovaries didn't respond appropriately. Was going to have centrotide and HCG trigger but ended up not needing them.
Second cycle: Birth control pills, added in lupron, Follistim in the AM, Menopur in the PM. Continued with lupron the whole time I was stimulating. HCG trigger. I responded better and had my retrieval a day ahead of schedule. Ended up with 10 eggs-8 were mature-7 fertilized and only 2 made it to blast.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine. (Assigned nurse: Sheryl)
I was having difficulty with reaching anyone at the clinic the first few times due to their hours and my lack of cell phone service during their hours. After meeting with my nurse, she was willing to email or text me. She was very accommodating to my needs and my questions. She was sympathetic also when my first cycle was cancelled and was cheering me on for my second cycle. She took the time to follow up with me after my transfer and congratulate me on my pregnancy even though I was out of her care at that point.
Describe your experience with Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Depending on how busy the waiting room is, the front desk staff can be either cold or warm when you check in. But after they get to know you, they get friendlier.
I found all of the nurses and everyone involved in my care to be friendly and caring.
Jo in billings is very friendly and helpful in letting you know the costs of the procedures. She also had suggestions for how we could finance things as well.
The nurses and Jo are also helpful with finding discounts for the medication and letting you know where to apply for those discounts.
The clinic's main weakness is the fact they close at 3 in the afternoon and they are closed during the noon hour. It makes it hard for patients who work during the day to get a hold of them.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine.
I had a very long drive to get to the clinic. The nurses were very understanding of this, so I hardly ever saw any other patients in the waiting room when I was there for my monitoring appointments. I hardly had a wait and was seen right away. My results for blood tests were quick-within an hour. My nurse would text me within an hour or two of leaving the clinic the further instructions for injections.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Victoria Maclin at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine.
My insurance didn't cover anything related to infertility. So all costs were out of pocket.
The pre-testing (blood work, semen testing) and procedures added up to about $8,000.
Monitoring (ultrasounds) and testing (labs) while stimulating was about $1800.
Medications was estimated to be $3000-$5000.
IVF retrieval with ICSI (Dr, facility and lab fees included) was $8625
Embryo transfer (fresh) was $1925
Embryo freezing costs varies
Embryo storage for 1 year is $500.
Describe Victoria Maclin's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Dr. Maclin suggested for my age, I would be better off with one embryo transferred. She explained the risks of a multiple pregnancy and the success rates with multiple embryos transferred vs one embryo transferred.
Dr. Gustin ended up doing my embryo transfer and she asked us how many we wanted to put in. We were prepared beforehand to do just one, so we only put one in and it implanted.
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Clinic
Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine
Omaha