Ratings of 1 indicate that a clinic was poorly operated.
Ratings of 10 indicate that a clinic operated very well.
Scheduling
9.2
9.2
Scheduling
Ratings of 1 mean it was difficult to schedule appointments with this clinic.
Ratings of 10 mean it was easy to schedule appointments.
Billing Department
7.8
7.8
Billing Department
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory billing department.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent billing department.
Nursing Team
8.7
8.7
Nursing Team
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory nursing team.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent nursing team.
LGBTQ+ Care
10
10
LGBTQ+ Care
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory LGBTQ+ care.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent LGBTQ+ care.
Attention to Detail
7.6
7.6
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail is on a 1 - 10 scale, and is scored based on the rate, and severity, of errors committed by the clinic according to the patients.
For example, a severe error might be failing to inform a patient of critical information, while a small error might be failing to call a patient with results.
CDC Success Rates
This is the most recent data from the CDC. The CDC cautions that it should not be used to compare doctors and clinics. This data represents the outcomes of IVF cycles when using a person's own eggs.
For more information please see our FAQs.
Where you see a “?” on the chart, a clinic has done fewer than 20 cycles in this category and age range, so the CDC says showing percentages from this small data set would be misleading and unreliable.
Overall I think Dr. Carpinello is a caring doctor who seems up to date with current medical research. I wished she would be more present during my procedures. During my first IUI, I thought she would be present. Instead, it was a male doctor, which I wasn't expecting and that made me panic a bit. Thankfully my husband was there...always takes time to explain everything carefully and she has good bedside manners.
They [CCRM Norther Virginia] seem to be up to date with research. But appointments are usually delayed and getting copies from the admin staff is difficult. I also wished they were better coordinated with my husband's paperwork. Sometimes it feels like our appointments are not in sync with each other...The nurses are nice in person but don't communicate well regarding treatment. I received contradictory information when my 2nd IUI was cancelled.
How was your experience with Olivia Carpinello at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Overall I think Dr. Carpinello is a caring doctor who seems up to date with current medical research. I wished she would be more present during my procedures. During my first IUI, I thought she would be present. Instead, it was a male doctor, which I wasn't expecting and that made me panic a bit. Thankfully my husband was there.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Olivia Carpinello at CCRM Northern Virginia?
She's great, but the admin office is frustrating. We received contradictory information regarding our second IUI which was then ultimately cancelled. That made the whole procedure more stressful than needed.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Olivia Carpinello at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. C took always takes time to explain everything carefully and she has good bedside manners.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Northern Virginia.
The nurses are nice in person but don't communicate well regarding treatment. I received contradictory information when my 2nd IUI was cancelled.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
They seem to be up to date with research. But appointments are usually delayed and getting copies from the admin staff is difficult. I also wished they were better coordinated with my husband's paperwork. Sometimes it feels like our appointments are not in sync with each other.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Olivia Carpinello at CCRM Northern Virginia.
IUI, genetic testing, bloodwork,
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia.
They cancelled my IUI because I received a flat tire on the way to the appointment and we were going to be late. I understand timing is important, but after so many suppression checks appointments, I did not understand why doing the procedure an hour later would be problematic.
Also, I feel like the clinic does unnecessary testing. After my husband's genetic test came back ok (with just a few minor things that predominately affect Jewish people), I did not want to do a costly full panel test (I also had done one for the most common issues). I felt pressured to do it by the clinic. It was either to do the test or take a course on genetics. Also, we also have to routinely do an STD test. I wish we had the option to waive that.
She [Dr. Anne Martini] did an excellent job speaking to my partner and myself about the fertility process, expectations, next steps, and everything in between. She didn't patronize us nor attempt to scare us away...she immediately was welcoming, respectful, and treated us like any other patient. Made a difficult processes so much easier...
The whole [CCRM Northern Virginia] clinic had very affirming and welcoming care and made my wife and I feel very taken care of during some very new steps in our process...We had a fantastic experience with Dr. Martini...she immediately was welcoming, respectful, and treated us like any other patient. Made a difficult processes so much easier...[nursing staff] Very kind, responsive, and great to work with
How was your experience with Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
We had a fantastic experience with Dr. Martini. Our previous experience with Shady Grove was homophobic and all around awful, and she immediately was welcoming, respectful, and treated us like any other patient. Made a difficult processes so much easier!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Start with her first instead of transferring late like I did
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
She did an excellent job speaking to my partner and myself about the fertility process, expectations, next steps, and everything in between. She didn't patronize us nor attempt to scare us away.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Maria)
Very kind, responsive, and great to work with
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
The whole clinic had very affirming and welcoming care and made my wife and I feel very taken care of during some very new steps in our process, unlike the fertility clinic we had worked with previously.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Dr. Owen speaks very bluntly...when we get to a tough point in the process (negative pregnancy test, scary procedure), she is gentle and kind and encouraging...walks you through alternative options...irregular periods...one egg retrieval (3 good embryos) and two medicated frozen embryo transfers (one negative, one chemical)
Overall I like everyone at [CCRM Northern Virginia]...new patient portal app called Salve and that has MASSIVELY improved communication...difficult to get someone on the phone...Sydney is an absolute gift...patient and understanding...communicates all the medication information very clearly and is super responsive to questions.
How was your experience with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Owen speaks very bluntly and that can make it feel like she isn't super empathetic; however, when we get to a tough point in the process (negative pregnancy test, scary procedure), she is gentle and kind and encouraging and is with you every step of the way. She does everything she can to meet your requests (need valium for a scary procedure, need husband to be able to collect sample at home, need something scheduled at a specific time) and when she can't meet your every request she walks you through alternative options. For example, I was very nervous about my HSG after a terrible previous experience. She promised to do it herself, give me valium, go extremely slow, etc. Ultimately the timeline for when I needed to do the HSG fell when she was on vacation. She called me personally and told me about the doctor who would be taking her place, explained the process, talked to that doctor about my concerns, etc. That experience was when I really realized how much she cares and now I trust her no matter what procedures are coming up.
She is gentle during the various procedures, explains the pros/cons of various options, and ultimately lets you make the final call with no judgment.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Give her time to build the relationship with you. The first appointment may feel somewhat generic/quick, but if you are open and share your needs/concerns she will show up for you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
At the beginning I felt more like a number because the process is pretty standard for everyone, but now Dr. Owen calls me with the results and is ready to talk next steps right away since she knows I have been trying for so long. She looks at my specific data and makes plans based on my numbers.
Describe the protocols Carter Owen used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
She recommended starting with IVF but that felt like a big jump to me since I knew I just had irregular periods and thought I was completely healthy otherwise. We started with medicated (clomid) IUIs instead and ultimately all four failed and I am now doing IVF. We have done one egg retrieval (3 good embryos) and two medicated frozen embryo transfers (one negative, one chemical) and I am now preparing for another egg retrieval. I will also be doing an endometrial biopsy. We still don't know what the root issue is which is very frustrating, but Dr. Owen is still hopeful that we will get pregnant.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Sydney)
Sydney is an absolute gift from God. She is so patient and understanding and has done so much to make this process as smooth as possible for me. Scheduling can get really complicated around work/travel/other obligations. I can tell Sydney "I will be out of town these days and I want to transfer within this week with this doctor" and she will pull together all the details for when each appointment will be while working around my schedule. Honestly, I recommend being a less difficult patient (I am trying to have far fewer requests for her at this stage in the process since it's just better for me to not have so much going on), but she has always been so kind while navigating my schedule. She also communicates all the medication information very clearly and is super responsive to questions.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
Overall I like everyone at this clinic. There are two people who do ultrasounds that aren't always as gentle as everyone else, but it's clear that they care and aren't trying to be rough. The clinic recently got a new patient portal app called Salve and that has MASSIVELY improved communication. I now have no issues getting a wide range of questions answered from medication to billing to scheduling. It's difficult to get someone on the phone though (outside of scheduled phone calls) so if you want to talk on the phone be sure to answer when they call you with your blood/ultrasound results/etc! Otherwise, plan to primarily use the messaging app.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia.
I have had coverage via Progyny so insurance covered most of my care, but that benefit is about to run out and they have told me the following prices for 2023:
IVF with CCS testing - $16,925 per cycle plus $4,000-$7,000 for medications (paid directly to specialty pharmacy)
Frozen Embryo Transfer - $5,615 per cycle plus $2,000-$3,000 for medications (paid directly to specialty pharmacy)
Describe Carter Owen's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Since I am young and the embryos were high quality they recommended only transferring one at a time. I have no concerns with this at this time.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Canceled a cycle due to clinic error
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Early on they lost a few of their care coordinators and somehow I slipped through the cracks entirely. I called on the first day of my cycle to start the IUI process and they just never called me back. I sent messages (on the old portal) and left voicemails for my care coordinator but got no response. Eventually I was sent an email telling me I had to do a virtual training for IUI so in the Q&A for that I brought up my issue. They were shocked and very apologetic and within a few hours the clinic manager called me directly. She was very apologetic and explained that what had happened was not acceptable and would not happen again. I missed an IUI cycle that month which was very upsetting, but I have had zero issues since. They seem to have much more stable staffing now and the new patient portal app ensures that this cannot happen again. I really do believe they have put better systems in place so this cannot happen again.
Dr. Payson was on top of every detail during the treatment, he was always empathic and realistic. Protocols were designed according to my needs and age...When I finally got pregnant after my first set of IVF, I had a miscarriage...he designed a plan to continue the treatment. Thanks to all his guidance and work, I was able to get pregnant again and give birth to a healthy baby in my forties.
CCRM Staff, nurses, surgery team and embryologists are very professional and well organized. They cared about us in every step during the treatment...One of the best things is the training they make you take before starting any treatment...very responsive when using the Patient portal, but it is impossible to contact them by phone...when the clinic was crowded they usually let you know the waiting times...
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson is dedicated and knowledgeable. I trust him because he was very realistic during the treatments. He will always look optimistic even though something did not give the final result (i.e. viable embryo).
When I finally got pregnant after my first set of IVF, I had a miscarriage, but Dr. Payson saw the good things and he designed a plan to continue the treatment. Thanks to all his guidance and work, I was able to get pregnant again and give birth to a healthy baby in my forties.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
As a Patient, you have to be on top of your treatment, diet, daily routine, meds and what your insurance covers. There is some work in the hands of the patient and a successful treatments depends on it.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson was on top of every detail during the treatment, he was always empathic and realistic. Protocols were designed according to my needs and age. He was always above and beyond to ensure successful IVF cycles. As a result, the treatments were very efficient for a woman in her forties.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
The protocols designed for me included growth hormone to improve the quality of my eggs. For each IVF cycle, I was able to produce between 12 and 20 eggs, and between 8 and 12 resulted fertilized.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia.
CCRM Staff, nurses, surgery team and embryologists are very professional and well organized. They cared about us in every step during the treatment.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
One of the best things is the training they make you take before starting any treatment. The nurses and coordinators are very responsive when using the Patient portal, but it is impossible to contact them by phone.
Before starting a fertility treatment make sure to investigate what is covered by your Health Insurance, at least you will know what things you will have to pay from your pocket.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Monitoring appointments were performed in the mornings, that time was very convenient for me to be at the office on time. Drawing the blood and ultrasounds took about 30 mins or less; when the clinic was crowded they usually let you know the waiting times. They use an advanced equipment for ultrasounds and surgeries. The operating room is pristine and the clinic is warm in general.
[Dr. Mark Payson] is brilliant and kind and invested in success for each of his patients...adjusting protocol as necessary following setbacks or test results, clearly explained options and risks/upsides/downsides of different potential paths...1 egg retrieval...with an extra shot as the trigger...2 frozen transfer cycles - fairly standard protocol 1 natural cycle with autoimmune protocol
[CCRM Northern Virginia is the] Best clinic in the DMV area - more personalized attention and specialized care...Excellent, compassionate, and results-driven doctors, nurses, clinical staff...nurses are kind, knowledgeable, and responsive...Jen could not have been more helpful in talking through questions at every stage of the process
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
We could not have had a better experience with Dr Payson. He is brilliant and kind and invested in success for each of his patients. He paid close attention to our treatment plan, adjusting protocol as necessary following setbacks or test results, clearly explained options and risks/upsides/downsides of different potential paths, and guided us through a difficult process until I was successfully pregnant.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Excellent
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr Payson is a brilliant and empathetic doctor who was genuinely invested in working through the nuances of our treatment plan at every step to maximize our chances of success, always available to answer questions and talk through data and research studies at our request, and paid close attention to our case throughout (including after we had graduated) to ensure we received excellent care. He is hands down the best fertility doctor in the DMV area.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
1 egg retrieval - fairly standard protocol, with an extra shot as the trigger based on test results
2 frozen transfer cycles - fairly standard protocol
1 natural cycle with autoimmune protocol - based on some mix of testing and intuition
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Jen )
The nurses are kind, knowledgeable, and responsive - I had a lot of questions, especially after unsuccessful prior cycles, and Jen could not have been more helpful in talking through questions at every stage of the process, getting us on the phone with the doctor as frequently as needed, as well as facilitating billing and the administrative side.
Mark the phlebotomist is amazing (through many procedures, no one has been as dexterous in navigating my small veins), as are the rest of the nurses and staff.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
Best clinic in the DMV area - more personalized attention and specialized care than SG or other area clinics. Excellent, compassionate, and results-driven doctors, nurses, clinical staff - could not recommend more highly.
Dr. Martini performed 2 egg retrievals (ER) on me and both times she couldn't retrieve any eggs EVEN though there were several. Her reason was my ovary was inaccessible due to my introverted uterus...45 yr old...wish she was honest with her skillset and declined to perform my ER
CCRM needs to be clear and honest that they do not have qualified doctors...that they cannot do egg retrieval on introverted uterus or ovaries that are not perfect...best thing with this clinic is all the nurses and ultrasound staff were wonderful...Sydney and other nurses were great
How was your experience with Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Martini performed 2 egg retrievals (ER) on me and both times she couldn't retrieve any eggs EVEN though there were several. Her reason was my ovary was inaccessible due to my introverted uterus!. Well, before I came to CCRM, I had 7 other ER's at different clinics and there was no problem. Obviously, Dr. Martini wasn't well trained for older patients (45 yr old ) like me or someone who doesn't have perfect young ovaries. Imagine doing all the hard work, paying lots of money, spending lots of time for meds injection and monitoring and in the end you get an incompetent, inexperienced doctor that couldn't even get 1 follicle out of you !!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Stay away from Dr. Martini. Both times in a row, she couldn't retrieve any follicle from my ovary due to my introverted uterus. Other clinics never had a problem, except her. It's clearly she's a pretty junior doctor and never worked on advanced cases or older patients.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Martini performed 2 egg retrievals (ER) on me and both times she couldn't retrieve any eggs EVEN though there were several. Her reason was my ovary was inaccessible due to my introverted uterus!. Well, before I came to CCRM, I had 7 other ER's at different clinics and there was no problem. Obviously, Dr. Martini wasn't well trained for older patients (45 yr old ) like me or someone who doesn't have perfect young ovaries. Imagine doing all the hard work, paying lots of money, spending lots of time for injection and monitoring and in the end you get an incompetent, inexperienced doctor that couldn't even get 1 follicle out of you !!
Describe the protocols Anne Martini used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
Both times I was told by Dr. Martini that my uterus was introverted therefore egg retrieval failed miserably- none was retrieved. But I wish she was honest with her skillset and declined to perform my ER and just let other experienced doctors do it. I felt like she was using me to learn and gain experience. I felt like a number to her. She's clearly not qualified to go ER.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Sydney)
Sydney and other nurses were great
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
CCRM needs to be clear and honest that they do not have qualified doctors. They also need to be clear that they cannot do egg retrieval on introverted uterus or ovaries that are not perfect. The only best thing with this clinic is all the nurses and ultrasound staff were wonderful! I would not do any business with CCRM at all due to how expensive they are.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia.
CCRM is not in network with my insurance regarding all surgery expenses, anesthesia, fertilization, icsi, ptg-a testing
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Lost paperwork
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia.
So I have an introverted uterus and I had done many egg retrievals at other fertility clinics in virginia. These clinics were able to retrieve my eggs from both ovaries. When I was 40, I produced 34 eggs for each cycle and did 3 cycles with Shady Grove. They were able to get all the follicles, but they stimulated me too high that killed my eggs. Regardless, other fertility clinics had no problem accessing and retrieving my follicles from both of my ovaries. So after all that, I decided to go to CCRM and my last 2 egg retrievals (ER) with Dr. Martini was a huge disaster!! My first natural IVF Egg Retrieval with her, she said, she pushed my belly and somehow my follicle popped and they couldn’t get the egg and this was beyond awful. Because I wanted to get the lead follicle so bad and that was the point of a Natural IVF! OK, so I said, ok bad luck happens. Then I decided to do a regular IVF with CCRM. So I had 6 good size follicles in both of my ovaries and today she said she couldn’t access my left ovary because it was behind my uterus or whatever. So she couldn’t get any at all where I had all my good mature follicles resided at. I did all this and until the ER, and I was told by Dr. Martini that she couldn’t access my left ovary? Seriously? What if all of my follicles were in my left ovary then I should expect going under anesthesia and get no follicles retrieved or be told that my ovary is not accessible? Clearly, other clinics were able to access my ovaries but just not Dr. Martini. I meant, spending the time, money, health, effort and all went down the drain because of an incompetent, worthless doctor that couldn’t do an Egg Retrieval?
Dr. Payson is an excellent doctor...took the time to meet with me and explain my options even after my IVF retrievals were not successful...we were never rushed and always took the time to answer any questions...tell you the clinical truth but is willing to work with you throughout the entire process...was able to adjust my protocols each time for my next three rounds of IVF and I now have embryos due to his ability to adjust protocols based on my body and how it responded to the medication
There aren’t any weaknesses that I can list for CCRM Northern VA. I’ve watched them grow from one location to three, and they have been fantastic over the years. You’re in great hands if you go to CCRM Northern VA...Kaitlyn, was amazing...communicated regularly through the app, as well as left me voicemails throughout the process...staff at CCRM Northern Va is phenomenal...Michelle and the monitoring team were always so kind and patient
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson is an excellent doctor as he will fully analyze a situation, review different options and tactics for treatment, and will give you the best assessment possible. He was willing to try different mixtures of medications, spoke with other doctors in the clinic regarding my difficult case, and was willing to continue treatment even though the odds weren’t in my favor. He will absolutely tell you the clinical truth but is willing to work with you throughout the entire process. I highly recommend Dr. Payson to anyone with a unique or difficult case, or anyone who wants one of the best IVF doctors in the DC, MD, or VA area.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
I would advise any prospective patient of Dr. Payson to go to him with all your questions and let him know what you are thinking or concerned about. He will listen and give straightforward answers, even if they are hard to hear. He’s incredibly patient and understanding and will help you as much as he possibly can.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson took the time to meet with me and explain my options even after my IVF retrievals were not successful. He understood how frustrating the IVF process was for me and my husband, sympathized with us, and helped give us the best clinical advice for next steps throughout the IVF journey. He made sure we were never rushed and always took the time to answer any questions we had. He was the best doctor we encountered when trying to have a family.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
I had several failed IVF rounds with no embryos prior to seeing Dr. Payson. Dr. Payson was able to adjust my protocols each time for my next three rounds of IVF and I now have embryos due to his ability to adjust protocols based on my body and how it responded to the medication. We did have to cancel a few cycles due to my lack of response or ovarian cysts.. Each round was reviewed for what was successful vs. what wasn’t and then we would tweak the protocol to make the next attempt.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Kaitlyn)
My nurse, Kaitlyn, was amazing from the start of the process to when I graduated. She communicated regularly through the app, as well as left me voicemails throughout the process. She helped me when I ran out of medications and cheered me on through each round of IVF. The staff at CCRM Northern Va is phenomenal. Mr. Mark was always happy to see me during monitoring and welcomed everyone with a smile. Michelle and the monitoring team were always so kind and patient. It was really such a welcoming and fun team and made the process so much less stressful.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
There aren’t any weaknesses that I can list for CCRM Northern VA. I’ve watched them grow from one location to three, and they have been fantastic over the years. You’re in great hands if you go to CCRM Northern VA.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Part of my costs were covered by insurance.
Describe Mark Payson's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
I loved working with Dr. Martini (I had another doctor in a different country before, so can compare). She was available, listened to my concerns and provided appropriate follow-up, adjusted the treatment as per my suggestions, was there at critical moments (e.g. embryo transfer) even if it wasn't her working day actually. She continued to supervise my pregnancy on a weekly basis for up to 12 weeks until I was ready to move to another OBGYN. My baby is truly a result of team work, where Dr Martini was an indispensable team member
The all-in-one clinic [CCRM Northern Virginia], a great lab, and an embryologist (I spoke to her twice about the results - very helpful). Waiting in line might be lengthy sometimes, which was resolved when they opened a site in MD (and later in DC). Getting hold of someone by phone was tricky occasionally but I found ways to navigate it...Dr. Anne Martini was highly attentive to my suggestions to alter the treatment and always found time to call back and elaborate on findings (beyond what was communicated by a nurse or via the portal)
How was your experience with Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
I loved working with Dr. Martini (I had another doctor in a different country before, so can compare). She was available, listened to my concerns and provided appropriate follow-up, adjusted the treatment as per my suggestions, was there at critical moments (e.g. embryo transfer) even if it wasn't her working day actually. She continued to supervise my pregnancy on a weekly basis for up to 12 weeks until I was ready to move to another OBGYN. My baby is truly a result of team work, where Dr Martini was an indispensable team member :)
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Don't hesitate to share concerns or suggestions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Anne Martini at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Anne Martini was highly attentive to my suggestions to alter the treatment and always found time to call back and elaborate on findings (beyond what was communicated by a nurse or via the portal)
Describe the protocols Anne Martini used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
We moved to IVF right away due to my age, previous history (had IUI and IVF in the past), and previous losses. The first retrieval wasn't great, only one embryo was genetically abnormal. We added growth hormone injections (Omnitrope), took a two-month-long break to take an intense "vitamin cocktail" (I reinforced the standard one given by the clinic) and the next cycle gave 3 embryos of which one was normal.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
The all-in-one clinic, a great lab, and an embryologist (I spoke to her twice about the results - very helpful).
Waiting in line might be lengthy sometimes, which was resolved when they opened a site in MD (and later in DC). Getting hold of someone by phone was tricky occasionally but I found ways to navigate it
Dr Carpinello is knowledgeable about fertility treatments and understands that our family planning goals as well as finances and risk tolerance affect our desired course of treatment. She gave us a lot of support through 2 TI cycles, 1 egg retrieval and 2 frozen transfers. When explaining results, she is clear and uses a lot of visual aids, e.g., a hand-written chart of egg retrieval attrition rates. I felt completely at ease under her care...
CCRM has good doctors and an excellent lab. The nurses, embryologists, and surgery staff made me feel at ease and were thorough with their instructions. However, their finance team is incompetent and occasionally rude. I also had many issues getting hold of someone before I started treatment...When I called her [nurse] for various questions during ER and transfer, she replied my calls in a reasonable time frame. She was also prompt at relying Portal messages...
How was your experience with Olivia Carpinello at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr Carpinello is knowledgeable about fertility treatments and understands that our family planning goals as well as finances and risk tolerance affect our desired course of treatment. She gave us a lot of support through 2 TI cycles, 1 egg retrieval and 2 frozen transfers. When explaining results, she is clear and uses a lot of visual aids, e.g., a hand-written chart of egg retrieval attrition rates. I felt completely at ease under her care.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Olivia Carpinello at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Embrace her optimism but don't hold back any of your doubts or concerns.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Olivia Carpinello at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr Carpinello is highly compassionate and always takes the time to answer our questions. After my failed transfer, she was generous with her time and carefully explained the next steps while maintaining a healthy level of optimism. She never pushed us towards IVF, but instead respected our wishes to try Timed Intercourse first.
Describe the protocols Olivia Carpinello used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
For timed intercourse, we started on a lower dose of letrozole for the first cycle and went to a higher dose when the first cycle failed.
For the egg retrieval: antagonist protocol with birth control priming. Started with Gonal-F 150 units and Menopur 75 units, added Ganirelix around day 6, triggered with 2 separate injections of Lupron (0.8ml).
For the frozen transfers: primed with BCP, took estradiol tablets, PIO shots starting from 6 days before transfer, Medrol for 4 days before transfer.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Sally)
Nurse Sally was amazing. She communicated clearly, always kept tabs on my treatment plans, and dealt with emergency situations well. When I had issues with a medicine shipment for my egg retrieval, she proactively reached out to my specialty pharmacy and resolved the issue promptly. When I called her for various questions during ER and transfer, she replied my calls in a reasonable time frame. She was also prompt at relying Portal messages.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
CCRM has good doctors and an excellent lab. The nurses, embryologists, and surgery staff made me feel at ease and were thorough with their instructions. However, their finance team is incompetent and occasionally rude. I also had many issues getting hold of someone before I started treatment.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Olivia Carpinello at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Around $5000 after insurance
Describe Olivia Carpinello's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
She is a strong proponent for single embryo transfer when it comes to frozen transfers.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia.
This is pretty minor, but when I was discharged after a positive test, I noticed their instructions on caffeine intake conflicted with what I heard from my dr/nurse. I had to follow up with them about it.
[Dr. Payson] Took time to get to know us and our story. Was very engaged throughout the entire process...He praised the quality of CCRM's lab. We'll never really know for sure obviously why CCRM worked and Shady Grove didn't, but I can say CCRM delivered for us after one go around and Shady Grove did not...My advice: don't mess around. If you want the best, go see Dr. Payson. I wish we would have gone with CCRM from the start....
Strengths are that the clinic [CCRM Northern Virginia] is more specialized than the other clinics in the NOVA area...If you need more specialized care, and the best quality possible go to CCRM...Very willing to help. Great staff...I asked Dr. Payson point blank what he thought separates CCRM from Shady Grove and why we were successful with CCRM and not Shady Grove. He praised the quality of CCRM's lab. We'll never really know for sure obviously why CCRM worked and Shady Grove didn't, but I can say CCRM delivered for us after one go around and Shady Grove did not
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
My wife and I did IVF with Shady Grove Fertility four times with no success. We were devastated. We both have nothing wrong with us. We were very close to giving up and decided to try CCRM. Dr. Payson delivered for us on the first go. We had a beautiful, healthy baby girl born in early October - truly a miracle. I cry every time I look at her.
I asked Dr. Payson point blank what he thought separates CCRM from Shady Grove and why we were successful with CCRM and not Shady Grove. He praised the quality of CCRM's lab. We'll never really know for sure obviously why CCRM worked and Shady Grove didn't, but I can say CCRM delivered for us after one go around and Shady Grove did not. All I can offer are the results. Based on my own research and experience, Dr. Payson is the best fertility doctor in all of the DC area.
My advice: don't mess around. If you want the best, go see Dr. Payson. I wish we would have gone with CCRM from the start.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Be ready to provide Dr. Payson everything you have and as much details as possible so he knows what treatment to provide.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Took time to get to know us and our story. Was very engaged throughout the entire process.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Very willing to help. Great staff.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
Strengths are that the clinic is more specialized than the other clinics in the NOVA area. If you want a factor, go to Shady Grove. If you need more specialized care, and the best quality possible go to CCRM. I believe it was slightly more expensive than Shady Grove, but this is a non factor in my book. You get what you pay for.
Dr. Payson takes the time to listen, he remembers the small details of your history and carefully considers your treatment plan around what has worked in the past. He is great at giving options based on new research and having a real discussion with you to weigh the options on how we should proceed...He was willing to entertain my outside research and discuss what may or may not be a good option given my background and past treatments. With Dr. Payson I've always felt like I've had a true partner in my IVF journey.
I like that you're not just a number here [at CCRM Northern Virginia]. The doctors are empowered to make real decisions, not just what an algorithm tells them to prescribe like what happens at 'the factory'. I do wish you could call to get a nurse on the line asap vs leaving a message, but they are prompt in their response times...The nurses are effective and kind. Because of covid and so many patients you don't get a ton of one on one time but really, you're not there to do much of that. Its morning monitoring and you're wanting to get in and out quickly
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson is patient and is happy to explain things a few different ways to help you understand the what is going to happen and his treatment plan. I always felt informed and included in the decision of our treatment plan. He was willing to entertain my outside research and discuss what may or may not be a good option given my background and past treatments. With Dr. Payson I've always felt like I've had a true partner in my IVF journey.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Be candid with what you are wanting, what your expectations are. He will take it all into consideration but sometimes you have to ask or speak up. Ask questions if you don't understand why he is choosing something, he will always take the time to make sure you understand and are comfortable with what the plan is!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson takes the time to listen, he remembers the small details of your history and carefully considers your treatment plan around what has worked in the past. He is great at giving options based on new research and having a real discussion with you to weigh the options on how we should proceed.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
First IVF cycle we started dosing at what it was from 'the factory' in our previous cycle. After Day 3, we he quickly bumped up the dosage. Our dosage was 300 gonal, 150 menopur, and cetrotide with an HCG trigger. Of the ~12 eggs retrieved (I only have. ovary) we got 4 embryos to go for testing but only 1 came back normal (can't complain because that embryo is my bouncy 10 month old!). My second cycle we did same course of action which resulted in ~19 eggs but when we went to do ICSI all eggs disintegrated which had never happened before. He took my files to several other doctors across the country to examine what may have happened, we didn't get to a great answer besides sometimes bodies do weird stuff. In our final cycle we decided to play it safe with half going for ICSI and half to conventional insemination (none of the ICSI fell apart this time) and we had added omnitrope to our meds. We're awaiting CCS results but we sent 16 embroys for testing so we're hopeful!
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Northern Virginia.
The nurses are effective and kind. Because of covid and so many patients you don't get a ton of one on one time but really, you're not there to do much of that. Its morning monitoring and you're wanting to get in and out quickly :)
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
I like that you're not just a number here. The doctors are empowered to make real decisions, not just what an algorithm tells them to prescribe like what happens at 'the factory'. I do wish you could call to get a nurse on the line asap vs leaving a message, but they are prompt in their response times.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
~$9500 for a single IVF cycle, not including meds.
While I was prepared upfront that my doctor [Dr. Carter Owen] may not be the doctor performing my retrieval, I was not prepared for not seeing her at all during treatment (minus two mins post one U/S). I felt there could’ve been more opportunity to sit down and have the process and my progression reviewed so that I had a better understanding of this process since it was Round 1.
[CCRM Northern Virginia] Strengths: •several locations and satellite offices. While not super close, they were easy to access and had parking. •the doctors are excellent •the NoVA office is beautiful and let’s face it, you’re there a lot •Lots of opportunity to ask questions when doing a consult, becoming a patient, financial coordinator and they ensure you are checking off all the “to dos” •annual embryo freezing storage ends up being less than SGF if you do more than 1 retrieval, which most do. Weaknesses: •you don’t get direct extensions to anyone and so you rarely get to speak to someone immediately or have a way to leave them a VM. With that you have wait times to get who you need to. •their portal is not as good
How was your experience with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
After seeking consultation and preparing for a cycle with another clinic, and deciding to switch because of the number of screw ups prior to CD1, I felt an immediate connection with Dr. Owen. I could relate to her analytical nature but also, she gave me reassurance of my diagnosis and assuaged certain fears I had. I felt comfortable and was glad I waited for her to have consultation availability. It was because I had such a comforting connection and because it was my first retrieval, that I was disappointed at how little interaction I had with her during this process. I was very relieved and assured that while she wasn’t originally my retrieval Dr scheduled, she made it a point since I was first retrieval to do it. Despite a bad outcome, I appreciate her taking to time to speak with me, comfort me and ensure the nurse connected with me to schedule a regroup to assess and come up with a plan.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Understand that there will be a lack of 1:1 and therefore you will feel a little disconnected and possibly just a number but when you do get that time with her, she will give you undivided attention, empathy and have an open ear.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
While I was prepared upfront that my doctor may not be the doctor performing my retrieval, I was not prepared for not seeing her at all during treatment (minus two mins post one U/S). I felt there could’ve been more opportunity to sit down and have the process and my progression reviewed so that I had a better understanding of this process since it was Round 1.
Describe the protocols Carter Owen used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
I had a natural start cycle as I have a reliable monthly cycle. While that was the rationale it wasn’t said yet I assume we were also purposely avoiding BC due to suspicion that my long time BC use is contributing to my DOR/ or expected stubborn response. I was on an Antagonist protocol and the doses were high for what this clinic/Dr uses. I don’t know if every clinic feels this way but it was expressed that there’s research showing more saturation doesn’t necessarily precipitate a stronger response. I don’t feel comfortable sharing my meds and doses. While my baseline AFC was the highest it’s been I did response slower in terms of my estrogen. Eventually we upped a med and of course as an uneducated patient I wondered the “what if” game. At the end of the day I didn’t respond as well as I WANTED but I have a feeling I responded on the lower end of ‘as expected’ by my doctor.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Kerri)
This is harder because I left my first clinic due to mess ups only to come here and after my consult and expressing a start date and need to book it before it filled, I wasn’t told next steps and assumed I was good. Eventually as time passes I learned the ball was dropped. I was upset and not sure if I just had bad luck or this was the fertility world, but a name (not mine) ended up taking over on the phone and doing my beginning stages nurse consult and next steps and made it happen that I was to start my cycle when I wanted. While I had a primary nurse I dealt with two other nurses and never knew who I would get. While they did answer questions and respond to my needs, I did feel emotionally disconnected. I could tell from the beginning they were overworked and had too full of a patient load. I will note- some of my overall impression is mixed in because their portal isn’t great. It’s not phone friendly and I didn’t have the same level of assurance as I did with my prior clinic (who I knew would reply same day or next morning without fault). Especially using the “ask your doctor” a question and not “ask your nurse”. I never got replies using the doctor message feature except once, and it was answered by my nurse. I did not love that as I felt it was my only recourse to ask questions and be updated as to what’s going on. I felt guilty using it knowing they were busy as I was told during my mess up at the beginning.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
Strengths:
•several locations and satellite offices. While not super close, they were easy to access and had parking.
•the doctors are excellent
•the NoVA office is beautiful and let’s face it, you’re there a lot
•Lots of opportunity to ask questions when doing a consult, becoming a patient, financial coordinator and they ensure you are checking off all the “to dos”
•annual embryo freezing storage ends up being less than SGF if you do more than 1 retrieval, which most do.
Weaknesses:
•you don’t get direct extensions to anyone and so you rarely get to speak to someone immediately or have a way to leave them a VM. With that you have wait times to get who you need to.
•their portal is not as good as SGF. It’s not super phone friendly for formatting and it glitches a lot when uploading attachments. Getting response is not also guaranteed within a timeframe and some messages weren’t ever responded to (particularly the Dr message not nurse msg feature).
• there is not frequent enough class dates for mandatory virtual courses prior to cycle start (medication class, IVF intro, egg Vit intro etc). I struggled with getting dates that worked as each course was offered only approx x1 every 1.5weeks. I think there should be multiple offerings each week at different times considering some peoples life schedules and/or short lead time to Cycle start.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Clinic monitoring hours 7-930. Never had an issue getting the time or location I asked for. I enjoyed that my ultrasound nurse was almost always the same. Only slightly concerned I learned at an end-of-cycle ultrasound that the nurse didn’t see a polyp anymore, which was a surprise as she never told me at a prior appt she found one.
As for my bloodwork, the phlebotomist was insanely polite, personable and a joy considering I hate needles. Loved Mark.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia.
The cycle cost was slightly more the SGF and my medication pharmacy partner options varied a little, but they too had slightly higher cash pay/discounted rates than the pharmacy quotes I got during my time with SGF. While the structure wasn’t as simple as a set cost each cycle (I don’t qualify for multiple round discounts) I did get a straightforward out of pocket fee schedule for the first three cycles (which does decrease slightly each cycle). When comparing CCRM to SGF for three cycles it was only a few thousand more at most and let’s be honest, what is 1-2k more when you’re spending 45k?? Because I loved my doctor and felt comfortable that she was the right person to go through this journey with, I made the sacrifice to pay more. And again, the annual storage is less so at some point it’ll even out.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Lost appointments
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia.
As mentioned previously, there was a failure after my doctor consult to schedule next steps with the nurses to begin my cycle. Despite me thinking things were fine I eventually realized I was getting close to start and had no idea what was happening that I called and learned someone dropped the ball or that my chart wasn’t given to a nurse to schedule a nurse call to begin. Luckily they fixed it and I had enough time to check all the boxes.
Only other thing and it’s slight, is that I learned is that one of my meds says not to use if allergic to latex (which I am). I found out once I picked it up (out of pocket cost) from the RX and read the inserts. Given the clinic knew my allergy and I told the pharmacy after choosing them to fill my meds and no one brought it up + there’s another equivalent without that warning, I was a little irritated. Luckily it was the inside stopper that contained latex and while I did have a little rash when injecting I don’t know if it was the latex or the med. Next time I’ll ask for the other med to be sure.
He [Dr. Payson] demonstrated a complete lack of initiative to find out why I was having trouble conceiving and ovulating...It was not until after three unsuccessful timed intercourse cycles that Dr. Payson even bothered to get back in touch with me to discuss the cycles and next steps...he said there was no way I had PCOS because I am thin and do not exhibit the typical outward traits...He simply said that the next step was IVF or I could continue timed intercourse if I wanted...It ultimately turns out that I do have PCOS.
CCRM in general seem to be a fertility mill cycling as many patients in as possible. The wait times were exorbitantly long and it always felt like the staff were just rushing from one person to the next...trying to have my records sent to my new doctor was a complete nightmare. I submitted the paperwork through the patient portal as requested and it required me to call at least four times for the paperwork to be sent over. The receptionist acted as if I was bothering her by making this request since she had other work to do. The records that were sent were a total mess, in no sort of order, and over 100 documents long.
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
I originally contacted Dr. Payson because I thought I might not be ovulating after 4 months of trying to get pregnant and I wanted to confirm whether I was or not. After an initial consult, Dr. Payson had me come in for bloodwork and immediately jumped into a timed intercourse cycle with no search for whether I had been ovulating or not and if not, what might be causing it.
It was not until after three unsuccessful timed intercourse cycles that Dr. Payson even bothered to get back in touch with me to discuss the cycles and next steps.
During this time I had been doing my own research and, after my third unsuccessful cycle, sought out a second and third opinion. Both the second and third opinion doctors thought it was highly likely that I might have PCOS given my clear lack of natural ovulation and polycystic ovaries. When I asked Dr. Payson about PCOS during our consult after my three failed cycles, he said there was no way I had PCOS because I am thin and do not exhibit the typical outward traits. He simply said that the next step was IVF or I could continue timed intercourse if I wanted. He demonstrated a complete lack of initiative to find out why I was having trouble conceiving and ovulating.
It ultimately turns out that I do have PCOS. Luckily my new doctor insisted on finding out if there were any diagnosable reasons for my infertility and lack of ovulation before proceeding. Besides fertility, PCOS can have ramifications for life, including potential diabetes. It was also peace of mind to know that there may be a cause and that potential lifestyle changes could help a bit (even if not substantially, being empowered with that information made the process much smoother).
There is another fairly common reason for infertility and lack of ovulation (I cannot remember what it is called) that a simple blood test can determine. If someone has this, a procedure is required to fix it or no fertility treatment will be successful. My new doctor discovered in all of the records sent over from CCRM that this simple test was never completed for me so we needed to interrupt my current fertility cycle to test for it. Luckily I was negative. However, just knowing that likely or simple to fix issues were causing my infertility but that Dr. Payson never tested for them or even considered them was completely infuriating.
During my timed intercourse cycle, there was never any explanation of what exactly was going on, never any adjustments of the medicines that were prescribed, or anything else. In addition to my initial consult, my new doctor has already called me four times (not during scheduled appointments but to provide information, check-in, let me know what the next steps are and why she prescribed certain medications).
I am still in the middle of a cycle with my new doctor but I feel like a human with her and like a valued patient. I appreciated that she was willing to look deeply into what was the cause of my infertility because the answer could affect treatment and also my life in general.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Avoid CCRM at all costs. I know there are many positive reviews and I'm sure that patients who have a successful outcome are likely to rate a doctor and clinic highly and the reverse as well. However, I have still not had a positive outcome at my new clinic and it is still considerably better. Go to CCRM if you have an easily-diagnosed infertility issue, or are trying to conceive with a donor. Do not go there if you would like any inquiry into your infertility or any explanations along the way.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson and CCRM in general seem to be a fertility mill cycling as many patients in as possible. The wait times were exorbitantly long and it always felt like the staff were just rushing from one person to the next.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
For all three cycles of timed intercourse, I was prescribed 5mg of Letrozole daily for 5 days, was then seen for bloodwork and ultrasounds every few days, and then prescribed Ovidrel for my trigger shot. During one of my cycles, my follicles failed to grow to the needed size so the 5mg of Letrozole was prescribed for an additional five days. The medication dosages were never altered nor was any rational for using them (vs any other medications or lower or higher dosages) used. Similarly with timed intercourse, no other options were discussed until after three failed cycles at which time IVF was recommended, although additional cycles of timed intercourse were not ruled out.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Emily)
Emily was fantastic to work with and honestly, the only bright spot at CCRM. However, it felt like ALL of the communication, information, direction, follow-up was on her shoulders rather than Dr. Payson ever interacting with me during the cycle.
The phlebotomist was always friendly and a welcome face and the ultrasound techs were always nice.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
I honestly cannot think of a strength of this clinic. The wait times are exorbitantly long (trust me, I've now been to two other clinics, one of which is large and one small) and the times are miniscule compared to CCRM.
The disorganization here is just insane. When I first started at CCRM (I should have paid attention to my gut then), I needed to come in for two tests. I worked with a nurse to schedule the appointment and then came in, without a full bladder as instructed, at the appointed time. My bloodwork was taken but then it turned out that I had been instructed to make an appointment at the wrong day of my cycle and without a full bladder (when it needed to be full) so they could not do the other test that day. I rescheduled the test for the correct date. I came in as scheduled with a full bladder and then waited for over an hour during which time I needed to urinate badly. The staff were astonished that I was instructed to have a full bladder because the procedure actually requires an empty bladder. As I said, I should have known then.....
I had undergone genetic testing by my primary gyno before I started with CCRM. It turns out that I am the carrier of a fairly scary genetic disorder. Therefore, my boyfriend and I wanted him to be tested for this specific genetic deficiency. I had provided CCRM with all of the associated paperwork so that they could test my boyfriend. He had checked with his insurance and they would cover him for the deficiency I am a carrier of. He went to CCRM and had his bloodwork taken (for the genetic deficiency and a few other things) and, as I'm sure you can guess by the above information, they forgot to draw blood to test him for the genetic deficiency. He then had to go back to have his blood re-drawn. Luckily, it turned out he was not a carrier for the deficiency so we were in the clear! Fast forward a few months, his insurance denied the claim for the genetic testing and he's been arguing this with them since then. Fast forward a few more months, I started seeing a new doctor at a new practice and had my records sent over (that is another story of its own). It turns out that CCRM tested my boyfriend for THE WRONG genetic deficiency. This means that we do not actually know whether he is a carrier of the same deficiency as me. This is also why his insurance denied the claim - because there was zero reason to test for this genetic deficiency.
Finally, trying to have my records sent to my new doctor was a complete nightmare. I submitted the paperwork through the patient portal as requested and it required me to call at least four times for the paperwork to be sent over. The receptionist acted as if I was bothering her by making this request since she had other work to do. The records that were sent were a total mess, in no sort of order, and over 100 documents long.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
With my insurance, timed intercourse was $300 per cycle. This seems reasonable (and I'm sure the costs for it without insurance is substantially more but it is at other clinics as well).
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson gets to know all his patients, he knew what my husband and I did, our history, and our plans...We sought fertility treatment after 2 miscarriages and it was found out early on that my husband and I were both carriers for the same genetic disease (Dr. Payson said this is very rare) so he recommended IVF. Although the process took a little time (had to build a probe for our genetic condition prior to retrieval) the staff at CCRM kept in touch throughout the whole process answering all my questions
The [CCRM] nursing staff were great, they would call you with all your medication updates during your stim and make sure they answered any questions and booked your next apts, etc...Most of the time my monitoring apts I was in and out in less than 30 minutes...Strengths: Amazing MDs and Staff, super knowledgable, friendly, advanced for fertility treatment Weakness: When I went to CCRM they only had 2 MDs so occasionally the wait times were a little longer, they just hired 2 additional MDs though so that should help!
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
I can't say enough great things about CCRM and Dr. Payson. We sought fertility treatment after 2 miscarriages and it was found out early on that my husband and I were both carriers for the same genetic disease (Dr. Payson said this is very rare) so he recommended IVF. Although the process took a little time (had to build a probe for our genetic condition prior to retrieval) the staff at CCRM kept in touch throughout the whole process answering all my questions. Dr. Payson is very through and an expert in his field, my husband and I knew we were in great hands and never once questioned anything throughout the IVF process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
If you have questions make sure your ask, Dr. Payson is more than willing to answer, since I am in the medical field I didn't have too many questions and trusted my doctor completely
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson gets to know all his patients, he knew what my husband and I did, our history, and our plans
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
Priming with BC, Stim: Gonal/Menopur, Suprresion: Cetrotide- 10 days of stim prior to egg retrival
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Emily)
The nursing staff were great, they would call you with all your medication updates during your stim and make sure they answered any questions and booked your next apts, etc.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
Strengths: Amazing MDs and Staff, super knowledgable, friendly, advanced for fertility treatment
Weakness: When I went to CCRM they only had 2 MDs so occasionally the wait times were a little longer, they just hired 2 additional MDs though so that should help!
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Most of the time my monitoring apts I was in and out in less than 30 minutes, occasionally I had to wait a bit longer, first you usually get your blood drawn by Mark who is amazing then you get called back for ultrasound check
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Luckily majority of ours was covered by insurance, I do think their prices are higher than other clinics but they have great results
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Failed to order appropriate test
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Only once was a blood work apt forgot to be scheduled during a lining check prior to transfer, after waiting and asking they took me back and apologized.
Dr. Owen cared about me and achieving a viable pregnancy. She also fully adjusted our plan of attack when needed. She is friendly, upbeat, caring and personally called me several times with good or bad news during my treatment...Dr. Owen performed all of my retrievals and my embryo transfer. I also saw her frequently during monitoring appointments during the beginning of my treatment...
Each person I worked with on the clinical side was organized, compassionate and caring. Mark, the phlebotomist, has to be one of the kindest people I've ever met in a medical office...most significant frustrations were with the administrative side of CCRM. One insurance request sat uncompleted for a month and nearly delayed an egg retrieval cycle...The finance office took weeks to return simple messages. Once my insurance coverage ended, I was charged for several procedures even though I had a positive credit on my account. I did not know I had the credit until the end of my treatment. Getting that money back was a nightmare that took almost the length of my pregnancy...
How was your experience with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Owen got me my baby, so we got the end result we were looking for. This is most important!
I appreciated how much Dr. Owen cared about me and achieving a viable pregnancy. She also fully adjusted our plan of attack when needed. She is friendly, upbeat, caring and personally called me several times with good or bad news during my treatment.
In hindsight, she pushed me toward donor egg far sooner than was necessary. I had one (very) bad retrieval cycle, after which she warned that I may not be able to use my own eggs. Because of that conversation and the fact that another cycle was delayed for three months, I had several weeks of mental anguish that wasn't necessary. She wanted me to be informed of the most direct path to a pregnancy, but it was an extremely difficult time.
Dr. Owen performed all of my retrievals and my embryo transfer. I also saw her frequently during monitoring appointments during the beginning of my treatment (early 2021). However, by the end of the year, the clinic hired an ultrasound tech and two new physicians. During a retrieval cycle, I saw a rotating cast of people who were days into new jobs. It left me feeling very concerned about my treatment. That said, when I voiced that concern, Dr. Owen called and walked me through her thoughts. Ultimately, that was my best cycle.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Be clear about your goals. Before you speak with Dr. Owen, have a clear idea of your questions and concerns
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
It is obvious that Dr. Owen really cares about her patients and understands the emotional toll fertility treatments - successful or not - take on a patient. After a poor outcome, she called and promised we would pursue other options. And after a particularly bad visit in the clinic with another provider, she called me immediately. When I did successfully get pregnant, she was excited for me. I was almost surprised by how happy she seemed -- I had figured this was so routine for her.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Kay, Jen, Kerri)
Each person I worked with on the clinical side was organized, compassionate and caring. Mark, the phlebotomist, has to be one of the kindest people I've ever met in a medical office.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
My most significant frustrations were with the administrative side of CCRM. One insurance request sat uncompleted for a month and nearly delayed an egg retrieval cycle. I was told to just wait another month, which was extremely frustrating and didn't seem to take into account the importance of the clinical side of their work.
The finance office took weeks to return simple messages. Once my insurance coverage ended, I was charged for several procedures even though I had a positive credit on my account. I did not know I had the credit until the end of my treatment. Getting that money back was a nightmare that took almost the length of my pregnancy.
Dr. Payson was incredibly candid and kind, and we benefited from his candid opinions and thoughtful care while with CCRM Northern Virginia...He was accessible and supportive...He was patient and kind and answered all of our questions in full...Dr. Payson used a standard antagonist protocol for us, while our previous clinic had recommended a microdose Lupron protocol that did not work well...
The nursing staff [at CCRM Northern Virginia] were great and very responsive — we had absolutely no problems getting timely calls or responses from them. I felt very cared for...The clinic is clean and very nice, and I always felt comfortable there. Their finance department is a little slow but comparable to the experiences I hear for other clinics. The facilities are very nice and Mark the phlebotomist and the front desk staff are absolutely wonderful!....
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson at that point did most of our ultrasounds and all of our procedures. He was accessible and supportive and we benefited greatly from his guidance and confidence that we could conceive. He was patient and kind and answered all of our questions in full. Overall we could not recommend him more highly!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
I would say to come prepared with questions to the appointment. We found Dr. Payson to be incredibly knowledgeable and responsive and pretty spot on in his predictions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson was incredibly candid and kind, and we benefited from his candid opinions and thoughtful care while with CCRM Northern Virginia. We would not have our son if it were not for Dr. Payson.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
Dr. Payson used a standard antagonist protocol for us, while our previous clinic had recommended a microdose Lupron protocol that did not work well.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia.
The nursing staff were great and very responsive — we had absolutely no problems getting timely calls or responses from them. I felt very cared for.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
The clinic is clean and very nice, and I always felt comfortable there. Their finance department is a little slow but comparable to the experiences I hear for other clinics. The facilities are very nice and Mark the phlebotomist and the front desk staff are absolutely wonderful!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
My insurance only partially covered the cost of treatment, but it was worth it as it lead to our son. I think the costs were in line with or slightly higher than other local clinics.
Describe Mark Payson's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
I think he preferred eSET but we only had one embryo so I don’t know.
Dr. Payson was warm and comforting when my previous doctor had misdiagnosed me with DOR and said I might need donor eggs. He assured me that I could be successful with my own eggs and did his own lab work before saying that. He was very realistic but still optimistic which was very reassuring...During treatments he was always open to suggestions and always explained why or why not my suggestions would work...
I think the quality of doctors, embryologists, labs, and nurses is second to none [at CCRM Northern Virginia]. The cons are that the waits are very long during appointments, sometimes I waited for an hour. Also it’s an expensive clinic, the billing staff is nice but you have to look up on your own to fight with insurance and save yourself more money if that’s possible...The nursing staff was really kind and helpful...they very much preferred doing single embryo transfer
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
I chose Dr. Payson after a failed egg retrieval at another clinic. During my second opinion meeting with him, he came across as very knowledgeable as well as compassionate. I’m glad I moved to his care because my experience with him was excellent.
During treatments he was always open to suggestions and always explained why or why not my suggestions would work. I also liked how well he listened to me during all my appointments. Even when he was extremely busy, he made sure he listened to everything my husband and I had to say. His bedside manner was also excellent and I felt genuine compassion during and after my procedures.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
If you have questions for him, feel free to ask them and discuss the pros and cons of everything. Sometimes he’s in a hurry but he always makes time to listen.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson was warm and comforting when my previous doctor had misdiagnosed me with DOR and said I might need donor eggs. He assured me that I could be successful with my own eggs and did his own lab work before saying that. He was very realistic but still optimistic which was very reassuring.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
I did the antagonist protocol with clomid. Fertilization was through ICSI and we PGT tested all the embryos.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Northern Virginia.
The nursing staff was really kind and helpful. They were much better than the nurses at my previous clinic.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
I think the quality of doctors, embryologists, labs, and nurses is second to none.
The cons are that the waits are very long during appointments, sometimes I waited for an hour.
Also it’s an expensive clinic, the billing staff is nice but you have to look up on your own to fight with insurance and save yourself more money if that’s possible.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
After insurance coverage:
Around $6000 per retrieval cycle with ICSI and PGT. Around $3000 for transfer cycle.
Describe Mark Payson's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Dr. Payson made it clear that they very much preferred doing single embryo transfer because of all the risks that were explained to me.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia.
There was a confusion with my trigger shot dosage. I was told something on the phone and the paperwork said something else. I called the doctor to confirm the right dosage.
Dr. Owen knows her patients very well. When she calls with bad news, you can hear in her voice that she feels it almost as much as you do. She always has some humorous anecdote to share and always wants to hear something about how you are doing. When I had a consult with her and my husband wasn't available she made it at a point to ask how he was doing with some a sad outcome we'd experienced.
[our CCRM nurse is] very responsive and organize. I never had to worry about whether prescriptions would be ready or missed...We used the CCRM mini protocol - omnitrope, clomid, lower doses of gonal and menopur, dual trigger. We ended up retrieving more oocytes than expected but ran into hurdles with abnormal fertilization and poor blast rates despite the excellent lab.
How was your experience with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
I could tell that Dr. Owen spent time reviewing my previous clinics' records so that she could come up with a plan for me. Unfortunately she has had a few occasions to deliver bad news to me during my treatment and it was always done with warmth and compassion.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Trust Dr. Owen's judgment.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Owen knows her patients very well. When she calls with bad news, you can hear in her voice that she feels it almost as much as you do. She always has some humorous anecdote to share and always wants to hear something about how you are doing. When I had a consult with her and my husband wasn't available she made it at a point to ask how he was doing with some a sad outcome we'd experienced.
Describe the protocols Carter Owen used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
We used the CCRM mini protocol - omnitrope, clomid, lower doses of gonal and menopur, dual trigger. We ended up retrieving more oocytes than expected but ran into hurdles with abnormal fertilization and poor blast rates despite the excellent lab.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Kaitlyn)
Kaitlyn was excellent - very responsive and organize. I never had to worry about whether prescriptions would be ready or missed.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
CCRM has many strengths. It's a small clinic with two EXCELLENT reproductive endocrinologists. I saw Dr. Payson frequently on weekends for monitoring and never felt like he was less invested in my care because I wasn't his patient primarily. He was also friendly and humorous. He remembered the basics of my past cycles during later cycles without consulting the notes, which I thought was nice (but certainly not necessary). The lab is excellent. The embryologists are knowledgeable and responsive to any questions.
Describe Carter Owen's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Dr. Owen truly cares. She loves her work and is also just a good human. Being the best at what she does is important to her, and when she calls with good or bad results, it feels like she is going through it with you. You see her at almost every monitoring appointment where she herself does the ultrasound (very different than most places). She tries to do the retrievals and transfers for her patients as well.
Because of seeing your doctor at monitoring [at CCRM Northern Virginia], I had less interaction with nursing staff and it didn't seem to matter. The portal is the best way to get in touch with them, other than the daily phone calls they give you during stims...When you arrive, the receptionist knows who you are. The nurses get to know you after a while, too, so it is such a friendly place when you are in the waiting room. You have the same phlebotomist each time (Mark) who is the best. It is such a kind, welcoming office.
How was your experience with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Owen truly cares. She loves her work and is also just a good human. Being the best at what she does is important to her, and when she calls with good or bad results, it feels like she is going through it with you. You see her at almost every monitoring appointment where she herself does the ultrasound (very different than most places). She tries to do the retrievals and transfers for her patients as well.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Trust her and enjoy getting with work with her on your journey! My husband loves her, too.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia?
In addition to the excellent lab, this is what sets CCRM NOVA and Dr. Owen apart. When you arrive, the receptionist knows who you are. The nurses get to know you after a while, too, so it is such a friendly place when you are in the waiting room. You have the same phlebotomist each time (Mark) who is the best. It is such a kind, welcoming office.
Describe the protocols Carter Owen used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
Menopur+Gonal-F, Cetrotide, Lupon Trigger. Dosage and length of stims adjusted for later cycles.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Because of seeing your doctor at monitoring, I had less interaction with nursing staff and it didn't seem to matter. The portal is the best way to get in touch with them, other than the daily phone calls they give you during stims.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
To me, three things make CCRM NOVA stand out: (1) the warm, caring atmosphere and personalized attention at monitoring appointments from doctors, (2) the excellent lab based on CCRM Lone Tree, and (3) the ability to have your embryos tested for single-gene disorders (PGT-M) at CCRM Lone Tree as well, avoiding the need to outsource to RGI or another company.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Carter Owen at CCRM Northern Virginia.
We were self-pay; each retrieval was roughly $13,000 plus meds.
He has a great sense of humor the the best bedside manner. I always looked forward to my appointments. ... He really cares about all of his patients and is in your corner. Dr. Payson is a big proponent of single embryo transfer, which was what we wanted anyway. ... I have PCOS and a history of an idiopathic case of Asherman's syndrome. For my retrieval I did the antagonist protocol and over-responded, so he reduced the drugs as we went.
The clinic [CCRM Northern Virginia] has a wonderful atmosphere - it is clean, everyone knows your name somehow, and the staff is all delightful and pleasant. The surgery staff is extremely warm and fun and they made me feel extremely comfortable for my retrieval and transfer. They all work very hard. During Covid, the wait times were a little longer than I would have liked, but I like to think it is because of all the extra precautions they were taking to keep everyone safe! I highly recommend this clinic.
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson is humble, funny, and a brilliant doctor. He is also realistic and will give you the facts, though I think he tires of my endless demand for statistics. I always feel like I am in very good hands, medically, and he puts up with my endless questions. He always responded to my emails in a timely fashion (with a phone call) and took his time during our consults and phone calls to fully explain everything and answer our questions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Go to him!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson is the best. He has a great sense of humor the the best bedside manner. I always looked forward to my appointments. He dealt with my ridiculous questions with grace and was always willing to do extra research when I'd email him random articles asking if we should try different things. He really cares about all of his patients and is in your corner. After I had a bad experience at another clinics, we did three consults before choosing Dr. Payson. I felt that he listened the best of the three doctors and seemed to really care and think about my case, rather than jumping into some established protocols to get going.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
I have PCOS and a history of an idiopathic case of Asherman's syndrome. For my retrieval I did the antagonist protocol and over-responded, so he reduced the drugs as we went. Because my estrogen was so high, I triggered a day before he might have triggered based on follicle size. He still retrieved a record 64 eggs, 54 of which were mature and 37 of which fertilized. Of those, 23 made it to blast and 13 were genetically normal. For my transfer, which no one ever thought would work since I have such a thin uterine lining, I took 3 estradiol pills per day, one as a suppository. My lining got to 5.5mm if he squinted hard enough. It was a big shock when the pregnancy test came back positive!
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Kaitlyn and Alicia)
The nursing staff, and all the staff at CCRM is great. There were a few hiccups before our retrieval with the paperwork - we were using a frozen sperm sample because we were doing FDA testing in case we had to use a gestation carrier, and the nurse originally had our protocol and paperwork specify a fresh sample. This was a little annoying because we had to resign all of the paperwork when I found the errors. Other than that, the nurses are extremely responsive and organized and I appreciate them very much! We were/are also undergoing treatment during Covid, so things were more complicated with people working from home, staffing changes, etc. I thought they did a great job, and continue to do so. They work very hard!
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
The clinic has a wonderful atmosphere - it is clean, everyone knows your name somehow, and the staff is all delightful and pleasant. The surgery staff is extremely warm and fun and they made me feel extremely comfortable for my retrieval and transfer. They all work very hard. During Covid, the wait times were a little longer than I would have liked, but I like to think it is because of all the extra precautions they were taking to keep everyone safe! I highly recommend this clinic.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
We are lucky to have really wonderful insurance, so the cost to us is very minimal.
Describe Mark Payson's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Dr. Payson is a big proponent of single embryo transfer, which was what we wanted anyway.
She [Vasiliki Moragianni] is very knowledgeable about the fertility process, has a kind manner and way of presenting information...took the time to review my prior medical records with me and explain everything...While all the information has not been exactly what I was hoping to or wanted to hear I appreciate her honest but kind approach...
it helps after driving almost an hour to get to my appointments [at CCRM Northern Virginia] to be greeted by a kind and bubbly front desk staff...as I am alone at most of my appointments so I especially appreciate their kind manner...[nurse] is great at communicating information whether o er the phone or through the patient portal...takes the time to not only explain everything that needs to be done, but patiently answers all of my questions.
How was your experience with Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
She is very knowledgeable about the fertility process, has a kind manner and way of presenting information. While all the information has not been exactly what I was hoping to or wanted to hear I appreciate her honest but kind approach
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Have all of your records and radiology studies ahead of time and bring them to your consultation appointment
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Her manner/tone, she took the time to review my prior medical records with me and explain everything
Describe the protocols Vasiliki Moragianni used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
I do not remember, it is still early I my treatment and I am only just getting started with s high risk counselor. The next step is to start the process with my frozen eggs
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Tara Pinkney )
Tara has been great at communicating information whether o er the phone or through the patient portal. Mt appointments for lab work and the required paperwork are always available in a timely fashion and she takes the time to not only explain everything that needs to be done, but patiently answers all of my questions.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
I appreciated having access to an office in Maryland, where I live for my initial consultation appointment. Unfortunately the office where all of the transfers and medical tests are done is in Virginia. Thankfully I have thus far been able to schedule appointments for days when I am not working, so I’ve been able to avoid heavy traffic. I chose the clinic for the high rates of success with women over 40, and if successful dealing with a bit of traffic is more than a fair trade off. I also have to say it helps after driving almost an hour to get to my appointments to be greeted by a kind and bubbly front desk staff. This is a stressful situation, as I am alone at most of my appointments so I especially appreciate their kind manner.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia.
My insurance covers most fees, I have only been responsible copays thus far
Describe Vasiliki Moragianni's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
We have not yet reached that stage in my fertility journey
Dr Payson is VERY conservative and only does single embryo transfers except for extreme cases. ... I switched to Dr Payson after 4 failed IUIs with Letrozole at a different clinic. We quickly decided to do IVF with standard treatment protocols. ... Dr Payson was always the one to call with treatment updates and saw me for all of my ultrasounds through the retrieval. We retrieved 11 eggs, all were mature but unfortunately only 1 made it to Day 6 blastocyst. He is concerned I may have an egg quality issue and we have reviewed changes we may make in future cycles because of this.
The CCRM northern Virginia clinic is clean, quiet, private and comfortable. When you come in for the egg retrieval you have a separate waiting area for privacy and comfort. The desk staff is friendly and accommodating. I have waited longer than expected a few times but was always met with apologies for the inconvenience. ... My nurse, as well as all of the nurses at CCRM, are kind, compassionate and good communicators. They are responsive to calls and will involve the doctor if they are unsure of an answer.
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
After switching from another local RE clinic in the northern Virginia area, CCRM and Dr. Payson were a breath of fresh air. The clinic is comfortable, the staff is kind and personal. Dr. Payson is smart, keeps up to date with research, is conservative in his treatment approaches and presents a realistic picture of what to expect. Unlike other area clinics, Dr. Payson was always there for my appointments and treated me kindly and like a person rather than a number.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
To bring all the questions you may have, he can sometimes be a bit quick as he is very busy but he will always take the time to answer all of your questions and concerns honestly.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson is kind, knowledgable and understands the sensitivity of his work. He treats patients with respect and like individuals
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
I switched to Dr Payson after 4 failed IUIs with Letrozole at a different clinic. We quickly decided to do IVF with standard treatment protocols. I did Gonal F and Menopur followed by the addition of Ganirellex. Doses were adjusted as my blood work and ultrasounds showed needing. Dr Payson was always the one to call with treatment updates and saw me for all of my ultrasounds through the retrieval. We retrieved 11 eggs, all were mature but unfortunately only 1 made it to Day 6 blastocyst. He is concerned I may have an egg quality issue and we have reviewed changes we may make in future cycles because of this. We currently have the 1 embryo frozen and will attempt to transfer when deemed safe due to Covid-19.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Alicia )
My nurse, as well as all of the nurses at CCRM, are kind, compassionate and good communicators. They are responsive to calls and will involve the doctor if they are unsure of an answer.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
The CCRM northern Virginia clinic is clean, quiet, private and comfortable. When you come in for the egg retrieval you have a separate waiting area for privacy and comfort. The desk staff is friendly and accommodating. I have waited longer than expected a few times but was always met with apologies for the inconvenience.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
I am a self-pay patient and opted to do the CCRM Assure program which if you meet certain parameters allows you up to 6 retrievals and transfers and holds a money-back guarantee if you do not have a live birth within 2 years. Because of this the cost without medications is 24,500.
Describe Mark Payson's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Dr Payson is VERY conservative and only does single embryo transfers except for extreme cases. We felt comfortable with this after talking with him and his reasoning (risk of miscarriage, risk of multiples, etc).
Dr. Payson, overall, is a very knowledgable doctor. As the director of the practice, you can tell his time is constrained and sometimes rushed. He does a good job of discussing the statistics and potential outcomes of each option. I do think he needs to do a better job of acknowledging all fertility options and not just actively steer people toward the IVF option - the more expensive option. IUI is a totally viable option for some, and a good first-line treatment, he made it seem like a waste of money. Which may be true, but it's worth a shot for couples with unexplained infertility.
CCRM is a good clinic ... They are always busy. ... Kaitlyn was a god-sent. She listened to us and answered all of our questions. She was also very responsive to emails and phone calls, returning them within the same business day. ... Clomid, Trigger, IUI - that's the basic treatment protocol. We were unsuccessful after two attempts. I do think there needs to be more of a debrief and what could be done differently between each cycle. It seemed like a treadmill you just got back on with no conversation about what could be done differently to hopefully get a different outcome.
How was your experience with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson, overall, is a very knowledgable doctor. As the director of the practice, you can tell his time is constrained and sometimes rushed. He does a good job of discussing the statistics and potential outcomes of each option. I do think he needs to do a better job of acknowledging all fertility options and not just actively steer people toward the IVF option - the more expensive option. IUI is a totally viable option for some, and a good first-line treatment, he made it seem like a waste of money. Which may be true, but it's worth a shot for couples with unexplained infertility.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Let patients be the ultimate decision, provide the information and recommendation. You need to honor the patient's decision.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Payson does a good job of explaining the statistics and science behind infertility. My many doctors he is rushed.
Describe the protocols Mark Payson used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
Clomid, Trigger, IUI - that's the basic treatment protocol. We were unsuccessful after two attempts. I do think there needs to be more of a debrief and what could be done differently between each cycle. It seemed like a treadmill you just got back on with no conversation about what could be done differently to hopefully get a different outcome.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Katelyn Endicott)
Kaitlyn was a god-sent. She listened to us and answered all of our questions. She was also very responsive to emails and phone calls, returning them within the same business day.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
CCRM is a good clinic, they are new and use the best technology. They are always busy. I do with this particular clinic posted their success rates, but since they haven't been open for 3 years they don't need to, yet.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mark Payson at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Dr. Moragianni had an individualized treatment plan for us. She was extremely caring, available and accommodating...I had my egg retrieval in December of 2019. We had fantastic results. Better than we could have imagined. We yielded 4 chromosomally normal embryos. 2 girls and 2 boys. On February 12th 2020 we had our top graded embryo transfered. It was successful. I'm currently 13.5 weeks pregnant with a girl. We are so grateful for Dr. Moragianni. She always met us with a smile and her sense of humor was fantastic! I never left with unanswered questions or doubt. My husband and I are forever grateful for Dr. Moragianni.
Everyone [at CCRM] was absolutely amazing... From the front desk to Mark the phlebotomist to the nurses and doctors. The facility was so clean and professional. We couldn't be happier. I have nothing bad to say about ccrm and the staff...All of the nurses at CCRM were wonderful. They were all so accommodating and friendly. They always called me back when I had questions...Rosa was our financial coordinator. She was fantastic. She was very organized and efficient.
How was your experience with Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
My husband and I started trying for a baby in October of 2016. We had several loses and felt defeated. In 2018 we sought out fertility treatment at a clinic near our home in Maryland. We went through several failed treatments and lots of tears. In September of 2019 we had our initial consultation with Dr. Moragianni. After meeting with Dr. Moragianni and hearing everything she had to say, we left our appointment smiling and knew we had just met the doctor who would do everything she could to get us our baby. I had my egg retrieval in December of 2019. We had fantastic results. Better than we could have imagined. We yielded 4 chromosomally normal embryos. 2 girls and 2 boys. On February 12th 2020 we had our top graded embryo transfered. It was successful. I'm currently 13.5 weeks pregnant with a girl. We are so grateful for Dr. Moragianni. She always met us with a smile and her sense of humor was fantastic! I never left with unanswered questions or doubt. My husband and I are forever grateful for Dr. Moragianni.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Trust her completely! She knows exactly what she is doing!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Dr. Moragianni had an individualized treatment plan for us. She was extremely caring, available and accommodating.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at CCRM Northern Virginia.
All of the nurses at CCRM were wonderful. They were all so accommodating and friendly. They always called me back when I had questions.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
Everyone was absolutely amazing... From the front desk to Mark the phlebotomist to the nurses and doctors. The facility was so clean and professional. We couldn't be happier. I have nothing bad to say about ccrm and the staff
Describe the costs associated with your care under Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia.
Rosa was our financial coordinator. She was fantastic. She was very organized and efficient.
I traveled across a few states to see Dr. Moragianni...I had read reviews that indicated that she had helped people with failed transfers. I appreciated that she had fully reviewed our case when we met with her for the first time. She had ideas of what to do differently and that gave me hope. While she had her own opinions on what we should do, she did allow me to direct my own treatment in certain ways (ex: to forgo ICSI).
CCRM Virginia is the clinic that gave us our child, so of course we recommend them. Their embryology staff is amazing...Jen Butler-Symonds was the best nurse I could have asked for; however, our start with CCRM was a nightmare...I think that they have replaced some staff at this point and I would hope that the initial experience has improved.
How was your experience with Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
I traveled across a few states to see Dr. Moragianni because I had 2 failed transfers at a previous clinic and I had read reviews that indicated that she had helped people with failed transfers. I appreciated that she had fully reviewed our case when we met with her for the first time. She had ideas of what to do differently and that gave me hope. While she had her own opinions on what we should do, she did allow me to direct my own treatment in certain ways (ex: to forgo ICSI).
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
Trust her. She knows what she's doing.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Vasiliki Moragianni at CCRM Northern Virginia?
She actually reviewed our history and had thoughts about our treatment when we met with her.
Describe the protocols Vasiliki Moragianni used in your cycles at CCRM Northern Virginia and their degree of success.
For the egg retrieval I believe we just used a standard protocol. I do remember that she did not have me use Omnitrope as I had at a previous clinic. We had 2 failed transfers with medicated cycles and Dr. M suggested transferring in a natural cycle since I have unexplained infertility and my cycles were regular. We used a trigger shot.
Describe your experience with your nurse at CCRM Northern Virginia. (Assigned nurse: Jennifer Butler-Symonds)
We ended up in the care of Jen (Butler-Symonds) who was incredible and with whom we are still in touch. She always made herself available to us, communicated when the clinic front desk or other nurses failed to do so, was reassuring, caring, professional. I can't say enough good things about her. That being said, we initially were assigned a nurse who never communicated with us and we were confused as to who we were actually assigned to. Jen had to take over from the ball being dropped multiple times.
Describe your experience with CCRM Northern Virginia.
CCRM Virginia is the clinic that gave us our child, so of course we recommend them. Their embryology staff is amazing (although I believe the director has now moved to a different clinic). We got double the number of normal blastocysts there as we did at a previous clinic. Dr. Moragianni was great, Jen Butler-Symonds was the best nurse I could have asked for; however, our start with CCRM was a nightmare. The intake coordinator never got our records from our past clinic and never followed up with us after our meeting. We had to chase them down to get on their radar. Once we finally got started with treatment, the front desk staff would call without leaving messages so we didn't know who called or why (which is extremely frustrating and nerve-wracking when you're waiting for results etc.) and then the clinic would be closed when we called back and we'd have to wait overnight to find out why they had called. AT first, we didn't know who our nurse was supposed to be and it seemed like they didn't either. It seemed like one hand wasn't talking to another. We had to contact Dr. M directly to explain how frustrating our experience was and tell her that we were planning to go to another clinic because of it. That's when she connected us with Jen and everything changed because we finally had an advocate. I think that they have replaced some staff at this point and I would hope that the initial experience has improved.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at CCRM Northern Virginia.
I went for monitoring at a different clinic (local to me) since I traveled to go to CCRM.
Describe Vasiliki Moragianni's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at CCRM Northern Virginia.
I believe she strongly recommends single embryo transfer.
What specific things went wrong at CCRM Northern Virginia?
