Shady Grove Fertility Reproductive Science Center

from: A***, Michele < [redacted] @integramed.com>Date: Wed, Jan 14, at 2:PMSubject: complaint [redacted] To: " [redacted] @myRevdex.com.org" < [redacted] @myRevdex.com.org>Cc: "A***, Michele" < [redacted] @integramed.com>Here is the response: The last of the patients OB services was processed by her secondary insurance on 11/20/– not in October It is our practice policy not to refund until all services have been processed and paid by insurance It is true she paid in advance for her treatment; however we do tell all of our patients that refunds can take up to days after the last insurance paymentThis would put the days into the holiday week of December The refund request for patient was sent to the Corporate office during that week and we received email verification that the refund check was cut on December 29, The patient should now have that check in hand Michele A***

Dear Madam or Sir: The topic has been discussed with the patient and was credited the amount in questionIssue is resolvedThank you, [redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Whomever sent this response does not have their facts straight 1) The contested unauthorized payment was on March 19thI never signed the consent for this, much less asked them to destroy it 2) The payment on the 20th is the one I made directly to The cryo departmentI am not contesting authorization for this one3) Contrary to what Cynthia M claims on March 25th, the procedure was billed and payedThe statement of benefits received from [redacted] , dated March 11th, clearly shows thisThe statement, which I had previously also shared with Shady Grove, is attachedThere are others--but this shows one of the largest authorized payments ($5,480) 4) The financial department was informed in February about the double billingThey made excuses and continued sending bills to [redacted] It took two months for them to ask [redacted] to review it?? 5) They only started looking into this--and "sending it back to be reviewed" when told we were going to take it furtherUp until then just excuses about what was or wasn't being billedTo me it shows malfeasanceI honestly believe if we didn't press on with the complaint they would have kept both our fee and that of the insuranceLooks like shady is not just a part of their name Regards, [redacted] ***

1) The cryopreservation occured on 2/and the credit card provided on the cyropreservation agreement form was charged on 3/19. This form may have been signed either *** *** authorizing the charge, but the form has been destroyed based on the disputed conversation on 3/20/
2) Cynthia Mworks in the authorization department of ***. She reviewed the case and confirmed that coverage for IVF is not available because the patient does not meet the criteria. The purpose of contacting Cynthia Mwas to reconfirm benefits and coverage for this plan. If Cynthia Mconfirmed that coverage and benefits were available, then we would be able to identify that the claim paid appropriately. However, because Cynthia Mstated that benefits are not available because there is an exclusion for using donor sperm, this lead us to believe the the claim paid in error.
3) The services rendered in February were erroneously billed until 3/10/15. Payment was received from *** on 3/13/15. A phone call was received by the patient on 3/16/to advise that a payment was received. On 3/23/15, a phone call and subsequent email was received regarding billing issues. An attempt was made to discuss the issues, but *** *** was in a conference all day. On 3/25/15, we contacted *** to provide insight on benefits and to review claim that paid. 4/9/- We asked *** to review the claim, reference # ***. We were told that it would take business days. 5/7/- We contacted *** again to follow up on claim review and was told that it was still in review. 5/21/- We contacted *** again and was told that the claim is still under reveiw. 5/22/- We received an email from *** that the claim is under review by the Reimbursement team who will research the benefits against the claim that processed
Based on the conversation with the authorization department, we believe these claims paid in error. Considering the several attempts made to remedy this matter with ***, we ask the couple also get involved and contact *** to request for an expedited review of the claim in question.
As stated in our previous response, we are prepared to refund the money directly to the appropriate party once *** has made their final determination on how the claim should process based on the benefits and coverage for this patient

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: the response does not address the complaint The letter states at the embryos belong to both of us, which may be true It does nothing t acknowledge that all bills have been addressed exclusively to me They have not billed the father and do not require that he contribute to the cost, and the letter does not deny that this is the case It would be simple to acknowledge and remedy the situation.Regards,
*** ***

Future Shady Grove Clients Beware! I wen through the IVF process with my former husband back in 2008-We had two rounds of IVF, and froze embryos from both rounds, but sadly both rounds resulted in miscarriageDue to martial problems we divorced in 2011, and shortly after our divorce was finalized we went into one of the local offices and filed paperwork to have the remaining embryos disposed ofFlash forward to today, and I get a call from a collections agency saying I owe money for storage fees to Shady GroveWhen I called them directly I was told that they did not have the disposition paperwork and therefore continued to store the embryosThey stated they sent paperwork and emails to notify me that they needed further disposition instructions and payment for the storageThe address that they sent the paperwork to in I had not lived at for 5yrs, and they never picked up the phone to contact me, because my number has not changedAs far as the email, I'm guessing it went into a spam folder, which I don't check-unless I know I did not get something that I was expectingI was told my staff now that we would need to file new paperwork for the disposition of the embryos in order to move further, and that I would have to pay $which was the amount sent to collections, but that they would wave addition costs attached to the accountMy ex and I decided to file our paperwork separately, because that was most convenient with our current busy schedulesWhen I went into a local office to file by half of the paperwork I inquired if they had received my Ex-husband's half of the paperwork, which he advised he had mailed to themIn the Fairfax Location on the phone with the Rockville location, I was told that they HAD received his half of the paperwork, and once they had mine and the payment the disposal would be completed and this nightmare would endWell, today I got another call from the collections agency, prompting me to immediately call Shady Grove to find out the problemThey advised the had received a payment for $1,and my half of the disposition formsWhen I asked to speak to the same employee I had last spoken to on the phone, she stated they did not have the paperwork from my Ex-husbandWhen I advised that was contradictory to what she herself had told me over the phone, and that he was overcharged, I was told that she would "look into it" and contact me backIt is truly frightening that this staff is responsible for effecting people's fertility problemsWill be requesting a complete copy of all my records, so that I know exactly what was done with my genetic material, because I have completely lost all faith in this company

Part of the process of our patients coming through Shady Grove Fertility includes a discussion with a Financial Counselor to confirm coverage. According to ***, this patient does not have coverage for IVF if donor sperm is being used. It's for that reason, our full fee and consent
forms are collected prior to moving forward with treatment. One of the consent forms include providing a credit card to be on file so that if freezing occurs, the credit card will be charged automatically. On 3/20/15, we charged the authorized card on file. (At the request of the *** *** ***, this form has been destroyed)
We have made (and continue to make) several efforts to mediate this issue
3/25/- Per Cynthia Min the *** authorization department, she confirms that an authorization request for services was never submitted to ***. Further, confirmed that if the authorization request was received, it would have denied
4/7/- Britney in the claims department advised that the claims were being sent back for review
4/9/- Stacey in the claims department confirmed review of the claims would take business days (ref # ***)
5/7/- *** confirmed that the claim is still under review. We have requested for an expedited review.
Based on our conversation with the authorization department, we believe these claims paid in error. We have communicated all of this information to *** *** *** and also encouraged her to contact *** with an effort to remedy and expedite the matter too.
We are prepared to refund the money directly to appropriate party once *** has completed their review of the claim

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:Whomever sent this response does not have their facts straight. 1) The contested unauthorized payment was on March 19th. I never signed the consent for this, much less asked them to destroy it. 2) The payment on the 20th is the one I made directly to The cryo departmentI am not contesting authorization for this one.3) Contrary to what Cynthia M claims on March 25th, the procedure was billed and payedThe statement of benefits received from ***, dated March 11th, clearly shows thisThe statement, which I had previously also shared with Shady Grove, is attachedThere are others--but this shows one of the largest authorized payments ($5,480). 4) The financial department was informed in February about the double billingThey made excuses and continued sending bills to ***It took two months for them to ask *** to review it??5) They only started looking into this--and "sending it back to be reviewed" when told we were going to take it furtherUp until then just excuses about what was or wasn't being billedTo me it shows malfeasanceI honestly believe if we didn't press on with the complaint they would have kept both our fee and that of the insuranceLooks like shady is not just a part of their name. Regards,*** ***

sans-serif;">From: [redacted] Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2014 9:20 PMTo: '[redacted]@Revdex.com.org'Cc: [redacted]Subject: complaint #[redacted]
 
[redacted],
 
We spoke to the physician taking care of [redacted].  The physician called the patient who related that she and her partner were upset with the financial team and felt no one could explain why they kept getting bills.  Once the physician explained to the patient, the process and the points of contact, they felt much better about the situation.  The couple went on to say they were not in any way upset with the physician or the office team and then thanked her for calling them personally.
 
I would say this situation has been resolved as there have been no further complaints.
 
Michele A[redacted]

December 3, 2015
Shady Grove
Fertility mails out embryo disposition forms on a regular basis providing
notification to the patient that they may complete and return an embryo
disposition form to either transfer, dispose or donate to research their
embryos that are in storage or they...

will be billed for the storage charge.  According to our records, Nelson G[redacted],
the Shady Grove Fertility staff member who manages these accounts, has been
reaching out to both [redacted] and her partner regularly. Mr. G[redacted] has
provided both, individually, embryo disposition forms and has spoken to both
attempting to have them come to some agreement to; complete the necessary forms
and ultimately move to a resolution on donation, disposal, or storage payment.  Years later and we have not received any
disposition forms from [redacted] or her partner.  The decision to freeze the embryos was made
by both parties in 2004 when they both signed the necessary consent forms.  SGFC performed the requested services and
have billed appropriately since.Sincerely,
 
Vicki G[redacted]
Regional Exec. Director
Shady Grove Fertility

I am writing in response to the complaint that your office received from [redacted] became our patient on March 6, 2015. During her time as our patient moving through the pre-screening process toward treatment there have been numerous occasions of disagreement between [redacted]...

[redacted] and our clinical team regarding how to proceed and Shady Grove Fertility policies.On May 19, 2015, [redacted] spoke with our Clinical Operations Director regarding her frustration with the process. [redacted] felt the requested consult by her physician, Dr. S[redacted] and his decision to cancel/delay her fiancés upcoming procedure until the consult took place to be unnecessary.On May 20, 2015, Dr. S[redacted] spoke with [redacted] and reviewed the current treatment plan and progress and discussed her concerns. [redacted] stated she had lost trust in Dr. S[redacted] and the clinical team regarding her treatment. We place a high value on the patient physician relationship and this statement coupled with the struggles that have been experienced getting to this point in treatment made it apparent that [redacted] would be better served by another practice. Dr. S[redacted] made [redacted] aware of this fact but stated he would seek counsel from the practice's administrative team and get back to her the following day.On May 21, 2015, I, Vicki G[redacted], contacted [redacted] to reaffirm the decision to dismiss her from the practice and assist her in obtaining her medical records. While she was sad to hear the final outcome, she stated understanding. Today, May 22, 2015, [redacted] submitted a request for Medical Records, which were able to quickly respond to as she stated she had a new appointment elsewhere on Tuesday 5/26/15.If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.Sincerely,Vicki L. G[redacted], MBARegional Executive Director

Revdex.com of Metropolitan Washington DC 1411 K Street, N.W., 10" Floor Washington, D.C. 20005Dear [redacted],Thank you for forwarding this patient issue to us and for giving us the opportunity to review the matter and to have the opportunity to respond. Shady Grove Fertility places a high value on the...

quality of both medical care provided to our patients and to the attention given to customer service, therefore, we feel it necessary to respond and to present the information regarding this patient as it is documented in our records.Attached you will find additional information in order to better understand our operations and how this was a coding/coverage issue with the insurance provider. The account has been correctly billed to the insurance company at this time and the patient has received the appropriate refund.Again, thank you for the opportunity to respond to this issue. I hope that the information provided is sufficient to give you a solid understanding of the operational issues involved regarding this patient. I am pleased that this issue has been resolved.Sincerely,Vicki G

Good morning,
 
We have received the refund...

check from the business and it has been deposited.  
 
As this is still 4 months after the initial payment, I would still like the business to be held accountable via Revdex.com to protect future customers from this issue.  
 
Thank you,
 
[redacted]
Complaint ID [redacted]

from: A[redacted], Michele <[redacted]@integramed.com>Date: Wed, Jan 14, 2015 at 2:20 PMSubject: complaint [redacted]To: "[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org" <[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>Cc: "A[redacted], Michele" <[redacted]@integramed.com>Here is the response: The last...

of the patients OB services was processed by her secondary insurance on 11/20/14 – not in October.  It is our practice policy not to refund until all services have been processed and paid by insurance.  It is true she paid in advance for her treatment; however we do tell all of our patients that refunds can take up to 30 days after the last insurance payment. This would put the 30 days into the holiday week of December.  The refund request for patient was sent to the Corporate office during that week and we received email verification that the refund check was cut on December 29, 2014.  The patient should  now have that check in hand.  Michele A[redacted]

Part of the process of our patients coming through Shady Grove Fertility includes a discussion with a Financial Counselor to confirm coverage.  According to [redacted], this patient...

does not have coverage for IVF if donor sperm is being used.  It's for that reason, our full fee and consent forms are collected prior to moving forward with treatment. One of the consent forms include providing a credit card to be on file so that if freezing occurs, the credit card will be charged automatically.  On 3/20/15, we charged the authorized card on file.  (At the request of the [redacted], this form has been destroyed).
 
We have made (and continue to make) several efforts to mediate this issue.
3/25/15 -   Per Cynthia M. in the [redacted] authorization department, she confirms that an authorization request for services was never submitted to [redacted].  Further, confirmed that if the authorization request was received, it would have denied.
4/7/15 - Britney in the claims department advised that the claims were being sent back for review
4/9/15 - Stacey in the claims department confirmed review of the claims would take 30 business days (ref # [redacted])
5/7/15 - [redacted] confirmed that the claim is still under review.  We have requested for an expedited review. 
 
Based on our conversation with the authorization department, we believe these claims paid in error.  We have communicated all of this information to [redacted] and also encouraged her to contact [redacted] with an effort to remedy and expedite the matter too. 
 
We are prepared to refund the money directly to appropriate party once [redacted] has completed their review of the claim.

Dear Madam or Sir:
The topic has been discussed with the patient and was credited the amount in question. Issue is resolved.
Thank you,
[redacted]

My experience has been a beautiful one. Every nurse, doctor, patient was wonderful. However, my egg transfer was yday 10:30 am Rockville location. One nurse ruined a $30,000 experience. I was alone and I wanted to record the transfer. I was in stir ups and the nurse TOOK my phone and sat it on the sink stating "so it doesn't fall" I asked for my phone back to record the process she stated "we ALWAYS replay it at the end" I felt uneasy however at this point a catheter was being put into my cervix. There was no playback at the end for reasons that I'm not concerned about. She stated "it's the dr fault because he zoomed in" and said nothing else I was not able to get any footage of a life changing experience I was livid I ranted and cried for 30 minutes before leaving the room. She was standing outside the room and I confronted her "ma'am I'm not happy that I" she cut me off "I told the dr you were upset" she raises her voice "but I mean I apologize" . This was a horrible experience. I will not let it go. She needs to be fired. It takes me 3 hours to get home from MD I cried the whole way. I got home with no footage for my partner, mom, sister so we all sat and googled egg transfer to see videos. Nothing could change this experience for me. I selected neutral because this review is about 1 person out if the 50 that were marvelous.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Whomever sent this response does not have their facts straight. 
1) The contested unauthorized payment was on March 19th. I never signed the consent for this, much less asked them to destroy it. 
2) The payment on the 20th is the one I made directly to The cryo department. I am not contesting authorization for this one.
3) Contrary to what Cynthia M claims on March 25th, the procedure was billed and payed. The statement of benefits received from [redacted], dated March 11th, clearly shows this. The statement, which I had previously also shared with Shady Grove, is attached. There are others--but this shows one of the largest authorized payments ($5,480). 
4) The financial department was informed in February about the double billing. They made excuses and continued sending bills to [redacted]. It took two months for them to ask [redacted] to review it??
5) They only started looking into this--and "sending it back to be reviewed" when told we were going to take it further. Up until then just excuses about what was or wasn't being billed. To me it shows malfeasance. I honestly believe if we didn't press on with the complaint they would have kept both our fee and that of the insurance. Looks like shady is not just a part of their name. 
Regards,[redacted]

from: A[redacted], Michele <[redacted]@integramed.com>Date: Wed, Jan 14, 2015 at 2:20 PMSubject: complaint [redacted]To: "[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org" <[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>Cc: "A[redacted], Michele" <[redacted]@integramed.com>Here is the response: The last of the patients OB services was...

processed by her secondary insurance on 11/20/14 – not in October.  It is our practice policy not to refund until all services have been processed and paid by insurance.  It is true she paid in advance for her treatment; however we do tell all of our patients that refunds can take up to 30 days after the last insurance payment. This would put the 30 days into the holiday week of December.  The refund request for patient was sent to the Corporate office during that week and we received email verification that the refund check was cut on December 29, 2014.  The patient should  now have that check in hand.  Michele A[redacted]

December 3, 2015Shady Grove
Fertility mails out embryo disposition forms on a regular basis providing
notification to the patient that they may complete and return an embryo
disposition form to either transfer, dispose or donate to research their
embryos that are in storage or they will be...

billed for the storage charge.  According to our records, Nelson G[redacted],
the Shady Grove Fertility staff member who manages these accounts, has been
reaching out to both [redacted] and her partner regularly. Mr. G[redacted] has
provided both, individually, embryo disposition forms and has spoken to both
attempting to have them come to some agreement to; complete the necessary forms
and ultimately move to a resolution on donation, disposal, or storage payment.  Years later and we have not received any
disposition forms from [redacted] or her partner.  The decision to freeze the embryos was made
by both parties in 2004 when they both signed the necessary consent forms.  SGFC performed the requested services and
have billed appropriately since.Sincerely, Vicki G[redacted]Regional Exec. DirectorShady Grove Fertility