Monica Pasternak

You feel very well cared for as a patient at Spring. The ultrasound screens are so helpful to follow along at each check-up or monitoring appointment. The only thing I wish Spring prioritized was having your Dr. call directly to share important updates, especially when things don't go as planned or the news is difficult.

When I initially tried to schedule an appointment with Spring Fertility, there was a lot of back and forth, and I didn't receive timely responses. This made me consider not going with Spring Fertility, as I was concerned about trusting them with my embryos if scheduling was already difficult. Additionally, my partner and I felt there were gaps in our knowledge. Even when we received our final report with the embryo count and quality, we were confused about how to interpret the results. It was difficult to find information online to help us.

The clinic is clean and contemporary. Parking in the lot below was always very easy to find a spot. There is a nice waiting room, although you are never made to wait long at all. The billing and financial team, didn't seem quiet as coordinated as the Drs. and nursing team. I am not sure if there was a change in staffing, but it seemed like I was directed to one or two different people. It was all straightened out and straightforward by the time I had my retrieval.

Spring is a very concierge clinic - you always feel well taken care of and paid attention to. If anything, I feel a bit spoiled and am concerned that the level of care that i'll receive during my pregnancy may not live up to the same level of service I've been used to during the fertility process. In order to provide that level of service, they are pricey, but do accept insurance. Can't really think of many weaknesses - only thing I'd say is that sometimes the monitoring appointments felt a bit rote - you're in and out. But that's going to be the case anywhere and frankly is respectful to the time of working individuals.

I love Spring Fertility and so glad I decided to go with them. The clinic is top notch and I was very impressed. I loved how clean the clinic was, how everyone was very friendly, and how they were so well organized. I never had to wait once I arrived for my appointments and I appreciate their strict protocols in having patients verify their info for all ultrasounds and bloodwork. I also loved how they've a self-service portal to see your treatment calendar, messages, etc. and how they're always sending SMS alerts for appointment reminders, etc. I also really appreciated having a dedicated Patient Care coordinator so I could easily turn to anytime I had questions. Lastly, I loved how they had an orientation to learn how to inject medications and have tons of self-serve videos on their site too to reference.

I found the Spring at SF clinic team to generally be kind and professional. The clinic is busy, and appointment times are short so be sure to come prepared with questions or know that you can call and get questions answered later. I was okay with this environment; however, I can understand that the experience can feel overwhelming, especially at the beginning of someone's treatment. I would encourage patients to always reach out with questions over the phone, and they'll likely be pleased with the team's response.

The clinic is very inviting and very organized. Communication was very efficient, even around insurance and billing (a couple placated topic even if you have great insurance and benefits) and very efficient and timely with each appointment.

Really strong communication, availability of appointments, and overall friendly competent staff across all professions. I also appreciated that I could send one email and reach everyone at once. Every appointment was on time and I was in and out as quickly as possible.

I have already recommended Spring Fertility to two of my family members and would recommend them to any of my friends/family that asks. They are professional and organized. Their appointment reminders are timely, their appointments are always on time, the staff is friendly and helpful (for the most part). We are pleased with our choice to come to Spring Fertility.

I absolutely loved my experience at Spring. My hand was held during each phase of treatment. I appreciated that information was communicated in multiple ways. Detailed written instructions were sent as well as my nurse calling me to describe the next steps. There were also links to instructional videos if I needed it.

Great clinic with awesome staff and great, personalized, and soothing (as can be) environment. Clear communication and A++ operations, updated approach to treatment protocol, takes great pride in results. On-time without being rushed.

Strengths: Dr. Minjarez is an excellent doctor who oversaw my IVF protocol and got me an amazing result. She is able to think outside of the box, and really tailor treatment to the particular patient. Weaknesses: In my opinion (and I emphasize this is my opinion and not fact), Spring is growing at a remarkably fast rate. Many IVF clinics are receiving Private Equity funding, and are becoming more profit driven. They are hiring many new doctors, and many of those doctors are the ones assigned the embryo transfers, retrievals, etc. However, based on my experience with Dr. Pasternak, she was not trained well. And particularly not trained well for what to do when there is difficulty. Difficulty is expected in the medical field and doctors need to have a game plan for that. Another weakness is that after my exprience, I asked to speak to Dr. Pasternak, and was sent a quick email telling me not to worry rather than get on the phone with me after this traumatic incident. Lastly, I found this clinic to be too lax with Covid restrictions. I had to tell two of the doctors that their masks were falling off and their noses were not covered. This was in the middle of the height of the pandemic. Additionally, I had three incidences of people in the waiting room not wearing masks and the receptionist in charge was not enforcing the mask policy.

A HUGE strength was time management. I don’t think I ever waited more than 5 minutes past my appointment time. Visits were incredibly efficient; frequently it took me longer to get to the appointment than I actually spent at the clinic. Ambiance is nice, and I felt treated like a person, which is a plus in this process.

I would say this entire clinic puts the patient first throughout a very emotional and stressful process. They understand the nuance and complexity around women's health and fertility and you feel it in your treatment process, which is not something I’ve felt with many doctors in the past, including OBGYNs.

Always on time, which is great because I didn’t spend a lot of time waiting in the lobby for my appointments. All staff were very efficient and professional. I felt the teamwork in the environment and appreciate that. Everyone was very resourceful and quick to get answers. The nurses, phlebotomist, patient coordinator, front staff were all friendly and efficient. They all knew what each person were doing. Not one time did I feel like one person was not aware of each case or out of the loop. There were also some shipping issues from the tissue bank and the clinic worked with me to get it delivered as well as make exceptions. There were a lot of messaging back and forth before the use of the portal, but the patient coordinator was always polite and helpful. Not one time did I feel frustrated. She was patient to addressed all my questions even if some of them were sparked from anxiety. However, I would like to suggest better training in the finance dept. it was a rough ride from the beginning and this may essential be enough to put off a patient and not continue with Soeing Fertility. I was quoted the wrong price. I was charged the wrong price a few times and had to dispute the amount to get a refund. This dept was the only one where I felt disconnected. It didn’t fit the culture of the clinic itself. I worked with four different finance coordinators during my different cycles and the experience was by far the least likable. The tipping point was my last cycle where I had to dispute the pricing when I was told it’d be the same as what I paid for initially. It seemed the coordinator did not review my file properly or read the email exchanges properly. This was a nuisance as I was already deep in the journey and had no mental capacity to deal with pricing errors. In the end it was rectified, but this was unnecessary if the coordinator took a minute to review my file.

Strength = clean, warm and inviting atmosphere. Doesn't feel like a doctor's office. Weakness = the SOMA location which is closer to me (2 blocks away) is closed often and/or my doctor no longer works out of there!

Strengths: Staff is empathetic, kind, knowledgeable. I had an all female team which made me feel extremely understood and take cared of. The clinic itself is a beautiful space, the location is easy to get to, and the technology feels advanced so you as a patient feel like you are receiving the best care possible. Weakness: Initially, it was a little difficult to schedule a first appointment. I had filled out the form online but hadn't heard back so it required a phone call and scheduling myself. Additionally, I had to follow up a few times with the finance department to send through invoices so that I could submit to my employer for reimbursements. The doctors office and finance team are a bit disjointed and I expected it to be a bit of an easier process to receive the paperwork.

Spring is a very comfortable environment without feeling like a sterile clinic. Everything is very clean and updated. I also was shocked at how on time they were for every appointment which is not something I’ve experienced with other doctors offices!

Weakness: I wish the clinic had free parking as in the end I was driving in. Strengths: I love that it is a one-stop shop place. Blood draws, scans, transfers, retrivals, etc are all done there. Another strength is that all of the doctors and team are excellent. I had met a few for various scans and they were all warm, knowledgeable and highly competent.

The clinic itself is aesthetically pleasing. The rooms, reception, etc were all great. They recently upgraded the robes worn during procedures- it was a great added comfort. The one thing I think they really need to work on is doing more hand holding. There are a lot of steps in this process and remembering them all gets confusing-- I wish the team/clinic had protocol for more detailed instructions, reminders etc

Strengths -Large MD group with variety of excellent Reproductive Endocrinologists -Expertise and experience of embryologists -Compassionate and talented nurses and staff -Multiple locations for convenience for lab draws, ultrasounds etc. Weaknesses -Very busy clinic with fast turnaround for visits, lab draws etc. -Private clinic / $

I absolutely loved my two experiences with this clinic and highly recommend them. I’ve worked with Dr Fisher, Dr Pasternak, and dr Klatsky. All are excellent. The nursing and coordinator walk you through every step of the way and you feel supported all along. They even do trainings on how to take the injections.

Communication with the clinic was very easy! Everything done through the app, including dosage and timing of the medication. All reminders just showed up on my phone and I could message the staff with my questions. I received consistent high quality of service.

The clinic was conveniently located in the center of San Francisco. I appreciated that the clinic was always kept clean and the team was regularly sanitizing. The daily appointments were also timely and well-run.

The staff was courteous and respectful. The appointments are on time and quick. So if you have any questions be prepared to quickly ask the doctor or feel free to send them to the nurse through the Salve app.