5 stars because I can't give a 10! The care team at Stanford Fertility Center is simply amazing! From my first consultation to my last appointment, they provided me with top-notch care and support throughout my entire journey. Dr. Sokalska and her team were incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and compassionate. They took the time to explain every step of the process to me and made sure I understood what to expect. They also answered all of my questions and addressed any concerns I had along the way. What impressed me most about their care team at was their personalized approach to my care. They treated me as an individual and tailored my treatment plan to my specific needs. They were always available to offer guidance and support, and I felt like they genuinely cared about my well-being. I cannot express my gratitude enough for the amazing care I received. I would highly recommend them to anyone. They are truly the best in the business!
Cryopreservation/Egg freezing review: My care team: Anna Sokalska, MD, Lusine Aghajanova, MD, Clemens M. Ortner, MD RNs: Samantha L, Angelina N, Sandeep B, Emily M Pros: - January 2023: video consultation was great, informative - labs were super fast and can be done in the same location - appointment times were delayed only twice and a max of 15 minutes which is awesome. I’ve had to wait for 30+ min for other hospitals for other visits - once I started, I used the MyChart to message my care team for issues/questions/concerns, I always had a response or a call back within 12 hours on business days. I had a sinus infection so I was wondering if any of my antibiotics would interfere with my treatment plan and they sent it over to an MD who confirmed it would not - ample live video sessions, education materials and documentation for injections but alto fertility video is the best resource - offered psychological counseling if we wanted - someone on the care team spoke to me at least once a day via mychart I also sent many questions - retrieval day! Nurses and doctors all came and explained the entire process and their role. I was extremely confident and comfortable in their care. Everyone was so warm and caring. The egg freezing process was intimidating but the team made it so positive that I would do it again. - entire surgery is documented in care notes after visit, along with the vitals, anesthesia monitoring and timeline of each event from admit to discharge. Cons: - when my care plan was created, a nurse said someone will call me to over it but no one called me. I sent a message on mychart and someone called me within an hour to review. - Stanford and CVS somehow ordered a ton of extra medication that I now have to discard with no reimbursement. Stanford said CVS should’ve double checked and CVS said they read me all the medication so it’s my fault that I didn’t request it to be removed. They read me 11 prescription items and I had no idea what each of them were and the dosage so I just said yes to everything so please check. Stanford and CVS don’t pay for the medication, we do. So it’s our responsibility to check that they don’t send us too many… I would recommend.
I was concerned going in based on the reviews, but Dr. Strug and his team have been wonderful so far. Going through infertility treatment is never easy, but the medical care me and my husband have received is superb. My questions are addressed promptly, they give very thorough explanations of everything, and the entire team is very empathetic, which is the most important part for me. Nurse Tiffany is just beyond, she really has a gift to connect with patients and offer comfort. I guess everyone’s experience is different, but I would say definitely give it a try, to us it has been worth it.
I will never come back to this clinic or recommend it to anyone I know. I'm not typically one to leave negative reviews, but my experience with Stanford REI was so abysmal that I feel it's my duty to warn others. Warning: This review is long to provide the full breadth of my experience with this clinic so far. Tl;dr: The care we received onsite was fine, but setting up an appointment, billing, and ongoing communication has been a nightmare, leaving me and my husband aghast and responsible for a surprise bill for thousands of dollars we didn't know we'd have to pay. Long version: I should have paid attention to the low ratings for this clinic, but I was referred here by my primary care doctor and trusted the Stanford name. The red flags started almost immediately, during the appointment-making process. I was told to call in on the first day of my period to set up appointments for blood draws, etc. which were time-sensitive and have to happen on certain days of your cycle. I did exactly as requested, was assured that they would follow up to schedule the appointments, but never heard back. I called in, after waiting a few days, to check what was going on because I didn't want to have to wait another month or more for my next period if we missed the window. To add onto the frustration and lack of trust, the person I spoke to to set up the appointments seemed not to know what I needed to come in for, and I had to repeatedly remind her of things I was told by the doctor, including whether or not I had to be fasting for certain blood tests, which days each blood draw was supposed to happen on, etc. As a patient who does not have medical training or expertise, I do not expect to have to catch these details and explain to the clinic what procedures they want to do and what the requirements are. Who knows what would have happened if I didn't catch these details, and what things I didn't catch because I didn't know? I thought my troubles were over after I went to the appointment side note: the phlebotomist did a great job drawing my blood!, but unfortunately, that was only the beginning. The clinic had never quoted me the cost of the labs and ultrasound I had done, and I assumed that meant it would be covered by insurance, since at every other healthcare provider, I receive a quote in advance for any amount I need to pay out of pocket. That was not the case here. I was hit with a bill of ~$9000 still over $5000 after a Stanford "self-pay discount" for the blood work and ultrasound, which insurance would not cover, NOT because of the actual work that was done, but because it was done at a "fertility clinic". I could have had these tests done and covered by insurance at my regular non-Stanford gynecologist, but I didn't know, and now there's nothing I can do about it. I've tried appealing insurance and they have rejected my appeal. For an extra cherry on top, my insurance says they've "negotiated a discount" with Stanford for the bill, but Stanford still charged me more than insurance says I should pay, and no one at Stanford has responded to my messages asking about this for two weeks now. In the meantime, I've had to pay the bill anyway, to avoid being penalized for it being overdue. It has now been 5 months since I started trying to fix this situation, and I feel helpless and ignored by both Stanford and my insurance. Do yourself a favor and stay far away from this clinic.
I've been with your practice for over 6 months, but only went through one very unsuccessful round of IUI. This level of inefficiency makes me lose faith that I can get a coordinated and timely service needed. I've rarely gotten any specialized treatment for my case and also done countless of meaningless blood test work with no real diagnostic or meaning. I doubt continuing with your practice will result in anything meaningful except spending more time and money. Run away from this place, all they care about is billing insurance and no one is there to ensure the scheduling or anything.
Dr Nakajima was great. Very knowledgeable doctor, answered all our questions, very details explained the process, all possible outcomes and plans b, c in case plan A won't work. The only downside is the quality of customer support. I had to be proactive in my questions and call rather then wait for an online answer. Overall great experience! Will definitely recommend!
I tried calling them 4 times in the past week on different days to schedule an appointment. The first 2 times I was told that the new patient coordinator is out of office and busy and will give me a call back but I didn't receive a call back. Then I called them again and left a detailed voicemail and didn't get a call back for 2 days.
Horrible experience. I did two rounds of egg freezing here. The outcoming is horrible, as 31 years old. I went to another facility the outcome was much better. You will never get chance talk with doctor unless you said you want do another cycle with them. Otherwise you will only be able to talk with the nurse. The result I got is getting worse and worse without know what is the reason. They just want to use much as they can from your insurance and pay out of your own pocket. Patients' concerns are not be addressed well. Do not waste money here, the most important is the outcome is terrible. Look at the reviews here. Most have bad experiences and bad outcomes.
As a current IVF patient I feel obligated to warn others regarding the poor level of patient care and follow-up my husband and I have received. We’ve been patients for the last two years pursuing IVF treatment. ** know that I also work in the healthcare field and I’m in a patient facing role. And that the actual staff are really nice but clearly over worked and understaffed Expect to be your own biggest advocate, which means: —If you’re not like me aka: someone who works in health care, who works with insurance companies, and understands the jargon. Then be advised that you will need to be the one who is constantly between the clinic and your insurance to ensure things are up to date treatment plans, pre authorizations etc. - Poor patient care looks like little to zero follow-up. You need to call ,email and call again for any information / updates that are time sensitive . Note this is a theme you’ll see in other reviews too -I had to track my own cycle and was told I would get a call back and never did called. At one point I didn’t have my period, pushed for an appointment only to be asked why I hadn’t informed the team earlier when I had called a month & weeks prior - Client care coordinators will not proactively manage your treatment plan. You will need to remain in contact with your insurance to ensure that your treatment plan is received. This can ultimately affect your out of pocket/ up front costs -Generalized care is at their core what you really receive individualized care is NOT their approach. For example: - I was left with additional infertility medications. Which left us with $1000’s of dollars of medication I ultimately won’t/ didn’t use. - We we’re never informed of what would happen if plan A doesn’t work. We were left with no plan b, or c.
Tried to call in to make an appointment but nobody ever answered the call. Have tried for weeks. Do they have a front desk?
