Kansas University Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine

I think this clinic is very accessible. I was denied treatment because of my bmi at previous providers, but KU Med actually bothered to get to know me beyond the numbers on my chart and made me feel like I deserved to get pregnant as much as anyone else. The wait time for a consult was a little lengthy.

You don’t get to see the doctor a lot you deal with more of the nurses. Some nurses are there for a check and some are pretty good at they do and can tell they love what they do . A lot of times we did have to ask about the next steps and what was going on being that we’ve never done it before . But after the first cycle you pretty much get it . Weaknesses is the communication is all thur a portal you barely talk to somebody direct unless you go in for your ultrasounds and IUI/IVF. They don’t hound you on payments .

The clinic is very good with keeping patient confidentiality every time I checked in and their billing department kept us informed of what was due before each appointment. They were respectful and seem to care about the patients they serve.

I cannot stress this enough. I would make sure you stay on top of scheduling, treatments, medications, and follow-up appointments. Communication is a huge weakness for this clinic and it’s important to be your own advocate. I would say a strength is knowing the cycles, the treatments and understanding the diagnosis. However, compassion and communication are huge downfalls.

During the first ET and FET, Dr. Marsh’s office was on top of everything, giving me information about what I needed to do and how to be prepared for each appointment. They talked me through their process before I started a cycle. After arriving, I would sometimes be called back for a blood test and a sonogram at the same time and within minutes of arriving. They were on schedule or ahead of schedule. The nurse I had was amazing, making sure I understood the process and what was to come. She told me to call if I had any questions and was always friendly when I called. When I went to an exam room, each person came to me to go through her part (e.g., doctor, transfer coordinator, financial). Now, during my second FET, years later, the atmosphere is quite different, more business-like. The receptionists are still friendly and helpful, and some of the nurses are supportive. However, I have to ask to see the FET coordinator to turn in my paperwork or ask to have a blood test, instead of those being scheduled before I arrive and being called back to each person as it was my first time. I am in and out quickly, but it seems I have to ask more questions instead of being prepped from one appointment to the next. Even with the multiple emails I receive and the calendar posted, I do not always get all the information that I may need. I am aware of the process from the first two times; however, over the years, protocols have changed as science has advanced. Dr. Marsh discussed some of the changes to the overall FET protocol in the initial meeting, but some of the smaller changes in preparation for the FET were not explained until I started asking questions when examinations were different.

The front desk is amazing - always smiling and happy! The weaknesses: Communication, patient focus, provider availability, etc. Additionally, the ARNP is very rough. For example biopsy day I was unable to completely relax my hips due to previous surgeries. She pulled on my knees and I started crying in pain. She told me I signed up for it.

It was great! Everyone is so nice and helpful. My only complaint is that no one reached out after my failed egg retrieval. I was bummed about that. The doctor called the next day to give me the bad news but I had to reach out to the nurses to schedule a call with Dr. Holoch to talk about next steps.

The clinic is easy to find, clean, comfortable, and it was very quick to get in and see my doctor. Everything during our visit was completed in a timely manner, and my partner was valued as an equal part of the team, which was something that was very important to me as I am in an LGBTQ relationship

They were all very nice and compassionate. We really liked how optimistic and hopeful they are. This process can be so draining that’s it’s nice to have them always so positive and reassuring every time we came in. The only issue we had was once during an iui the nurse didn’t tell financial office to send in a prior authorization when they made the appointment. Luckily, finance office caught it and took care of it so it was still covered by insurance. The only other issue we ever had was couple times it took them a bit to respond to emails but that rarely was an issue for us.

I absolutely love that they have a financial team. I really want to take a moment to thank the financial team for working so hard with me and my insurance to get pre approvals and to give me out of pocket estimates. They are amazing! The front desk staff is very polite and welcoming. Again the nurses they have staffed are top of the line in care and compassion. They also have a in office lab that makes blood draws very convenient.

In the face of “unexplained infertility”, I looked at multiple practices in the KC for guidance. Ultimately, KU was able to get us in the quickest. My husband works for KU so we both felt confident in the institution. Due to COVID, our initial meeting with the physician was via TH. He had a PowerPoint that seemed generic but provided a baseline understanding of options. I was instructed to come to the clinic for an initial ultrasound and lab work. I completed the US and was waiting to get my labs drawn when I received a notification via the app (the primary way the clinic communicates) that an additional lab was ordered. I asked the sonographer and the lab personal as to why but neither were able to provide insight. I was instructed to message the nurses via the app…I WAS SITTING IN THE CLINIC! I should have known then that communication was going to be a challenge but again, my husband works for KU and we think highly of the institution. After a failed medicated cycle and IUI, I messaged the nurses (messaging the doctor isn’t an option on the app), and asked for insight. The message I received back from the RN was the plan for another IUI cycle. There was no regard for my request, simply a med plan for a second IUI cycle. In reviewing the cycle, there was a med I had never heard of added. Because in the initial meeting (which for the record, was the only time we communicated with the physician in the 3.5 months we utilized the practice), the doctor had never mentioned this med, I sent a message and asked if I could get a call to get clarity. I wanted to understand what the med does, why it was ordered, and any side effects I should be aware of. I am a RN so I didn’t think it was too much to ask to receive basic education regarding a medication. When the RN called, she sounded annoyed. I understand it was a Sunday. I too was on-call for my nursing job so, I understand that it can interfere with one’s personal life but, that comes with being on-call. The nurse did explain what the medication does but when I asked why it was prescribed (did you notice something last cycle that indicated this med should be added or, is it is just the next medication in the toolbox), the nurse responded “it’s just what the doctor ordered.” I understand the essence of unexplained infertility, but I think it is a patients prerogative to understand why, even if the answer is “this is just the next shot in the dark.” I completed the cycle as prescribed and when I went in for IUI, this time a NP did the procedure (the first time, it was done but an RN). While there, I asked the NP if we could ask some questions. She was open to answering my questions and I thanked her saying “the communication hasn’t been the best and I just want to make sure that I understand my plan of care.” She became defensive and told me I should have messaged the nurses if I had questions. I told I did and she immediately said, “it is the volume of patients that we have here….years ago, I did everything from the counseling to the ultrasounds to the labs and now there is a sonographer, a lab tech, the nurses and things fall through the cracks because there are so many patients.” She proceed to tell me that she has “been doing this for a long time” and I, “ just need to trust the process because she is reviewing my records all the time.” Mind you, this encounter was the first time I had ever met, let alone communicated with, the NP. My husband equated the clinic to making us feel like cows being cycled through. That was my last straw. KU may be able to get to you in sooner than other practices in KC but, if you are looking for a fertility practice where you are valued as a patient, where discussion regarding your specific plan of care is ongoing, and where your questions are welcomed, I would encourage you to consider alternative options.

The weakness is dr nangias approach. He doesn’t appear to be very up to date on research, or he’s so research skeptical that he’s not willing to treat until there’s overwhelming evidence for a course of action. Infertility is a rapidly advancing field, and that attitude will abandon patients. I was point blank told that my sperm weren’t the problem, that my wife’s eggs were (age). Given my dna fragmentation test results and the research associated with them, that simply isn’t the case. While my wife’s eggs are AN issue, it’s poor practice to ignore other potential problems.

I really appreciated how quickly labs/ultrasounds were resulted. On more than one occasion I had results to my ultrasounds before I arrived him from the appointment. They were also really accommodating with scheduling around my work schedule.

I loved the physicians, nurses, pharmacists and the ease of the portal for our clinic. I really appreciated the partnerhip between Dr. Holoch and Dr. Nangia to treat my husband and myself as a couple given our MFI diagnosis - it made the process so much smoother since they were in the same group of physicians (although not physically located at the same place). The biggest weakness of this clinic is the finance team and their processes. I had an instance where my IUI moved forward without prior authorization approval, and the team tried to blame it on me as a patient for not formally informing my nurse team AND the finance team of my cycle Day 1. They absolutely should have the ability to share info internally without that burden falling on the patient. Beyond that, the team was abrasive and not friendly to work with, like the other team members were. They also were not able to provide me with any sort of estimate for our transfer costs, unlike the estimates provided for our IVF retrieval cycle which left us completely in the dark.

Strengths: prompt, almost immediate, response time; quick and efficient appointments - I rarely waited; quick test/scan results; provided meds to cover timing gaps when needed Opportunities: clunky patient portal

It is a clean clinic, easy to find, and most things are done through the patient portal, which I love. I will say it is fairly busy, so I liked to schedule early so it was not backed up. In addition, I always saw things and equipment getting wiped down as well as plenty of offices for examinations.

This is an academic facility, so they are up to date with all of the most current treatments. They have the most resources of any clinic in the area. You don't have to wait to get on the IVF calendar more than a week or so - they don't do batches of IVF like some clinics do. It can be difficult to get ahold of someone on the phone - they push all the communication to the eIVF portal. We were surprised at first that it was always the nurse practitioners who do the IUIs, but they are also really great.

They have a great staff. The doctors are attentive and the nursing staff really know their stuff. I began to feel like a regular after awhile! I would be sure to prepare questions ahead of time. I would come with a notebook and pencil to each appointment. There is so much new information that you will want to remember. I assumed everything would be reiterated through literature or my personal IVF plan, but it was not, so I was happy that I had taken notes.

The clinic is well run. Every member of the staff I have met was full of love and empathy, and were there to hold your hand through really tough waters. Something I did not enjoy was that the main form of communication is through an online portal, so urgent matters can sometimes be lost.

Strengths: not an overly long wait time to begin treatment, inexpensive Weaknesses: very poor and stressful communication; doctors work as a team, so you won't receive individualized one-on-one treatment.

This clinic's strength is in its high volume (which some people may not like). Because they see so many people, the processes are fairly standardized and fluid. They know what they're doing and they are efficient, but if you want long convos and hand-holding this isn't probably the place for you. For egg freezing, the efficient, brisk pace is great. The only weakness is in the billing. I had some trouble with having a payment not reflected in my balance, but that was taken care of quickly when I called.

There are often a long waiting period when doing an IUI, I wish that they would call when the specimen has been completed. They typically tell you when to show up after your partner's appointment and I have waited close to 2 hours (after my scheduled time) before the specimen was ready. The clinic has a friendly front desk. The front desk staff can be a little frazzled sometimes, but I just patiently work with them. The billing is such a pain, if you have any insurance that covers fertility treatment it can be a pain to get accurate invoices, I finally got a bill corrected from January. Also, they require you pay upfront for IUI services, which is no problem but then they bill you for it after as well, which again is a pain. When I called to get this corrected, they expected me to know that it wasn't a bill, that my payment had not posted in their systems...

This is part of a university so know that there may be some hesitation on using drugs or devices off label. If you have an interest in things like Invocell or HGH you may need to go elsewhere. As a teaching hospital there will often times be students attending your appointments, you can decline to have them included if you wish. Go prepared with questions and utilized the portal as often as you need. The nursing staff will get back with you quickly.

The clinic as a whole is extremely clean and well maintained, the staff is usually very nice. The only thing that I would complain about is the check in process could use some updating to help things move a little smoother.

Ultrasounds and lab all in the clinic. That was great! I didn’t have to go anywhere. Very little wait time. Just no surprises. They cannot work you in if you have an emergency. I tried to get in early once for an ultrasound and couldn’t. We waited a good while but that’s my fault. The original appointment time didn’t work but they can’t really work you in earlier.