While everything up here in the Northeast seems to be crummy and old, I expected a high-tech fertility clinic to rise above that.
With the fast-paced, driven lifestyle that is so prevalent here, I expected the clinic to have the same qualities.
So when I entered yet another old building that was probably redecorated 10+ years ago and looks like it's due for another treatment, I was disappointed.
I was disappointed when the office staff was unfriendly and the I had to spend at least 25 minutes in the waiting room.
I was disappointed when I finally met with the doctor in his office piled high with charts and books, who cracked open my chart for the very first time, not having previously reviewed the records I so carefully had arranged to arrive weeks ago. He didn't know any of the billing questions I had, and the billing office "experts" didn't know either when I went to talk with them afterward. And there was the 20-minute wait in the exam room. And in the meeting room afterward.
All of the administrative details were completely underwhelming. Almost opposite of my tiny, Southern clinic, and I came home feeling blue.
Thankfully, today I do feel a little better.
I did like the doctor. He was patient and answered my questions thoroughly. He has been in the business for a long time, and though he does not seem very innovative, he knows the standard stuff well. I felt like he looked at my specific situation carefully and adjusted accordingly. I found the nurses and techs to be more friendly than the office staff, especially when I put forth a little effort.
After DH's hospitalization this winter and the nightmares I've gone through with our insurance company to get them to pay what the contract says they should, I've learned that you are your own advocate as far as your health insurance goes. Nobody else will do it for you, and the insurance company will try its hardest to give you as little as possible. So while I'm not excited about this, I think I can make up for the billing department's insufficiencies. I even made my first steps with this today and found out good news in regards to fertility injectable drugs.
I looked around, and this clinic still has the best numbers by a little bit.
I think we'll probably proceed with this clinic, though I am pondering on the idea of consulting with another clinic. I wish someone could just tell me what to do.
