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.
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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. Knopman, she was very nice and caring. She seems extremely experienced and knowledgeable...didn't get to see her much though. Maybe 2 times during the whole process...retrieved 20 eggs, and Dr. Knopman would call me with the final results...she said she expects to get 2 potential kids out of those
[CCRM New York] is clean and nice....waiting room is bright with great views of the city. Feels like a more upscale place...Everyone seems knowledgeable and knows their job. Very efficient....biggest negative - that it often felt overcrowded....sometimes I had to wait over two hours (!!) for a 5 minute appt.
How was your experience with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
When I did see Dr. Knopman, she was very nice and caring. She seems extremely experienced and knowledgeable. I could see even being friends with her! She's great. I didn't get to see her much though. Maybe 2 times during the whole process. That might be because everything went so well for me, I didn't have any complications and my outcome was better then expected. My friend who is having fertility complications says she speaks to Dr. knopman more than I did. So, thats probably why.
I did speak to her staff (techs and nurses) pretty much daily. They were always available between 7am-3pm EST. You have access to an app with a chat function and can chat in with their team anytime you want, which is very nice to have. I did my egg freezing in Jan-Feb, which I'm guessing is a busier time. new years resolution season! So my experience was that the office was always PACKED. They had to move everyone fast to see so many people, so it did always feel like the providers were rushed. But again, everyone was very nice despite seeming rushed. My experience was intense, quick, straightforward, and successful! I'm very happy and would use Dr. Knopman again.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
Trust the process. They have the process down pat, and will tell you all the steps you need when you need them. I was very anxious as I wanted all the information up front, but I didnt need to be. They will tell you everything you need at each step.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
Everyone I saw was very nice and knowledgable. And you see a lot of staff there. BUT there were so many patients, this is a popular place. It felt a little bit like a conveyer belt. I'm very lucky as I'm still very fertile, so everything went well and was straightforward, so maybe thats why my process was in and out. Not too much handholding for me.
Describe the protocols Jaime Knopman used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
My process was pretty straight forward and fast. I went into a consultation which was a talk with the doctor, an ultrasound, and bloodwork. The doctor told me I looked like a great candidate for egg freezing and guesstimated how many eggs I'd get (she was pretty much right). She called later that day to confirm this information, after seeing my bloodwork. She said if I wanted to start, to let them know as soon as I got my period and then we would begin. I let them know and I started injections right after my period. Morning and evening injections at home. Meopur and Follistim AQ. Then towards the end starting using Pegnyl. I moved along fast and had my retrieval within 10 days. Throughout the process, you have to go into their office for bloodwork. At first the bloodwork was every other day, then every day. It felt like a lot, but it was only for 2 weeks. When they schedule your procedure you have to take trigger shots at very specific times two days before (has to line up with the time of your procedure). This unfortunately was at about 3am and 4am for me, but a small price to pay. My procedure was easy and felt fast. My nurse was fantastic. Everything felt upscale and easy. Dr. Knopman was in another procedure when I woke up and left, so I didn't get to see her. But I was told they retrieved 20 eggs, and Dr. Knopman would call me with the final results. They do everything in house. Dr Knopman called me the next day saying 19 eggs they retrieved were mature and were frozen. 1 egg wasnt mature and they were trying to see if it would mature in their lab, but it didnt make it. So she confirmed that they froze 19 eggs. Out of those 19, she said she expects to get 2 potential kids out of those. Which to me sounds crazy, but lines up with everything I researched and what friends have told me.
For my recovery, I felt very bloated and somewhat crampy. I could continue my life pretty much right away, but definitely felt off until I got my period 10 days later. Then I felt back to normal!
So, for me it was 10 days of craziness + 10 day of bloatedness then its over!
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM New York.
The nursing staff is who you'll be talking to most of the time. The nurses were all very nice. I feel like I had two nurses who I spoke with the most, if not every time.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
The clinic is clean and nice. The waiting room is bright with great views of the city. Feels like a more upscale place. The clientele looks the part as well, so many good-looking people. Egg freezing/fertility help is still a privilege, since many insurances do not cover it. So this makes sense.
Everyone seems knowledgeable and knows their job. Very efficient.
My biggest negative - that it often felt overcrowded. It might just be a popular month that I was there, but sometimes I had to wait over two hours (!!) for a 5 minute appt. They did apologize for the wait. But since you have to go in every day for bloodwork, the wait was frustrating. You didn't know if you'd be there for 10 minutes or 2+ hours, so it was hard to plan my workday. Also because they were so crowded many times, you felt like the staff was rushing you. Which they needed to in order get through all the people waiting. Although staff was often in a hurry, they were all very nice though. Seems like a good set of people.
Strengths: nicer office, clean, efficient, nice staff, knowledgeable
Weaknesses: Crowded and the effects of this.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM New York.
Monitoring times were in the morning 7am-10am I think. It felt like a well oiled machine just churning people. If I went early; more towards 7 or 8am, the appointments were in and out in less than 10 mins. If I waited to 9 or 10am, I could be waiting for 2 hours.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York.
I would say all-in was probably around $18,000 . My insurance did not cover. The monitoring and procedure was $11,250 (ish), and anesthesia was $1,000. Ultrasounds, bloodwork, etc before monitoring started as well as all medications were probably around $6,000-7,000
Dr. Talebian does not back down from a challenge. I came to her as a RIF patient (recurrent implantation failure). I had failed 5 FETs prior to coming to her...started out by doing additional screening on both myself and my husband...I really appreciated this thoroughness...appointments with her were brief but she never made me feel like I couldn't get my questions answered...glad that she was able to do both my egg retrieval and transfer.
CCRM is much more intimate experience than a larger IVF facility...nursing staff is available to meet with you after every morning blood draw/ultra sound appointment. This can be especially helpful during stimulation because if you have questions you can get them answered right there rather than calling back or waiting for them to message you. I usually heard from the nursing team (Shannon) via the patient portal with any changes to my protocol or updates before 1pm or so...
How was your experience with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Dr. Talebian does not back down from a challenge. I came to her as a RIF patient (recurrent implantation failure). I had failed 5 FETs prior to coming to her. She did not hesitate when we asked her if she thought we should keep spending our time with fertility treatment. I appreciated that. Like all REs, regular appointments with her were brief but she never made me feel like I couldn't get my questions answered. I was very glad that she was able to do both my egg retrieval and transfer. The transfer experience was a really good one since I knew she would be doing it and since we had been working together a few months I knew she was really cheering for me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Make sure you prepare your questions prior to any appointment.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Dr. Talebian is very smart, prepared but also warm. She called me with all my testing results, even when she was on vacation. I had been on a frustrating journey already (5 failed FETs, including 3 PGTS normal embryos) before coming to CCRM and Dr. Talebian felt it was not the end of my journey and really gave me hope. I also appreciated that, like me, she wanted to rule out any potential issues that were impacting fertility, no matter how small.
Describe the protocols Sheeva Talebian used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
I came to Dr. Talebian as an RIF patient (recurrent implantation failure). I was in this category because I previously failed 5 FETs before coming to Dr. Talebian, 3 of which were PGS normal. Dr. Talebian started out by doing additional screening on both myself and my husband. My husband had a DNA fragmentation analysis; I did a second ERA test with a new protocol (modified natural; led in with letrozole, added a few estrogen patches and progesterone before the mock transfer) as well as the ReceptivaDx test for silent endometriosis. The ERA came back as receptive which had not happened before so we were excited about that result. When it came time for my retrieval, she also did a hysteroscopy at the same time, so we could rule anything out there. I really appreciated this thoroughness.
At CCRM, they PGS test all embryos; of the 8 day 5 and 6 embryos I got from my retrieval, 7 tested normal.
For my first transfer, we followed the same protocol as we did for the mock transfer with the ERA. This included leading in with letrozole, adding in some estrogen patches pre-transfer and also starting progesterone inserts before the transfer. They also did a blood test on me a day or so before transfer and increased my estrogen patches.
In addition to CCRM, I was also seen by Dr. Jonathan Scher who did an immune protocol on me. I took prednisone (a steroid) as well as did an infusion of intralipids prior to my transfer. This was to address my immune testing results, which included high natural killer cells.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Shannon)
The nursing staff is available to meet with you after every morning blood draw/ultra sound appointment. This can be especially helpful during stimulation because if you have questions you can get them answered right there rather than calling back or waiting for them to message you. I usually heard from the nursing team (Shannon) via the patient portal with any changes to my protocol or updates before 1pm or so. I can't tell you if I ever met Shannon or talked to her on the phone but I did meet several other nurses in person.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
CCRM is much more intimate experience than a larger IVF facility. I previously went to Cornell and the experience was quite different. As one example, the retrieval process was much more comfortable at CCRM than at Cornell. At Cornell, your partner cannot accompany you to a retrieval or transfer due to their restrictions. The operating room is big and cold and you wake up and feel like you are in a hospital because you are. CCRM's OR is just smaller and more intimate and they have nicer amenities when you wake up (like a warm blanket, snacks, etc.)
Describe the costs associated with your care under Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York.
The costs at CCRM were not all that different from at Cornell at the end of the day. They just recently started accepting insurance from Cigna, which I have. I think I paid about $20-25k for my retrieval, plus medications ($2-3k), plus anesthesia ($2k). I haven't yet paid for additional embryo freezing so not sure what that costs.
Describe Sheeva Talebian's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Dr. Talebian only recommended transferring one embryo. Because we had failed a few times before we asked for her thoughts on multiple embryo transfer and she said she would consider it if our first transfer failed. Thankfully our first transfer was successful.
Dr. Choi was always friendly and treated us like smart adults who could assess information. She remembered our situation, concerns, and addressed them in subsequent appointments. She also went out of her way to say a quick hello even if we were only in office for blood work or monitoring. ... I was diagnosed with a slightly lower egg supply (diminished ovarian reserve), with high FSH. My AMH is considered normal/age appropriate... somewhat of a conundrum. So designing a treatment protocol that would wake up enough eggs but not make me overstimulate was important.
CCRM's strengths are its Doctors, Embryologists, and technologies. The money goes primarily to these areas. The business office & team could be organized a little better (8 of 10). There was just a couple discrepancies/ minor confusion in the beginning between the consult and testing workups and before the IVF cycle started that left us wondering sometimes. Each thing got worked out, but it took a couple emails/phone calls. Once we were fully in the IVF cycle, the injection protocol, monitoring, egg retrieval, and follow up all went smoothly. This is when we really became a "fan" of CCRM.
How was your experience with Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Working with Dr. Choi was great. We did a bit of research on Fertility IQ before choosing a clinic & doctor and were not disappointed by our choice. Knowing time is extremely important we didn't want to waste time in not-a-great-experience. We wanted a doctor with a solid reputation and results. Right from the first consultation we were pleased by the amount of time Dr. Choi spent with us, including detailed explanations of all required testing, fertility treatment options including risk factors and percentage chance of success, and any limitations. Again we had done a bit of research on infertility before any appointments so we were able to jump right into conversation with her. She heard our concerns and addressed them. She was very factual and speaks quickly, so we always needed to be paying close attention. I brought my notes from home and my recent cycle dates on paper and she appreciated it.
Two times, after testing results were received, we would send detailed questions/concerns into the Facility's nurses inbox and Dr. Choi called directly in reply. She allayed concerns, not with any pretense of guaranteed results, but reminding us there was likely not any one factor that would determine full success or full failure. We appreciated the personal touch.
Dr Choi's protocol selection for me was spot on. The research we did on our own shows it was slightly aggressive but had it not been we would have not likely gotten the same results. The egg retrieval experience was good as well. She also always called with results (with any thing more than normal monitoring instructions). Dr Choi and her staff also worked with us patiently as we changed our minds a couple times regarding how we wanted the IVF cycle to proceed (fresh vs frozen transfer; PGS testing or not). She said, "I'll do what you guys want to do," so it made us feel heard. Ultimately we went with her recommendation; and we feel we got the best results we could have.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Do your own research and homework outside of your treatment recommendations, more for your own understanding. Come to the table with some knowledge of fertility/infertility. I could imagine not knowing anything someone might feel overwhelmed (in general). She explains well, but you'll maximize the depth of her knowledge better. She's extremely smart and good at what she does. Come to her with your own thoughts, questions. Dr. Choi speaks quickly, pay attention to her answers (take notes if possible).
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Dr. Choi was always friendly and treated us like smart adults who could assess information. She remembered our situation, concerns, and addressed them in subsequent appointments. She also went out of her way to say a quick hello even if we were only in office for blood work or monitoring. It made us feel like we were "her patients."
Describe the protocols Janet Choi used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
I was diagnosed with a slightly lower egg supply (diminished ovarian reserve), with high FSH. My AMH is considered normal/age appropriate... somewhat of a conundrum. So designing a treatment protocol that would wake up enough eggs but not make me overstimulate was important.
The protocal included...
Estrogen priming, Menopur, Follistim, later added in Ganirellix, and 2 trigger shots. I didn't overstimulate and was pleased with the number of eggs retrieved.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Emily)
Dr Choi's primary Nurse, Emily, was very competent as well. Once we were working with her during the IVF cycle, we felt much more assure we were in good hands. She was always organized when we saw her and was always quick to reply thru the patient portal.
We did have have some back and forth discrepancies with the patient care coordinator and the financial coordinator during the testing working up and before moving forward with the pricing/decided treatment. Sometimes we felt things got tacked on that we didn't ask for. I can imagine some people pay for services that aren't needed. We really had to advocate for ourselves that what were getting and paying for only what we wanted.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
CCRM's strengths are its Doctors, Embryologists, and technologies. The money goes primarily to these areas. The business office & team could be organized a little better (8 of 10). There was just a couple discrepancies/ minor confusion in the beginning between the consult and testing workups and before the IVF cycle started that left us wondering sometimes. Each thing got worked out, but it took a couple emails/phone calls. Once we were fully in the IVF cycle, the injection protocol, monitoring, egg retrieval, and follow up all went smoothly. This is when we really became a "fan" of CCRM.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Janet Choi at CCRM New York.
The IVF cycle costed around $16K. This does not include the initial consultation
and testing, medication, anesthesiology, or final frozen embryo transfer.
Describe Janet Choi's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Dr. Choi was willing to do no more than a 2 embryo fresh transfer. She warned against the risks of a multiple embryo transfer to both mom and baby. Ultimately we opted for PGS testing tho.
Dr Levine is kind, compassionate and an amazing listener. He takes notes without being distracted by them....He was available for questions in the appointment, via email and via phone. (he is busy though, so it is hard to catch him at the office!) He actively listened and gave an informed, detailed medical opinion based on knowledge, science and anecdotal experiences....Our first two protocols were letrozole + Ovidrel trigger followed by specifically timed intercourse.
The clinic's strengths [CCRM NY] are many. The front receptionists and administrators are fantastic. They always pick up the phone, rarely put you on hold and get back to you with the information you require. They are fast to book your appointments and share details on schedules. Very accommodating. As I mentioned, the nursing staff for bloods and ultrasound are fantastic. The facility is clean and modern. Instruments and rooms are clean and up to date. Sanitization is on point.
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
His strength is looking at you like a person. He takes into account all aspects of your life as they relate to fertility. Not just "you are infertile!" -- as I had heard at other providers. He is compassionate, but not coddling. He is direct, which I appreciate on a daily basis. Just tell me what I need to know and what the plan is! He was available for questions in the appointment, via email and via phone. (he is busy though, so it is hard to catch him at the office!) He actively listened and gave an informed, detailed medical opinion based on knowledge, science and anecdotal experiences. He doesn't rush you either. It may take a while to get an appointment with him, but know that he will spend a lot of time with you! I always feel confident in our plan when leaving the appointments with Dr Levine.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Bring any and all questions you have! He will answer them with insight and thoughtfulness. Nothing is off limits, too personal or too medical. He is also great to just chat about life and how things are with you, so don't be afraid to be personal. He really does want to get to know you as a human being. Don't feel the need to rush the meeting because you think he needs to go! He will take his time with you unless some emergency comes up. (has only happened once in a year!) When you leave and forget to ask something, just email him. He will respond within a few days.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr Levine is kind, compassionate and an amazing listener. He takes notes without being distracted by them. (you know what I mean when a doctor is nodding, but not actively listening!) He took the time to understand and know us as a couple. "Feeling like a human" (to me) feels like a second home; someone who understands who you are as a person and not what season you are in or what role you play. It's nice to have someone ask questions about ME and not just about my fertility issues.
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
Our first two protocols were letrozole + Ovidrel trigger followed by specifically timed intercourse. With diminished ovarian reserve due to age, this rationale was to get the best egg response and time my cycle. We also added luteal support with progesterone inserts and estrogen patches. Unfortunately, we didn't conceive. Dr Levine then suggested trying an IUI which would increase our chances slightly, but get the sperm at least closer to the egg -- if that was the conception issue. We did the same medication protocol with letrozole (great response from my body), ovidrel trigger followed by a specifically timed IUI. We used a fresh sperm sample the day of the IUI with no male factor issues. Unfortunately, this didn't lead to conception either. Dr Levine has no adjusted course which my husband and I really appreciate. He didn't push us one way or the other actually -- he simply informed us of our options. We decided to skip another IUI and move into IVF due to my age, ovarian response and success rates with IVF. We started with a month of estrogen priming followed by a cycle of menopur + cetrotide + clomid + dexamethasone + gonal f + and will trigger with lupron + novarel when the time comes for retrieval.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM New York.
The nursing staff is fantastic. They greet you in the lobby with a smile and genuine concern for how you are. The women you take your blood are fast. Trust me, from someone who faints, they are quick, kind and in and out! The nurses for the ultrasound are smart and efficient. The IVF nurses are also kind and answer all questions efficiently. I will urge you to stay on top of your own medical care. As wonderful as the nurses and providers are, things can get missed. Be proactive about asking questions when you either don't understand or think they gave you conflicting information. I had to inform them several times about a medication allergy which was fine; there are a lot of nurses and they share your medical information between them. I have learned to be patient while one nurse might not be up to speed.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
The clinic's strengths are many. The front receptionists and administrators are fantastic. They always pick up the phone, rarely put you on hold and get back to you with the information you require. They are fast to book your appointments and share details on schedules. Very accommodating. As I mentioned, the nursing staff for bloods and ultrasound are fantastic. The facility is clean and modern. Instruments and rooms are clean and up to date. Sanitization is on point. Communicating through their encrypted portal via email is great for lab results, emails, questions, general billing questions.
I would say be proactive about your health. Since at the end of the day, you've spent time, finances and emotion on this journey. Own it and communicate with the clinic often. Things can get missed due to patient volume and the time to catch up on a patient's background. The longest response times were from billing, consent forms and insurance pre-certification departments. They eventually assisted, but it was difficult to connect with them. The IVF nurses were great, but I definitely needed to stay on top of things. If something was amiss or instructions were conflicting, it would initially drive me crazy! Now, I'm much more in control and don't rely on them to reach out first. I would recommend the patient call or email them proactively.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
I would recommend you ask for the billing costs. They sent a complete list of all procedures, codes for insurance if you have it, and the costs associated with each item. Costs for timed intercourse cycles were low -- medications were under $5. Trigger shots were closer to $200. IUI procedures were around $1K. And IVF is around $23K including PGS testing, biopsy, ICSI and assisted hatching. Medications we shopped around for the best prices at local and other pharmacies.
Describe Brian Levine's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
We haven't gotten to the FET stage as of yet, but I believe the clinic prefers FET over fresh embryo transfers. I also believe that eSET is the preferred method, but would suggest you chat with Dr Levine about your questions and concerns.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM New York?
Lost paperwork
Failed to order appropriate test
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Failed to consider drug intolerance
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM New York.
Just be proactive about asking questions. Initially, we relied on them to notice drug allergies or prescription changes, but quickly realized we would need to remind them every single time. Which is fine! Now that we take that approach, things are missed, yes, but now we are in control. If meds aren't called in, reach out to CCRM. If they sent the wrong dose, call CCRM. If you get conflicting instructions, reach out to them. It can all be solved quickly!
On one occasion, I came in for a saline sonogram and she [Dr. Knopman] performed a standard transvaginal ultrasound. On multiple occasions, she provided one response to a question only to provide a different one later (e.g. - do supplements have an impact on sperm quality?)...gave the impression she really cared about you. She knew my name and was extremely friendly, but in the end we felt like in the ways that mattered most she wasn't paying attention
We had a wrong procedure performed, a couple times drugs weren't called in and most alarmingly a consulting physicians protocol failed to make it into my records causing them to prescribe medications that I was already taking [at CCRM New York]...We spent approximately 50,000 on 2 egg retrievals and 3 transfers at CCRM excluding meds... we came here based on the stellar reputation of CCRM and we quickly realized we were at CCRM New York, not CCRM Colorado.
How was your experience with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
This is a hard review to write because there were so many aspects of our care under Dr Knopman that we felt positive about, but in the end we could not recommend her.
The positives. She will respond to your emails/calls and you will actually see her and get to know her as your doctor. She absolutely knew us as people and as patients. She is approachable, intelligent and was quick to admit when our case went beyond her comfort zone at which point she referred us out to a consulting specialist.
The downsides: She felt very rushed, careless and not as thorough as we would have liked. She contradicted herself on multiple occasions. On one occasion, she performed the wrong kind of sonogram on me. The nail in the coffin was the fact that she failed to make note of the medications that the specialist (who she referred me to) prescribed. As a result, she prescribed me two medications that I was already taking.
When our case became complicated, she justified proposed treatments with anecdotal stories instead of studies. This made us feel like she wasn't willing to dig deep for answers and was instead relying on whatever evidence jumped to mind.
Ironically, we felt that she was at her best when she called to give us bad news (failed IUIs, IVF cycles and chemical pregnancies). At these moments, she slowed down and provided us with thoughtful unhurried responses to our questions.
We did not get pregnant with Dr. Knopman and I don't know if that is the result of her care. If I'm honest with myself, I don't necessarily think it is. What I do know is that in the end neither my husband nor I had confidence in her attention to detail and the stakes were too high to risk having a detail fall through the cracks. We've since moved to another clinic and feel much more confident that we are getting the level of attention we should be. Even if we don't ultimately get the outcome we want, we feel better about the process than we did with Dr. Knopman.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
Be prepared to speak up and advocate for yourself. I think Dr Knopman genuinely wants the best for all of her patients, but I suspect she is just super busy. Don't be the patient who gets shortchanged and demand the time/answers you need.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
Dr Knopman gave the impression she really cared about you. She knew my name and was extremely friendly, but in the end we felt like in the ways that mattered most she wasn't paying attention. On one occasion, I came in for a saline sonogram and she performed a standard transvaginal ultrasound. On multiple occasions, she provided one response to a question only to provide a different one later (e.g. - do supplements have an impact on sperm quality?)
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM New York.
The women who do morning monitoring (particularly blood draws) are truly the best part of this clinic. They are so kind and compassionate. I genuinely looked forward to seeing them. With rare exception, the doctor's nurses were also wonderful and very friendly. Occasionally prescriptions did not get called in, but they seemed pretty on top of it. I've heard horror stories of nurses at other clinics and you won't get any of that here. You might like one more than another, but they are all caring, component and pleasant.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
The clinic is beautiful and monitoring is a breeze. Almost everyone there will know your name. This makes the process of going through IVF so much more pleasant. That said, we came here based on the stellar reputation of CCRM and we quickly realized we were at CCRM New York, not CCRM Colorado. It became clear after having a consult with Dr. Schoolcraft at CCRM Colorado that they are doing things differently there. For one, while CCRM NY offers acupuncture, they never once mentioned the benefits of complementary therapy (supplements, acupuncture, etc.) and even seemed to poo poo it. They market themselves as a super personal and they are in the sense they know you, but medically speaking it feels a little bit like a factory. I don't think I got any more of a personalized approach there than I would have at any other major NY clinic.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York.
We spent approximately 50,000 on 2 egg retrievals and 3 transfers at CCRM excluding meds.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM New York?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost results
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM New York.
We had a wrong procedure performed, a couple times drugs weren't called in and most alarmingly a consulting physicians protocol failed to make it into my records causing them to prescribe medications that I was already taking.
Dr. Levine is so involved with each case and he knows what he is doing. He is open to hearing my ideas...He is busy. So a lot of the communication is with his nurse / nurses...[he] was always the one that calls for good/bad news. He even text me when he was on vacation w his family to tell me the good news of my transfer working...he gave me a low dose protocol (low dose and slow) which was very successful.
The clinic [at CCRM New York] is organized , wait time is not too bad. There are times they forget about prescriptions but I always just messaged them in the portal and they will get it done. I loved that there was a patient coordinator and whenever needed we can meet with the nurse in person. The nurse goes over how to inject , and the medications for that day...I believe the clinic believes in eSet with tested embryos
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr. Levine is so involved with each case and he knows what he is doing. He is open to hearing my ideas (even tho I am not a doctor) and he never dismissed you.
I had 2 failed transfers at another university clinic in nyc, and seeing dr Levine was the best decision I have made. I am currently 21 weeks pregnant.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
He is busy. So a lot of the communication is with his nurse / nurses. But the entire staff at CCRM is warm and super caring. Dr Levine was always the one that calls for good/bad news. He even text me when he was on vacation w his family to tell me the good news of my transfer working!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr. Levine was great at making me feel well cared for. He was always the one to call me with good or bad news.
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
For retrieval , he gave me a low dose protocol (low dose and slow) which was very successful. It was my best cycle yet (compared to my prior clinic)
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Alex )
The entire CCRM staff is warm, the front desk always greeted me by my name and it felt like the entire clinic was rooting for my success.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
The clinic is organized , wait time is not too bad. There are times they forget about prescriptions but I always just messaged them in the portal and they will get it done.
I loved that there was a patient coordinator and whenever needed we can meet with the nurse in person. The nurse goes over how to inject , and the medications for that day
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
We had insurance coverage
Describe Brian Levine's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
I never asked about multiple - I believe the clinic believes in eSet with tested embryos
What specific things went wrong at CCRM New York?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM New York.
The nurse forgot to call in a prescription but it was fixed quickly as soon as I messaged the nurse through the portal
Dr. Talebian speaks in a warm, caring, positive way...She has a warm and enthusiastic personality and she’s very intelligent and caring. If you have questions, she calls and/or meets with you personally. She is upfront and honest. I enjoyed her energy. My husband and I both liked her personally and enjoyed working with her...Ask questions and she will answer them...This doctor is really into testing.
[CCRM New York] Strengths: very smart, personable doctors. Weaknesses: communication, care too much about money and not enough about patients, obsession with testing and icsi and unwilling to be creative and/or flexible...Just wouldn't received medication instructions on time a few times because salve app wasn't actually working. Wouldn't receive responses from nurses because salve app wasn't working. Phone lines didn't work so we couldn't get through. My name and my husband's name were often not added to appointment lists so we couldn't get upstairs to our appointment and were stuck at front desk security, waiting. We would try to call up, but the phone would just ring and ring. They are understaffed. Some of the staff is very nice, but others are totally nonchalant and uncaring.
How was your experience with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
She has a warm and enthusiastic personality and she’s very intelligent and caring. If you have questions, she calls and/or meets with you personally. She is upfront and honest. I enjoyed her energy. My husband and I both liked her personally and enjoyed working with her.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Ask questions and she will answer them.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Dr. Talebian speaks in a warm, caring, positive way
Describe the protocols Sheeva Talebian used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
antihistamine protocol.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM New York.
You never knew who you were going to get and the Salve app they use barely works. You won't get things on time.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
Strengths: very smart, personable doctors.
Weaknesses: communication, care too much about money and not enough about patients, obsession with testing and icsi and unwilling to be creative and/or flexible because they're brainwashed around genetic testing
Describe the costs associated with your care under Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York.
I don't remember, but this place was expensive and I felt like I was working just to pay CCRM
Describe Sheeva Talebian's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
multiple embryos transferred because they were untested. This doctor is really into testing.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM New York?
Lost appointments
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM New York.
Just wouldn't received medication instructions on time a few times because salve app wasn't actually working. Wouldn't receive responses from nurses because salve app wasn't working. Phone lines didn't work so we couldn't get through. My name and my husband's name were often not added to appointment lists so we couldn't get upstairs to our appointment and were stuck at front desk security, waiting. We would try to call up, but the phone would just ring and ring. They are understaffed. Some of the staff is very nice, but others are totally nonchalant and uncaring.
I barely saw [Dr.Jaime Knopman] over the course of my two egg freezing rounds and when I did, it was a rushed experience...negligence resulted in improper care and impacted my chance of a successful conception thereafter...Never once did she mention there was in fact a separate quality issue with my eggs, that I needed further genetic testing or that I would be challenged with infertility in the future
CCRM is an industry leader and the practice has credibility - that's undeniable. It's also fairly efficient and easy to get to if you live in Manhattan. Their billing is a nightmare though...$20,000 per round for egg freezing, including all the bloodwork, testing, medications, anesthesia, etc
How was your experience with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
I'm writing this review because I had a horrible experience with Dr. Jaime Knopman and feel it needs to be shared, as I don't want anyone else to go through something like this.
I did two rounds of egg freezing with Jaime at CCRM New York back in 2022 when I was 32 years old. Now in present day, my husband and I have been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for a long time and we were advised to see a fertility doctor in CT, where we now live. To prepare for the appt, I requested my medical records from CCRM. Once I received them, I noticed almost immediately that my genetic testing results reflect an "abnormal karotype with a balanced reciprocal translocation," which causes infertility, repeated miscarriages and birth defects. This testing was performed before I started any treatment at CCRM and it was never shared or discussed with me by Jaime or any nurse, ever. Jaime did tell me I had a low AMH level of 0.96 (indicating a lower than average ovarian reserve) but completely missed the genetic aberrations in my bloodwork, which was highly important for me (and her) to be aware of. Her negligence resulted in improper care and impacted my chance of a successful conception thereafter.
How do I know that she missed these results? After my second egg retrieval, I was disappointed I had only accumulated 10 frozen eggs in total. Dr. Knopman told me not to worry, that it's all about "quality over quantity," and I could end up having a better chance with my 10 eggs than someone with 20 lower quality eggs. She also made a point to remind me that my low AMH level doesn't indicate that I'd have problems getting pregnant naturally down the road. I really held onto that and truly believed that everything was okay. Never once did she mention there was in fact a separate quality issue with my eggs, that I needed further genetic testing or that I would be challenged with infertility in the future. So it's been over 2 years that I've had no knowledge of any issue whatsoever beyond a low-ish AMH level.
When I requested that Dr. Knopman call me immediately after discovering these results 2 weeks ago, she said right off the bat in a cavalier tone, "oh I might've forgotten to tell you or I probably left the results on a voicemail that you didn't hear" - these were her direct words. Then she brushed past it and continued as though she had known about these results all along, saying "it's unlikely I will be able to get pregnant naturally and that I should come into her office ASAP this week to get started on IVF." ???
Even worse, she told me my 10 frozen eggs won't cut it for IVF since there's a quality issue with them (directly contradicting what she had told me in 2022), and that I'll need more retrievals / more eggs to have a shot at success. This left me in complete shock and all I could think to do at the time was thank her and hang up, which I now regret. If she had known about these results 2 years ago and the challenges I'd face, why didn't she push me to do more rounds then, when I was already 32.5 years old? Had I been informed of this information and the likelihood of needing IVF in the future, I would have 100% continued with more retrievals to make sure I had enough for a good chance of at least one successful birth. As we all know, the years between ages 32-35 are crucial for any woman trying to conceive, and even more so for someone with 1 or more fertility issues. Now as I'm about to turn 35, with an even lower egg count than I had before on top of chromosomal defects, this has put me in a much more challenging position to get the minimum number of viable eggs I need.
Needless to say, this ordeal has left me devastated and I feel as though Dr. Knopman robbed me of my best chance to have my own child. All I can hope is that this new doctor will be better to me than Jaime was.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
I fully recognize Jaime Knopman's credentials on paper and her positive reviews, it's why I went to her myself - but I wouldn't recommend her to anyone after being her patient. There is so much at stake with these procedures (including the very high cost), so I would advise finding a doctor who will meticulously analyze your results and make a point to see you regularly throughout the process. Unless you are a celebrity, Jaime is probably not that person.
I emphasize this advice for anyone in their 30s, especially those with any known issues like PCOS or endometriosis, or a family history of infertility. It will be so important for you to see someone who will give you the time and attention you deserve.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
I barely saw Jaime over the course of my two egg freezing rounds and when I did, it was a rushed experience. While she has a "fun" attitude (no doubt why so many people like her and why I initially liked her myself), she didn't take the time to ask me questions or give me any careful attention during the process. She would brush over things very briskly, in a manner that made me uncomfortable asking too many questions, as though I was taking up too much of her time.
My impression is that she cares more about bringing in business than paying careful attention to her patients. The whole experience felt like being a guest at a busy restaurant with a waiter who is rushing you out the door to maximize turnover.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM New York.
It felt like a massive operation with patients being churned through bloodwork and ultrasounds. It was meant to be an efficient process but wasn't a highly personal experience where you're seeing the same few nurses every time. However, I don't remember having any issues with the nurses in particular.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
In terms of strengths, CCRM is an industry leader and the practice has credibility - that's undeniable. It's also fairly efficient and easy to get to if you live in Manhattan.
Their billing is a nightmare though - be prepared to be hit with many surprise miscellaneous bills. This is important to be aware of if you're paying out of pocket.
The experience I had with Jaime Knopman speaks for itself. Her negligence has resulted in damages that can't be quantified. I am sure she has generated successful outcomes for other patients, but the fact that this happened even once is a problem.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York.
It came out to $20,000 per round for egg freezing, including all the bloodwork, testing, medications, anesthesia, etc.
Dr Levine listened to our situation intently and with empathy and compassion. He seemed very knowledgeable about the options and procedures. Even with a setback he remained confident and gave us support and helpful advice. He was always reachable by text after giving us his cell number which we appreciated...He truly understood our unique situation and was empathetic and did everything in his control to help us
[CCRM New York, the] Clinic is advanced and everything can be done there for the donor egg extraction and IVF / embryo creation. One major weakness is the location - very expensive to travel to NYC and hassle to park and get to the clinic if you are traveling from out of town...All the staff was caring and understanding. There was some administrative confusion at first with documentation and signatures but they were quickly resolved
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr Levine listened to our situation intently and with empathy and compassion. He seemed very knowledgeable about the options and procedures. Even with a setback he remained confident and gave us support and helpful advice. He was always reachable by text after giving us his cell number which we appreciated (and didn’t over do). We celebrated our good news with him after our surrogates gave birth to healthy babies and he shared in our over joy.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
He truly understood our unique situation and was empathetic and did everything in his control to help us
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
ICSI first time and then PICSI second time due to problem with the age of the father’s and motility and potential DNA fragmentation of the sperm
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Stephanie )
All the staff was caring and understanding. There was some administrative confusion at first with documentation and signatures but they were quickly resolved
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
Clinic is advanced and everything can be done there for the donor egg extraction and IVF / embryo creation. One major weakness is the location - very expensive to travel to NYC and hassle to park and get to the clinic if you are traveling from out of town
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
For who donor transfer and medication it was over $10000. For IVF procedure it was another $10000
Describe Brian Levine's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Recommend eSET each time since we also did pre transfer genetic testing to ensure the embryos were normal
What specific things went wrong at CCRM New York?
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM New York.
When we decided to do PICSI for some reason they thought it was 50% of the sperm but I clarified it should have been 100%. They caught it ahead of time and so the procedure ended up being correct but only because I double checked
For my initial consultation at CCRM, I had a video appointment. I waited over 20 minutes for the doctor [Dr. Jaime Knopman] to show up, and called/emailed the admin team several times to tell them she was late. No one seemed to care or take any action. I had to keep calling to track down the doctor. She was over 30 minutes late, and then after I had given up on the appointment entirely, she called my cell phone from an Uber. The call lasted 15-20 minutes. My consultation was supposed to be 1 hour over video. I was still charged the full price
[CCRM New York] Weaknesses: takes limited insurance policies, high fees, lack of respect for your time and money, lack of empathy for you emotions when going through a difficult time experiencing infertility, tardiness with no sense of remorse...For my initial consultation at CCRM, I had a video appointment. I waited over 20 minutes for the doctor to show up, and called/emailed the admin team several times to tell them she was late. No one seemed to care or take any action. I had to keep calling to track down the doctor. She was over 30 minutes late, and then after I had given up on the appointment entirely, she called my cell phone from an Uber. The call lasted 15-20 minutes. My consultation was supposed to be 1 hour over video.
How was your experience with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
Granted, I did not pursue any treatment with this doctor. I stopped working with this doctor and her admin team after being treated poorly during my consultation. My consultation was supposed to be a 1 hour video call and ended up being a 15-20 minute phone call while the doctor was in an Uber. This is after I wait over 30 minutes for her to show up on the Zoom, and had to track her down by calling the front desk numerous times.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
CCRM only takes one insurance, and if they don't accept yours, I would seriously reconsider finding another clinic before paying out of pocket for these expense, lackluster services. I was not treated with empathy, respect, or given consideration for my time.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
For my initial consultation at CCRM, I had a video appointment. I waited over 20 minutes for the doctor to show up, and called/emailed the admin team several times to tell them she was late. No one seemed to care or take any action. I had to keep calling to track down the doctor. She was over 30 minutes late, and then after I had given up on the appointment entirely, she called my cell phone from an Uber. The call lasted 15-20 minutes. My consultation was supposed to be 1 hour over video. I was still charged the full price (CCRM only takes 1 insurance, not mine) of $395. I had to call back and insist my bill be adjusted due to the terrible and truncated service ,as well as lack of empathy I received - especially during an emotional time when facing fertility issues. The bill was adjusted, but it wouldn't have been if I didn't advocate for myself.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
Weaknesses: takes limited insurance policies, high fees, lack of respect for your time and money, lack of empathy for you emotions when going through a difficult time experiencing infertility, tardiness with no sense of remorse.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York.
$395 for an initial consultation (not covered by insurance). The consultation was supposed to be 1 hour over video, but because the doctor was late/no-showed, it became a 15-20 minute phone call while doctor was in an Uber. I was still charged the full amount and had to dispute the cost.
My care was personalized and Dr. Levine always called me with important news. He always listened to all my concerns and really made me feel heard as a patient. He took his time to carefully review all my medical records from the previous clinic...Dr. Levine is an impressive fertility doctor! He was always on top of the most recent advances in the fertility field and had unique approaches and recommendations when the standard treatments weren't working. We did not have a successful first transfer and Dr. Levine changed our treatment and assured us that we will get pregnant under his care but we just have to be patient. And we did :) 2nd transfer was a success and we currently have a healthy baby boy who is almost 4 months old. Again, trust him, he knows what he's doing and will figure out the best course of action for you.
The [CCRM New York] clinic itself is not as nice/ fancy as other clinics I went to. But to e the results were important rather than how fancy or new the lobby of the clinic is. The wait time was also a little longer compared to other clinics I wen to...My care was personalized and Dr. Levine always called me with important news. He always listened to all my concerns and really made me feel heard as a patient. He took his time to carefully review all my medical records from the previous clinic.
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr. Levine was very patient to learn my medical history and explain in details what he thinks should be done based on my data (medical records, bloodwork). He customized the protocol based on the results he saw from previous clinic and tests he performed.
Trust him and be patient. I was very impatient, because of 2 unsuccessful transfers at the other clinic and Dr. Levine really took his time to understand my history and perform all tests which resulted in diagnosis (unlike other fertility clinic where I was diagnosed with just unexplained infertility).
Dr. Levine is an impressive fertility doctor! He was always on top of the most recent advances in the fertility field and had unique approaches and recommendations when the standard treatments weren't working.
We did not have a successful first transfer and Dr. Levine changed our treatment and assured us that we will get pregnant under his care but we just have to be patient. And we did :) 2nd transfer was a success and we currently have a healthy baby boy who is almost 4 months old.
Again, trust him, he knows what he's doing and will figure out the best course of action for you.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Be patient and trust him. He knows what he is doing but just needs time to properly evaluate and diagnose his patients.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
My care was personalized and Dr. Levine always called me with important news. He always listened to all my concerns and really made me feel heard as a patient. He took his time to carefully review all my medical records from the previous clinic.
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
Before the transfer I was 2 months on Lupron which put my body in a state of a menopause. For the transfer I used lupron, estradiol, endometrin, medrol and doxycycline tablets and progesterone in oil. 2nd transfer was done under anesthesia. I did acupuncture treatments before and after each transfers. 2nd transfer we did antihistamine protocol which included pednisone, claritin and pepcid tablets. 1st transfer did not work but 2nd one was a success.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM New York.
The nurses sometimes were not on top of my treatment as I communicated with multiple nurses throughout the course of the treatment. I think their portal did not have all comments posted and sometimes I had the same communication done by multiple nurses.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
The clinic itself is not as nice/ fancy as other clinics I went to. But to e the results were important rather than how fancy or new the lobby of the clinic is.
The wait time was also a little longer compared to other clinics I wen to.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
Most of my treatment was covered by proginy. I just had to pay co-payments and co-insurance
Describe Brian Levine's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Dr. Levine suggested a single embryo transfer based on my test results and medical history.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM New York?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Failed to call with results
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM New York.
Sometimes nurses did not communicate to me if I had any change in the protocol. Also, during my nd FET I was assigned a new nurse and she simply did not know what to do with me. She did not know that I need to do a bloodwork and that I had acupuncture scheduled right before the transfer. I had to tell her that we need to do bloodwork and that I have acupuncture.
Her [Dr. Sheeva Talebian] strengths included that seemed knowledgeable, competent & confident. Her weaknesses? After 6 weeks of working together, she regularly misquoted key details from my medical history, never assigned a nurse to my case, failed to address when her team was regularly getting things wrong (even concerning meds) & being unprofessional, didn't know the month of my retrieval - and tried to argue with me about it. She never apologized for any slight or mix up ever, which felt arrogant.
CCRM lacks diversity. Its doctors appear to be are over 95 percent White. The microaggressions & hostility made an already difficult process more stressful. Given the real issues to Black maternal & reproductive health, I would caution other Black women from using this clinic. Additionally, its no "switch" policy that forces patients to stick with one doctor, or leave & start over elsewhere, was unfair and doesn't prioritize the patient. A doctor's ego should not be elevated above the patient.
How was your experience with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Overall, Dr Talebian felt like she was in it for the money & lacked accountability & professionalism, as did her team. Her personality felt slick, like that of a strong saleswoman. My gut found her hard to trust. Yet since she was recommended by another doctor who I respect & trust, I regrettably decided to give her a chance. Her strengths included that seemed knowledgeable, competent & confident. Her weaknesses? After 6 weeks of working together, she regularly misquoted key details from my medical history, never assigned a nurse to my case, failed to address when her team was regularly getting things wrong (even concerning meds) & being unprofessional, didn't know the month of my retrieval - and tried to argue with me about it. She never apologized for any slight or mix up ever, which felt arrogant. Worst of all, after I endured this neglectful treatment from her and her staff for six weeks & wrote the clinic director to request to switch doctors, Dr Talebian blocked me from changing doctors. At 45 years old, with severely diminished ovarian reserve, I was forced to work with Dr Talebian or find a new clinic altogether just 3 weeks out from my cycle start. Given I no longer felt like I could trust her or her team with my care, I had to leave CCRM, request a refund for $29,000 and rush to find another clinic. I was appalled by the disrespect and so was my new doctor.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Be certain that she believes in your case and will be dedicated to supporting your journey (not just for "one round"/easy money) and be prepared to double check her and her team's work. Does she repeatedly only speak of committing to just "one round?" Does she get on the phone with you? Is your case being handled appropriately -- can you reach someone on the phone or via email? Have you been assigned a nurse (I never was)? Does she and her staff take time with you or do you feel rush or ignored? Answers to these questions can help you determine if you're receiving good care. Get everything in writing as well (via the patient portal is fine). This way, you have proof of your concerns should she decide to address them.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Dr Talebian regularly brought up that she was only committed to me for one cycle (due to my low ovarian reserve). In the end, I believe this was indicative of her just trying to make a 'quick buck,' as I felt regularly neglected & disrespected over 6 weeks of working together. Dr Talebian regularly misquoted pertinent details about my medical history, failed to contact me with test results (every single time) & even called to chastise me for not being ready to start injections in MAY when my cycle was booked for JUNE -- literally an entire month later. Her team also regularly misquoted details about my protocol (even meds) & fumbled key info regarding my care. In a few instances, her coordinator was extremely rude, yelling at me over the phone and leaving unprofessional voicemails. Dr Talebian did nothing to address this & instead called to try and slyly reprimand me for not being organized. Never once did she or her team acknowledge their mistakes or apologize for dropping the ball or being disrespectful. She didn't see anything wrong with their behavior, which to me meant this was their regularly way of operating.
Describe the protocols Sheeva Talebian used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
Didn't get this far but the strategy was consistent with what I heard from another doctor.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Suzette)
I was never assigned a nurse, after six weeks of working together. I also was never given an onboarding meeting. At my first visit/consult with Dr Talebian, her team wanted me to complete onboarding in person. Yet I asked to handle it via zoom or phone, as I had a flight to catch. My request was never granted. Most of the coordinators were sweet but Suzette was unprofessional. She yelled at me over the phone and left hostile voice messages after I complained about her lack of follow up and low attention to detail.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
CCRM lacks diversity. Its doctors appear to be are over 95 percent White. The microaggressions & hostility made an already difficult process more stressful. Given the real issues to Black maternal & reproductive health, I would caution other Black women from using this clinic. Additionally, its no "switch" policy that forces patients to stick with one doctor, or leave & start over elsewhere, was unfair and doesn't prioritize the patient. A doctor's ego should not be elevated above the patient.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York.
Throughout my treatment, Dr. Talebian always took my lifestyle into consideration. She seemed aware of the fact that, at least in my case, IVF was more of a marathon than a sprint, and she did everything possible to make sure I could maintain a sense of normalcy and avoid IVF fatigue. When I needed a separate procedure with another doctor before I could go forward with an embryo transfer, she personally contacted the doctor to make sure I could get a quick appointment to avoid delaying the transfer...Dr. Talebian is kind and an excellent listener and emotionally intelligent. I feel so fortunate to have had her as my doctor and would trust her judgment under any circumstances...
The nursing staff [at CCRM New York] was knowledgeable, patient and thorough. My questions were always answered quickly (within the same day if not immediately) and I never felt rushed or like I was asking the same questions they've heard 1000 times before...nal one. Every person I encountered there was compassionate and patient, Whether I was calling to make an appointment, coming in for a routine blood draw, or undergoing an embryo transfer, every interaction was pleasant and I always felt like they were cheering me on...
How was your experience with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Dr. Talebian is kind and an excellent listener and emotionally intelligent. I feel so fortunate to have had her as my doctor and would trust her judgment under any circumstances. I have an excellent ob/gyn, but any time I had to make a decision during my pregnancy (for example, whether to get an amniocentesis), my husband and I would both comment that we wanted to go back and ask Dr. Talebian. Again, my ob/gyn is a wonderful doctor, but Dr. Talebian's shoes are simply impossible to fill.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Congratulate yourself for finding her because you are in great hands! (And keep a list of questions to ask at each appointment.)
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Throughout my treatment, Dr. Talebian always took my lifestyle into consideration. She seemed aware of the fact that, at least in my case, IVF was more of a marathon than a sprint, and she did everything possible to make sure I could maintain a sense of normalcy and avoid IVF fatigue. When I needed a separate procedure with another doctor before I could go forward with an embryo transfer, she personally contacted the doctor to make sure I could get a quick appointment to avoid delaying the transfer. From day one, she treated me as a whole person and I felt like we were part of a team. Not only did this make the IVF process much more pleasant, but I truly believe it contributed to the successful outcome.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Shannon)
The nursing staff was knowledgeable, patient and thorough. My questions were always answered quickly (within the same day if not immediately) and I never felt rushed or like I was asking the same questions they've heard 1000 times before.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
There seems to be a real understanding at CCRM that being an IVF patient can be scary at times, and that the IVF process is an emotional one. Every person I encountered there was compassionate and patient, Whether I was calling to make an appointment, coming in for a routine blood draw, or undergoing an embryo transfer, every interaction was pleasant and I always felt like they were cheering me on.
Dr. Knopman put me on a natural transfer cycle, and I became pregnant on my first try. I am now 23 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby boy. I cannot recommend Dr. Knopman and her team enough. My only advice is: don't wait, RUN!...was incredible. Blunt, to the point, and busy - trust everything she says. She knows exactly what she is doing, and it's all about the data related to your specific case. Trust her. You are in expert hands.
I loved the clinic [CCRM New York]. The only thing I would say is -- they need to get better with their check in! I would also check in at the front desk and they would never have my name registered so we would have to do it over. You go to a ton of appointments there so that can get annoying. Also wait time is sometimes an issue especially when drawing blood. But once I complained because I was in the middle of a workday, and they did try to fix it. They are really really busy! They do try, and are so much nicer than the staff at an academic center.
How was your experience with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
I love Dr. Knopman. Truly. My husband and I tried to conceive for around 6 months. I am 37. Our OB recommended that we seek fertility treatment right away. This was never a situation I imagined finding myself in. I have no family history of infertility. Many women in my family conceived into their 40s. I had consultations with several doctors. But it was clear Dr. Knopman was the best. She didn't sugar coat it: you have low ovarian reserve, you need to take steps immediately because once you hit 38 not only are you going to be dealing with low egg count, you'll be dealing with a higher number of eggs that are not genetically viable. Not every doctor said that so bluntly. It's not fun. But it's what you need to hear in a situation like this. I was living in Europe at the time, but my husband and I flew back to America to deal with this situation before my 38th birthday. It was stressful. However, CCRM is amazing. They tell you what to do, they give you support, and just listen to what they are saying because they know more than you. They cross reference your case with their own data and use the best labs in the industry to grow your embryos to 5 day blast. When I did the egg retrieval I only had 5 eggs. It was harrowing. Then you wait for the rate of attrition to go off a cliff: how many blastocysts to you get? what grade are the blasts? are they compatible with life after PGS testing? Pretty much, hell. However, Dr. Knopman will get you there. As impossible as it may feel, this not a time to indulge how terrible you feel because you are on a mission! And that is very much her vibe. I ended up getting 3 embryos of the highest grade, all compatible with life from only 5 eggs! To some extent this isn't something to doctors can control. This has to do with underlying egg health and luck. But CCRM will maximize your odds. A couple months later, Dr. Knopman put me on a natural transfer cycle, and I became pregnant on my first try. I am now 23 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby boy. I cannot recommend Dr. Knopman and her team enough. My only advice is: don't wait, RUN!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
she is blunt, but she is right. if you want someone to hold your hand emotionally, she doesn't have time for that. but the nurses (Jenny in particular) do and they are incredible.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
Dr. Knopman was incredible. Blunt, to the point, and busy - trust everything she says. She knows exactly what she is doing, and it's all about the data related to your specific case. Trust her. You are in expert hands.
Describe the protocols Jaime Knopman used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
i honestly can't really remember? Everyone's protocol is different. I had several friends doing the same cycle with me at CCRM and they were all on different protocols. It's a bespoke approach,. so just don't question it. I know my protocol was longer than most, it was really long like over two weeks because my eggs took a long time to mature.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Jenny)
I loved all the nurses but Jenny was my favorite. She is super science oriented and smart but also really caring. I had some dark moments when I had so few eggs, but Jenny really helped me by educated me about egg quality not quantity.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
I loved the clinic. The only thing I would say is -- they need to get better with their check in! I would also check in at the front desk and they would never have my name registered so we would have to do it over. You go to a ton of appointments there so that can get annoying. Also wait time is sometimes an issue especially when drawing blood. But once I complained because I was in the middle of a workday, and they did try to fix it. They are really really busy! They do try, and are so much nicer than the staff at an academic center.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York.
one egg freezing cycle and one transfer cost 33k. I had carrot fertility insurance so 30k was covered.
Describe Jaime Knopman's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Dr. Levine is very patient to learn our history and explain in details what he thinks should be done based on my data (medical records, bloodwork). He customized the protocol, did most of the ultrasound checked himself, which made me feel very connect with him. He called me the same day when I told nurse that I have some question to ask the doctor...showed his compassion about our experience, and he proposed a few things that he think may improve the outcome....
They [nurses at CCRM New York] are quick in replying questions in patient portal. I usually will meet a nurse during my monitoring days if I have some questions. No matter who I am seeing, they know my history so well...the patient portal is easy to use...doctors themselves do ultrasound during monitoring days. Although you are not necessarily to see your own doctor, other doctors are also great. As they will learn what protocol you are on, and communicate well during the checks and able to answer all your questions....
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
I'd like to shout out that Dr. Levine is the best doctor! I went to Dr. Levine after I had my first egg retrieval with other clinic total failed, where we retrieved ~20 eggs, but no good quality of day 5-7 embryos for PGS testing or transfer. The experience defeated us that we were wondering if we will never get a chance to even have at least one embryo to move to next step. I am now thinking probably it is our destiny to meet Dr. Levine as we have to move to NY due to back to office policy and we started to look for doctors in NY. Given the heartbreak experience for first IVF, we are cautious when searching and comparing clinics and doctors this time. I choose Dr. Levine as I read many good reviews about him and CCRM. It turned out to be a life-changing decision. During our visit, Dr. Levine showed his compassion about our experience, and he proposed a few things that he think may improve the outcome. With my bloodwork result comes, he pointed out we need to deal with PCOS, which my first doctor totally ignored... Dr. Levine almost did every ultrasound check during my first egg retrieval. He also made good decision about when need to adjust dose and when to trigger. This time, we get 5 good quality embryo for PGS testing. We were so thrilled about the outcome, as we really didn't expect that much due to prior experience. When I received the embryo grading in my portal, I was so happy and I cried. We ended up with 3 normal embryo after testing, and we decide to bank more embryos as we plan to have more children. The second retrieval was a great success that we have 8 normal embryo join the ice! I cannot express how we are grateful to Dr. Levine, as he bring so much confidence and hope to us. We later moved to transfer, and unfortunately, my first one ends up with negative test. Again, Dr. Levine made few changes to the protocol, and I am finally pregnant! We didn't expect this moment comes so fast, as it is only around 6 months after we first saw Dr. Levine. By looking back, I learned IVF is like a trial and error process that doctors need to learn how I react to meds and how to make change. There are so many different protocols and it is important for doctors to make good judgment about what to go and how to make changes. Dr. Levine owns excellent knowledge of the area and always make good decision about what to keep and what to change. I feel connected with him during the whole journey, and we trusted him for whatever he suggested to try. During my ultrasound checks, he is very patient to explain what he is checking, what to expect next, etc. When I told nurse that I have one question for doctor, and he called me the same day, like 730pm. When I said I didn't expect him to call on the same day, he said "I will not leave the office without giving you a call today". Dr. Levine is a very good doctor that he really understand what we are looking for and is so ready to help. He helped us build confidence and make our dream come true. I will come back to him for my next baby.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Trust Dr. Levine. Don't hesitate to ask question and share your thoughts.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr. Levine is very patient to learn our history and explain in details what he thinks should be done based on my data (medical records, bloodwork). He customized the protocol, did most of the ultrasound checked himself, which made me feel very connect with him. He called me the same day when I told nurse that I have some question to ask the doctor. The journey with Dr. Levine is really pleasant. He know patient so well, and show great compassion to feel my pain and happiness.
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
For first ER, I took metformin and BC for about 4 weeks before injection; then do Goal-F (250) + menopur (150) + Dexamethasone 0.5 mg for 4 days, then increase Goal-F to 300 afterwards because my E2 has a slow rise. Added cetrotide on day 10. Double trigger (hcg + lupron) starting on day 12. ER on day 14
For second ER, I took metformin and BC for about 4 weeks before injection; then do Goal-F (300) + menopur (150) + Dexamethasone 0.5 mg. Added cetrotide on day 8. Double trigger (hcg + lupron) starting day 12. ER on day 14.I
For FET, we are using anithistamine protocol that result the positive pregnancy test for me.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM New York.
I love all nurses in the clinic. Just name a few, Nava, Julie, Taylor, Jenny, and more! They are quick in replying questions in patient portal. I usually will meet a nurse during my monitoring days if I have some questions. No matter who I am seeing, they know my history so well. Sometimes, I called the clinic but no one is available, they always call me back later that day. The nurses are also caring, knowledge, and they can answer most of my questions so it is great to talk to them whenever you have question.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
I used to read a comment that "don't walk to CCRM, run to CCRM". I totally agree with it. I only have experience with CCRM NY, so I would say "don't walk to CCRM NY, run to CCRM NY". A good clinic is as important as a good doctor. What I like the clinic includes:
1. easy to reach front desk. Usually, we need to call them to transfer the call to other department or schedule appointments. CCRM front desk is pretty good that you can reach to without waiting too much time. I had experience with other clinic that you will always be directed to leave a msg, and need to wait a call back which you have no idea when to happen...
2. easy to meet a nurse during your visit if having any question. Sometimes, you are required to meet a nurse for following steps, but what I like most is that you can just let front desk know you want to meet a nurse to ask some questions, and they will set it up.
3. doctors themselves do ultrasound during monitoring days. Although you are not necessarily to see your own doctor, other doctors are also great. As they will learn what protocol you are on, and communicate well during the checks and able to answer all your questions. A side note is that if you'd like your doctor to do the ER or transfer, ask in advance. I was told if it is in weekdays, usually your doctor will do (assuming they are not on vacation), if it is on weekends, it probably be the oncall doctors.
4. the clinic is not a factory! This is so important that you are treated like a human rather than a number.
5. the patient portal is easy to use. You can check there for instructions, ask questions, etc. My first clinic just do instructions over the phone, which I don't like at all...
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
we have insurant that covered two ER. For transfer, we run out of insurance so it is out of pocket. The transfer was about $5700 from initiating the FET process till second test of pregnancy. Later there are bloodwork and ultrasound till week 10 of pregnacy, likely another $4000.
Describe Brian Levine's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Dr. Levine recommended for single embryo transfer as it is PGS tested normal. I don't really want to carry twins for my first pregnancy, so I didn't ask much about it.
Dr. Levine assured me that I would get individualized attention. At my previous clinic I did not have a direct line of communication to my doctor. Dr.Levine gave me his email address the first day met him and said I could contact him with any questions big or small and he would get back to me within a day (which he always did). He is also extremely compassionate and would always call me himself with important news, good or bad...
I mostly had wonderful nurses there [at CCRM New York], I'd say they are all compassionate and know what they are doing. I only had one negative encounter with a nurse who seemed inexperienced while she was drawing my blood...The clinic itself is beautiful and much nicer than the one I was previously at. Everyone who works there is so sweet and made me feel really comfortable. The clinic is also accommodating in terms of scheduling and I was always able to get an appointment at a convenient time...
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr Levine is truly one of a kind. He always listened to my concerns, took me seriously, and provided personalized treatment. I came to him after 3 failed IUIs at another clinic that was pushing me to do IVF right away without any answers as to why we weren't conceiving.
At my initial consultation I told Dr Levine about our concerns. I thought maybe I could have endometriosis or that my husband's sperm was affected from when he had testicular cancer the year before. Dr Levine ordered tests that allowed us to rule those things out. Although we still didnt have an explanation for our fertility issues, I felt much more confident to move forward with IVF.
Dr Levine did give us a lot of hope that our first retrieval would be a success. Unfortunately even though we had 15 eggs fertilized we did not end up with any viable embryos. Dr Levine talked on the phone with us for an hour and promptly came up with a plan for our next retrieval. He hypothesized that i responded too quickly to the medications and my eggs were too mature atthe time of retrieval, so for my next round he dialed back the medication. This worked perfectly and we ended up with 4 PGS tested embryos.
Moving on to the transfer, yet again we didn't have success the first time around. I was devastated and thought maybe we should do more testing, but Dr Levine really thought it was just bad luck and that we should try once more with a slightly different protocol. We took his advice and I'm so glad we did, as my second transfer worked and I am currently 37 weeks pregnant with a perfectly healthy baby boy.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Trust him, he knows what he's doing and will figure out the best course of action for you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
After coming from another clinic that felt like a factory, CCRM was a breath of fresh air. It is much more intimate and Dr. Levine assured me that I would get individualized attention. At my previous clinic I did not have a direct line of communication to my doctor. Dr.Levine gave me his email address the first day met him and said I could contact him with any questions big or small and he would get back to me within a day (which he always did). He is also extremely compassionate and would always call me himself with important news, good or bad. I know many other people at different clinics who only get to talk to the nurses after their cycles. He always listened to all my concerns and really made me feel heard as a patient.
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
For my first retrieval we used estrogen pills, then Menopur, Gonal F, and centrotide and triggered with Lupron only. For the second retrieval I used estrogen patches and the same medications in lower doses, and triggered with hcg and Lupron.
For my first transfer I used lupron, then PIO, endometrin, and estrogen patches. My second transfer was pretty much the same except I used Letrozole instead of Lupron. I was on progesterone until I graduated from the clinic at about 10 weeks pregnant.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM New York.
I mostly had wonderful nurses there, I'd say they are all compassionate and know what they are doing. I only had one negative encounter with a nurse who seemed inexperienced while she was drawing my blood.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
The clinic itself is beautiful and much nicer than the one I was previously at. Everyone who works there is so sweet and made me feel really comfortable. The clinic is also accommodating in terms of scheduling and I was always able to get an appointment at a convenient time.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
Most of my care was covered by insurance ( I have progyny). There were some out of pocket costs for additional tests that were not covered, although I typically got most of the costs reimbursed by my medical insurance.
Describe Brian Levine's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Dr Levine suggested single embryo transfer although he did leave it ultimately up to us to decide.
From day 1 [Dr. Talebian] was supportive, caring and realistic with our chances, and we immediately felt comfortable and confident in her abilities...She went out of her way to call my OBGYN to review the results and called me after hours to help calm my nerves. She was thoughtful and caring, and shared her own personal journey with breast cancer. She also checked in with me after the biopsy to see how things went
The entire [CCRM NY] staff was responsive, caring and thorough, and I always felt very well taken care of...I was assigned a nurse that I was in contact with throughout the process. When she was unavailable, I was always able to speak to a nurse and get my questions answered quickly. The entire nursing staff was responsive, caring and thorough
How was your experience with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
From day 1 Dr. Talebian was supportive, compassionate, communicative and made us feel supported, heard and well taken care of. Her care was truly 360 -- she was present at every visit, connected us with an acupuncturist, checked in with our therapist, and spoke with our OBGYN. With her, we really felt like we had a full team supporting us. Not only that, Dr. Talebian was very communicative, making herself available after hours to discuss our plan and address concerns. Aside from that, she is an expert and her approach was thorough, and we were thrilled with the results.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Keep doing what you're doing!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York?
Dr. Talebian 100% treated my husband and I like humans. I started seeing her at age 41, after having gone through several years of failed attempts at two other clinics. I was hoping to explore the option of a retrieval in an attempt to start a surrogacy journey. From day 1 she was supportive, caring and realistic with our chances, and we immediately felt comfortable and confident in her abilities! She set us up with an acupuncturist and happens to be close colleagues with my therapist -- so the three of them were in our corner, acting as a team to work together to support us in our journey. Not only that, but at the beginning of my cycle I learned that I had an abnormal mammogram and needed to get a biopsy. I discussed this with Dr. Talebian, as I was concerned how it would impact my cycle. She went out of her way to call my OBGYN to review the results and called me after hours to help calm my nerves. She was thoughtful and caring, and shared her own personal journey with breast cancer. She also checked in with me after the biopsy to see how things went. This level of care is incredible and I'm so thrilled to have gone on this journey with her!
Describe the protocols Sheeva Talebian used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
As a 41 year old patient looking to do a retrieval, I was confident in the protocol Dr. Talebian laid out for us. I don't recall all of the details, but the results were 24 retrieved, 12 mature, 12 fertilized and 1 normal.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York.
I was assigned a nurse that I was in contact with throughout the process. When she was unavailable, I was always able to speak to a nurse and get my questions answered quickly. The entire nursing staff was responsive, caring and thorough. The first clinic I went to had a phone system where I never got to speak directly to a nurse and had to wait for a return phone call and hope that it would be timely -- that was never an issue with CCRM.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
Out of the three clinics I saw throughout my fertility journey, CCRM was the best overall. The entire staff was responsive, caring and thorough, and I always felt very well taken care of. I can't speak to any weaknesses, as I had an overall positive experience.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Sheeva Talebian at CCRM New York.
I was fortunate to have generous fertility insurance at the time, so I can't speak to the actual costs.
Describe Sheeva Talebian's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
[Dr. Choi] is an extremely detailed doctor. She listened to our concerns and talked us through the whole procedure...There are a lot of steps and it feels kind of overwhelming. It might help if she slowed down a bit or just checked in a bit more about how we were feeling as she shares the procedure with us...Record your appointments so you can listen to her afterward since each appointment is information overload it helps to be able to play back what she says in your appointments
we picked CCRM because they were a Carrot Partner. We were supposed to receive 10% discounts on all of our procedures and we did not. It took several back-and-forth emails to straighten this matter out...You need to really be on top of the finances yourself. You should double-check every bill...It's the administrative stuff and the way that they organize the process that could be improved. The handoff between different departments was done pretty poorly...Because of the short notice in receiving these materials we had to delay my IVF cycle for another month
How was your experience with Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Janet Choi is an extremely smart doctor. She spent the time walking us through the procedures and we felt we were in good hands when we can to her. The reason we picked CCRM was because of her reputation, experience, and credentials. We wanted the best doctor for our IVF experience and that is why we picked her. Overall, I think she is a good doctor, and as well have gotten to know her more I think she has become more easy to talk to. At the beginning it was extremely overwelming and I felt she talked too fast and really needed to slow down a bit.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Record your appointments so you can listen to her afterward since each appointment is information overload it helps to be able to play back what she says in your appointments. Also, take extensive notes during the meetings.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
She is an extremely detailed doctor. She listened to our concerns and talked us through the whole procedure. My only reason for not giving her the highest score is because of the speed at which she goes through information. There are a lot of steps and it feels kind of overwhelming. It might help if she slowed down a bit or just checked in a bit more about how we were feeling as she shares the procedure with us, but I think that why they have the care coordinator to assist you with getting through all the steps.
Describe the protocols Janet Choi used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
n/a. I am not comfortable sharing this level of information.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Precious and AJ)
Very caring and easy to work with, however, I felt that the medical team and the operations and finance teams do a terrible job communicating information between each other.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
You need to really be on top of the finances yourself. You should double-check every bill. For example, we picked CCRM because they were a Carrot Partner. We were supposed to receive 10% discounts on all of our procedures and we did not. It took several back-and-forth emails to straighten this matter out. At the beginning of the process they should give patient the opportunity to sit down with their finance person to look at IVF journey and cost holistically. This was not done and I wish it had been. We probably would have cleared up the overcharging that happened much earlier on.
I thought the care provided by the clinic is their greatest strength. It's the administrative stuff and the way that they organize the process that could be improved. The handoff between different departments was done pretty poorly. From October to December we had been talking with the medical team about starting my IVF procedure in early January. We received 2 contracts that were both over 30 pages in length with only a week to review, as well as the bill being due for 20K+. We were very frustrated that we hadn't received these materials at least a month in advance especially since they had known about our intentions to start the process months in advance. Because of the short notice in receiving these materials we had to delay my IVF cycle for another month. This was frustrating because I had prepared my body to go through the cycle by stopping certain medications. We postponed the IVF with the plan to do it the following month, however, my doctor was going to be out the entire week I was ovulating so then I had to postpone a second time. I was less frustrated about my doctor being out and having to pause again, and more hope they resolve their internal communication between departments so that patient can have a more seamless experience.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Janet Choi at CCRM New York.
Initial Consultation/Ultra Sounds/Blood Work - me $580.00
Initial Consultation/Ultra Sounds/Blood Work - partner 185.00
SEMA4 Expanded Carrier Screen (511 genes) Lab Work $249.00
SEMA4 Expanded Carrier Screen (511 genes) Lab Work $100.00
CCRM Blood Tests & Quant Immunoassa $150.00
Enzo Clinical Testing Lab Results $10.03
Initial Consultation/Ultra Sounds - partner $525.00
CCRM Blood Testing $50.22
The Center for Family Forming - Sperm Consultation - Outside of clinic cost, but required by Dr. Choi $400.00
California Cryobank - Sperm - $2,365.00
Ovulation Monitoring Kit - $60.96 (outside cost)
Prenatal Vitamins - $14.49 (outside cost)
Estrogen Patches - $15.00
CCRM - IVF Cryo all with CCS Cycle - $18,255.00 (this is with a 10% discount)
Westchester Anesthesiologists - Anesthesia Fee $1,400.00
Medication - oral, injectable, vaginal - $4,800.00 (includes discount)
11-14 Embryo CCS Fee - $800.00
Describe Janet Choi's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
I believe she only does single embryo transfer, but I am not positive.
[Dr. Choi is] really, really intelligent..always willing to brainstorm and listen...She is an amazing listener--not one of those docs who interrupts patients...She thanked me for pushing back on ideas and she changed my protocol and how we did things as a result of my ideas about what would be best for me and my body. She calls and asks how you feel after a retrieval--herself...
[the CCRM NY nurse] always communicated compassionately and always ensured I had the right medicines in..They communicate so well with Dr. Choi and relay messages promptly. The only bad thing about CCRM's communication system is the portal, which is often down. So call if your messages don't get through...Strengths: friendly, organized, communicative, clean, flexible with timing, understanding of professional women and their needs
How was your experience with Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Dr. Choi is kind. When I had a round with no embryos, she told me herself and called to check in on me. Dr. Choi performs most of her own ultrasounds, and unless she's on vacation, performs her own retrievals--which made me feel very cared for. Dr. Choi always calls back to answer questions on the patient portal--even little questions that could be answered by a nurse. Dr. Choi is senstive to psychological issues and listened to me and my husband talk about our IVF fatigue and our different desires about the process being shaped by that fatigue. Dr. Choi is so brilliant and cares so much. When I had issues with recovery from anesthesia after a retrieval, she called me personally many times to check up on me, did her own research to figure out why I had recovered more quickly at my past clinic, and changed the anesthesia so I could resove better. The only warning about Dr. Choi is that she's a purist and wants to control the process--and she's a very kind but very authoritative person. I feel comfortable having discussions with her and giving her my opinion, and usually agreeing with her by the end as she explains her reasoning. Not everyone might feel that way. But her kindness and openess and empathy balances out her brilliance and authoritativeness. She is an amazing listener--not one of those docs who interrupts patients. She's truly paying attention and modifying treatment to get the best results for the patient.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Be open with her and tell her when you experience bodily discomfort or psychological discomfort. Communicate with her and her team. She's truly 100% on your side and will do everything she can to help you accomplish your goals.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Dr. Choi always takes time out to answer every question thoroughly and to talk to you like a human being. She is kind, but direct. She's really, really intelligent. She's always willing to brainstorm and listen--not a "know-it-all" doc like many RE's. She thanked me for pushing back on ideas and she changed my protocol and how we did things as a result of my ideas about what would be best for me and my body. She calls and asks how you feel after a retrieval--herself! And then she takes it seriously. When I felt awful after retrievals, she called my previous clinic to find out what they did differently, and changed the anesthesia so I wouldn't feel as bad. She delivers news herself. She listens to the human and psychological dimensions of this and clearly has so much empathy--and then is solution-oriented and logical. She's the absolute best RE and perfect fit for me. She's also just so professional, multifaceted, and interesting, and serves as a real role model for younger professional women. Knowing her is a pleasure.
Describe the protocols Janet Choi used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
Because I have done so many rounds, I don't remember all of them, but the last round, which was very successful (produced 3 high-graded embryos) was a mini-IVF round. No ICSI, and no CCS testing.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Precious (most of the time).)
Precious always communicated compassionately and always ensured I had the right medicines in. There was another nurse I briefly worked with when they were very busy, and she was fantastic--compassionate, thorough, organized too. These nurses make you feel special and cared for. They communicate so well with Dr. Choi and relay messages promptly. The only bad thing about CCRM's communication system is the portal, which is often down. So call if your messages don't get through.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
Strengths: friendly, organized, communicative, clean, flexible with timing, understanding of professional women and their needs
Weaknesses: a little by the book and OCD. You will have to navigate your own path and communicate what you need if it deviates from the playbook--but they are on your side and will help you and will listen to you.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM New York.
Well-oiled machine. I felt like a human. Everyone was so friendly and kind. If I was late, no one was mean. And usually Dr. Choi did her monitoring herself. When she didn't, it was a doc or NP, and they were all amazing. The NP there is very sweet and communicative. I never felt like an animal in a cattle call there: I felt cared for and human.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Janet Choi at CCRM New York.
Dr. Levine is an incredibly impressive fertility doctor! He was always on top of the most recent advances in the fertility field and had unique approaches and recommendations when the "standards of care" weren't working. He was responsive to all questions and always took the time to make sure my husband and I fully understood our treatment plan(s)....
Overall, we were very pleased with CCRM. The staff functioned collaboratively which definitely helped with coordinating our care. The nurses were helpful and most of our appointments were on time. Our only criticism would be that it was frustrating that CCRM doesn't accept medical insurance...$18-21k per IVF cycle, $5.5k for embryo transfer...
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr. Levine is an incredibly impressive fertility doctor! He was always on top of the most recent advances in the fertility field and had unique approaches and recommendations when the "standards of care" weren't working. He was responsive to all questions and always took the time to make sure my husband and I fully understood our treatment plan(s). When cycles weren't yielding successful results, Dr. Levine remained optimistic (which at the time frustrated me as I was very disheartened and couldn't/didn't share in his optimism), but my husband and I trusted Dr. Levine enough to stick with him, and we couldn't be more thankful that we did. After our first embryo transfer at CCRM, we had our first positive pregnancy test, and gave birth to our beautiful baby girl last month. We are so grateful to Dr. Levine for his experience, expertise, and commitment to helping us create the family we were dreaming of. We feel so blessed!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Trust his knowledge of the science/medicine, and stick with him even if you're not getting the results you want right away.
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
Dr. Levine was concerned that I had (silent) endometriosis, which was confirmed with the Receptiva (uterine biopsy) test. He referred me to an endometriosis specialist for surgery, following which my husband and I had our successful embryo transfer.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
Overall, we were very pleased with CCRM. The staff functioned collaboratively which definitely helped with coordinating our care. The nurses were helpful and most of our appointments were on time. Our only criticism would be that it was frustrating that CCRM doesn't accept medical insurance.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
[Dr. Knopman] never recommended multiple embryo transfers. She felt since I'm small that multiples would make it high risk...I developed an SCH with my first pregnancy and she was completely honest with me..She monitored me a little longer than normal and then referred me to a great OBGYN...We did do a natural cycle with my last transfer which she said she's doing more of now. The natural cycle didn't have as many injections of the previous cycles I did with using depot lupron. After my second miscarriage Dr. Knopman suggested I go on blood thinners since a clot may have caused the miscarriage.
All of the nursing staff was incredible. Extremely responsive, caring, compassionate and always did what they said they were going to do. I never had to call twice about anything. They were also extremely responsive through the portal...You didn't feel like you were sitting in a doctor's office. They had snacks, coffee, seltzer. The front desk always knew my name which was so nice
How was your experience with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
When I first saw Dr. Knopman she felt that IUI would be a waste of my time and money. With the first round of IVF it worked perfectly. I had 8 embryos and the first one transferred and stuck. She recommended picking the best embryo and I'm glad I listened. I developed an SCH with my first pregnancy and she was completely honest with me. She said this could go either way. She monitored me a little longer than normal and then referred me to a great OBGYN. With my second transfer something didn't look right when she did my second scan and she was completely honest with me. I ended up miscarrying a few weeks later. She was very compassionate and checked in with me. I then did another transfer with a boy embryo that we wanted to try. She was again completely honest with me that the grade embryo that it was probably wouldn't take but if we wanted to try we could. She was right it didn't stick but she never gave me any false hope. I then transferred 2 more emrbyos which both resulted in miscarriages one at 14 weeks and the next at 21 weeks. All throughout these miscarriages she checked in on me. She then suggested we do a whole new round of embryos which I agreed with. I am now 25 weeks pregnant with knock on wood no complications.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
She will make you feel like you're talking to your friend not your doctor which I really appreciated. She also tells you how it is and she's not an alarmist!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
I was always able to reach her with any questions. I saw only her for most scans. She was very personable and didn't only talk about fertility with me.
Describe the protocols Jaime Knopman used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
I don't remember any of this sorry!! We did do a natural cycle with my last transfer which she said she's doing more of now. The natural cycle didn't have as many injections of the previous cycles I did with using depot lupron. After my second miscarriage Dr. Knopman suggested I go on blood thinners since a clot may have caused the miscarriage.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Jenny )
All of the nursing staff was incredible. Extremely responsive, caring, compassionate and always did what they said they were going to do. I never had to call twice about anything. They were also extremely responsive through the portal.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
The clinic is brand new, clean and has a relaxing atmosphere. You didn't feel like you were sitting in a doctor's office. They had snacks, coffee, seltzer. The front desk always knew my name which was so nice. The nurses and assistants that drew your blood were always extremely friendly. You didn't feel like a number in a factory you felt like a human!!!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York.
I have the breakdown of everything that I could attach!
Describe Jaime Knopman's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
She never recommended multiple embryo transfers. She felt since I'm small that multiples would make it high risk. She also felt it was so precise these days that one usually sticks and with me she was right.
I genuinely looked forward to my appointments at CCRM because of Dr. Knopman. She made it enjoyable and I always felt well-informed about the next steps...The rapport I built with [her] during my time at CCRM will extend well beyond my treatment with them which ended in Jan 2022. She became a friend and is the most compassionate, knowledgeable, hands-on and approachable Dr I have ever experienced.
I genuinely looked forward to my appointments at CCRM because of Dr. Knopman...boutique feel so you feel as if they care about you as a patient vs just being a number...Small touches like snacks and coconut water after the egg retrieval make a huge difference! Easy to make appointments with the front desk staff and online...very responsive and offer an out-of-hours service with a Dr on call also which is hugely reassuring!
How was your experience with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
I genuinely looked forward to my appointments at CCRM because of Dr. Knopman. She made it enjoyable and I always felt well-informed about the next steps. I would have my questions thought out before our appt since all the Dr's are busy (which is a good sign!) and since they are so efficient, the regular monitoring sessions would be over very quickly.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
Run don't walk to see her!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York?
The rapport I built with Dr. Knopman during my time at CCRM will extend well beyond my treatment with them which ended in Jan 2022. She became a friend and is the most compassionate, knowledgeable, hands-on and approachable Dr I have ever experienced.
Describe the protocols Jaime Knopman used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
I previously had 2 cycles at NYU Langone which resulted in no normal embryos after Pre-Implantation Genetic testing. During my initial consultation with Dr Knopman she took onboard my history and recommended including Microdose Lupron. The results of this cycle could not have been more different - I retrieved 3 normal embryos!!! We did our first transfer in August 2021 which unfortunately resulted in a miscarriage Week 8. After our next transfer in November 2021, we are now pregnant and I am 13 weeks! So happy, excited and relieved!
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Catie)
So awesome! Again, such excellent communication skills and very empathetic.
All the nursing staff are friendly and fun to be around.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
Very boutique feel so you feel as if they care about you as a patient vs just being a number as at many of the big NY clinics.
Small touches like snacks and coconut water after the egg retrieval make a huge difference!
Easy to make appointments with the front desk staff and online. Dr. Knopman and the whole team are very responsive and offer an out-of-hours service with a Dr on call also which is hugely reassuring!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Jaime Knopman at CCRM New York.
CCRM are expensive but absolutely worth it. Don't waste your time and money with other clinics!
Describe Jaime Knopman's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
CCRM recommend one embryo at a time with the best quality first.
Dr. Levine takes the time to get to know his patients...He is aggressive in his treatment protocols in a good way and wants to ensure all of his patients have success...After our first egg retrieval and transfer resulted in another miscarriage, Dr. Levine was quick to adjust protocols and change direction to try something that would be better suited for my body. Previously, all our cycles would result in little to no embryos. With Dr. Levine’s second retrieval cycle, we were able to get 9 embryos and 5 of them tested normal...
The clinic [CCRM New York] is very organized and runs efficiently...The patient portal is great and we always received fast responses...Elana [nurse] was so helpful and always quick to answer all of my many questions. After she left, Hunter and the other nurses quickly jumped in and did just as good of a job...Transfers are just under $5k. We never had any issues with the finance team or any insurance mishaps unlike previous clinics
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
We came to Dr. Levine after multiple miscarriages and failures at two other local clinics. We felt ccrm was our last hope at having a biological child. We liked Dr. Levine’s no nonsense approach and felt he and his lab were far more skilled than the local clinics we first went to. After our first egg retrieval and transfer resulted in another miscarriage, Dr. Levine was quick to adjust protocols and change direction to try something that would be better suited for my body. Previously, all our cycles would result in little to no embryos. With Dr. Levine’s second retrieval cycle, we were able to get 9 embryos and 5 of them tested normal. We were ecstatic. Dr. Levine also helped us on our path to seek treatment from a reproductive immunologist and we feel their combined protocols are what made our second transfer with him a success. We now have a beautiful one week old baby boy and we couldn’t be happier with Dr. Levine and ccrm.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Run don’t walk to CCRM. Know that you deserve answers and the best treatment possible and do not quit or settle until you get that.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Dr. Levine takes the time to get to know his patients. We never felt like a number with him, unlike other doctors. He is aggressive in his treatment protocols in a good way and wants to ensure all of his patients have success.
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
Our first retrieval with Dr. Levine resulted in 33 eggs, 18 fertilized but only 1 embryo which tested normal. This was with the standard gonal f, Menopur, clomid, cetrotide protocol. Although I do not have pcos, I have a high egg count and this protocol may have fried my eggs to some degree. Our second retrieval we did the microdose lupron flare protocol with lupron, gonal f and no Menopur. This time, we retrieved 15 eggs and 11 fertilized resulting in 9 embryos and 5 of them tested normal. This is by far the most success we had out of all 6 of our retrieval cycles (locally and CCRM combined). We were grateful that Dr. Levine pivoted after the first cycle and took the time to strategize what could potentially work better for my individual body.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Elana and Hunter)
We loved the nurses at CCRM. Elana was so helpful and always quick to answer all of my many questions. After she left, Hunter and the other nurses quickly jumped in and did just as good of a job. The patient portal is great and we always received fast responses.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
The clinic is very organized and runs efficiently. There were sometimes wait times but nothing compared to what we had seen at previous clinics. The clinic was always very clean and the staff all knows you by name.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
We had progyny insurance for our cycles with CCRM other than our second transfer which we paid out of pocket. Transfers are just under $5k. We never had any issues with the finance team or any insurance mishaps unlike previous clinics.
Describe Brian Levine's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Dr. Levine suggested transferring single embryos each transfer as are ASRM guidelines for my age group. We had no issue with that.
incredibly individualized and attentive care with Dr. Levine. He uncovered things about my reproductive health that my previous doctor hadn't even thought to check....His wealth of knowledge, positive attitude & confidence are absolutely what made the difference in our outcome once switching to CCRM...suggested we do some additional testing on my husband to make sure we weren't missing anything...
CCRM is a beautiful clinic - coming from NJ, it was a bit of a drive, but entirely worth the trips into the city for the quality of care. There were a few times when the waiting room would be crowded and the wait was longer than expected, but not enough that I would complain about it...The entire nursing staff is amazing - they answer your questions promptly and are very helpful...It was roughly $20K per retrieval...
How was your experience with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
My husband and I found Dr. Levine in our journey to conceive baby #2 when our son was 2 years old. We were fairly confident when we first went in to seek treatment with our first dr at RMA - we'd gotten pregnant only 2-3 years prior and assumed any issue would be easily resolved with fertility treatment. RMA quickly diagnosed me with DOR (AMH tested at .5) without much sympathy or explanation. That diagnosis quickly hurdled us into IVF with a sense of panic that I didn't have much time left. Two cycles later, I had retrieved 13 eggs total with RMA, but 0 blastocysts. After that cycle, our previous dr was recommending we try IUI since "maybe my eggs would do better in their natural environment" - which in hindsight, should have been a red flag that their lab wasn't working with our embryos.
Shortly after that 2nd failed round, I started researching and came across Dr. Levine - after our first call with him, we knew he'd be the doctor we moved forward with. He suggested we take the summer off to recover from the trauma of the 2 failed rounds, and he reassured us that 3 months wouldn't make a difference with my egg reserve. I used the summer months to clean up my diet with a focus on anti-inflammatory foods, added supplements, meditated, prioritized sleep and did acupuncture. When I went in for our initial bloodwork and workup with Dr. Levine, he revealed that my AMH in fact "wasn't that bad" at 1.6, and suggested we do some additional testing on my husband to make sure we weren't missing anything. That testing uncovered 2 varicoceles which were likely the cause of his borderline high DNA fragmentation. As such, Dr. Levine suggested we use PICSI instead of just ICSI for our retrievals to make sure we were selecting the best possible sperm to fertilize the eggs. We then went on to collect 15 eggs in the first retrieval which yielded one normal blast, and then 17 eggs the 2nd time, which also yielded one normal blast - we were thrilled after having nothing to show for our first two rounds. The maturity rate of my eggs was pretty low (only 6 mature from the 15, and 7 mature from the 17) which indicated to Dr. Levine that we were battling both an egg quality and sperm quality issue. As such, once we had our embryos biopsied & frozen, he suggested we do some additional testing before transfer to make sure there wasn't anything else going on on my end. He ordered me an endometrial biopsy (the ReceptivaDX test) which showed a good amount of inflammation in my lining, and suggested silent endometriosis might be the culprit - something I never knew I had having never had symptoms (other than infertility). He said this diagnosis would explain a lot - the poor egg quality, and if there was a month when an egg had been fertilized, why it wouldn't have implanted. He didn't indicate that I needed laparoscopic surgery, but instead treated the endo with 2 months of depot lupron prior to transfer. That transfer was successful and resulted in our current pregnancy! We're currently 9 weeks and just graduated from CCRM, so we still have a long way to go, but are so grateful to Dr. Levine for getting us to this point and believing in us from the start. His wealth of knowledge, positive attitude & confidence are absolutely what made the difference in our outcome once switching to CCRM.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
Just trust him!! He knows what he's doing.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brian Levine at CCRM New York?
My husband and I switched to Dr. Levine after two failed cycles with "the factory" RMA NJ - the two experiences couldn't have been more opposite. I went from feeling like I was one in hundreds of patients at RMA, to incredibly individualized and attentive care with Dr. Levine. He uncovered things about my reproductive health that my previous doctor hadn't even thought to check.
Describe the protocols Brian Levine used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
For my retrievals - I had a fairly standard protocol with estrogen priming (patches), dexamethasone (.5 mg), Menopur (150iu), Follistim (300iu), Clomid (50 mg), Ganirelix, and a dual trigger (HCG & Lupron). Believe Dr. Levine reduced my Follistim dose slightly half way through my 2nd retrieval cycle, but otherwise the meds stayed consistent for both cycles.
For the transfer, he treated me as if I had endometriosis - 2 months depot lupron, then 2 estrogen patches every other day + 5 units lupron, baby asprin daily, Endometrin 3x/day, PIO 1cc/mL every day - continued through weeks 8/9 of pregnancy at which point I started weaning off the meds.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Hunter)
The entire nursing staff is amazing - they answer your questions promptly and are very helpful.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
CCRM is a beautiful clinic - coming from NJ, it was a bit of a drive, but entirely worth the trips into the city for the quality of care. There were a few times when the waiting room would be crowded and the wait was longer than expected, but not enough that I would complain about it.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brian Levine at CCRM New York.
It was roughly $20K per retrieval, costs for the transfer were much less
Describe Brian Levine's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
Dr. Levine suggested only transferring one embryo, which we didn't argue with!
Be ready with all the questions you want to ask her [Dr. Janet Choi] - she is a great resource and an open book...We added Clomid the second round in order to yield more eggs. During the first retrieval I also had a hysteroscopy done. For both rounds we did PGS testing...She recommended a single embryo transfer as the embryos had passed genetic testing...always remembered me and the little details of my progress. She did all of my procedures herself. I waited very little to be seen. Her style is matter-of-fact and straightforward, but throughout treatment I felt that she deeply cared for me and wanted the treatments to be successful.
They [staff at CCRM New York] are the best. Lovely to work with, always kind, knew me by name and were gentle, patient, and compassionate. From the receptionist to the phlebotomist to the nurses assisting with retrievals - I never had a bad experience at CCRM...They are transparent about your treatment and what you can expect. Every procedure was done with the utmost care and professionalism in a beautiful, clean facility. Even though this office was a hike from where I live, I looked forward to visiting every time. Also - a huge plus based on past experience and what friends have told me - I never had any issues with scheduling, billing, or prescriptions.
How was your experience with Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
I consider myself incredibly lucky to be Dr. Choi's patient. Doing IVF during a pandemic adds lots of stress to an already challenging and unpredictable situation, but I felt reassured knowing that I was in the best hands. Dr. Choi genuinely cares about helping you, and she is extremely knowledgeable and thorough - I met with her to get a second opinion after a not-so-great experience at another clinic and she suggested a number of additional tests my other doctor had never brought up. She's very calm, straightforward and to the point but never in a brusque or condescending way. I trusted her immediately and I'm so glad I switched clinics. It's a small practice but run very well, scheduling was easy and wait time was short. All the receptionists, IVF coordinators and nurses are wonderful and take the time to get to know you by name. The facilities are also very new and clean. I did two rounds of IVF with Dr. Choi and I am now in my first trimester. I would recommend her & CCRM to anyone.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Be ready with all the questions you want to ask her - she is a great resource and an open book.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Janet Choi at CCRM New York?
Dr. Choi always remembered me and the little details of my progress. She did all of my procedures herself. I waited very little to be seen. Her style is matter-of-fact and straightforward, but throughout treatment I felt that she deeply cared for me and wanted the treatments to be successful.
Describe the protocols Janet Choi used in your cycles at CCRM New York and their degree of success.
Two rounds of antagonist protocol (Menopur + Gonal F with the later addition of Cetrotide). We added Clomid the second round in order to yield more eggs. During the first retrieval I also had a hysteroscopy done. For both rounds we did PGS testing.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM New York. (Assigned nurse: Precious)
They are the best. Lovely to work with, always kind, knew me by name and were gentle, patient, and compassionate. From the receptionist to the phlebotomist to the nurses assisting with retrievals - I never had a bad experience at CCRM.
Describe your experience with CCRM New York.
I had a wonderful experience here after a less than stellar experience at another, much bigger clinic where wait time was long, small administrative errors were routine, and questions and feedback were brushed off (noting that the doctor was perfectly nice - my main issue was with other staff at the clinic). CCRM is the opposite of everything I experienced there. They respect their patients' time and treat you like a human being. They are transparent about your treatment and what you can expect. Every procedure was done with the utmost care and professionalism in a beautiful, clean facility. Even though this office was a hike from where I live, I looked forward to visiting every time. Also - a huge plus based on past experience and what friends have told me - I never had any issues with scheduling, billing, or prescriptions.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Janet Choi at CCRM New York.
I was lucky to be covered by my insurance.
Describe Janet Choi's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM New York.
She recommended a single embryo transfer as the embryos had passed genetic testing.