Shady Grove - what were they thinking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is from the outfit that makes it crystal, excruciatingly clear that you can NOT ever ever bring children to their offices for appointments because it will be too tough on the waiting room patients.

You are comparing cats to apples, but I like this policy.

Signed,
Waiting room patient

[Anonymous]

I am surprised they sent out the email at all. Even though I got pregnant and had a child with the help of SG I really don't associate them with children. My doctor certainly wasn't interested in hearing about or seeing pictures of my child, there are no pictures of babies in the office. It's a clinical zone that oddly enough I do not associate with pregnancy and delivery, motherhood or any of the rest. So why on earth would they send out a mother's day email? My friend did 6 failed cycles at SG, was successful with her 7th cycle at age 42. She said her doctor didn't even show interest in seeing pictures of her twins. Just seems to be a disconnect there. They should stick to what they know best.

[Anonymous]

I stopped being "grateful" to the fertility industry once I got to Shady Grove. Having to fight them to treat me like a human being instead of a statistic/liability/cost-benefit analysis when I wanted to change the course of action to prevent another miscarriage, was soul-sucking. The only reason I can give for staying there is my grief and recovery from the first m/c clouded my judgment--plus their guarantee is the best one and money was, still is, an issue.

I regret having wasted time there on a second cycle, and at that point I lost any gratitude or good feeling for them. And now, having scraped together the money to move elsewhere, I only wish I'd done it sooner.

The whole fertility industry is a means to an end, I don't think most doctors are in it to help/heal, but to make good money with decent hours and no emergencies. Nevertheless I doubt another clinic will make me feel like I have to fight THAT hard for what's reasonable, or will put me through so much additional, unnecessary grief as Shady Grove gave me.

When I went to sign for my refund, I felt an unexpectedly large stab of relief that I'd never have to be in that waiting room again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised they sent out the email at all. Even though I got pregnant and had a child with the help of SG I really don't associate them with children. My doctor certainly wasn't interested in hearing about or seeing pictures of my child, there are no pictures of babies in the office. It's a clinical zone that oddly enough I do not associate with pregnancy and delivery, motherhood or any of the rest. So why on earth would they send out a mother's day email? My friend did 6 failed cycles at SG, was successful with her 7th cycle at age 42. She said her doctor didn't even show interest in seeing pictures of her twins. Just seems to be a disconnect there. They should stick to what they know best.

+1 Very true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is from the outfit that makes it crystal, excruciatingly clear that you can NOT ever ever bring children to their offices for appointments because it will be too tough on the waiting room patients.

You are comparing cats to apples, but I like this policy.

Signed,
Waiting room patient

You won't like it when you are doing multiple rounds of IVF for #2. The monitoring appts are the worst bc no sitter is going to come to your house that early for just the 45-60 min that you need them for.

[Anonymous]

You won't like it when you are doing multiple rounds of IVF for #2. The monitoring appts are the worst bc no sitter is going to come to your house that early for just the 45-60 min that you need them for.

I agree this was a pain and we had to get crafty between my husband's and my work schedule but I still think this is a good policy. Also, I have taken my 6 month old to other doctor appointments (and I have a lot since I am a ovarian cancer survivor) and it is not always easy having an infant at the appointment.

I also agree that this email was probably not a great idea but the moment I signed up at SGF I unsubscribed from their emails. This is an option that every single person on this board complaining had/has the option to do. I was not interested in receiving them (as with any companies advertising emails). I don't think I would have been any more bothered from that email than I was when Google so kindly started giving me a bunch of advertisements for baby furniture and clothing once I received an email from my SGF nurse which was well before I was pregnant. I quickly notified Google that I was using a fertility clinic because I was unable to have children on my own and the adds immediately stopped. No harm done... innocent mistake in the algorithm used to snoop through our emails (I hate that they scan emails to provide targeted adds).

I feel like the over reaction on this board is due to the delicate subject of infertility. I have a friend that required a few cycles of clomid to get pregnant and when she found out I was expecting her comment was 'well that didn't take you long'. She had no idea that I had to undergo extra surgeries to remove my tubes so that i could do IVF... She also does not know we paid $30K to have our child and multiple rounds of IVF (shared risk at SGF). She has two kids and was still spiteful that she felt it took her longer to have children and had to go the route of clomid. I get this process sucks... I cried for weeks when I found out I had ovarian cancer because first off I thought I might die and secondly I figured I never would have the chance to have my own children. I am beyond grateful that the advances in IVF have come so far that I was able to have a child (and hopefully a second some day).

I do feel for the people still undergoing this process to have a child (and all of us going through it again to try and complete a family - it sucks regardless if you already have a child or not). But I also question the outrage on this site over an email. Insensitive - of course it was, but in the long run there are many worse things in life than being offended over something you could just delete from an inbox (or unsubscribed from a long time ago). If you can't handle an error that was made by a company then how are you going to handle other issues that you will be confronted with in the future. If you hate the company then use a different one. The great thing about this area is they have a lot of good IVF clinics so you may not be stuck (i know some are because of insurance). I highly doubt that a newspaper would touch a 'story' like this (or as I see it non-story - it was an error). Infertility is full of stress and disappointment and I am sure venting helps (and the many tears I have shed), and even complaining to SGF to make them aware of this error. But trying to convince a paper to write a story about the incompetence of a company is probably not going to resolve any of the disappointment and anger you feel over the unfairness of having to go this route in the same place. I am more than sure that the other IVF clinics will happily take your business (and money) and hopefully provide each of you your baby... and I am sure SGF will continue to thrive as many more woman are waiting longer and longer to start a family (I am 39). I would never say 'get over it' because i still get frustrated that I was dealt the crappy cancer card but I think refocusing the anger into something productive will help you heal from the emotional turmoil that a company with a horrible PR department has caused (and no I am not defending any of their advertising... it drove me nuts so I unsubscribed).

I have switched doctors many many times because I felt they did not care about my health and only money. I did not get that with my doctor at SGF (O'Brien). She has been amazing with me, took time to ask to see pictures of my child, calls me with progress of my embryo's and called me to discuss why a cycle may have failed and how to go forward. She also asks me to schedule my appointments during the week when she can be there to do the exam (she has done my saline sonogram, 1 of the 3 retrievals and all three transfers). I couldn't ask for more than that from a doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You won't like it when you are doing multiple rounds of IVF for #2. The monitoring appts are the worst bc no sitter is going to come to your house that early for just the 45-60 min that you need them for.

I agree this was a pain and we had to get crafty between my husband's and my work schedule but I still think this is a good policy. Also, I have taken my 6 month old to other doctor appointments (and I have a lot since I am a ovarian cancer survivor) and it is not always easy having an infant at the appointment.

I also agree that this email was probably not a great idea but the moment I signed up at SGF I unsubscribed from their emails. This is an option that every single person on this board complaining had/has the option to do. I was not interested in receiving them (as with any companies advertising emails). I don't think I would have been any more bothered from that email than I was when Google so kindly started giving me a bunch of advertisements for baby furniture and clothing once I received an email from my SGF nurse which was well before I was pregnant. I quickly notified Google that I was using a fertility clinic because I was unable to have children on my own and the adds immediately stopped. No harm done... innocent mistake in the algorithm used to snoop through our emails (I hate that they scan emails to provide targeted adds).

I feel like the over reaction on this board is due to the delicate subject of infertility. I have a friend that required a few cycles of clomid to get pregnant and when she found out I was expecting her comment was 'well that didn't take you long'. She had no idea that I had to undergo extra surgeries to remove my tubes so that i could do IVF... She also does not know we paid $30K to have our child and multiple rounds of IVF (shared risk at SGF). She has two kids and was still spiteful that she felt it took her longer to have children and had to go the route of clomid. I get this process sucks... I cried for weeks when I found out I had ovarian cancer because first off I thought I might die and secondly I figured I never would have the chance to have my own children. I am beyond grateful that the advances in IVF have come so far that I was able to have a child (and hopefully a second some day).

I do feel for the people still undergoing this process to have a child (and all of us going through it again to try and complete a family - it sucks regardless if you already have a child or not). But I also question the outrage on this site over an email. Insensitive - of course it was, but in the long run there are many worse things in life than being offended over something you could just delete from an inbox (or unsubscribed from a long time ago). If you can't handle an error that was made by a company then how are you going to handle other issues that you will be confronted with in the future. If you hate the company then use a different one. The great thing about this area is they have a lot of good IVF clinics so you may not be stuck (i know some are because of insurance). I highly doubt that a newspaper would touch a 'story' like this (or as I see it non-story - it was an error). Infertility is full of stress and disappointment and I am sure venting helps (and the many tears I have shed), and even complaining to SGF to make them aware of this error. But trying to convince a paper to write a story about the incompetence of a company is probably not going to resolve any of the disappointment and anger you feel over the unfairness of having to go this route in the same place. I am more than sure that the other IVF clinics will happily take your business (and money) and hopefully provide each of you your baby... and I am sure SGF will continue to thrive as many more woman are waiting longer and longer to start a family (I am 39). I would never say 'get over it' because i still get frustrated that I was dealt the crappy cancer card but I think refocusing the anger into something productive will help you heal from the emotional turmoil that a company with a horrible PR department has caused (and no I am not defending any of their advertising... it drove me nuts so I unsubscribed).

I have switched doctors many many times because I felt they did not care about my health and only money. I did not get that with my doctor at SGF (O'Brien). She has been amazing with me, took time to ask to see pictures of my child, calls me with progress of my embryo's and called me to discuss why a cycle may have failed and how to go forward. She also asks me to schedule my appointments during the week when she can be there to do the exam (she has done my saline sonogram, 1 of the 3 retrievals and all three transfers). I couldn't ask for more than that from a doctor.

+1
And I would add that anonymous forums are great for asking all sort of questions, but really what we're going through requires more support than just our docs or anonymous posts can offer. Seeking professional help and finding an in person support group helped me immensely so I am better equipped to deal with the unexpected infertility emotions when things such as this email come into my life. Not defending SGF here because what they did was certainly not customer-friendly, but just offering some advice to help deal with the unexpected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You won't like it when you are doing multiple rounds of IVF for #2. The monitoring appts are the worst bc no sitter is going to come to your house that early for just the 45-60 min that you need them for.

I agree this was a pain and we had to get crafty between my husband's and my work schedule but I still think this is a good policy. Also, I have taken my 6 month old to other doctor appointments (and I have a lot since I am a ovarian cancer survivor) and it is not always easy having an infant at the appointment.

I also agree that this email was probably not a great idea but the moment I signed up at SGF I unsubscribed from their emails. This is an option that every single person on this board complaining had/has the option to do. I was not interested in receiving them (as with any companies advertising emails). I don't think I would have been any more bothered from that email than I was when Google so kindly started giving me a bunch of advertisements for baby furniture and clothing once I received an email from my SGF nurse which was well before I was pregnant. I quickly notified Google that I was using a fertility clinic because I was unable to have children on my own and the adds immediately stopped. No harm done... innocent mistake in the algorithm used to snoop through our emails (I hate that they scan emails to provide targeted adds).

I feel like the over reaction on this board is due to the delicate subject of infertility. I have a friend that required a few cycles of clomid to get pregnant and when she found out I was expecting her comment was 'well that didn't take you long'. She had no idea that I had to undergo extra surgeries to remove my tubes so that i could do IVF... She also does not know we paid $30K to have our child and multiple rounds of IVF (shared risk at SGF). She has two kids and was still spiteful that she felt it took her longer to have children and had to go the route of clomid. I get this process sucks... I cried for weeks when I found out I had ovarian cancer because first off I thought I might die and secondly I figured I never would have the chance to have my own children. I am beyond grateful that the advances in IVF have come so far that I was able to have a child (and hopefully a second some day).

I do feel for the people still undergoing this process to have a child (and all of us going through it again to try and complete a family - it sucks regardless if you already have a child or not). But I also question the outrage on this site over an email. Insensitive - of course it was, but in the long run there are many worse things in life than being offended over something you could just delete from an inbox (or unsubscribed from a long time ago). If you can't handle an error that was made by a company then how are you going to handle other issues that you will be confronted with in the future. If you hate the company then use a different one. The great thing about this area is they have a lot of good IVF clinics so you may not be stuck (i know some are because of insurance). I highly doubt that a newspaper would touch a 'story' like this (or as I see it non-story - it was an error). Infertility is full of stress and disappointment and I am sure venting helps (and the many tears I have shed), and even complaining to SGF to make them aware of this error. But trying to convince a paper to write a story about the incompetence of a company is probably not going to resolve any of the disappointment and anger you feel over the unfairness of having to go this route in the same place. I am more than sure that the other IVF clinics will happily take your business (and money) and hopefully provide each of you your baby... and I am sure SGF will continue to thrive as many more woman are waiting longer and longer to start a family (I am 39). I would never say 'get over it' because i still get frustrated that I was dealt the crappy cancer card but I think refocusing the anger into something productive will help you heal from the emotional turmoil that a company with a horrible PR department has caused (and no I am not defending any of their advertising... it drove me nuts so I unsubscribed).

I have switched doctors many many times because I felt they did not care about my health and only money. I did not get that with my doctor at SGF (O'Brien). She has been amazing with me, took time to ask to see pictures of my child, calls me with progress of my embryo's and called me to discuss why a cycle may have failed and how to go forward. She also asks me to schedule my appointments during the week when she can be there to do the exam (she has done my saline sonogram, 1 of the 3 retrievals and all three transfers). I couldn't ask for more than that from a doctor.

nothing to say but sympathies about your cancer, congratulations on survival and hopes and wishes for your continued good health.

[Anonymous]

Here's the deal - folks can opt out of the emails sure but this insensitive email was sent to people who opted out of emails. SG admits they sent it to the wrong list.

SG screwed up and take blame. Now this wouldn't be a problem if SG weren't horrible. Yes people make mistakes when it comes to be sensitive, etc. But SG makes this mistake every single time. You get pumped full of hormones and then SG treats you like crap. SG doesn't provide proper instructions on how to do things; the doctor's don't answer questions (it's passed to the nurse).

And yes we can all leave - but financially for some because of insurance it's not possible. Also if you are in the middle of treatment (like I was) you can't switch and they know it.

Call the DC office right now - and see if they know what a 3 day test is or if Cleveland knows how to process a claim?

Every time I called I got barked at like I was interrupting her day. My favorite when I was calling to schedule an appointment that needed to be timed to my cycle that I was told I needed to go to my own radiologist because they were booked up or I could do another week. Really?

Like someone said before - if they can't do email marketing and billing right how do we know that their stats are right?

People keep posting here about trying 7 times and then leaving and being successful somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

The stats are public info on the CDC website. If you think that SGF fudges these stats then they all do. If you can't trust the CDC to get this information right then don't trust any clinics stats.

People have bad experiences with any doctors... this is just the sad reality. But just because some people had a horrible experience with them does not mean everyone has. I have only used the Rockville office and I get the impression that they are much better than the DC office. I have always been able to get appointments. When I went for my follow-up with my doctor to start a new round of IVF, 6 months post partum, my doctor told the monitoring that I would be right down for a baseline ultrasound and day 3 blood work (coincidence my appointment made 2 months in advance fell on day 3). They had no issue fitting me in. I have also never had a horrible experience while 'being pumped full of hormones'. In fact they were able to give me free drugs when I needed more to finish off my cycle because I was paying out-of-pocket. I have also had wonderful nurses who have been beyond kind and sensitive (and I don't even care about that because I just wanted a baby). I just finished my 3rd round of IVF for hopefully baby number 2 and exact same experience as the first two tries. This time I am on insurance and they were able to process the insurance and put in an appeal to have it approved all in a 2 week time frame so I didn't miss the cycle. Again, my experience was clearly different than yours but I am just trying to show that not everyone feels the same way.

On the other hand, I had used a gyn that was very highly recommended and everyone loved. Best one in town was all I heard. I hated her bedside manner and she missed the ovarian cancer (and yes... I had three baseball sized tumors that should have been picked up during a yearly physical). My ovarian cancer was only diagnosed because I had an umbilical hernia that allowed the fluid build up to push through causing what my PCP thought was a repeat hernia (thank goodness for an umbilical hernia to save my life). Do I think she is a horrible doctor - NO. She is just not the doctor for me (ironically her husband and partner are now my oncologists). We all have stories about being wronged by a doctor, medical practice, etc... but how you deal with the anger or frustration is all on you.

BTW... I am not an easy fertility case - one ovary (no tubes), AMA (39), low ovarian reserves, thyroid issues, overweight (ok, fall into obese now that I have not lost the first baby weight), and the rest of my hormones being horrible and well below what they want to see. For some reason I defy the odds and managed to get pregnant first round (chemical) and second round (6 month old child). Currently, waiting to see if my two sad little embryos will take this time (poor egg quality). I may be biased but I am sure any of the IVF clinics would have had the same success with me (SGF is close to my house and the shared risk was essential since we were out-of-pocket).

Again, I do feel for all the people that are still trying to achieve their dreams of motherhood but you have the right to be your own advocate when it comes to your health care... and if you don't like a doctor/clinic than pick a new one (except for those stuck because of insurance - then request a new doctor at SGF. I hear great things about Chang and I loved O'Brien - both at the Rockville office I believe).

The bottom line is they are a business (and healthcare is a huge business in this country) and as with any business some people will love them and some people will hate them. I won't use Holy Cross hospital again so I understand not liking a health care establishment. When I had to make the decision to remove both ovaries or be conservative they had an employee (not my surgeon) suggest that I could just become a nun and give my life to god if I can't have children. I was extremely offended since I don't think the option should be children or becoming a nun (and adding this unnecessary stress when I am about to be put under for a major surgery didn't help). I choose my OB based on the fact they don't deliver at Holy Cross, an option I have in this free world to not use this particular hospital/business.

Sorry... I will stop typing... I just feel like people are taking a mistake over an email and turning it into why SGF sucks in general. I have had my share of mishaps along the way in the medical field but never once felt that I had been so wronged (even with a missed diagnosis that could have lead to me death if the cancer spread - the doctor is human and not perfect) that I have to spew hatred about the doctor/hospital and try to get a newspaper to write a story.

[Anonymous]

I guess I was lucky. Several rounds of IVF, eventually pregnant with twins (now 8 months) and no one treated me badly. Ever.

My doctor was caring, my first nurse was very sweet and on top of it, my second nurse (first one moved) was very compassionate and supportive, 99.9% of the staff was friendly and kind. Cleveland was very nice though not the most proactive fellow.

I wonder if location has something to do with experience. I saw Widra downtown and at Sibley but most everything else was at Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should give every current patient who received that e-mail one free cycle. It's a ridiculous mistake. Calling and apologizing doesn't cut it Shady Grove.

You're being ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is from the outfit that makes it crystal, excruciatingly clear that you can NOT ever ever bring children to their offices for appointments because it will be too tough on the waiting room patients.

You are comparing cats to apples, but I like this policy.

Signed,
Waiting room patient

You won't like it when you are doing multiple rounds of IVF for #2. The monitoring appts are the worst bc no sitter is going to come to your house that early for just the 45-60 min that you need them for.

I hope we are ever fortunate enough to have that "problem".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
This is from the outfit that makes it crystal, excruciatingly clear that you can NOT ever ever bring children to their offices for appointments because it will be too tough on the waiting room patients.


You are comparing cats to apples, but I like this policy.

Signed,
Waiting room patient


You won't like it when you are doing multiple rounds of IVF for #2. The monitoring appts are the worst bc no sitter is going to come to your house that early for just the 45-60 min that you need them for.


I hope we are ever fortunate enough to have that "problem".

Right... some people will never be happy! Too bad they didn't have twins to get both kids out of the way to not have to be inconvenienced in such a horrible way.

[Anonymous]

Cute how you think cdc collects data. The institution reports it to the cdc. The cdc doesn't have someone on site collecting it.

So if SG says we took in 1,000 patients but only 200 wanted services and 100 tired and 70 were successful - cdc reports 70% success rate.

SG doesn't say we didn't take women who were too fat, too thin, wouldn't tolerate our rude demeanor, etc

And I have had good experiences in Rockville, never in DC and I asked to switch doctors and was told no. My friend had a great experience in Pennsylvania.

You can be desperate to have a child- doesn't mean it's okay to be treated like shit to the people you are paying $25k too.

I got pregnant by SG and am moving my embryos to another clinic. Also, my insurance company is re-considering calling them a center if excellence based on my experience of inaccurate billing and medical information. They are wondering if they are being over charged because of all the errors they make