Thanks!! Glad I'm not the only one who feels the same way about DF's financial policy.. This really makes me not want to do business with them... Trust is very big with such delicate situations as NCIF...

I found the finance policies at DF to be very sketchy (namely having you pay 50% up front if you are out of network). I ended up switching clinics so I can't offer any advice on how to navigate their system.

Ladies, for those of you with insurance policies that cover IFV- please pay attention and USE your policy. I have spoken to my insurace carrier who covers 50% for IVF procedures, yet I was told by DF that I couldn't use my plan to cover "NCIVF". I then called the carrier back immediately, and was told that "NCIVF" is still covered and paid out at 50% just like a "Stimulated IVF". This would save us a lot of $$$. I called DF immediately again and was told that the only way to use my policy was to do "Stimulated IVF", and that I could only use the "NCIVF" if I paid up front the $4400 + $500 for mock transfer- Total $4900 WTH!!! Is what I'm thinking!!

Also, DF told me that I had to pay the fee for the consultation upfront with my carrier. However, my carrier provided DF with the necessary information stating they will pays 100% for the consultation as well as 100% for the testing and ultrasounds... My first appointment is coming soon, and I'm really having some doubts about thier financial motives..

Is there anyone out there experiencing the same thing with financial issues with DF?

I agree with the posting above regarding the finance person at DF not knowing her job. Also, alot of the questions that I have asked- I always get the answer "the doctors do not like us to answer those questions".. For goodness sake!! I have basic questions!!! What's really going on over there????

My experience with SG vs. DF... I was a patient at SG and did 3 IVF's with them last year. Got 2 BFP's but miscarried early both times. Although I loved my nurse, I did not enjoy my doctor, and thought he was arrogant. I did feel like a number at the SG factory. I have DOR and high FSH. The first 2 cycles I was on the antagonist protocol and the 3rd was MDL. I am 33. Well I have done a lot of research online about IVF protocols and have found the EPP or NCIVF may work better. SG does not have NCIVF and my doct at SG didn't even suggest EPP protocol. I am in the initial stages of switching to DF. We saw Dr. D a couple of weeks ago and I was dreading the consult because of some of the posts I have read about Dr. D. I actually found Dr. D to be direct but nice and thought he was nicer than my SG doc. I hope to have luck with NCIVF, as we are starting to cycle after the holidays in January. Wish me luck!

Even though I was often the first one in line for monitoring, the nurses at DF did not call me with my drug instructions until very late in the afternoon. A number of times, I actually had to call them or have them paged to find out what my dosage was supposed to be. Then I would have to scramble to get my a.m. drugs injected at 5pm and then stay up later to get my evening doses in because I needed enough time between the two doses. Then I was getting up at the crack of dawn to do it all over again. I think this played a big part in the stress I felt with the entire process. Also, on at least two occasions, my calls were not returned at all. Not what you would expect when you're shelling out a ton of $$$. Very disappointed.

Anonymous wrote:I am a patient at DF and never experienced any rudeness from the front desk staff or nurses. Mary (a lady in charge of financial stuff) always called me back within 24 hours and saw me without an appointment to go through my payment options. Even Dr. D always smiles and says hello to me and my husband when he sees us in the hall although we were never introduced to him.

This was my experience, as well. Absolutely no complaints about the nurses or staff. In fact, quite the opposite. I was very comfortable there and always thought people were warm and friendly, including Dr. D, actually!

Wow, obviously a popular topic, I have cycled at both places and found billing issues worse with SGF, I was in their SR program and was one of those patients that got her money back (not 100% of it) as opposed to continuing to try. They wrote me off as a poor responder and told me DE was the only option. I went to see Dr Gordon when I heard DF was extending their NC IVF program to patients with high FSH (which I didn't have but I was a poor responder and AMA). We had a early LH surge the first cycle, made it to transfer the second attempt but a BFN, then hit the jackpot on the third try. I don't think NC is the way for everyone but I'm glad I was given a chance with my own eggs and I'm 19 wks pregnant.

I've been patients (and had success) at both DF and SG. I like both clinics. SG is generally well-run, and has nice offices. DF's offices are a little less impressive, especially the "surgical suite" where they do retrievals. I have to admit that I wondered how sterile the environment was... As far as the staff, I thought that having a "personal nurse" assigned to me at SG was great. I never felt like a number. At DF, I thought that the front desk and nurses were nice too, though. I didn't have a personal connection with any one of them, but I also thought they were quite nice.

As far as finances, I've had mishaps at both offices. When at SG, I had insurance coverage, and prior to my IVF cycle, I called my "finance contact" to confirm that approval for the IVF cycle had been received on three or four separate occasions. I was assured that everything had been approved, and then was notified two days before my "stims start date" that they had forgotten to submit the paperwork. I have no idea why they would CONFIRM to me several times that they had insurance approval if they hadn't even submitted the paperwork ...

As far as DF, I agree with the PP that the finance person seems completely clueless, even on basic math. Considering that this is her job, I would expect her to understand how the NIVF refund process works, but she didn't seem to comprehend how to subtract the amount due to be refunded (from a failed cycle) from the new charge (for a new cycle) to arrive at the "new amount due". I had to explain it to her like she was a 5-year old, and even then, she would tell me that she would talk to her supervisor and call back. After her supervisor agreed with my math, we were able to proceed. I have no idea how she was hired in the first place...

I am a patient at DF and never experienced any rudeness from the front desk staff or nurses. Mary (a lady in charge of financial stuff) always called me back within 24 hours and saw me without an appointment to go through my payment options. Even Dr. D always smiles and says hello to me and my husband when he sees us in the hall although we were never introduced to him.

It is so odd...none of these experiences with "poor staff quality" were part of my experience at DF.

For me, it was almost like I was "Norm" in Cheers...I would walk in and they would chat and talk to me etc. etc. My nurses were unbelievable and supportive...even when I called in the middle of the night with an emergency, there was NO questioning my calling...the nurse on call just systematically worked with me and kept me calm and on track.

Nope not my experience when I cycled, nor my experience when I just went back over 2 years later for a spontaneous pregnancy and u/s. The nurses grabbed the pictures of the twins and showed the entire staff while we were in the exam room waiting for Dr. G.

I love DF...LOVE them...

I am sorry your experiences didn't equal mine.

I totally agree about the front desk at DF - they are awful. And, the nurses were rude and incompetent. Twice they came in to take my blood for the wrong reason - in the middle of the draw they said, "so we're checking for X today" No - Y!! And, don't even get me started on Dr. DiMattina. He literally said to me on the first visit "well, women who choose their careers over family do end up here quite a bit." And, I still stayed for several weeks after that - bad choice.

SG is a bit of "factory" but everything runs super-smoothly, everyone is very nice, they know why they're drawing blood, and they take good care of you. FWIW, I've always gone to the Annandale SG office. The Rockville seems like much more of a zoo.

I thought the front desk and financial staff at DF was HIDEOUS! I could barely sign in my name for my appointment before women at the front desk asked me for my check! It was always about $$ with them. And the financial woman was an idiot. Never returned my calls or never seemed to answer a question properly. After 2 rounds of NCIVF, we left DF and went to SG where we are having a much better experience overall. The Fair Oaks office is top notch and I'm greeted with a wonderful hello and able to sign my name without being asked for $$!

Anonymous wrote:I just posted above..also wanted to add that DF staff was friendly

I did NOT find 2/3 of the staff at DF to be friendly. They rush you through explanations and seem almost irritated by questions. At 20 - 25 thousand for services, you would think they would be much more courteous and helpful. The nurses seem more concerned about being right than about the concerns or feelings of their patients. As far as I'm concerned, I had a bad experience and I wouldn't recommend that anyone go here unless you're thick skinned.

I'm sorry about your experience but mine are quite the opposite. After one miserable attempt at IVF by Dr. G at DF, He told me that he would not do IVF on me since my chances at pregnancy were so low. Sure enough SG got me pregnant via IVF and I received the most personalized care that I can imagine. The doctor called to check up on me during the cycle, during the 2 ww and answered emails from me late at night and on the weekends. Again, I'm sorry about what happened to you but it really irritates me that you would smear SGs name this way.

I had a great experience at Shady Grove. Every dr I saw was kind & comforting and took the time to answer all my questions. One thing I'll say is that there's very little hand holding. My nurse was nice, thorough explained my treatment plan in detail. Then she basically said you need to schedule this class, order these drugs & make an appointment for this day. Then I was on my own to do that...no reminders or follow up phone calls until test results came in. And I was perfectly fine with that. I'm pretty independent & was heavily invested in getting pregnant so I made sure to do exactly what I was told. I was fortunate to succeed on my 1st attempt. A good friend was not so happy with SG. She's much more "needy" and needs constant reassurance. Her cycle was pushed back because she never ordered her drugs because "no one reminded her". I can totally see how she would be happier at a place with more personaized attention. I almost feel like which place you go to depends on your personality Just my 2 cents.