CFA having doubts

[Anonymous]

We had a few appointments at the CFA office in Bethesda and while we found the doctor was fine, the staff leave much to be desired. So far, they failed to give us some important information about a procedure and failed to follow-up regarding our results and making other phone calls.

Should I chalk it up to bad luck or is it time to look for a new doctor? Is the DC office better.

Anyone else have similar experience.

[Anonymous]

I've had okay experiences with the DC office, where I see Dr. Sacks. But there's enough REs in this area that you don't have to put up with bad "service." If you like your doctor otherwise then you should explain to your concerns about a lack of followup and failure to return phone calls. If it doesn't improve after that, then I'd consider going elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Having been with 3 local clinics, I'd say this is pretty typical. You really have to be your own advocate and follow up and ask questions on everything. It can't hurt to tell your RE about your experiences, but in general, they're pretty blase about that kind of thing.

[Anonymous]

I am at Bethesda CFA, and cannot speak highly enough about the doctor and office staff. That is just my 2 cents. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I was at the DC office for a couple of years. I recently decided to leave. I have had things happen like nurses call in the wrong prescriptions for me, mixing my name up with another patient's, and not having messages get to my RE.

I found the staff was adding to my stress, and decided it wasn't worth it anymore.

[Anonymous]

Had the same experience as you did with the DC office. They are not any better. Listen to your gut and explore other clinics. It is not worth putting up with that kind of stress and hassle.

[Anonymous]

I had a similar experience. Have worked with all three CFA locations and generally found Arlington to be the most efficient (but with turnover that's something that can change rapidly). Ultimately we stayed with CFA because I didn't want to switch doctors but you definitely need to be your own advocate.

[Anonymous]

I found the IUI nurse staff to be great. I worked with Dr Sacks. I think they may have different nurse staff for the IVF cycle and I haven't had experience with them.

[Anonymous]

Did not like DC CFA. Left with very bad memories and hundreds of dollars wasted. For the poster who said that's normal for RE clinics--not so, the service at Shady Grove has been far and away much better. It's not perfect but they absolutely do not miss follow-up, and they are on the ball when we test, schedule procedures, etc. I only did one cycle at CFA and the disorganization and lack of competence made me leave. Every messed up cycle is a LOT of money, and I don't worry about errors wasting the cycle at SG.

That said, doctors do vary at Shady Grove, and I've had a variety of experiences with them being empathetic, and willing to explain what we're doing, and what I'm paying for. I also wonder about their "thinking outside the box"--for example they don't support DHEA supplementation.

If I switch, it will be to GW, but for now I'm fine at Shady Grove.

[Anonymous]

I am a current patient at CFA in Bethesda, my doctor is Abbasi. Been going there since may 2010. Now being comptely honest, she (Abbasi) is not my favorite. I like doctors that are warm and fuzzy and real re-assuring. She is not like that. I am 41 1/2, she has been pushing IVF since day one. I can not afford that. I have made that clear since day one, so she has been a little exasperated with me. Now that being said, the reason I have stayed is because I love my nurse. Since I have started, I have primarily delt with the same nurse (Nurse Crystal). No matter how many times I call, she calls me back and I can hear the smile in her voice. Just this week I has an HSG done, and wanted to have a ultrasound just to see if I was close to ovulating, I went in Friday am, she did the ultrasound, I did the blood work she called me at 130p to tell me results. Now this cycle I was supposed to be just trying on my own and no monitoring because of the HSG. But I wanted the ultrasound and blood work becuase I wanted to know how my body responded without clomid and Ovidrel, she said no problem.

So again, not crazy about the doctor, but she is who she is. She is not trying to be my friend, she is trying to get me pregnant. She has been completely professional in expressing to me what my chances are---she has been a little harsh, and maybe that's why I don't care for her. Nurse Crystal feels like a friend, not sure if that is good or bad, but I like it. She understands and lets me feel sad when I come in month after month.

I have only been to Bethesda location, so can not speak for the other locations.

I am starting IUI with them in November if no BFP this after current 2ww.

That's my 5 cents.

[Anonymous]

I started my infertility journey with a visit to CFA in Bethesda and I hated it. I saw Dr. Abassi and thought she was cold. My assigned nurse was in training and it seemed she had never done even a normal ob exam before. The staff were very disorganized and even told me that they scheduled an HSG, only to show up and discover they had not. I visited a lot of different centers during my journey and ultimately wound up getting pregnant with help from Dr. Sacks at CFA in DC. There was a world of difference in care I received with Dr. Sacks in the DC.

[Anonymous]

We were at SG and are now at CFA. It is no better a SG. SG forgot to give us info at one point that resulted in us missing a cycle. I have received contradictory information from nurses on medicine requirements. You just need to check and double check every thing.

[Anonymous]

We have had mixed experiences at Shady Grove. I think it is because they have protocols that they follow, and that work, 90% of the time. We are in the other 10%. My medicine protocol was different from the norm, so I received improper instructions from the weekend nurse as to what and when I should be taking medicine. I had to insist that someone double check my file before the error was found. We missed a cycle opportunity because I was not told to start meds in time. We went through timed intercourse and two IUI's before the doctor looked for, and found, a potential problem with my uterus. I assume they were trying to save us the cost of that testing, because in 90% of the cases it is not needed. However, in our case that cost us almost a year of trying.

During one of the IVF cycles I had to remind the doctor on call to review my chart for specific instructions from my doctor about implantation placement.

It seems the preferred method of contact with the nurses is the exchange of voice mail messages. One nurse would not answer calls prior top 3pm and would only return calls between 3pm and closing time.

Over all, we found it difficult and frustrating to work with SG until we realized we needed to be the ones responsible for following up with them to make sure we had the information we needed and that the information was correct. We have found that email communication is helpful, because you have information in writing. As is asking questions about the next few steps in the process, i.e., when will the test be scheduled, when do you expect the results to be available, what happens next, is there anything we can do to keep the process moving while we wait for the results.

[Anonymous]

I saw Dr. Sacks in DC and overall had a great experience. There was one instance when I got new insurance where I had to stay on top of the finance person to make sure all was ready to go. Other than that, prescriptions, visits, emails with the doctor and nurse were all fine and very responsive. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I totally agree - I hate paying thousands of dollars and having to be my own advocate. The billing department is clueless and I have spent countless hours trying to have some erroneous charges corrected. The nurses (other than Crystal) are fuzzy with there instructions or forget to provide. I have left messages that were never returned. A lot of times, as a newbie, you don't know how to be your own advocate because you don't know what yu don't know. It isn't until you have been the victim of their errors that you realize that you have to get up to speed on everything and not rely on them. I have learned of potential mistakes just by doing a few google searches on my protocol and process. I sometimes feel like I know more than they do. With that said - I had an issue which was the straw that broke the camel's back and I am moving on.