SG billing practices

[Anonymous]

Good evening,

I really need some help and input about the billing practices of Shady Grove.

Long story short, I just completed my 4th unsuccessful cycle of IVF after several IUI's and a miscarriage from IUI.

I decided to switch to SGF after second cycle to see if I could get blasts since they are known to have better labs. My first IVF cycle was terrible and only resulted in two fertilized embryos with ICSI and one blast that came back abnormal. Jumped right into a second cycle and got 14 mature eggs (shocking) 7 fertilized and only one of those made it to blast and currently being tested. I have determined that I just have bad eggs and am thinking of throwing in the towel.

But the kicker, two days ago - I received a bill for $1500 dollars TWICE. Mind you I had nothing to freeze after first cycle and embryo came back abnormal. So I thought it was discarded, and try again. They initially told me it was a $1500 charge for cryopreservation and then 55 each month. Now they are telling me its a $1500 freeze charge EACH CYCLE. Are you kidding me???

Please tell me that this is wrong and something I should fight. Please.

[Anonymous]

I think I was charged for freezing per cycle. I also had embryos frozen on different dates from 2 cycles, so I had to pay separate storage fees for each date. But if you didn’t have anything to freeze you should ask them why they are charging you.

[Anonymous]

Did you sign a form to discard the abnormal embryo? They typically won’t throw it away without some paperwork.

[Anonymous]

It's been a few years for me, but I thought the charge for freezing only started after you had a successful live birth. We did the shared risk (up to 6 cycles) though, so it may have been different.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you. But you did do cryopreservation twice (once for each cycle)… no? I thought in order to get the blast tested they have to freeze the embryo first. So it makes sense to me you got the bill for each cycle. Or is cryopreservation different from initially freezing the blast?

[Anonymous]

I am not sure this is what you want to hear, but I believe the charge was for the first freezing. In order to get to PGT testing, embryo has to be frozen. That is the 1500. If you had any embryos to keep, it would have been the 55 monthly storage fee. Sorry, as I am sure this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but I believe that is their system. We are shared risk with SGF so don’t have the itemized costs but we also didn’t have any embryos to store after our first IVF and had to let them know it was ok to discard the abnormals. Did they ask you that?

[Anonymous]

I’m so sorry, but that is the correct charge. $1500 per freeze and they froze embryos twice. I hope your embryo being sent out is normal!

[Anonymous]

yes, it's $1500 per freeze, unfortunately

[Anonymous]

I was too just charged $1500 at SG for cryopreservation, even though the embryo was abnormal. It really socks!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good evening,

I really need some help and input about the billing practices of Shady Grove.

Long story short, I just completed my 4th unsuccessful cycle of IVF after several IUI's and a miscarriage from IUI.

I decided to switch to SGF after second cycle to see if I could get blasts since they are known to have better labs. My first IVF cycle was terrible and only resulted in two fertilized embryos with ICSI and one blast that came back abnormal. Jumped right into a second cycle and got 14 mature eggs (shocking) 7 fertilized and only one of those made it to blast and currently being tested. I have determined that I just have bad eggs and am thinking of throwing in the towel.

But the kicker, two days ago - I received a bill for $1500 dollars TWICE. Mind you I had nothing to freeze after first cycle and embryo came back abnormal. So I thought it was discarded, and try again. They initially told me it was a $1500 charge for cryopreservation and then 55 each month. Now they are telling me its a $1500 freeze charge EACH CYCLE. Are you kidding me???

Please tell me that this is wrong and something I should fight. Please.

Yes, they told me they charge that $1500 for each cycle.