**Fertility Bridge does not endorse any of the programs or doctors mentioned. They come from responses from our Instagram community**
"The only thing that matters is the lab"
That's what a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist (RE) told me over lunch at the 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) annual scientific congress. "The patient experience doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is if they get a baby or not." My efforts to show him all of the evidence to the contrary were fruitless. That was the end of the conversation. Why try to convince the inconvincible?
In some perverse way, it excites me when people are so neglectful of what our patient population demands. Meritocracy might be a lofty ideal, but I love working with fertility clinics who take IVF cycles from people who think like that. A slop-eating grin came over my face as I stared at his plate and thought of the perfect metaphor:
I'm going to eat your lunch.
Who are they and what did people say?
Satisfied don't mean delighted
A 2014 study by Software Advice states that 61% of patients evaluate their new doctor before their first appointment. Over 40% of new patients of Fertility Bridge clients confirm having read online reviews before scheduling their first visit. Nearly 30% say they were referred by a friend.
Bain's Net Promoter System suggests that patients can be divided into three categories across a satisfaction scale from 0 to 10. The single question is, "how likely are you to recommend our practice to a friend or family member?" Those who answer between 0 and 6 are called detractors. They actively discourage others from coming to your practice. Those who respond with a 7 or 8, are labeled passive, because their referral rates are less than 50% of those who respond with a 9 or 10. Finally, those who respond with 9 or 10 are promoters, people who sing the practice's praises to anyone who will listen. You can read more about using your practice culture to turn patients into promoters in Chapter 2 of the free e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Fertility Marketing.
I know many of these promoters very well. They brought me into the field of reproductive health in the first place. After all, people don't get so fired up after they buy a power washer from the Home Depot. So, among thousands of people in the trying-to-conceive (#ttc) community on Instagram, who are actively undergoing or pursuing fertility treatment I asked them the question. Would you recommend your fertility clinic, and why?
1). By Name in New England
Absolutely and I actually have. The first place we went to was terrible and I've shared that with people who have asked for recommendations. I wish I had done some thorough research beforehand but I wasn't aware how common infertility is and how many clinics were out there. The second place was beyond anything I could have hoped for! We saw Dr. Gargiulo at the Center For Reproductive Care (CRC) in Stratham, NH. We are less than an hour away from Boston which is home to some of the top hospitals in the country so we fortunately have a large number of places to choose from. The entire staff at CRC was absolutely fantastic.
I was greeted by name every single time I walked into the office and the nurses were amazing when it came to making the entire process less stressful and knowing when to crack a joke to lighten the mood. The thing that really set CRC apart was the welcome packet. In addition to the typical insurance forms they included an illustrated book that talked about how to talk to all of the different people in your life from co workers to your spouse. Also, they make sure to include that due to the sensitivity of this journey, no one under the age of 18 is allowed into the office for any reason. Reading that one policy was the moment I knew we had finally found the place that truly focuses on their patients and not their numbers.
2). Memorable in Montana
I totally would! I should mention, my RE and her partner are the only ones in the state. Even if she wasn't, I would still recommend her. Her name is Dr. Stacy Shomento with Billings Clinic. Dr. Shomento is in Bozeman, and that is the staff I know and love! She has a pile of patients, but always gives you lots of time and takes a personal interest in you. She also has a stellar, amazing, outgoing staff. Infertility is very personal and invasive. Having a comfortable relationship with the medical staff is a must for me.
She took the time to make personal connections and remembered us, not just our chart. Really, because RE's are so busy, you end up dealing a lot with your nurse, so they really need to be awesome.
3). Compassion in California
I totally would!!!! Coastal Fertility in Irvine, CA is the best! So compassionate. Dr. Werlin rocks!!! He's amazing!!!
4). Knowledge in New Jersey
I would. More specifically, I would recommend my doctor, even though all the doctors are great. Dr. Marcus Jurema from Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey (RMANJ) is what every reproductive endocrinologist should be. I'm thankful I have him in my corner. My doctor is part of RMANJ and was originally with IVFNJ before the merge. I've had several issues with several staff members with both practices.
There's very little communication within the company within different departments (billing, nurses, etc). I'm sure that's because the company is just so big. With that being said, RMA has the best labs in the state, maybe the East Coast. Because of that, I can't leave. Plus, my doctor is amazing.
He teaches as he goes. He knows I need technical info, good or bad. I can't have anything sugar coated. I'm a medical assistant so I research everything. He knows that and will give it to me straight, while also holding my hand through the bad stuff. He's been with me from day one, with every cycle and every loss.
5). Benign in Boston
We switched doctors for our last round of IVF, but we stayed at the same clinic, IVF New England. The nurses are magnificent and since that's who you're interacting with the most, it's invaluable. I never felt like a number there, even though they're a bigger clinic. I always knew I was in good hands, even after 4 failures with my first doctor. It took me a long time to decide to switch. It broke my heart to try someone new, because I trusted him implicitly.
My new RE, Dr. Pauli is amazing. I don't regret not going to him sooner but I'm so glad I did. We were successful on our first round with him and I'm currently 11 weeks pregnant. I love that both doctors called with results of the bigger tests (pgd, era etc) and called to check in on us. Dr. P. called me once with results while he was on vacation.
I have nothing but good things to say about IVFNE. They're not perfect, and some of their methods aren't for everyone. But they are perfect for us. Even if we never got pregnant, I wouldn't feel any differently.
6). Education in the OC
Yep!!!! HRC Fertility in Newport Beach!! I think the best thing about HRC is the coordinator is amazing financing and they can do preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) with a fresh transfer. My doctor was very, very busy all the time, but he did give me pregnant the first time. He never did an ultrasound which I thought was odd but I love the girl who did my ultrasounds.
My doctor was always kind, and answered all my questions but the relationship was definitely not personal. I don't care about that; I want results, and he provides results.
My tech was wonderful because she would walk me through exactly what she was doing. During stims, she would explain what she was counting, what she was looking for, and what she saw. Same after I became pregnant. They followed me for 11 weeks.
7). Making changes in Maryland
Our first one, absolutely not. We were a paycheck at [a very large fertility practice group] and never felt like patients. Our RE told me that our son "must have been a lucky egg and I wanted to go cry in the car, go ahead". It was the worst year of my life. My new doctor, Dr. Mary Ann Sorra with Natural Fertility, actually held my hand when I was put under for a laparoscopy. It feels so nice to finally be cared about.
8). Looked After in Louisiana
Definitely. Arklatex Fertility and Reproductive Health with Dr. Vandermolen. I just felt like they're all so patient. Any time I had questions, I could call the nurse and she would call me right back. They knew me by name. The success rate for the doctor is pretty high, which is always a plus. When I first went to him, he told me what was going on. I felt like I had options instead of having him tell me what I was going to do.
9). Genial in Jersey
Absolutely! RMANJ, because of their lab. I was told I was going to be treated as a number, but on the contrary, I got to talk with my RE personally. He even called me right before my egg retrieval to know how I was doing. The nurse was always on top of things and answered me right away.
The transfer was very detailed oriented. They addressed yeast infections and progesterone levels while my previous clinic always dismissed my concerns.
"A great lab is necessary, but not sufficient"--Jake Anderson-Bialis
While I chose not to include the names of these volunteer promoters, they are perfectly willing to share their experiences with thousands of other people in the infertility community on Instagram. We often believe that people only recommend their IVF center online if they become pregnant or have a baby. We're told that they'll leave negative comments if they have a failed cycle, but research from Fertility Bridge and Fertility IQ show that that's not exactly true.
True for almost every fertility clinic review we read.
"No question, if a patient has a good result, they're more likely to recommend their fertility doctor/clinic," says Fertility IQ co-founder, Jake Anderson. "With that said, when we look at patients who had failed cycles, it's very clear who is likely to recommend the doctor, and who definitely won't."
It seems that the contrapositive is also valid; when we look at patients who've had successful cycles, it's clear who will be the source of future patients in the form of word-of-mouth referrals. Many people have success at their fertility centers and are "satisfied", but we see in these recommendations that it's compassion and personal connection that turn former IVF patients into zealous promoters of their practices. So the next time a competing fertility doctor tries to convince you that the patient experience is meaningless, and clinical outcomes are all that matter, don't feel disappointed when you can't change his mind. Eat his f'ing lunch.
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For strategy on improving the patient experience, read chapter 2 of my free e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Fertility Marketing, by clicking the button below.