Washington, D.C. – Shady Grove Fertility (SGF), a pioneer in offering an IVF treatment refund guarantee, known as Shared Risk, has announced more than 82% of participants who use their own eggs take home a baby, and more than 85% of participants who use a donor egg take home a baby.
The refund guarantee program was developed 27 years ago by SGF Co-founder, Michael J. Levy, M.D., specifically to help patients without insurance who are faced with a difficult dilemma when undergoing fertility treatment—continue with fertility treatment at a high cost and have the risk of being left without a child. This program offers a unique financial safety net that provides patients with the opportunity to pay a fixed amount for up to six fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF) or donor egg cycles and any subsequent frozen embryo transfers. If the patient does not take home a baby, SGF gives a full refund.*
“For people who don’t have insurance for IVF, the idea of treatment with no guaranteed outcome is risky. At most other centers, in order to try again, you have to pay again. We’ve addressed the biggest anxiety that most patients have—choose to pursue treatment, which may require a great deal of time and effort and money, with no baby in the end. Our 100% refund program gives patients security knowing that if treatment doesn’t work or they decide no longer to continue, their money is refunded,” shares Levy.
“Money back and IVF don’t normally go together in the same sentence, so at first I was skeptical. You put a lot of investment, both financial and emotional, going into this, so you want to believe that the physician who is treating you believes in this as well. I found it immensely reassuring realizing that the practice would not be viable if the guarantee program didn’t work. The fact that they offered a program such as this and tens of thousands have enrolled and been successful made us confident that they know what they’re doing,” said Sarah Esdaile, former SGF patient and now mother to daughter, Daisy.
“Among the factors that sets SGF apart is that we designed the guarantee program to be affordable and inclusive. The majority of patients meet the program criteria and close to 40 percent will become pregnant on their first try,” added Levy.
In 2018, SGF modified the guarantee program and lowered costs for certain age groups back to the same rates they offered back in the 1990s, a rarity in healthcare in this era of skyrocketing prices at every turn. “As our success rates continue to improve, we are able to reduce the cost, which aligns with our practice philosophy of increasing access to affordable, quality care. After analyzing data from thousands of patient cycles, we determined it would be possible to make improvements to the cost structure that would lower the cost for many, and at the same time extend the age eligibility criteria by 2 years, from just under 39 to just under 41 (40 and 11 months),” adds Joseph Doyle, M.D., of SGF’s Rockville, MD location.
“The extension of the age limit is largely possible because of improved IVF technology, called preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), that facilitates the identification of healthy embryos. PGT-A is now included in the Shared Risk package for women ages 38-40. Women in this age group have a higher proportion of abnormal eggs, therefore, embryo testing allows us to choose those that are chromosomally normal and more likely to result in a healthy birth,” adds Doyle.
About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)
SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and counting. With 36 locations throughout FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, we offer patients individualized care, accept most insurance plans, and make treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including treatment guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
*Shared Risk payment is in the form of a refundable deposit. Some exclusions apply.
