Cynthia Austin

The clinic has the strong reputation of the larger Cleveland Clinic organization and it's generally pretty well-run. One of the challenges is that they funnel every patient phone call through one phone number so you can be on hold for upwards of 20 minutes (depending on when you call), which can be incredibly frustrating. I really like that they use MyChart for test results and messaging, which was really helpful in keeping all of my info in one place. They also only have one phlebotomist (she's awesome, by the way!), so when she goes on vacation or takes a day off, it's complete mayhem. You have to go to the lab that doesn't open until 7:30am or they have nurses (who haven't drawn blood in a long time) do the blood draw, which wasn't great ...

It can be difficult to get appointments with the Cleveland clinic as a whole and the fertility center is no different. They do seem to have the most compassionate and understanding front desk staff of all different offices. It can be difficult to schedule around work commitments because some procedures are done only at certain times of day but overall I appreciate the care they give to the IVF retrieval patients in particular.

Very thorough lab and I really enjoyed the retrieval and transfer process immensely. It was difficult to predict communication such as calls, lab results, etc. Some of the doctors were better about introducing themselves to us than others. And it seems that they are still a little bit behind as far as using binders and paper but you do have decent access to labs and can communicate through MyChart. I felt like everyone genuinely cared. I only had one that ultrasound tech who wasn't friendly at all. Again, it's a more expensive clinic than most and you'd expect customer service expectations to reflect that cost. The only other comment is that I had asked for Endometrial Scratch Biopsy early in the process but when I confirmed whether we could schedule it, we were too far along in the transfer process. Also, similar to this, we had an erratic thyroid issue and Dr Austin seemed less concerned than other medical professionals involved in my care but could have led to miscarriage had we done the transfer. As a result, it was postponed.

Cleveland Clinic fertility center has very short wait times and it was easy to schedule appointments. They are open 7 days a week with early hours (6:30 am) which makes it easy to work around your schedule. Their lab does close over the Christmas holiday for 3 weeks.

The clinic procedures could be improved upon. There is a disconnect between the ultrasound department and the IVF staff. I'm not sure why. I believe the entire process of ordering IVF ultrasounds should be streamlined. Always double and triple check your appointment times and arrive early! I found it was best to book the very first appointment in the morning and get there super early.

Location was convenient for me. One stop shop. Neat and clean. Older building, can do with a facelift. But okay. Everyone keeps to themselves, not much interaction amongst patients. Would be good if patients spoke to each other and strengthened/encouraged one another during the journey. We all know why we are here.

Overall, I feel as if I were treated more as a number than a patient, which is very unfortunate. In the end they did deliver me results, but with a lot of frustration along the way. A huge weakness is the phone system. I can't think of a single time I called where I was able to talk to the secretary in less than 10 minutes of being on hold. The longest I had ever waited to get a hold of someone was 18 minutes.

I wish IVF wasn't so expensive. They have a wonderful staff, but certain procedures are only done during certain hours because of sharing equipment, which can be a pain for people who don't always have the time to take off of work during those set hours. Update: it seems as though if you can't do procedures/tests when they want you to based on your of finances, you become less important.

I think the biggest strength of the Cleveland Clinic is it's cutting edge technology and labs. They were able to do all tests and labs right in office. They had on-staff people to do everything from the surgery to HSG to the blood word to embryo assessment, etc. This made getting results quick and efficient. I also think have multiple specialists on staff os great. There were several IVF specialists, male infertility specialists, etc. They also have great appointment times. I was able to do 6:30 a.m. appointments for all my scans and bloodwork which allowed me to still get to work on time daily. They also are open every day of the year except Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Weaknesses... The biggest weakness of Cleveland Clinic was their knowledge on how much things would cost. Many patients pay out of pocket, like myself and while they did provide cost break downs they were so far from accurate it was shocking. They quote you for an IUI around $460 but after the meds, scans and bloodwork that insurance doesn't cover it was more like $3,000 each time. The billing department was unable to help you figure out what was covered by your insurance as well. I was able to get the codes but even my insurance company was unsure until after the fact about what each scan would cost. Another weakness is the pharmacy. Barron's is the pharmacy they recommend using. It is a wonderful place with super helpful people, but they are not the cheapest. I wish I would have known that by I had trust CC with they said it was the cheapest. Overall I felt they had no idea what their procedures were really costing patients. At times I wanted additional tests done, like vitamin D or FSH, but CC was unwilling. They were also unwilling to try estrogen priming and other procedures that sometimes work for patients with low AMH. I felt they were very rigid in their views and treatments. The last weakness may be more personal but still... after my 4th failed IVF I decided to move on to donor eggs. I searched the 2 donor egg banks CC recommends but was unable to find any donors I liked. I searched for several weeks before eventually branching out and looking at other donor egg banks. Eventually I found a donor I loved but it brought me under the care of a different lead RE. The RE was located in California where I'd be traveling for my transfer but I still needed all my monitoring done at Cleveland Clinic. The second I was no longer under Dr. Austin's care, they stopped helping me. Dr. Austin even met with me to say she could no longer answer questions for me because she didnt want to step on toes. I completely understood this. What I didnt understand is why I could no longer use their lab for blood work or get the appointment times that I had been using for 3 years. After I switched doctors my blood work had to be done at the main lab where I would wait for an hour at times. Then the blood would have to be sent to an external lab to be processed and results would sometimes take 1 or 2 days to come in. They even sent me to a whole other branch of the Cleveland Clinic to do a procedure they had done on my twice before, but they would no longee due since Dr. Austin wasn't my primary. I was confused by this since they were still receiving my money for these appoinyments. I felt like I was just a number to them at that point. Prior to this I had not felt that way though, but I felt it needed to be mentioned.

I think just to start, when I called to make my appointment, I think they offered one within one week; I expected to wait much longer. Cleveland Clinic at Beachwood was easy to find and it was also easy to park. The waiting room was spacious and had a television screen with information about IVF as well as pictures of success stories. The area where procedures were completed was like a mini hospital floor. The nurses there were very kind and I never questioned their knowledge or experience. Everything was kept very clean, which was not what I had experienced before. For me, I was just impressed that they sedated me for the egg retrieval (I had been wide awake at the other clinic I went to and that was terrifying). At the embryo transfer, my husband had to put on scrubs and I needed to be in a gown-- both of us needed to cover our feet and hair as well. The lab technicians were also professional and knowledgeable.

Strengths: They are one of the top clinics in Ohio for success rates with single embryo transfers and they are leaders in innovation and technology. Some of the doctors are also very open to thinking outside of the box and trying new treatment protocols to individualize each couples treatment. Weaknesses: The costs are not straightforward at all. First we were assured that an ivf cycle would cost $15,000. Come to find out later after we already started treatment that there are many many hidden costs not included in that number including all of the monitoring ultrasounds and bloodwork and all the pre-testing. When we asked what the total is with absolutely no insurance coverage, the billing lady said closer to $21,000. That is a huge difference and needs to be disclosed up front. I still do not have any paperwork that states what the total costs will be other than hand written notes. It has been the most frustrating part of the whole process. Even though the doctors meet daily they do not always agree on treatment protocols and it seems like they do not always communicate.

I like that it is a smaller facility for easy accessibility. The receptionists are very friendly. They don't do ultrasounds based on who arrived first however. If more than one person arrives at the same time, it's whomever's file gets picked up first.

Calling the clinic stinks cause you always have to leave a message with the people who answer the phone and wait for a call back. No voicemail. I was able to email the doctor through MYChart and she’d email back normally within 2 days.

Great success rates for IVF. A little more expensive than other ones, but worth it.

One thing that stands out that I really can’t stand is the loud tv in the waiting room- with news that is not generally peaceful and calming. The receptionist ps are wonderful always kind and helpful. They are great. Your monitoring all happens early morning. You will get an ultrasound and blood work. Beachwood office has dedicated girl for bloodwork... she is kind, gentle and more empathetic then if you just went to the lab. She’s part of the team. Ultrasound techs are mice too. And you can also request to speak with a nurse after ultrasound and bloodwork. I always did. But you wait for a call around 2pm after appointments to find out your exact plan once they see bloodwork and have daily meeting on all ivf cycles.

Could communicate more effectively about egg retrieval - maybe an appt beforehand to go over questions 000000000000000000000000000000000009999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999. 9999999oooohjffyhgfdgjjbffgvddg jjgghhhyhhh

Knowledgeable, caring and cutting edge. The lab staff are also fantastic. I highly recommend. Ultrasounds are done by technicians and not physicians but I didn’t necessarily find that to be a drawback.