Penn Fertility Care PA 19104

E

Emily SchiffEm

UPDATE: The poor communication continues, the link in their reply below does not work. I'm not surprised unfortunately. My dr and the ultrasound techs were very kind. Unfortunately I ran into a lot of issues with being given inaccurate information and misinformation coming from finance, nurses and front desk staff. Ultimately if you live in NJ I'd highly recommend RMA over Penn. Penn fertility does not have any offices in New Jersey, nor are there any Penn pharmacies. I felt like a lot of my care was not personalized and getting accurate information the first time around was impossible. I also had a major complication after my egg retrieval and ended up in the hospital for days. While I understand that this is a known risk, the communication afterwards from Penn was nothing short of terrible. I was sent a certified letter that was very nondescript and confusing. I was provided with several names and phone numbers to follow up with, and in the end was not able to speak with any of them. I was essentially told by staff " The state just makes us send that letter. You don't need to take any action". Don't provide patients with a communication and phone numbers to follow up with if you don't intend to allow that patient to speak with them.

N

Nicole Hinterberger

4/5 stars. No complaints, but some constructive feedback. All comments are based on MY experience. I knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING going into this process so it’s been a journey. My review is long and for some may have a lot of “duh” comments. I did egg retrieval for fertility preservation / a back up plan for later in life. Penn Fertilty overall has very friendly staff. I especially loved my ultrasound tech Jane !! She was my favorite. She had a great personality and sense of humor and really listened and put me at ease. Most others were great as well. I had one medical assistant who drew my blood 2x who was miserable and rude. (If the clinic wants more info on who this is, I’m happy to provide her name privately). I even found that on more than one occasion she had to stick me 2-3x for one blood draw but documented she inserted the needle once. This is false. With the exception of one day, my wait times were short and visits were highly efficient. The process: I met virtually w an NP first (Boctor), then another appt with MD (Kalra), then a follow up with a nurse (Madeline). This all took place over several months. I had my first discussion of egg freezing with my OBGYN in August, consulted with Penn fertility end of August, then egg freezing didn’t take place until January. A lot happens in between, so if you’re interested, start. Ask questions. There is a lot of bloodwork. Once you start meds and injections, expect to be at the mercy of the clinic for a month. Injections were easier than expected. The worst part is needing to avoid strenuous activity 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after retrieval as working out is a huge part of my life. I did a lot of walking but also prioritized rest. You need to go in for labs and ultrasounds sometimes as much as 2-3x per week. This wasn’t too bad for me as I live walking distance away. Communication along the way takes place via MPM (my Penn medicine) portal with the nurse you’re assigned to from the beginning. This is where I have some constructive feedback. I think communication could have been a bit more clear and transparent at times. One example: when I FINALLY got word that my egg retrieval was going to be a Fri morning, I was told “Friday morning.” Only after I asked what time, was I told “715am with a 615am arrival time.” There were other occasions where I had to probe for information. (Like what time should my husband pick me up after?) Again, it’s my opinion that this information should be provided without need for prompting by the patient. Tell me EVERYTHING I need to know. This process is already so convoluted as is. There also wasn’t a lot of communication updating me about WHEN the retrieval would be. I was initially told a date range but then early that week, a tech that there was no way it would be then based on my labs and follicle count. But this was not being communicated by the nurse. I got the impression that clinical staff making these decisions may not think of the patient as a person who has work, family, etc. that they’re planning all of these appointments around. Afterall, retrieval is a surgery and they recommend 1-2 days off so I had my managers in the wings as to what day(s) I’d need off for work. I didn’t mind sharing w my managers what procedure I was having which was good because there aren’t any other surgeries that are so variable in scheduling. I kind of HAD to tell them exactly what was going on. On another instance, my nurse messaged me the wrong lab draw time in MPM and it lead to a lot of chaos and confusion early one Saturday morning. I also almost ran out of one of my injectable meds and noticed on a Saturday. Patients are told to keep track of meds so this was MY fault. I had to call around to various pharmacies to try to find a refill. I ended up having to drive out to West Chester 45 min away to get a restock on my meds which was a stress ball of a day. Retrieval itself was quick and painless and the surgeon got a lot more eggs than he was expecting. This is a separate review on the Reproductive Surgical Facility! Overall: recommend.

P

Paula Whitaker

We felt like a number in a factory. After our second failed cycle, there was no change to our protocol or a thorough review. The doctor was rushed and didn't recall our specific case details, making an emotional process feel cold and transactional.