A Recent National Fertility Survey Revealed 95% of People Feel that Cost is the Biggest Barrier in Pursuing Infertility Treatment
SGF recently partnered with RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association to host a national fertility survey to better understand the impact that cost has when choosing whether to pursue treatment. Responses from nearly 250 people indicated almost unanimously (95%) that cost is the biggest barrier in pursuing infertility treatment.
At SGF, we offer an extensive insurance network and multiple exclusive financial programs, including guarantee programs for IVF and donor egg, that make pursuing fertility treatment more affordable.
“At Shady Grove Fertility, our top priority is to clear the obstacles our patients face when trying to start a family. We feel that by reducing or eliminating the financial stress of fertility treatment, our patients have a better overall experience and outcome,” shares Michael J. Levy, M.D., our co-founder, and the brainchild behind SGF’s flagship financial guarantee program, the Shared Risk 100% Refund Program, a program that includes up to six in vitro fertilization (IVF) or donor egg cycles and any subsequent frozen embryo transfers (FETs) for one flat fee. In the event the attempts are unsuccessful, the patient may be eligible for a 100% refund. Eighty-two percent of participants take home a baby.
When in need of fertility care, people often ask, “How will I pay for treatment?” The good news is 90 percent of our patients have coverage for their initial physician consult and 70 percent have some level of coverage for diagnostic testing and treatment, including intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). The news is especially good for Maryland residents who may benefit from state-mandated IVF coverage.
“We recognize that understanding your insurance benefits and financial options can be frustrating and confusing, and that confusion and uncertainty can paralyze a couple from moving forward. To make the process easier, we place a high value on making our financial and insurance process as transparent as possible,” adds Jason G. Bromer, M.D., of SGF’s Frederick and Hagerstown, MD offices.
Integral to Shady Grove Fertility’s patient-centric integrated care model, which addresses the medical, psychological, and financial needs of each individual, is an insurance benefits review and consult. “At SGF our team investigates and verifies patient benefits prior to or soon after initial physician consult so that each patient knows exactly what is covered and what is self-pay. We disclose terms, limits, necessary pre-authorizations, deductibles, and copays. We leave no stone unturned when it comes to being fully transparent,” says Angela Tablada, Patient Financial Services Manager.
“We know that patients liken trying to interpret complex insurance jargon to interpreting a foreign language, so it’s our job to pair each patient with an experienced personal financial counselor who will help navigate through the decision-making process in the most efficient way possible,” adds Tablada. “A step further, we pair an experienced managed care team with the financial counselor to ensure the patient’s plan coverage is maximized. We also organize our managed care teams by insurance plan so that our financial counselors can become intimately familiar with specific policies and establish relationships within each insurance organization,” shares Tablada.
In the event that you don’t have adequate insurance coverage, your SGF financial counselor will provide alternate financial options, including a variety of discount programs, such as its Shared Help Discount Program, an income-based program that offers a discount on most treatment and procedures performed at Shady Grove Fertility; a Military Discount Program, which offers active U.S. military and reservists a 25 percent discount off of qualifying self-pay rates; a Shared Donor Egg Program, which reduces the cost of donor egg treatment by up to 50 percent when sharing donated eggs with other patients; and a self-pay Medication Discount Program, which reduces the out-of-pocket medication expenses for self-pay patients with an average per cycle savings of up to $1,000 off retail pricing.
“We have always recognized that easing financial barriers to pursue fertility treatment is vital for our patients. We have developed many creative programs to address this need. The resulting improved access to care has been one of the factors in the tremendous growth in our practice,” adds Dr. Levy.
To learn more about SGF’s Financial Programs or to schedule an appointment with one of our 35+ physicians, please call 1-877-971-7755 or click here to complete this brief online form.
