Ratings of 1 indicate that a clinic was poorly operated.
Ratings of 10 indicate that a clinic operated very well.
Scheduling
6.7
6.7
Scheduling
Ratings of 1 mean it was difficult to schedule appointments with this clinic.
Ratings of 10 mean it was easy to schedule appointments.
Billing Department
5.6
5.6
Billing Department
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory billing department.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent billing department.
Nursing Team
6.7
6.7
Nursing Team
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory nursing team.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent nursing team.
LGBTQ+ Care
4.7
4.7
LGBTQ+ Care
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory LGBTQ+ care.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent LGBTQ+ care.
Attention to Detail
5.4
5.4
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail is on a 1 - 10 scale, and is scored based on the rate, and severity, of errors committed by the clinic according to the patients.
For example, a severe error might be failing to inform a patient of critical information, while a small error might be failing to call a patient with results.
CDC Success Rates
This is the most recent data from the CDC. The CDC cautions that it should not be used to compare doctors and clinics. This data represents the outcomes of IVF cycles when using a person's own eggs.
For more information please see our FAQs.
Where you see a “?” on the chart, a clinic has done fewer than 20 cycles in this category and age range, so the CDC says showing percentages from this small data set would be misleading and unreliable.
[Dr. Samuel Brown is a] Poor communicator, poor bedside manner...Never saw him for monitoring appointments...just shows up on transfer and retrieval days...initial consult, 2 retrievals, and 3 separate FETs (w/ PGT-A and PGT-M tested embryos - all of which failed) and a second consult...Every single time we interacted with him for these, he would say "nice to meet you"...the nurse practitioners do all of the monitoring - and Dr. Brown just shows up on transfer and retrieval days.
[Brown Fertility] Strengths: Staff are compassionate and understanding...Weaknesses: Financial / insurance departments are disorganized...takes forever and a day (literally) to get a live person to speak to...I've been on hold...for over 40 minutes before...no guarantee that you will see the same provider every time
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Strengths: he's an expert in this stuff.. apparently. If you're unsure, he'll tell you he is. He'll also tell you he's in the top 3 people in the world that specialize in reproductive endocrinology.
Flaws/weaknesses: Poor communicator, poor bedside manner, narcissistic/cocky/pompous. Never saw him for monitoring appointments... the nurse practitioners do all of the monitoring - and Dr. Brown just shows up on transfer and retrieval days.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Go somewhere else. Honestly. I wish I would've come to this conclusion sooner.
Please learn from my mistakes and my experience.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
We did an initial consult, 2 retrievals, and 3 separate FETs (w/ PGT-A and PGT-M tested embryos - all of which failed) and a second consult.. all with Dr. Brown. Every single time we interacted with him for these, he would say "nice to meet you" and knew nothing about my case. You'd think that prior to meeting with his patients, he'd do a quick chart review, or SOMETHING to familiarize himself (the "Expert").
Retrieval days and transfer days feel like cattle calls / assembly line vibes. Dr. Brown says the EXACT SAME THINGS to every single patient.... : "the good embryos take and the bad ones don't"... *after handing you your little ultrasound pic of the transferred embryo* "there's your future shining star"
When verbalizing to him that this is what it feels like from a patient's perspective, he literally said to me: "It's offensive that you think that I don't care whether or not you get pregnant"... which isn't at all what I said or insinuated.
In all of the conversations I've had with him, I have walked away feeling small, stupid, and low on hope/optimism.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
For my 2 retrievals, my cycle was set up over 2 months, I was on birth control pill (BCP), prenatal vitamin (PNV) and 81 mg aspirin (ASP) for the first 3 weeks. On week 4, I continued PNV and ASP, and started Gonal F (225 units) and lo dose hCG (20 units) subcutaneously x 3 days. For the next 8 days, I was on Gonal F (150 units) and low dose hCG (20 units), PNV and ASP. I had my retrieval (had 8 eggs retrieved in round 1, 12 in round 2).
From round 1- my eggs were frozen and underwent PGT A testing, and PGT- M testing (I have a gene mutation that we were testing for). 2 made it out and were normal.
From round 2- - my eggs were frozen and underwent PGT A testing, and PGT- M testing. 3 made it out and were normal.
In total - we had 5 normal embryos.
For all 3 of my transfers, I had the same protocol. Medicated. Dr. Brown doesn't offer natural protocols outright.
First week and a half are ASP, BCP and PNV. Then Lupron (leuprolide) 10 units every evening x 3.5 weeks subcutaneously. 5 days into lupron, BCP stops, but all other meds (PNV and ASP) continue. 2 mg Estradiol is added a week and half in (½ pill in AM and 1/2 pill in PM) orally to start, then increased after 4 days to 1 pill in AM and 1 pill in PM.. then increased after 4 days to 2 pills in AM and 2 pills in PM... then decreased after 5 days back down to 1 pill in AM and 1 pill in PM. The day after stopping Lupron, Progesterone in oil (PIO) is started at 50 mg intramuscularly (IM) in morning. On day 2, PIO is increased to 100 mg IM x 6 days. On day 6, transfer occurs with day 5 embryo. Meds continue as is - ASA/PNV/2 mg Estradiol 1 pill twice daily/ PIO 100 mg IM for 12 more days. On day 12, blood test in office is done to check for pregnancy. If positive, you'd continue on same med protocol... if negative, meds are stopped.
No rationale was provided for why this protocol was chosen for me...other than that this is what Dr. Brown does.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Christine)
I have stayed through 2 retrievals and 3 frozen embryo transfers because of the nursing team. Christine (RN) is incredible and so so so so kind.
Two of my favorite nurse practitioners (Christina Camacho and Rachel Shaw) have since left Brown, but they were also incredible and really compassionate.
Every direct care person (all the RNs, CNAs and ANRPs) that I've interacted with (outside of Dr. Brown) have been amazing.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
Strengths: Staff are compassionate and understanding. They are happy to answer any question, clarify directions and are responsive to emails/phone calls.
Weaknesses:
Financial / insurance departments are disorganized. It takes them awhile to get back to you (unless they are collecting your payment!), and they do not help you advocate for insurance coverage or get answers in regards to insurance coverage. When I did request superbills so that I could submit things to my insurance - they did not provide complete information. They also did not respond back to my insurance when inquiries were sent to Brown from my insurance.
It takes forever and a day (literally) to get a live person to speak to when you call Brown's number. I've been on hold (and memorized their cheesy busy signal message) for over 40 minutes before... and this was the norm.
Medical records - takes them forever and a day to get your records to you. I've asked for all of my records - so I can begin the process of getting consults at other IVF clinics, and am still waiting 2 weeks later. I'm guessing they utilize paper charts - but still... ridiculous.
The Jacksonville office consistently runs behind schedule - chances are realllllly good that you will wait and wait and wait for your appt. Don't schedule things for soon after your appt - because you won't make them.
There is no guarantee that you will see the same provider every time - in fact - you won't. Initially, I didn't think this would bother me - but not having a consistent face doing my scans/ultrasounds made it feel really disconnected and more like an assembly line.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
Retrievals: $12,000-15,000 per each retrieval (meds not included)--> meds were +/- $2,000-$3,000.
Transfers: $5,000 per each transfer (meds not included) --> meds were another $600-800.
Labs: $150 for bloodwork (pregnancy testing)
Consult w/ Dr. Brown - $150
We utilized Mandell's pharmacy.
This is within the July 2022 - May2024 time frame.
Describe Samuel Brown's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
Dr. Brown didn't have strong feelings either way for the first 3 transfers. Since the first three have failed and we've had a consult, now he is suggesting we put our last 2 in together.. as we have a 10-20% chance of conceiving twins.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown is very confident in his ability to get patients pregnant and went so far as to tell me on my first consultation "You'll get pregnant in no time". I'm now at three failures over a year later. I've seen him twice, the first consultation and then again after my first transfer which resulted in a chemical pregnancy. He was nice about it but I haven't had another discussion with him since on how to change my protocols. He also did not want to provide me with my embryo grading report stating that it made no difference in conceiving. However, that should be my choice as a patient.
The communication with [Brown Fertility] patients is atrocious. There is no "personalized" care as their recording would lead you to believe. You have to wait long periods after your scheduled appointment and many times I've been told "we're backed up"...While the nurses are nice, it seems you are only a priority while actively going through a cycle. Coverage for absences is not consistent, nor is follow up with requests to other departments (ie scheduling consults, etc).
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown is very confident in his ability to get patients pregnant and went so far as to tell me on my first consultation "You'll get pregnant in no time". I'm now at three failures over a year later. I've seen him twice, the first consultation and then again after my first transfer which resulted in a chemical pregnancy. He was nice about it but I haven't had another discussion with him since on how to change my protocols.
He also did not want to provide me with my embryo grading report stating that it made no difference in conceiving. However, that should be my choice as a patient.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Be explicit in advocating for yourself, what information you want from them, and how to be treated.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
I am writing this review after 2 failed IUIs and 1 chemical pregnancy after IVF fresh transfer trying to conceive as a single mother by choice. While I understand infertility is highly variable from patient to patient, the basis of my poor experience has more to do with the utter lack of patient care. The recording you listen to while on hold says “personalized patient care” yet I rarely saw the same person for my ultrasound appointments, IUI procedures, or retrievals, least of all the actual physician meant to be treating me.
This year after my first failed IVF, I had to wait to acquire funds for another attempt since I was now paying out of pocket after maxing out my insurance fertility benefits. I put up over $13,000 to Dr. Brown’s clinic for a retrieval, not including medications (another $3500). At the start of this cycle I did the normal lab work for baseline. I was advised I had a high thyroid TSH level of 11 and was immediately prescribed levothyroxine and given a referral to an endocrinologist. Because I was a new patient for the endo, I had to wait for the first available which was almost two months, and ended up being the same week as my retrieval. In the meantime, I had a second set of labs to check my thyroid for Dr. Brown and they came back at a level of 8. At no point throughout this process did I get any information as to why thyroid levels are so important, nor was I advised to postpone fertility treatments.
Upon meeting with the endocrinologist, it was explained that the most optimal thyroid level for conception is 2.5 or less. The doctor said I should postpone a transfer until I get to that level. By this point, I was already through my medications and waiting for my retrieval appt. I reached out to the IVF nurse email group. The nurse said she spoke to Dr. Brown and was told he didn’t think it was necessary to delay a transfer but would do so at my request. I then asked for a call from the doctor so I could discuss in more detail what all this means, the decision to change to a frozen transfer, etc. I got no reply. I went to my retrieval appt, and still was not being given the information I was asking for so I had to explain I wanted to speak to the doctor before my procedure. Yet again a different doctor than I’ve dealt with, however, she wholeheartedly agreed with my endocrinologist that I should wait for my TSH to decrease substantially. Not only does the clinic choose to ignore the advice of the physicians they refer their patients to, but within their own clinic physicians are giving conflicting medical advice. And now that I’d be forced to complete a frozen transfer, I would have to pay an additional $1500 for “conversion”. Why would I pay for a conversion when it’s not a flippant choice and the conflicting argument between medical providers that cannot be trusted?
By this time, I was so frustrated with receiving poor quality of care and communication I asked to speak with a manager. The communication between offices and departments is appalling. It was explained to me that I did not receive a response to my request for a consult before the retrieval due to my assigned nurse being on PTO. The email address goes to all the nurses so clearly there is no adequate coverage to respond to patients in a timely manner. I learned to verify my appts in triplicate since two occasions I was told to go to one office when I set my appt but it ended up being in the other. I submitted a request to the medical records department twice without receiving so much as a confirmation of receipt. By calling to check status I was advised there was a form I needed to complete. I did that and sent it and still have yet to receive anything back. I spoke with the manager Denise who continued to say thyroid levels don’t matter and I was referred just to get them managed by another physician. Seeing how volatile the infertility process can be and how hormones play such a vital role in conception, I would expect medical professionals to agree on getting a patient into the MOST optimal state before moving forward with treatment. My second retrieval was an epic failure having retrieved 3 eggs, none of which survived. Luckily, I have one in storage from my earlier retrieval. Because I still feel the need to pursue this journey, I moved forward with having a FET training only to be called 15 minutes ahead of my appt to say my appt was no longer needed. When I said #1 I’m already on my way to your office for my appt in 15 minutes, but it should be my decision on whether or not my appts are necessary. I was told it was because I had no embryos. Again, a complete failure on the office’s part to read my chart and see that I had an embryo in storage. I was told I could keep the appt after they confirmed.
During my cycle, I had to “borrow” meds because I was short one injection and couldn’t get a delivery until the next day. During the same FET education appt I tried to return the meds and sat in the office listening to at least three nurses say they had NO records of me borrowing medication. I still had to leave it there for fear of getting a bill for the full cost of the meds. Concerning that a medication that costs upwards of $2-3000 per pen would be so poorly documented. Oh let’s not fail to mention overhearing a nurse complaining about a patient not following medical advice ending with “people are so dumb” within earshot of the waiting room. Aside from all this, the office just practices poor management of such mundane things as HIPAA, having patients’ blood samples, and having patient names scrawled on test tubes sitting directly across from where vitals are taken.
I’m beyond my limit in dealing with such horrible practices and now out more than $16,000 (of which Brown prices are considerably higher than other clinics), can’t afford any more treatment, and no one wants to give me a straight answer or return my calls/emails. This office needs a serious management overhaul and to do better. This process isn’t easy just having your own body work against you, the last thing we need is suboptimal care and medical advice.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Chelsea and Sarah)
While the nurses are nice, it seems you are only a priority while actively going through a cycle. Coverage for absences is not consistent, nor is follow up with requests to other departments (ie scheduling consults, etc).
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The communication with patients is atrocious. There is no "personalized" care as their recording would lead you to believe. You have to wait long periods after your scheduled appointment and many times I've been told "we're backed up".
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
My insurance benefit was for $25,000 lifetime and was maxed out after two IUIs and one IVF cycle. I paid well over $13,000 to the office out of pocket between the cost of third-party anesthesia for two retrievals and the cost of my second retrieval. I'm not sure how much was spent on office visits for the IUIs.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown couldn't even fake remembering us during our 2 failed FET transfers by just quickly looking at the chart for reference. After nearly 9 months of being a patient...convey no emotional support or empathy and do not care about success for you- only about taking your business...And god forbid you have a failed transfer or any negative outcome- you won’t be in touch with your physician, a random nurse will give you your fate and it’s in your hands to decide the next step
Dr. Brown and his office [Brown Fertility] are beyond poorly run, convey no emotional support or empathy and do not care about success for you- only about taking your business. Read the CDC success rates and see for yourself, they do not advertise the truth and I hope this can help prevent someone from wasting their time, money and soul at this clinic...The nursing staff is limited. I will say there were a few during my experience there that did attempt to care and try to lead me in the right direction and followed up with me when I reached out, I am unsure if they are still employed there however I’m sure they have at least looked into working somewhere that they will be around more competent providers. Aside from those 2 the rest are constantly new with people leaving and there’s no consistency.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
I’d like to prelude this to say I’m a Nurse practitioner and my husband is a physician, so this review is coming from a place of two people who practice medicine currently and deal with the patient communication as well as staying up-to-date on latest evidence-based practice for our jobs daily, this is in no way coming from an ignorant perspective about how patient care works behind the scenes. I'm 29 years old and we deal with male factor infertility, so in theory this facility told me the IVF process should be a straight forward fix. I realize now if you are young and in such a situation they will do zero investigation into other factors and essentially just follow their own not evidence based protocols, change them during course depending on the doc that shows up at your visit, (of course while taking your cash) until something just by chance works and repeat randomly until it does. Not only that, even the competent physicians here like Dr. Waldman you may initially consult with will not in any way be following up with you, you will see different physicians every time for every procedure, they will change your plans and protocols constantly. And god forbid you have a failed transfer or any negative outcome- you won’t be in touch with your physician, a random nurse will give you your fate and it’s in your hands to decide the next step. Truly I emphasize to anyone considering starting treatment here to research and reconsider. Having moved on to an amazing clinic with physicians that care and you consistently see and that are there to ensure you have the best outcomes and troubleshooting after a failure to strive again for success. Dr. Brown and his office are beyond poorly run, convey no emotional support or empathy and do not care about success for you- only about taking your business. Read the CDC success rates and see for yourself, they do not advertise the truth and I hope this can help prevent someone from wasting their time, money and soul at this clinic.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Research- read these reviews and look at CDC IVF success rates as they are accurate and truly reflect this clinics low success. Having now moved on to a clinic in a bigger city with higher reported to the CDC success rates, insanely good customer service and only the latest evidence based medicine practices do I realize how absolutely horrible Brown fertility really is. Even as healthcare providers, we were fooled by their overly confident attitude during consultation we had, trusting their expertise and being failed as patients and human beings by them.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown couldn't even fake remembering us during our 2 failed FET transfers by just quickly looking at the chart for reference. After nearly 9 months of being a patient at their facility by the way.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
Consulted for IVF with Dr. Waldman (who I believe should absolutely run for his life from this place) being im under 30 and it’s male factor was advised how breezy this was supposed to be. During my IVF egg retrieval process I saw a different provider every visit until the actual retrieval. Had Dr. Brown change my trigger protocol the day before, later realizing this was not evidence based decision making. Then I was told to have a fresh transfer vs. frozen which aside from certain circumstances is no longer recommended as the most successful means of embryo transfer and also limit how many eggs they can harvest during the retrieval. I gave the nurse I spoke to credit because she did inform me of this and was surprised that they were trying to push a fresh transfer on me but of course I figured I would trust the physician. So they took 14 eggs, six or seven fertilized and only three made it to five day blastocysts.
Being under 30 they don’t say it’s Necessary to genetically test the embryos however having gone through such a heart ache and three embryo transfers and talking with my new RE specialist, I realize regardless of the age of reason it is worth putting aside the money or taking out whatever is needed in order to obtain those genetic results so that you can fully understand what you were going to have transferred into you and the true likelihood of success. I was told I would be mailed paperwork on the embryos that reflected their grades and was only given the grading on the day of my transfers on a piece of paper and told by Dr. Brown, who happened to be the one there on the days of both my transfers, that they were “perfect embryos .“ After transferring our last embryo to a new clinic I discovered that was never true. The fresh transfer failed with the “best embryo.” No physician reached out to me after, I had to beg these people to schedule me a consult for a frozen transfer of our second embryo. One of the biggest things that I am just so heartbroken and angry about include during my second transfer Dr. Brown having trouble getting through to my cervix, rather than be prepared for an obstacle before sending the embryo through the catheter he had already begun transferring the embryo before even entering my uterus, having to send the embryo back through the catheter to the embryologist before getting a metal style catheter to get into my uterus. In the moment I was very shocked and scared that this would have damage the embryo and after telling the story to my new RE the shock on her face that he had done that I realize I am confident that altered the embryo and thus the success. Not only that but after reviewing my records from this clinic she was surprised that he did not chart or document any of what occurred during that transfer about having to change plans in order to get through my cervix so that no other physician or person the future would be prepared or informed of this. This transfer was of course a failure as well. Prior to having all of my records and specimen sent to a new and competent facility, I attempted to have a consultation about why I have sustained two failures. Their suggestion was changing the transfer day 24 hours later, adding an extra day of progesterone. Nobody had discussed with me that this was blindly guessing that my uterine lining was not receptive on the initial day and that it may be after 24 hours of additional progesterone. No one mentioned or discussed the option to do an ERA procedure which essentially test the receptivity, I went and had this done at the clinic I transfer to which confirmed that I was receptive on the original day I had been exposed to progesterone and so had I blindly agreed to their plan it would have ensured a failure.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
The nursing staff is limited. I will say there were a few during my experience there that did attempt to care and try to lead me in the right direction and followed up with me when I reached out, I am unsure if they are still employed there however I’m sure they have at least looked into working somewhere that they will be around more competent providers. Aside from those 2 the rest are constantly new with people leaving and there’s no consistency.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
This clinic will hold you hostage to a schedule they create for you with dates and times and tell you it has all been calculated precisely due to their “busy” schedule, but let me inform you, competent clinics like the one I have switched Rob can revolve these things around YOUR schedule, thats one of the actual positive things about doing a controlled process like this, if you have to work or have plans then I have learned they can modify by days or hours if need me to accommodate YOU, which is part of what you should be paying for. That is one of the few plus sides to having to do this process- it’s all controlled for the most part and should be as convenient as it can be on your behalf. Aside from the clinical errors, they LOST my down deposit for the last transfer and did not even respond via telephone or email for 3 weeks, at first trying to blame me for not following up but after confronting them with all of my screen shots of dates and receipts ultimately apologizing for their financial dept. error. This all was a result of poor communication between nursing staff and the other clinic departments that have no consistent means of monitoring phone or email communications from patients or communicating with each other. Read the CDC success stats, get second opinions, talk to other RE specialists before wasting your time, money, energy and emotion into this incompetent place.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
As I mentioned earlier in my review, they lost my 500$ for several weeks and poorly manage the financial department. In comparison to other clinics that have significantly higher success rates reported by the CDC and that have significantly more evidence-based practicing physicians that are empathetic and caring with office staff that actually respond to you immediately and almost no wait times (which ladies is part of what you pay for with this service you deserve all of that and more when it’s a cash run business) I would say that their prices were not really any cheaper than the significantly better clinics that I later looked into.
Describe Samuel Brown's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
These people don’t give an actual inkling of care to how many embryos you transfer at any point. Each time I had a transfer the days before the procedure I was asked by nurses not even the physicians how many I wanted transferred and asked what they recommend and was told “it’s whatever I want.”
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
Hopefully my review outlines all the details enough to help anyone else on here reading reviews move on to a place they will likely have success at.
DR BROWN WAS PLEASANT, THOUGHTFUL AND CARING. HE WAS VERY THOROUGH WITH A TREATMENT PLAN AND DID A VERY DETAILED PANEL ON ME AND MY SPOUSE. I LOVED HIS SENSE OF URGENCY. I OFTEN FELT AS IF HE WAS TOO BUSYAND SO MY CASE WAS NOT IMPORTANT...IN MY INITIAL VISIT I FELT LIKE A HUMAN BUT AFTER DECIDING TO DO THE TREATMENT I FELT MORE LIKE A NUMBER. I FELT AS IF I WAS NOT IMPORTANT.
[Brown Fertility] STRENGTH: GREAT ATMOSPHERE, AND GOOD DOCTORS. WEAKNESSESS: THEY NEED TO BE MORE ORGANIZED AND TREAT PEOPLE WITH MORE COMPASSION. AT TIMES THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS POOR. WHILE THEY HAD GOOD DOCTORS, THEY ALSO HAVE A DOCTOR WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO DELIVER BAD NEWS TO PATIENTS. THEY NEED TO TREAT PATIENTS A LITTLE BETTER.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
DR BROWN WAS PLEASANT, THOUGHTFUL AND CARING. HE WAS VERY THOROUGH WITH A TREATMENT PLAN AND DID A VERY DETAILED PANEL ON ME AND MY SPOUSE. I LOVED HIS SENSE OF URGENCY. I OFTEN FELT AS IF HE WAS TOO BUSYAND SO MY CASE WAS NOT IMPORTANT.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
I WOULD ADVICE THEM TO RESEARCH MORE FACILITIES BEFORE COMMITTING TO ONE DOCTOR. MAINLY BECAUSE I DID NOT FEEL IMPORTANT THERE.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
IN MY INITIAL VISIT I FELT LIKE A HUMAN BUT AFTER DECIDING TO DO THE TREATMENT I FELT MORE LIKE A NUMBER. I FELT AS IF I WAS NOT IMPORTANT.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
MY CYCLE WAS IVF WITH DONOR EGGS. HE SAID MY AMH WAS LOW SO RETRIEVING MY EGGS WAS GOING TO BE CHALLENGING.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: THAYANE)
I FELT LIKE SHE IS JUST DOING HER JOB, THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I FELT FORGOTTEN AND HAD TO CALL THEM SEVERAL TIMES TO GET A RESPONSE. THEY COMMUNICATE MOSTLY THROUGH EMAIL SO YOU DON"T FEEL THAT CONNECTION. I JUST GOT THE FEELING LIKE THEY HAD MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO THAN LOOK AFTER MY FAMILY.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
STRENGTH: GREAT ATMOSPHERE, AND GOOD DOCTORS.
WEAKNESSESS: THEY NEED TO BE MORE ORGANIZED AND TREAT PEOPLE WITH MORE COMPASSION. AT TIMES THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS POOR.
WHILE THEY HAD GOOD DOCTORS, THEY ALSO HAVE A DOCTOR WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO DELIVER BAD NEWS TO PATIENTS. THEY NEED TO TREAT PATIENTS A LITTLE BETTER.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
IT WS VERY EXPENSIVE, I GOT FINANCING WITH ARC
Describe Samuel Brown's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
HE SAID DOING AA SINGLE CYCLE WAS BEST.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Failed to call with results
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
THE FINAL THING WAS TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE TRANSFER I WAS TOLD TO STOP TAKING THE MEDICATION BECAUSE THE EMBRYOS DID NOT FERTILIZE. I HAD TO WAIT THREE MONTHS FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED. I DID NOT APPRECIATE THAT ONE BIT. I WISH I HAD MORE ANSWERS.
[Dr. Waldman] is very friendly and seems to care about you as a person. He always was the only person to ask what we didn’t like about the clinic and what needed to be fix. He is very good about calling you back once he gets the message from the nurse (which can take awhile)...He was always willing and so is the clinic to let us transfer many embryos...you see many drs in the practice
The clinic has great staff and terrible staff...You definitely have to be on top of it and know when to order medicine and figure all of that out on your own. The billing department is a nightmare they are horrible...The nursing staff is often a hot mess. I have been giving the wrong calendar, told to start medicine when I should not be on that medicine and other issues...[Dr. Waldman] was always willing and so is the clinic to let us transfer many embryos. The clinic let us do 3 for 2 of our cycles
How was your experience with Ian Waldman at Brown Fertility?
He is very friendly and seems to care about you as a person. He always was the only person to ask what we didn’t like about the clinic and what needed to be fix. He is very good about calling you back once he gets the message from the nurse (which can take awhile).
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Ian Waldman at Brown Fertility?
Ask him for the data and let that control what he thinks is the best plan for your cycle.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Ian Waldman at Brown Fertility?
When you are with Dr Waldman on the phone or in the room you feel like a human and that he does listen to you, however the practice he is worth often makes you feel like a number and it is hard to get answers and you see many drs in the practice
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Tiffany)
The nursing staff is often a hot mess. I have been giving the wrong calendar, told to start medicine when I should not be on that medicine and other issues. Also often times the email response doesn’t answer the questions you asked and you have to send follow up email.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The clinic has great staff and terrible staff. Some of the medical assistant are the nicest people you will ever met. Some of them need a new job
Some of the nurses are amazing and will go out of there way to support you or help you.
You definitely have to be on top of it and know when to order medicine and figure all of that out on your own.
The billing department is a nightmare they are horrible about answering questions and if you don’t ask for the credits you are due they will never refund them. And they take forever to bill your insurance company.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Ian Waldman at Brown Fertility.
Thankfully our insurance covers a big chunk of the cost so we have been able to do multiple rounds.
Describe Ian Waldman's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
He was always willing and so is the clinic to let us transfer many embryos. The clinic let us do 3 for 2 of our cycles
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Failed to consider drug intolerance
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
Always had to remind them to send in script and to the pharmacy that my insurance used even after it was sent to them via email.
Calendar emailed at 4:25 pm on a Friday to you with missing information and then that employee leaves at 4:30 pm. Had to advocate for myself to get them to call her at home.
Had to advocate for myself to find out that Lupron and centrotide are not supposed to be taken together. Was told by a nurse to take them at same time thankfully I knew better.
He [Dr. Samuel Brown] never remembered who we were or what our situation was. He changed his treatment plans on a whim without saying it was because this didn’t work. It was never cohesive...I was so sick of Dr. Browns attitude of not caring and talking to me like I was a cattle and talking to my husband like he was so patient to be with a infertile wife.
I think this [Brown Fertility] is a numbers place. I went because I had a friend who had a successful IVF cycle there. If your body is good at reacting to the treatment, it’s worth it. If it doesn’t work, go find a new place and a new treatment plan. It’s a one trick spot. They have drugs and treatments you need to do fertility treatment, but that doesn’t mean it’s gonna be anything close to caring and aware of your personal situation.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
I assume they ask about sexual assault and rape so they can be extra sensitive to the patient and be very aware of explaining what is happening and why. But I got a procedure done to check my uterus and with no warning or anything close to a warning he gave me a shot of lidocaine in my cervix and pushed the tube of dye into my cervix, not a word said except “yeah it hurts” when I cussed from the sudden excruciating pain. I told them I was raped years ago so that this exact thing wouldn’t happen. So that my doctor would be gentle and aware and take care of my body properly. It sucked and was super emotional afterwards.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
If you don’t have a lot of road blocks, meaning different issues, then this place is fine. It’s cheaper and quick. If you have diagnosed fertility issues, go somewhere else, cause they couldn’t care less about what to do except do the hormones, get the treatment done and it works or it didn’t.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
He never remembered who we were or what our situation was. He changed his treatment plans on a whim without saying it was because this didn’t work. It was never cohesive.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
I did letrozole for 3 cycles. I did the injections for ovulation as well, but only got to ovulate in one cycle and it was a negative. We upped the hormones with each cycle which I really appreciated, it felt aggressive and like something was changing each time.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
They were definitely the only reason we kept going back. They remembered me, they were kind and tried to empathize when the results weren’t what we were hoping for, they explained a lot of things and always made sure to ask if I had questions right before we left an appointment and I usually did.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
I think this is a numbers place. I went because I had a friend who had a successful IVF cycle there. If your body is good at reacting to the treatment, it’s worth it. If it doesn’t work, go find a new place and a new treatment plan. It’s a one trick spot. They have drugs and treatments you need to do fertility treatment, but that doesn’t mean it’s gonna be anything close to caring and aware of your personal situation.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
$500 per IUI cycle and about $300 in drugs per cycle
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Lost appointments
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
We tried to switch to a new clinic because I was so sick of Dr. Browns attitude of not caring and talking to me like I was a cattle and talking to my husband like he was so patient to be with a infertile wife.
They didn’t send my paperwork. At all. I requested it 3 times over the phone and finally walked into the clinic and demanded they send me my information to my personal email so I can send it to my new clinic. It was appalling.
I understand that there are things outside of the doctors control, however I felt like my treatment was not important and it didn't matter to them...[Dr. Brown] kept making me feel like I'm a new patient cause he couldn't remember my name even though I was a patient with the clinic for 2 years...It felt like the doctor was being pulled In alot of different directions
The [Brown Fertility] clinic is clean and the staff are nice. However they are disorganized. One department doesn't talk to the other. There is two offices in Jax and they keep sending you to a different office instead of doing everything in the one office...I believe it was around $15k for the IVF cycle of which I paid $5k for deductible, meds, and copay...
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
He didn't remember who I was whenever I saw him. He asked me questions which I thought his team should have prepped him on. He seemed clueless to my treatment or where I was in the cycle. It felt like the doctor was being pulled In alot of different directions. Probably has too much on his plate than he can handle.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Don't go to Brown Fertility. Find another doctor.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
The doctor kept making me feel like I'm a new patient cause he couldn't remember my name even though I was a patient with the clinic for 2 years.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
The doctor never talked to me about strategies.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Kristina Maor and Tiffany Baker)
I went through two cycles. First one with Kristina who quit halfway through my cycle. She was not on top of the drug approvals with insurance. It felt like I always had to check in and make sure she was doing her job. Tiffany also quit and I was reassigned again.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The clinic is clean and the staff are nice. However they are disorganized. One department doesn't talk to the other. There is two offices in Jax and they keep sending you to a different office instead of doing everything in the one office.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
I believe it was around $15k for the IVF cycle of which I paid $5k for deductible, meds, and copay. The rest was covered by insurance.
Describe Samuel Brown's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
The doctor transferred 2 embryos cause that is all I had and it was an unsuccessful pregnancy.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
It was a bad experience all together and not just because I didn't get pregnant. I understand that there are things outside of the doctors control, however I felt like my treatment was not important and it didn't matter to them. I was just another cow in the pasture. The first IVf the doctor just said I had bad eggs. The second IVf no one even called me back after the negative pregnancy test to see if I wanted to try again or to tell me what went wrong. There is no treatment or specialized care. They apply the same principle to every patient and if it works it works. If not oh well try again and pay us.
I ended up having my consultation with Dr.Rose via zoom. ... Dr.Rose was incredibly knowledgeable and did a fantastic job of reassuring me that his expertise could be trusted. ... Dr.Rose asked me questions, considered my emotional state as well as physical health, and let me actively participate in the consultation. ... He spent almost 2 hours on the call and maintained such an upbeat positive attitude the entire time. By the end of the consult I felt like he had been my doctor for years and felt very comfortable and excited about establishing with him.
I’ve not been to the clinic [Brown Fertility] in person but scheduling a consult was a very easy process. They always answer phones and we’re very thorough in walking me through the steps involved in the phone consult. Someone even called me 5 mins before my appointment was scheduled to begin just to make sure I was able to connect to the app and see if I needed any help.
How was your experience with Bruce Rose at Brown Fertility?
I ended up having my consultation with Dr.Rose via zoom. This was due to the pandemic but is also a service they regularly offer to patients who are far away from offices. Dr.Rose was incredibly knowledgeable and did a fantastic job of reassuring me that his expertise could be trusted. He spent almost 2 hours on the call and maintained such an upbeat positive attitude the entire time. By the end of the consult I felt like he had been my doctor for years and felt very comfortable and excited about establishing with him.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Bruce Rose at Brown Fertility?
Do not hesitate to ask questions. He was so patient and knowledgeable.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Bruce Rose at Brown Fertility?
Dr.Rose asked me questions, considered my emotional state as well as physical health, and let me actively participate in the consultation.
Describe the protocols Bruce Rose used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
Dr.Rose specializes in IVM -invitro maturation. There is not a lot of research on IVM and not a lot of doctors offer this. Dr.Rose felt confident that this would be a good option for me due to my extremely high AMH and risk of OHSS.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
I only had email and phone communication with the nurses but they were all friendly and helpful.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
I’ve not been to the clinic in person but scheduling a consult was a very easy process. They always answer phones and we’re very thorough in walking me through the steps involved in the phone consult. Someone even called me 5 mins before my appointment was scheduled to begin just to make sure I was able to connect to the app and see if I needed any help.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Bruce Rose at Brown Fertility.
A consultation with Dr.Rose is only $100 if you are self pay. This was very reasonable compared to other clinics. Dr.Rose is the only doctor in the practice to offer IVM, which comes in at under 10k. This treatment isn’t for everyone but obviously a much more affordable alternative to regular IVF if you are a good candidate.
Describe Bruce Rose's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
I found [Dr. Rafael Cabrera] to be pessimistic, and did not show much compassion as he delivered what was the hardest medical diagnosis I have ever received to date... threw statistics at me about how I had less than a 5% chance of getting pregnant without explaining other options I had other than donor eggs...did not give me any hope...I would have appreciated more compassion and a better bed side manner...
The clinic [Brown Fertility] is in downtown Orlando, a central location, which is appreciated and easy to access across Florida...a little sterile feeling...Weaknesses would be billing- I still am getting bills, after my insurance said the diagnostic testing should be completely covered...[Dr. Cabrera] did not show much compassion...threw statistics at me about how I had less than a 5% chance of getting pregnant without explaining other options I had other than donor eggs.
How was your experience with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
I found this doctor to be pessimistic, and did not show much compassion as he delivered what was the hardest medical diagnosis I have ever received to date. He did not give me any hope and told me that my only chance was with donor eggs. (My second opinion dr disagreed completely, especially since Age is on my side still). I would have appreciated more compassion and a better bed side manner.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
I would recommend going somewhere else and see someone who is willing to fight for your case and for you to have a child. There are many doctors who specialize in DOR, and who are hopeful and don’t put you in a box. Find that dr!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
He first and only threw statistics at me about how I had less than a 5% chance of getting pregnant without explaining other options I had other than donor eggs.
Describe the protocols Rafael Cabrera used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
We didn’t get that far into treatment but once he reviewed my amh and fsh he immediately said donor eggs was my best option and that IvF would be unsuccessful. I ended up leaving this clinic to get a second opinion.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
In the little interaction I did have they showed compassion and care for me as I was very emotional in their office.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The clinic itself was a little sterile feeling (at least compared to another one i went to after). The clinic is in downtown Orlando, a central location, which is appreciated and easy to access across Florida. Weaknesses would be billing- I still am getting bills, after my insurance said the diagnostic testing should be completely covered.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility.
I had to pay out of pocket for my consultation, blood work, genetic testing (approx $200), and HSG. I’d say in all I spent around $500-700.
Describe Rafael Cabrera's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
N/a
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
I was waiting for my blood work results to come in and for the office to call me to schedule a follow up appointment to review them. I waited a few weeks and still no call, so I called the office and spoke with a nurse who looked over my results and told me that “no news is good news.” So I asked, “so you’re saying everything is good since I didn’t hear back with a call?” She said, “yes, you can say that.” The day of my appointment came and i was in for the shock of my life as the dr told me that my blood work results were not good and he proceeded to tell me that I had Diminished ovarian reserve, would not be successful having my own child, and that I would be in menopause by age 40. Devastating and completely surprised since the nurse told me everything looked good.
I do feel as though he provided false hope for a "quick" pregnancy. He told us we were an "easy" case and would be pregnant in no longer than 4 months. What a joke. ... Dr. Brown, in our consult, told me to stop taking all my vitamins and metformin ( I have PCOS). I was hesitant but wanted to trust my doctor, so I did. He said he would prescribe me the exact same dosage of Femera as my OBGYN (5 mg) and told me in our consult I would be prescribed dexamethasone as well after I mentioned it.
Only certain locations [Brown Fertility] offer certain procedures so just because they have many locations does not mean you can actually go there. ... You will never have the same nurse and you will probably never see an actual doctor. ... Secretaries who were supposed to return calls and never would ... They have forgotten to call in prescriptions ... Go somewhere else if you want quality care and attentive doctors because that is not the service provided here.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Samuel Brown was great! The one time I saw him that is, at our consult. I do feel as though he provided false hope for a "quick" pregnancy. He told us we were an "easy" case and would be pregnant in no longer than 4 months. What a joke.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Go somewhere else if you want quality care and attentive doctors because that is not the service provided here.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
No one ever knew my case or even took a minute to review my file before entering the room. They were misinformed about medication THEY prescribed me and it was always impossible to get in contact with anyone. I think they have too many patients to provide quality care.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
Dr. Brown, in our consult, told me to stop taking all my vitamins and metformin ( I have PCOS). I was hesitant but wanted to trust my doctor, so I did. He said he would prescribe me the exact same dosage of Femera as my OBGYN (5 mg) and told me in our consult I would be prescribed dexamethasone as well after I mentioned it. When I came in for my first cycle day 3 ultrasound, no one knew what I was talking about and the physicians assistant I saw prescribed me a lower dose of Femera and said there were "no notes" in my chart about dexamethasone so she wouldn't prescribe it. I never saw Dr. Brown again.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
At Brown Fertility all you see are nurses and you will most likely never have the same one. I had a total of four different nurses in the only three months I was there and all of them were rude except for one. Of the four nurses I saw, only one took the time to educate my husband and I on what was going on, what they were looking for at each appointment, and things that we could or should be doing to increase our chances of conceiving. I had a nurse come in to do a cycle day scan, say hello, do the scan, say "that's weird" in the middle of the ultrasound, and then leave. She never said what was "weird" not to mention it was incredibly rude. She also brought me out in the hallway to go over our "plan" for that month. Meanwhile, another patients door was wide open and they were doing an internal ultrasound for everyone in the hall to see!!
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
My only strength for this clinic would be that they have numerous locations in the southeast which is convenient. Weaknesses would include scheduling as they are not willing to schedule appointments later than 8:45 for cycle day scans so you are out of luck it you live far away. We woke up at 4 am just to get there on time. They will not remember anything about you every single time you visit. Nothing. You will have to give your infertility story every time. If you need to call for any reason, you will be on hold for at least 30 minutes if you're lucky and even then they will most likely have to call you back which, big surprise, they won't. You will have to call them back again and again. It is a vicious cycle. Only certain locations offer certain procedures so just because they have many locations does not mean you can actually go there. Make sure you check. You will never have the same nurse and you will probably never see an actual doctor. If this bothers you, you can try to request that your appointments be scheduled with the same nurse. This can't always happen as certain nurses are not available on certain days, but you can try. My only advise to anyone considering Brown Fertility would be to go into it with a lot of patience because you're going to need it.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
Well we have Tricare which covers anything having to do with natural conception. However, we were told IUI would be $500 which doesn't include the cost of cycle day scans ( $250 each scan ) or medication that would no longer be covered.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Failed to consider drug intolerance
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
They have forgotten to call in prescriptions, failed to tell us we would not be able to go to certain locations for treatment, have scheduled us for their locations that we could not have cycle day scans at only to tell us the day of they we needed to go to another location even after telling them we drove 2 and a half hours just to get there and they had done our scans there before. We were told they only did them there for us before "out of convenience". What?! We had plenty of nurses with poor bedside manners. Secretaries who were supposed to return calls and never would or put notes in my chart for nurses that were never there. I could honestly go on and on.
Dr. Brown was extremely nice during our phone consult and our first in person appointment. He did not do my monitoring in advance of the ER or my first FET, but was the doctor that performed my transfer. He felt like a completely different doctor at transfer time. We were just a number in the cattle call of patients that day. He wasn't familiar with us or our situation...
The staff at the Orlando clinic are all very caring and helpful! Never had an issue getting an appointment at a time that worked for me...They [nurses] made the experience personal, not the doctor...We paid about $15,000 for our ER and first FET. We've been quoted about $5,000 for our next FET. Those costs include medication...we experienced an insurance coding error which we are still working out over a year later....
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown was so optimistic when we first meet him. He gave us an 80% success rate. Now we are post ER and FET which resulted in a chemical pregnancy and frankly his optimism comes off a little like a "used car salesman". If our first FET had resulted in a health pregnancy I may have been able to look past that, or frankly I may not feel the same.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Do your research and ask questions about who will be managing your care. We live four hours from the main clinic in Jacksonville and do all of our monitoring in the Orlando office, which is still 2 hours from our home. Since Dr. Brown visits the Orlando office, but isn't based out of there I had two doctors managing my care. It may not be a bad thing, but certainly doesn't come off as personal.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown was extremely nice during our phone consult and our first in person appointment. He did not do my monitoring in advance of the ER or my first FET, but was the doctor that performed my transfer. He felt like a completely different doctor at transfer time. We were just a number in the cattle call of patients that day. He wasn't familiar with us or our situation. I was the last patient that day and I'm sure that attributed to the attitude, but it was definitely disappointing. So much so that when I called for a follow-up a requested we see the doctor that had done our monitoring and ER.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
We suffer from male factor infertility and I have an autoimmune disease. With that in mind IVF with ICSI was our only option. Dr. Brown felt confident that at my age, 30, my egg quality and quantity would be great. I responded very well to the medication and he added in Heparin leading up to and post transfer to assist with the autoimmune disease.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Mena and Ivie)
My original nurse, Mena, was my saving grace. She went on maternity leave just before our FET and my care was switched to Ivie. She also went above and beyond to ensure swift communication by email and phone. They made the experience personal, not the doctor.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The staff at the Orlando clinic are all very caring and helpful! Never had an issue getting an appointment at a time that worked for me. The Jacksonville office has a different feel to it. Billing is done out of Jacksonville and we experienced an insurance coding error which we are still working out over a year later.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
We paid about $15,000 for our ER and first FET. We've been quoted about $5,000 for our next FET. Those costs include medication.
Describe Samuel Brown's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
Dr. Brown felt that it was appropriate to only transfer one when the plan was to do a fresh transfer. I developed signs of OHSS post ER so we switched to a frozen transfer. At that point he would have suggested two be transferred, but we decided against that due to my age and the fact that I have an antibody (from our one and only natural pregnancy which ended in miscarriage) and the risks to the baby are high - two would make it even more of a risker pregnancy.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
I never specifically asked how we would receive info regarding our embryos after ER. I did a lot of research on forums and it sounded like most patients have their ER and often leave knowing the number of eggs harvested. Which I received and was told that within a day or two we would get a call with the number of eggs that fertilized. I received a call two days later letting me know the info and was told that I should call back in a week for the final results since we were doing a freeze all. Unfortunately, the nurse that called that day was then on vacation for the two weeks. And when you're waiting on those kind of results two weeks is a long time to wait, especially when you think you only have to wait five day. I convinced myself to wait to call after the five day period and was told that the information I wanted would be sent to me on a postcard, they couldn't give me that info over the phone. It was heartbreaking and frankly I was very hormonal, I lost it. That's not info one should be receiving in the mail on a postcard. If not a call, the very least an email should be sent out. It took almost two weeks for me to find out how many embryos we had. I felt that we had paid a lot of money and they weren't treating the situation as such. Eventually I convinced a nurse to tell me, but the fact that I felt like I was bothering them just to find out if any of our fertilized eggs had survived was stressful and frankly not fair that it added so much stress to an already stressful situation. I think back now and wonder if my expectations were too high. I never asked when and how that info would be provided. So the morale is, always ask!
He [Dr. Brown] was very personable and would include the spouses in the conversations a lot. ... I'm far more of a realistic person and he's very optimistic which I'm sure most appreciated, but I preferred to hear it straight. ... I appreciated that he was willing to be as aggressive as I was willing to be. To the point the last cycle protocol was one I developed.
Emily, the NP who does most of the monitoring is amazing. Kristina responds to emails super quick. Jennifer as well. All the nurse assistants are amazing too and cheered me on and let me cry on shoulders a few times. ... Biggest weakness [of Brown Fertility] would be batching, but even with my diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), we managed to make it work to even do estrogen priming one time.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
I do feel he promised the moon and then when it fell flat, the viewpoint wasn't entirely adjusted. I'm far more of a realistic person and he's very optimistic which I'm sure most appreciated, but I preferred to hear it straight. As time went on he caught on and his approach switched and we was more forward and blunt about realistic chances. He was very personable, remembered personal details and our appointments were never rushed. That did lead to long wait times, but as frustrating as that could be, I'd be more frustrated if I was rushed. My longest appointment with him was 2.5 hours where we hashed out all the details.
My husband liked him a lot. He was very personable and would include the spouses in the conversations a lot. Face to face he was always great. The downside is that there's no direct contact with him not face to face. I understand why, but it can be frustrating at times when it's an answer only he can give. Though the nurses usually had my answer by end of day.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Ask him to be realistic about your odds and chances. He can be a bit too optimistic and it can leave you reeling when it doesn't work out that way.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
The first cycle I felt a bit more like a number (many women experience first cycle success), but with the failure for any eggs to fertilize it was he who called me with that news instead of a nurse which I respected. With each subsequent cycle we've become even more acquainted and he really respected my opinion and research. I appreciated that he was willing to be as aggressive as I was willing to be. To the point the last cycle protocol was one I developed.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
Oh boy. I've done 3 IUIs and 5 retrievals so this is long. All 5 were antagonist.
IUI # 1 – August 2017
Letrazole 2.5mg 2x per day CD 3-7
Trigger with Ovidrel on CD 9
1 follicle, Negative
IUI # 2 – October 2017
Letrazole 2.5mg 2x per day CD 3-7
Trigger with Ovidrel on CD 12
1 follicle, Negative
IUI # 3 – November 2017
Letrazole 2.5mg 2x per day CD 3-7
Trigger with Ovidrel on CD 12
2 follicles, Negative
Retrieval #1 – January/Feb 2018
Antagonist Protocol:
• Primed: 11 days BCP
• Stims (9 days):
o Gonal F: 4 days 225iu, 1 day 175iu, 2 days 150iu, 2 days 175iu
o Low dose hCG: 20 units
o Cetrotide: Day 7-8
• Trigger: Ovidrel
E2 day 4: 563; E2 day 7: 1152
Results:
• Retrieved 4, all appeared mature, all degenerated at fertilization
o Unable to access left ovary at retrieval
• Nothing to transfer
Retrieval #2 – March/April 2018
Antagonist Protocol:
• Primed: 10 days BCP
• Stims (11 days):
o Gonal F: 11 days 300iu
o Low dose hCG: 20 units
o Cetrotide: Day 8-11
• Trigger: Ovidrel
E2 day 5: 231; E2 Day 8: 802
Results:
• Retrieved 11, all appeared mature
• 4 fertilized, 7 appeared healthy/DNF
• 2 day 5 blastocyst, 1 day 6 blastocyst
o Fresh transfer of 1 failed
FET # 1 – July 2018
BCP for 2 months (partially for Lap); Lupron 28 days; Estriadol, 5 days PIO before transfer (100mg/2mL)
Negative beta
Retrieval #3 – August/September 2018
Antagonist Protocol:
• Primed: 23 days Estrogen (2mg 2x day) & Provera final 3
• Stims (12 days):
o Gonal F: 12 days 325iu
o Low dose hCG: 20 units
o Cetrotide: Day 8-12
• Trigger: Ovidrel
E2 day 6: 246; E2 day 9: 622; E2 day 12: 1367
Results:
• Retrieved 9, 7 mature
• 5 fertilized, 2 appeared healthy/DNF (lead follicles we sacrificed)
• 3 day 3 embryos (2ea 8cell, 1ea 4 cell)
o Fresh transfer of 3 failed
Retrieval #4 – October/November 2018 – USED DONOR SPERM
Antagonist Protocol:
• Primed: 11 days BCP
• Stims (11 days):
o Gonal F: 2 days 400iu, 7 days 350iu
o Low dose hCG: 20 units
o Cetrotide: Day 9-11
• Trigger: Ovidrel
E2 day 5: 282; E2 day 7: 468; E2 day 9: 1018; E2 day 12 (trigger day): 1811
Results:
• Retrieved 7, 5 mature
• 3 fertilized, 2 appeared healthy/DNF
• 3 day 3 embryos (1ea 8cell, 2ea 4cell)
o Fresh transfer of 3 failed
Retrieval #5 - January - March 2019
Antagonist Protocol:
• Primed: 6 weeks prior to stims 38 units of omnitrope daily; 10 days BCP
• Stims (11 days):
o Gonal F: 11 days 300iu
o Menopur: 11 days 150iu
o Cetrotide: Day 7-11
o HGH: 38 units continued through trigger day.
• Trigger: 2ea Ovidrel
E2 day 5: 386; E2 day 7: 512; E2 day 9: 1090; E2 day 12 (trigger day): 1960
Results:
• Retrieved 12, 9 mature
• 4 fertilized, 5 appeared healthy/DNF
• 4 day 5 blasts
o Fresh transfer of 2 successful
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Kristina & Jennifer)
They are all pretty wonderful women. Emily, the NP who does most of the monitoring is amazing. Kristina responds to emails super quick. Jennifer as well. All the nurse assistants are amazing too and cheered me on and let me cry on shoulders a few times. I can't complain about them at all.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
Biggest weakness would be batching, but even with my diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), we managed to make it work to even do estrogen priming one time. The other is monitoring. They do schedule more than one person at each time slot and if someone is taking up more time with lots of questions it does push the times back. They do start people on different days and you aren't forced into a certain retrieval day either, just within a certain week though if you go earlier or end up later they will make it work instead of jinxing your cycle.
The strength is most everything is up to date and well taken care of. The clinic (both locations) is clean and well kept. Also HGTV is on in the waiting rooms all the time (which is amazing, my fave).
They have a good system in place and with a few tweaks it could be a pretty amazing system.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
The costs on the website are pretty spot on. We weren't really hit with any surprise fees. It's all included in the costs except for the cycle initiation fee $375 and anesthesia $350.
Describe Samuel Brown's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
He starts with and recommends an eSET unless you're doing a day 3 transfer, multiple failures, or older. He will not balk at doing more than 1 after a failed transfer. We transferred 1 blast, 2 blast, 3 day 3, 3 day 3, 2 blast.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to send your chart to another clinic
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
Most of the wrong things were human error and one was a system. They were switching to a new records system when I was requesting my records sent over, but when I called about it, I did get my records sent to me and the other clinic.
The right tests didn't get sent once, but we were ordering somewhere around 35 tests at one time, so it's a pretty understandable error and quickly corrected. One time was the lab actually lost it versus the clinic.
Another was once given a different instruction than I was before, but that happened only once in about 50+ visits so I consider it a pretty good success rate.
The first day I met Dr. Brown, I thought he was amazing....My IVF cycle was a complete fail for the “perfect patient.” I only had 5 follicles at the last ultrasound appointment and I was very concerned. My husband and I expressed our concern, and Dr. Brown assured us this number was great and we had nothing to worry about. We were hesitant to move forward, for fear we wouldn’t get any embryos and would loose all of our money.
I felt like a number in this practice [Brown Fertility], when they told me they take 40 girls at a time, and you have to “pay” to reserve your spot. Also it’s like a cattle call on retrieval and transfer days.... I saw Dr. Brown only twice, and he didn’t show up to do the transfer, even though he told my husband he would be doing it. They have too many patients and you’re just one out of 40.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
The first day I met Dr. Brown, I thought he was amazing. He was charming and charismatic and overall impressive. He told me I was “the perfect patient and I would 100% get pregnant.” I believed him. It’s hard not to, when he seems so sure of himself. I thought his rates were amazing, but now when I look on the CDC, they don’t match. My IVF cycle was a complete fail for the “perfect patient.” I only had 5 follicles at the last ultrasound appointment and I was very concerned. My husband and I expressed our concern, and Dr. Brown assured us this number was great and we had nothing to worry about. We were hesitant to move forward, for fear we wouldn’t get any embryos and would loose all of our money. Well, the whole retrieval and transfer process was a mess. I only ended up with 1 embryo to transfer, yet Dr Brown said that was great. He surely knew that wasn’t true, and a pregnancy wasn’t likely. Yet he kept promising. He wasn’t there on transfer day when he specifically told my husband he would be there that Saturday. We never saw him again. Dr Brown had run my FSH, and never disclosed that it was way out of range, and indicative of premature ovarian failure. My new doctor who got my records from him pointed that out. Dr Brown basically just kept promising a baby and how great everything looked, when they wasn’t the case. I don’t blame him for my poor medical response...but for the emotional wreckage he caused by completely misleading us. He didn’t want us to cancel our cycle before he got his money. He didn’t do his job and present information correctly and honestly. I’m sure for some women, he’s great. But for anyone with endometriosis...find another doctor who actually looks at the individual and doesn’t just plug you into the group of 40 women he does at a time.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Find another doctor. Don’t go to him, because he is not all the way honest with results and success rates.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
I felt like a number in this practice, when they told me they take 40 girls at a time, and you have to “pay” to reserve your spot. Also it’s like a cattle call on retrieval and transfer days. One girl after the next, in and out of the OR. You can hear the nurses calling out bed numbers and changing the OR out after each person is done. I saw Dr. Brown only twice, and he didn’t show up to do the transfer, even though he told my husband he would be doing it. They have too many patients and you’re just one out of 40.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
The nursing staff seemed nice, but not amazing. You never see the same person twice. You don’t have an official IVF nurse assigned to you. When I reached out to the one I had an email for, the response wasn’t super helpful. And when I got a negative result, a nurse I had never heard from called me to break the news.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
Strengths- Its a pretty clinic. Nice buildings and decor. The clinic seems organized.
Weaknesses- it’s a cattle call. Too many patients. 40 each month doing IVf. It’s not personalized at all. You will barely see the doctor. Retrieval and transfer is one patient after he next in and out. And you will find out how many embryos make it if they are slow growing, but a ridiculous postcard TWO weeks later. It was heartbreaking to get a negative pregnancy test, and not know if we had any more embryos left. They wouldn’t tell you over email or the phone.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Brown Fertility.
Monitoring appointments ran behind. I always waited an hour each time. Yet my turn didn’t take more than 5 minutes. The wait time didn’t bother me, but it just felt like a cattle call.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
I didn’t have any issues with billing. Our cycle was around $9,000. A complete waste of money.
Dr. Cabrera is very good and professional I wished all clinic would change my meds according to how I respond each cycle instead of keep using same meds. He does all the Ultrasound and all visit except egg retrieval or transfer. Depend on who’s on call that time [at Brown Fertility]. I wished he would do all my retrieval and transfer since he know me when I visit for blood works and ultrasound
I feel that their [Brown Fertility] communication should be better. ... Embryologist don’t introduce himself and I get a card in a mail 2 weeks latter to know how many embryos freezing is not the way of communication I like. But that’s how they do it at this clinics ... I feel that they don’t tell me much when I go for blood test or ultrasound. For example they don’t tell me what blood test they doing or the results. And ultrasound how many follicles I have and the size.
How was your experience with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Cabrera is very good and professional
I wished all clinic would change my meds according to how I respond each cycle instead of keep using same meds. He does all the Ultrasound and all visit except egg retrieval or transfer. Depend on who’s on call that time. I wished he would do all my retrieval and transfer since he know me when I visit for blood works and ultrasound
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
I wished he would explained what he saw on ultrasound and how big my follicles or how many I have
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
Sometime he’s more personal then other time the group treat me like a number. I do feel all Fertilty clinics that I go to doesn’t really look at my history just my age
Describe the protocols Rafael Cabrera used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
My protocol is Gonal F and Hcg with centrotide for all cycles
Not sure what’s the rationale but HCg help my egg to mature
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Ivie)
I have a few nurses some send me cycle calendar some does teaching
Everyone are professionals and nice.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
I feel that their communication should be better. I get a calendar and said if I have any questions please call. I feel that they don’t tell me much when I go for blood test or ultrasound. For example they don’t tell me what blood test they doing or the results. And ultrasound how many follicles I have and the size.
Embryologist don’t introduce himself and I get a card in a mail 2 weeks latter to know how many embryos freezing is not the way of communication I like. But that’s how they do it at this clinics
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Brown Fertility.
I get all my time I request. Scheduling is good
Describe the costs associated with your care under Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility.
Retrieval cost about $11000 and medicines is about $4000-8000
Dr. Cabrera was kind and warm, but the consummate professional. He was straightforward, didn't sugarcoat anything, but always positive and encouraging. He is incredibly knowledgeable, and always knew how to convey the knowledge in a way that we understood what was going on...Due to the severity of my endometriosis, I was determined not to be a candidate for IUI, but the perfect candidate for IVF...
Everyone [at Brown Fertility] knew our names, and they welcomed us with big smiles when we walked in. The only downside to Brown Fertility was having to go to a different location for our retrieval and transfer. We didn't have the comfort of knowing the staff at the Jacksonville location, prior to having such big procedures done...Our IVF cycle included all visits required to prepare, HSG, all necessary baseline ultrasounds, oocyte retrieval and frozen embryo transfer, and cost approximately $10,370 (not including medications).
How was your experience with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Cabrera was kind and warm, but the consummate professional. He was straightforward, didn't sugarcoat anything, but always positive and encouraging. He is incredibly knowledgeable, and always knew how to convey the knowledge in a way that we understood what was going on.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
Ask a lot of questions and take your time when you're in the office. There are no silly questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
From the moment we walked into the office for our initial consultation, to the day we "graduated" to a regular OBGYN, our care staff doted on us. My nurse held me while I sobbed after getting poor test results, they called us after hours to make sure our first injections went smoothly and to ask if we had any questions or needed help. They were flexible with their schedule, they explained everything a million times so we completely understood what was happening, or what our tests results meant, and they were always positive, while being honest and realistic. When it came down to choosing a "package," they didn't recommend the biggest one (in terms of cost), instead they looked at our health and fertility situation, and guided us to one that fit our needs. They truly cared about us, mourned with us, and celebrated with us when we found out our transfer of two embryos resulted in the birth of our sweet fraternal twins.
Describe the protocols Rafael Cabrera used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
May 2017 - initial consultation with Dr. Cabrera to discuss health history, and what Brown Fertility does. They briefly reviewed the IVF process.
June 2017 - Blood test done to ascertain AMH and other various levels. HSG done to investigate the condition of my tubes and uterus (blockages and such). My husband also underwent blood testing as well as a semen sample. My right tube was found to be almost completely blocked (I did not have a left tube at that point, as a result of a left salpingectomy), and my right ovary was scarred to my uterus. My endometriosis was determined to be a level 4 throughout. The inside of my uterus looked clean and clear, however. My husband was the epitome of child-bearing health. Due to the severity of my endometriosis, I was determined not to be a candidate for IUI, but the perfect candidate for IVF. My AMH was incredibly high, so that couple with my husband's stellar sperm, Dr. Cabrera anticipated a successful oocyst retrieval and hopefully a number of healthy embryos as a result.
July 2017 - we took the month off to relax and let my body rest before starting the IVF process.
August 2017 - Took birth control and baby aspirin for two weeks in order to regulate my cycle and shut down my reproductive system. A trial transfer was performed to ensure there would be no surprises during the actual transfer. Everything went smoothly.
September 2017 - I started initial injections on September 2, and continued through September 9. Meds varied, but typical day looked like this: Gonal-F (150 units) // Lo Dose hCG (20 units) // Cetrotide // Aspirin 81 mg. I did one trigger shot of Ovidrel on September 10, in preparation for our September 12 retrieval. I was directed to take doxycycline from September 11-16, for prevention against risk of bacterial infections. Cabergoline was prescribed for September 12-19, to reduce incidence of OHSS.
Oocyte retrieval went smoothly, with a total of 23 eggs retrieved. With that many eggs, however, I was diagnosed with OHSS, so we ended up doing a freeze all cycle. Our eggs were fertilized using ICSI, and we ended up with 13, day 5 blastocysts.
October 2017 - Once my body recovered from OHSS, I resumed birth control and baby aspirin, in order to continue regulating and normalizing my menstrual cycle. Once I completed two weeks of birth control, and my reproductive system was quiet and under control, we began preparations for our November frozen embryo transfer. I took a pregnancy test on October 14, as a precaution prior to beginning next phase of meds. Upon negative result, we added Leuprolide (Lupron) 10 units daily. Birth control discontinued on October 20, Lupron continued at 10 units. Baseline ultrasound conducted to ensure no reproductive activity was occurring. When that was confirmed, Estradiol was added to daily regimen - twice daily, increasing over time until November 9. November 9, Lupron was discontinued, and progesterone added.
November 16, we transferred two little embryos. Estradiol continued until mid-December. A two-week blood pregnancy test was done on November 27, and came back POSITIVE! A second round of bloodwork was done to confirm increasing HCG, and was positive. Progesterone continued until 10 weeks.
July 23, 2018 - At 38 weeks and 2 days, we gave birth via c-section to fraternal boy/girl twins. Both were healthy, and required no NICU stay. They are 21 months old as of today!
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Elizabeth Carson, ARNP)
Cami was kind and compassionate, but also a straight shooter, and incredibly intelligent. She didn't sugarcoat things, which was refreshing in a world of "just relax, you'll have a baby one day." She prepared us for what was to come, but was encouraging throughout the process. If something didn't make sense to us, she took the time to explain it in a way we would understand.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The clinic was conveniently located amongst other medical facilities. It was clean, welcoming, and intimate. Because it's not a giant clinic, we didn't feel like we were puppies being shuffled through a puppy mill. Everyone knew our names, and they welcomed us with big smiles when we walked in. The only downside to Brown Fertility was having to go to a different location for our retrieval and transfer. We didn't have the comfort of knowing the staff at the Jacksonville location, prior to having such big procedures done. However, because everyone was just as kind and accommodating as our Orlando team, we still felt comfortable there.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility.
Our IVF cycle included all visits required to prepare, HSG, all necessary baseline ultrasounds, oocyte retrieval and frozen embryo transfer, and cost approximately $10,370 (not including medications).
Describe Rafael Cabrera's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
Our doctor initially recommended transferring one embryo, because of my age and the intention of doing a fresh cycle. Upon deciding to do frozen transfer, they suggested two embryos to increase our chances. We were adequately educated on the chances, risks, and possible outcomes of transferring one or two.
Dr. Brown would re-introduce himself to us during retrieval and transfers and there was never a sense of having a good relationship or bedside manners for his patients. ... You do not see Dr. Brown on a regular basis either. ... failed to diagnose me correctly with silent endometriosis, instead labeling us as "unexplained with PCO like ovaries". ... It was devastating to miscarry but also to have a doctor we had never seen before perform the ultrasound and confirm the miscarriage for us. It was very uncomfortable.
This office is not where you want to be treated when going through infertility and the tough journey of it all. They are disorganized as well. I once had an email from the finance coordinator that was an excel spreadsheet of ALL patients cycling that month, including their personal information such as full names, insurance companies, contact information, etc. This was a HUGE HIPPA violation. When I expressed via email that I do not believe I was supposed to receive this, the coordinator simply shrugged it off. This is not an office that will care for you as a human being.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
A big downside to his office is their scheduling. They schedule multiple patients for the same time slots so the wait is often long, even with an appointment time. You do not see Dr. Brown on a regular basis either. It was devastating to miscarry but also to have a doctor we had never seen before perform the ultrasound and confirm the miscarriage for us. It was very uncomfortable.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Only patients with easy cases seem to succeed at Dr. Brown's office. He is very money hungry and there is a huge lack of personalization. I would not suggest going to this office.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown and Dr. Rose, both treated us during our IVM cycle. Being experimental, we knew IVM was not 100% chance of success. Although the transfer was not a success, we decided to move forward with IVF with Dr. Brown. During our IVF cycle, we had constant long wait times and realized he batch cycles patients. He requires a $375 non-refundable deposit for each cycle and that amount does not include the total cycle cost. We ended up paying out of pocket due to his insurance/finance coordinators incorrectly explaining what our insurance did and did not cover to us. We also paid out of pocket for medications because the finance team failed to explain that I had insurance coverage via CVS for medications. The doctors failed to diagnose me correctly with silent endometriosis, instead labeling us as "unexplained with PCO like ovaries". Since this office batch cycles, you do not receive an individualized treatment protocol and are forced to have appointments, retrievals and transfers on the same days as the other patients in that month's cycle. Dr. Brown would re-introduce himself to us during retrieval and transfers and there was never a sense of having a good relationship or bedside manners for his patients.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
For our IVM cycle, we were given femara for 5 days and then retrieved the eggs in an immature state, allowing the embryologist to mature them in the lab pre-fertilization. I was put on oral estrogen and progesterone in oil injections the month leading up to transfer and post transfer. For our IVF cycle, I used gonal f injections along with lo dose hcg, estrogen and progesterone.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
The nursing staff could care less about the patients and day-to-day office operations. After our second loss at this office, I told the IVF Nurse that I was going to pursue a consultation with another local clinic and was simply told "Good luck".
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The only positive of this office is their two conveniently located office locations. This office is not where you want to be treated when going through infertility and the tough journey of it all. They are disorganized as well. I once had an email from the finance coordinator that was an excel spreadsheet of ALL patients cycling that month, including their personal information such as full names, insurance companies, contact information, etc. This was a HUGE HIPPA violation. When I expressed via email that I do not believe I was supposed to receive this, the coordinator simply shrugged it off. This is not an office that will care for you as a human being.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
Dr. Brown charges around $9,000 for an IVF cycle plus the medicine, which is paid directly to the pharmacy. Anesthesia and other things can be separate costs.
Dr. Brown was very nice and positive. Everything was "we will have you pregnant by the end of the year." This wasn't realistic and ended up being such a disappointment...When he did my HSG he was rough and very quick. I have a high pain tolerance and had to speak up about pain. He did not comment on this and then said "ok right tube blocked. Remember that for our next appointment. We can work with that ." This was as he was rushing out of the room. I was beyond confused and devastated.
The office staff is terrible and lack compassion...They are not professional...They have messed up appointments and billing several times...I would say it's a cattle call and to look elsewhere if possible...She [nurse at Brown Fertility] answered emails quickly and was friendly. She was polite and professional.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown was very nice and positive. Everything was "we will have you pregnant by the end of the year." This wasn't realistic and ended up being such a disappointment. Anytime we had a question or wanted to speak with him we had to pay our co pay of 60 dollars. When he did my HSG he was rough and very quick. I have a high pain tolerance and had to speak up about pain. He did not comment on this and then said "ok right tube blocked. Remember that for our next appointment. We can work with that ." This was as he was rushing out of the room. I was beyond confused and devastated. Also I think he should remember and not ask the patient to. When we did the Laparoscopy both tubes were actually open. We had a five minute appointment with him and that was it. For IVF I saw him once for one ultrasound. It was about 2 mins after waiting 45. They had done 38 IVF in one cycle.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
I would say it's a cattle call and to look elsewhere if possible.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
The wait times were never under 30-45 minutes. I spent a total of 30 minutes total if that with Dr.Brown since beginning treatment. The doctor who came to do my egg retrieval and transfer was a man I never met and he did not know me or my situation. I did not feel like he cared. When we were there to do the transfer we only had two embryos left and out of no where he goes I would go ahead and transfer both even though for your age we only do one because you might have poor ovarian reserve. I had never heard that before and he didn't even have my chart. So he added all this worry and without any facts. Luckily the embryologist spoke up and said to just transfer one due to it not increasing chances (only 5 percent) and being more of a risk. No one ever called to follow up unless it was to ask for more money.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
For my IUIs I was on low dose Femara. I would have 2 ultrasounds. One baseline. One to check progress. Trigger with Ovidrel. Then IUI 36 hours later.
For IVF I was on the lowest doses of Gonal F and HCG after a Baseline ultrasound. Next ultrasound to check progress I was cancelled due to over response. I had to go back on birth control again and be scheduled the next month. He lowered the dose of Gonal F. I did Cetrotide for 3 days until I triggered with Ovidrel. Also baby aspirin whole cycle. Then after retrieval progesterone and estridol.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Kristina Maor)
She answered emails quickly and was friendly. She was polite and professional.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The office staff is terrible and lack compassion. They are money hungry. They are not professional. They are difficult to work with. They are not flexible. They have no empathy.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
60 co pay to see doctor or ask a question
250 per ultrasound
500 per IUI
9k for IVF not including medication. Not including mock transfer. Not including blood work. Not including storing frozen embryos. Not including anesthesia
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
They have messed up appointments and billing several times.
Dr.Brown was always rushed. We waited once 2 hours for a follow up appointment after a failed donor egg cycle where he basically said "I don't know why this didn't work? Let's try again." .. He did a donor egg cycle. It was pretty basic and no special protocols were used...Dr.Brown was always rushed and never remembered me or my history. I feel the practice got too big and he was always rushing from patient to patient.
The nurse [at Brown Fertility] assigned to my case specialized in donor eggs. This requires a bit of compassion... My nurse was terrible. She was so disorganized that she messed up the calendar of meds and my donor was taking medication on the wrong day. I had to call and have her fix it but i will never know if the donor heard from her...I felt like I was in a baby making factory. The wait time for appointments was ridiculous, the care was "one size fits all", and the staff was rude and disorganized.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr.Brown was always rushed and never remembered me or my history. I feel the practice got too big and he was always rushing from patient to patient. He never got specific with my treatment plans and I felt like he gave me a "one size fits all" protocol.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Go to a different doctor.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
The office was always crowded. Dr.Brown was always rushed. We waited once 2 hours for a follow up appointment after a failed donor egg cycle where he basically said "I don't know why this didn't work? Let's try again." There is no personal attention at this office. Everyone is a number. They even make everyone start meds at the same time each month so that all the retrievals and transfers are in the same week.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
He did a donor egg cycle. It was pretty basic and no special protocols were used.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
The nurse assigned to my case specialized in donor eggs. This requires a bit of compassion since you are dealing with women who already have been through a grief of not using their own eggs and a loss of biological connection. My nurse was terrible. She was so disorganized that she messed up the calendar of meds and my donor was taking medication on the wrong day. I had to call and have her fix it but i will never know if the donor heard from her. After my cycle I got an email from her that said "so I just got back in town.. did you get a positive pregnancy test?" I had already been to the clinic and received a negative blood test. All she had to do was check my chart. Then on my second donor egg cycle that failed, another nurse said to me when she called to give me my negative results "I don't know why it didn't work. We have very high success rates with donor egg. " They were always quick to reference their high success rates but I never received great care or saw positive results.!
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
I felt like I was in a baby making factory. The wait time for appointments was ridiculous, the care was "one size fits all", and the staff was rude and disorganized.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
The cycles were s but more expensive than the other clinics in the area.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Lost paperwork
Failed to call with results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
The nurse messed up my medicination cycle with the donor. I caught the mistake and alerted her but I don't know if it was too late to affect the cycle. Both transfers resulted in a negative pregnancy test.
Dr Brown was always happy to see me even though I got the feeling that he didn't really remember me. He constantly seemed rushed or like I was keeping him from something he would rather be doing...Dr Brown seemed only interested in the end results when what I wanted was a diagnosis. He never offered testing for endometriosis, he just declared that I must have it. When I asked for PGS testing he said I didn't need it because I was young even though I wanted it...
[Brown Fertility] Strengths: The procedure room was large enough to allow for my husband to come in for my transfers. Weaknesses: Too busy. Too many patients to be able to give personal care to everyone. The receptionist asked me for money every time I checked in even though I was completely covered by insurance and I told her this every time. At some point you would think a note would be made on my account or something.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr Brown was always happy to see me even though I got the feeling that he didn't really remember me. He constantly seemed rushed or like I was keeping him from something he would rather be doing. One time, he was so eager to get in and out of an exam with me that he opened the door while I was still changing and rather than close the door and wait he held it mostly closed and impatiently stood outside it asking "Ready yet?"
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Go somewhere else.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
The entire process felt like I was in a baby farm. From the over crowded waiting room to the money demanding receptionists. Dr Brown seemed only interested in the end results when what I wanted was a diagnosis. He never offered testing for endometriosis, he just declared that I must have it. When I asked for PGS testing he said I didn't need it because I was young even though I wanted it. It turned out later that I have poor egg quality and could have avoided 4 emotionally draining, expensive and ultimately useless embryo transfers. I left that practice feeling like I wasted a year of my life with a dr who didn't really care about me as an individual but rather as a potential number in a record book.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Holly)
The nurses were ok. They were always busy and rushing which is not surprising considering the ridiculous number of patients waiting every time I was there. I have difficult veins to drawn from so most nurses have to use my hands and I left every time with hideous bruises.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
Strengths: The procedure room was large enough to allow for my husband to come in for my transfers.
Weaknesses: Too busy. Too many patients to be able to give personal care to everyone. The receptionist asked me for money every time I checked in even though I was completely covered by insurance and I told her this every time. At some point you would think a note would be made on my account or something.
What specific things went wrong at Brown Fertility?
Lost appointments
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Brown Fertility.
There were multiple times that I came in for a scheduled and verified appointment only to be told when I checked in that I didn't have an appointment on the schedule. This is not acceptable with IVF when everything is time sensitive.
Dr Brown is very honest and compassionate. I felt like he explained everything thoroughly and was open with expectations. I felt cared for and that he really wanted the best for me. His knowledge was great and he was always on time and kind... I was on birth control for 8 weeks prior to beginning cycle. I did not produce many eggs (3) and was discovered I have diminished ovarian reserve. Only 2 of the eggs were mature and both fertilized with ICSI. I had embryo transfer on day 3 with a 4 cell and an 8 cell embryo. I took Crinone suppositories and Estradiol daily after embryo transfer.
The front desk [at Brown Fertility] is fairly organized. The appointments ran mostly on time. They would let you know if your upcoming appointment would be long and to bring a book. Everyone was friendly...The nursing staff were very thorough and would respond to emails immediately. They were always positive and uplifting and organized.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr Brown is very honest and compassionate. I felt like he explained everything thoroughly and was open with expectations. I felt cared for and that he really wanted the best for me. His knowledge was great and he was always on time and kind.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Don't be afraid to ask questions and he will answer them.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
I felt Dr. Brown took his time with you and explained in detail. Also, he had a positive attitude.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
I did stims for 12 days.
I started with 225 of Gonal-F and 20mcg of hcg for the first 4 days. On day 5 I was upped to 300 of Gonal-F. Cetrotide was introduced on day 10. I triggered with Ovidrel. I was on birth control for 8 weeks prior to beginning cycle. I did not produce many eggs (3) and was discovered I have diminished ovarian reserve. Only 2 of the eggs were mature and both fertilized with ICSI. I had embryo transfer on day 3 with a 4 cell and an 8 cell embryo. I took Crinone suppositories and Estradiol daily after embryo transfer.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Kristina)
The nursing staff were very thorough and would respond to emails immediately. They were always positive and uplifting and organized.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The front desk is fairly organized. The appointments ran mostly on time. They would let you know if your upcoming appointment would be long and to bring a book. Everyone was friendly
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
IVF cycle 9,000
Medications 2,000
Describe Samuel Brown's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Brown Fertility.
I was only to transfer one embryo but due to 3 day transfer and one embryo stalling we decided to transfer both the 8 cell and 4 cell embryo
He [Dr. Samuel Brown] was very nice, informative, and very engaging. He didn’t seem rushed during my appt. He answered all of my questions and really took a good look at the medical records I had brought in with me. We went over all possible treatment options, and he explained each one (pros and cons) in great detail...He explained the entire process of the treatment I’d need, and helped me set up the testing both my husband and I would need.
All of the doctors and nurses are fantastic. The [Brown Fertility] clinic is very nicely decorated, clean, and smells nice. It’s very organized. The only “problem” is that sometimes you may have to wait longer than your scheduled appt time to see the doctor...They [nursing staff] were all very nice and greeted us as soon as we walked in the office. Each one we passed in the hallway would say hello and smile. They seemed very organized, they answered the phones promptly, and responded to our emails in a timely manner as well.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
He was very nice, informative, and very engaging. He didn’t seem rushed during my appt. He answered all of my questions and really took a good look at the medical records I had brought in with me. We went over all possible treatment options, and he explained each one (pros and cons) in great detail.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Expect to wait a little longer to be seen than your actual appt time.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
He answered all of my questions, and I had A LOT in a very friendly manner. He explained the entire process of the treatment I’d need, and helped me set up the testing both my husband and I would need.
Describe the protocols Samuel Brown used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
He recommended traditional IVF.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
They were all very nice and greeted us as soon as we walked in the office. Each one we passed in the hallway would say hello and smile. They seemed very organized, they answered the phones promptly, and responded to our emails in a timely manner as well.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
All of the doctors and nurses are fantastic. The clinic is very nicely decorated, clean, and smells nice. It’s very organized. The only “problem” is that sometimes you may have to wait longer than your scheduled appt time to see the doctor.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility.
I was only seen for a consultation, so I paid $100.
He [Dr. Ian Waldman] was very helpful very early - explained things clearly but we have not seen him since HSG. He gave so much early on insight but I would love so much to reconnect once our first two IUIs did not work. I would appreciated a short meeting to reconnect or go over thoroughly our yearly timelines...I would tell them to slow him down a bit - he’s very zealous and gets excited but we (the patient) is usually not as intelligent as him
[Brown Fertility] Strengths- location customer service is good. The people on the phone are always pleasant and helpful. Brown fertility Weakness - price point (consultations should not be 250$ if they’re going to rush you) and lack of flexible schedules...[nurse] is sweet knowledgeable and hard working. She remembered little nuiances about me and my husband - very sweet helpful
How was your experience with Ian Waldman at Brown Fertility?
He was very helpful very early - explained things clearly but we have not seen him since HSG. He gave so much early on insight but I would love so much to reconnect once our first two IUIs did not work. I would appreciated a short meeting to reconnect or go over thoroughly our yearly timelines
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Ian Waldman at Brown Fertility?
I would tell them to slow him down a bit - he’s very zealous and gets excited but we (the patient) is usually not as intelligent as him
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Ian Waldman at Brown Fertility?
Ian Waksman thoroughly goes through numbers and does not makes you feel dumb especially early on in the process - clearly explains things
Describe the protocols Ian Waldman used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
IUI - he explained them thoroughly
IVF we haven’t gone over it yetx
Describe your experience with your nurse at Brown Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Christina Camacho )
I LOVED Christina Camacho - she is sweet knowledgeable and hard working. She remembered little nuiances about me and my husband - very sweet helpful
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
Strengths- location customer service is good. The people on the phone are always pleasant and helpful.
Brown fertility Weakness - price point (consultations should not be 250$ if they’re going to rush you) and lack of flexible schedules
Describe the costs associated with your care under Ian Waldman at Brown Fertility.
Consultations are very pricey - I am totally fine paying for the services as I know they’re expensive but a consultation with a nurse (in my opinion) should not be 250$
Dr. Cabrera was very honest and patient when explaining the IVF and ICSI process and why it would be the best option in our case. He spent a good deal of time with us and reassured us that our chances of success are high. Although this entire process is daunting, I'm glad that we will be under the care of a knowledgable and compassionate doctor.
From the time that we called Brown Fertility, I felt as though everyone we spoke to spent time answering our questions and explaining the process. They have been competent and understanding. They have encouraged us to ask questions and seek more information, and I feel as though we are being heard...I am hopeful about moving forward with our treatment using Brown Fertility as our clinic.
How was your experience with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Cabrera was very honest and patient when explaining the IVF and ICSI process and why it would be the best option in our case. He spent a good deal of time with us and reassured us that our chances of success are high. Although this entire process is daunting, I'm glad that we will be under the care of a knowledgable and compassionate doctor.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
Ask as any and all the questions that you can. Dr. Cabrera did a great job of answering all of our concerns. This is such an important, emotional, hopeful, and life-altering journey. Make sure you are as well informed as possible.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
From the time that we called Brown Fertility, I felt as though everyone we spoke to spent time answering our questions and explaining the process. They have been competent and understanding. They have encouraged us to ask questions and seek more information, and I feel as though we are being heard.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
We are still in the early stages of the IVF journey. So far, we have been very happy with the treatment we've received. I am hopeful about moving forward with our treatment using Brown Fertility as our clinic.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility.
We have only paid for the initial consultation, semen analysis, and blood work so far.
Dr. Cabrera is absolutely amazing! He is very thorough and explained everything so that my husband and I would fully understand where we stood. Through treatments and procedure we knew what to expect...I did two cycles of clocks and timed intercourses ...After two cycles not working, we did iui so that we could assist the sperm along into the uterus
The nursing staff [at Brown Fertility] is so friendly and really make you feel welcomed. If you have been in their care, they remember you by name and follow your progress. They are really invested in the progress of the patients...they complete most of their tests and sonograms in office. I loved that I didn’t have to go to multiple locations to get the tests needed to come up with a course of treatment
How was your experience with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Cabrera is absolutely amazing! He is very thorough and explained everything so that my husband and I would fully understand where we stood. Through treatments and procedure we knew what to expect because Dr. Cabrera took the time to explain to us the process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Cabrera truly has your best interest so trust him and his course of action.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rafael Cabrera at Brown Fertility?
The staff were very friendly and remembered me by my name. They all showed that they truly care.
Describe the protocols Rafael Cabrera used in your cycles at Brown Fertility and their degree of success.
I did two cycles of clocks and timed intercourses as my ovules were growing and seemed to be releasing. After two cycles not working, we did iui so that we could assist the sperm along into the uterus. Due to financial reasons we could not continue after the first negative with iui
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
The nursing staff is so friendly and really make you feel welcomed. If you have been in their care, they remember you by name and follow your progress. They are really invested in the progress of the patients.
Describe your experience with Brown Fertility.
The clinic is amazing... they complete most of their tests and sonograms in office. I loved that I didn’t have to go to multiple locations to get the tests needed to come up with a course of treatment.
We prefer the more direct, scientific approach and Dr. Brown always obliges us by providing us with lots of information to make an informed decision. My only regret is that Dr. Brown is not a regular OB and that once I get pregnant I will have to stop going to his office.
He has employed the most amazing team of nurses. These women were happy for me with my first pregnancy, and called me when they discovered I had miscarried.
How was your experience with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown is great at reading his patients. We prefer the more direct, scientific approach and he always obliges us by providing us with lots of information to make an informed decision. Having said that, he still has an excellent bedside manner and I never feel rushed when I meet with him.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samuel Brown at Brown Fertility?
Dr. Brown is amazing. I always feel like he presents me with all of my options and doesn't pressure me to come to any one decision. He has employed the most amazing team of nurses. These women were happy for me with my first pregnancy, and called me when they discovered I had miscarried. Every time I see them I feel like they are truly vested in what happens with me. My only regret is that Dr. B is not a regular OB and that once I get pregnant I will have to stop going to his office.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at Brown Fertility.
The nursing staff are incredible. I feel as though they really care about me and the outcome of my treatments. The day after I had a miscarriage, I received a call at home from one of them. She told me they had been looking at the results of ultrasounds from the previous day and were so sad when they saw mine. I felt a tremendous amount of support from them all and it really made the process so much easier to bear.