i strongly recommend Dr. Harris as a 10/10 - especially if you are sensitive about the subject bc he is very kind and self aware of how he presents himself. My advice is to be open and honest with Dr. Harris because he won't judge you and will do his best to help you - he is a very kind doctor and deserved to have a review...He is very warm, patient and understanding. He is willing to help you to the best of his ability and answer any questions or concerns you may have, even giving his cell number
First, I am very grateful to SGF for having a contract with the VA and supporting us veterans - it means so much to make reproductive medicine accessible to us and we appreciate them so much. However, there are a couple weaknesses...there should probably be more front desk staff bc it is frequently difficult to get anyone to just answer the phone at all...financial dept seems to be very unorganized and not very easy to work with (when you're not working with the VA, which at first I wasn't and even at the beginning when I was, it was still poor communication between departments and very frustrating). For most patients, treatment must be paid completely in full before they do anything at all for you and I cannot imagine how frustrating that must be especially when coupled with the lack of organization AND communication from the financial staff.
How was your experience with Benjamin Harris at Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic)?
I specifically wanted to leave this review because I noticed Dr. Benjamin Harris was the only SGF doctor without a review here and if anyone deserves to be recognized as a 10 out of 10, it's certainly him. He is thorough, kind, compassionate, understanding, communicates well, and makes it clear he cares about your goals and helping you find the best way to achieve. I have had a few hiccups along the way (one of which was extremely embarassing and consisted of changing partners, which I was so embarassed about and I thought this would be humiliating and I'd be judged or laughed out) -- but that is the FURTHEST THING from what actually happened. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised and relieved at Dr. Harris' compassion, kindness, and professionalism. He was very understanding and instead of embarassing me over this delicate situation, he made sure that him and his nurses/med team guided me through the proper way to address the issue and get me back on track - I was treated as though it was okay and everyone was so kind and judgement free. Another thing I really like about Dr. Harris is how he is willing to take the time to explain everything - no matter how silly my questions, he really took the time to listen and answer. When I expressed my concerns (that were left over from the last fertility clinic I went to) about falling between the cracks and having staff forget about us and always feeling confused about the process and what we should be doing, he even gave me his direct cell phone number in case we ever experienced that frustration or felt lost at any point during the process - luckily, we have never needed it because him and his staff already do such a great job with communication.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Benjamin Harris at Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic)?
If you have a choice between which doctor you see at SGF, i strongly recommend Dr. Harris as a 10/10 - especially if you are sensitive about the subject bc he is very kind and self aware of how he presents himself. My advice is to be open and honest with Dr. Harris because he won't judge you and will do his best to help you - he is a very kind doctor and deserved to have a review
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Benjamin Harris at Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic)?
I wanted to leave this review bc I noticed Dr. Harris, specifically, had no reviews where all the other docs at SGF did. Dr. Harris very much has made me feel like a HUMAN (and not just a number like some doctors). He is very warm, patient and understanding. He is willing to help you to the best of his ability and answer any questions or concerns you may have, even giving his cell number when I explained in the -past (at the previous clinic before SGF), I felt as though we'd slipped through the cracks, were often forgotten about, and confused about the process. Dr. Harris certainly goes out of his way to ensure this doesn't happen and he is extremely sensitive, kind and understanding, making me feel more able to open up and be honest about questions and concerns.
Describe the protocols Benjamin Harris used in your cycles at Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic) and their degree of success.
For being at this clinic the length of time I have, most people would have had more treatments completed by now. But for my IUI, so far, my partner has come in and given a sperm sample (which needs to be tested before using the sperm in an IUI), but we also freezed it, as my partner often is away at work and I also sometimes have trouble and pain with penetrative intercourse, which presents an obvious issue. Due to the fact I do not have regular periods OR ovulation on my own (unexplained), Dr. Harris prescribed me meds to start my period - of course combined with several ultrasounds every few days to monitor how my body responds to meds. After the period, he prescribed Femara multiple times at multiple different doses to make my follicles grow to at least 17mm (which i believe is where it needs to be before giving you an ovulation trigger shot, assuming you dont ovulate on your own), but it still never worked to make my follicles grow (I found through other fertility support groups this is somewhat common). So then, he prescribed Gonal-f injections. After going back last week, we found out the Gonal-f worked great, but that my follicles were JUST a tiny bit too small...so i have another ultrasound this morning and I HOPE they'll be big enough now. If so, I'll get the trigger shot and HOPEFULLY be having my first IUI soon with my partner's frozen sperm. However, we will also try naturally around the same time (if we can) to see if we can increase odds by putting more sperm there (though this isnt really necessesary for everyone -- we just decided we want to and it cant hurt)
Describe your experience with your nurse at Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic). (Assigned nurse: Katie & MorgAnne)
Dr. Harris' primary nurses are Katy and MorgAnne and they are both wonderful communicators and also very compassionate, patient, kind, and willing to answer questions at any time. And when they don't know something - they are very upfront about not knowing but will certainly go to find out and i really appreciate that. SGF frequently uses a portal website, which is the fastest way to get ahold of them for anything - even just to ask them to call you back or email you back a response, as sometimes the front desk is simply too busy to answer.
Describe your experience with Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic).
First, I am very grateful to SGF for having a contract with the VA and supporting us veterans - it means so much to make reproductive medicine accessible to us and we appreciate them so much. However, there are a couple weaknesses. First, there should probably be more front desk staff bc it is frequently difficult to get anyone to just answer the phone at all, which can be extremely frustrating. Second, financial dept seems to be very unorganized and not very easy to work with (when you're not working with the VA, which at first I wasn't and even at the beginning when I was, it was still poor communication between departments and very frustrating). For most patients, treatment must be paid completely in full before they do anything at all for you and I cannot imagine how frustrating that must be especially when coupled with the lack of organization AND communication from the financial staff.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Benjamin Harris at Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic).
Luckily, the Dept of Veteran Affairs has a contract with SGF and are covering the cost of my IUI. However, the only thing that has not been covered was the $600 fee for freezing my partner's sperm to make it "IUI ready" and the cost of some of the medications (which were about $200). Due to the high price of the Gonal-f injections (about $250 per each injection pen), the nurse was kind enough to submit the prescription to the dept of Veteran Affairs and they mailed it to me for no cost.
What specific things went wrong at Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic)?
Lost paperwork
Lost appointments
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
NPS10
Doctor
Benjamin Harris
NPS
Humanity5 of 5
Communication5 of 5
Frequency Seen3 of 5
LGBTQ+ Care5 of 5
Trustworthiness5 of 5
Compassion5 of 5
Explained risks5 of 5
Adaptability5 of 5
NPS10
Clinic
Shady Grove Fertility Virginia - Jones Institute (US Fertility Network clinic)