Inside Reproductive Health Podcast: Recent Episodes
Fertility Bridge
Inside Reproductive Health is your source for information about the growing field of fertility. Inside Reproductive Health features an active blog and weekly interviews with leaders from the clinical, investment, patient relations, and pharmaceutical corners of reproductive medicine. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and check back frequently for new content!
How did Maven turn into a unicorn, a new company with a $1Billion valuation? How did they raise $300M?
Find out with today’s guest, Kate Ryder, Founder & CEO of Maven Clinic, as she reveals the strategies behind Maven’s extraordinary success and how she built a three comma company.
Tune in as Kate takes us behind the scenes of Maven, covering:
- The secrets to making TTC coaching work within their business model (Even though its failed in so many others)
- The formation and impact of Maven Managed Benefit (Their carve-out admin program)
- Her vision for the future of managed care in fertility (And how traditional insurance may adapt)
- Lessons learned from her time in venture capital that shaped her entrepreneurial journey
- Her approach to hiring experts and building top-tier leadership
Are you considering the broader implications of third-party IVF in your practice?
Today’s guest, Melissa Lindsey, Founder of the non-profit Donor Conceived Community and a member of the donor-conceived community herself, delves into the ethical and real-life consequences of third-party IVF. She offers a much-needed perspective on how clinics and egg banks can better serve donor-conceived persons
Tune in as Melissa discusses:
- What clinics and egg banks are doing wrong (and what some are doing right)
- Why Everie isn’t scared of the DCC (Instead taking a proactive interest)
- Last year’s legislation in Colorado
- What’s fair for donor-conceived persons to expect vs. what someone can require of their own biological parents
- The real-life consequences for a donor-conceived person (False medical history, denied genetic testing, etc.)
Since 2019, Inside Reproductive Health has conducted over 220 interviews, featuring prominent physicians and executives from numerous fertility companies.
Among them, nine CEOs continue to lead their respective Fertility Clinic Networks or chair their network’s board.
Together, their networks have overseen an estimated 1.6 million IVF cycles and other reproductive treatments that have resulted in over 2 million pregnancies,
This is an episode you don’t want to miss as we showcase:
- Gina Bartasiand the only three things she believes matter in healthcare
- Dave Burford sharing his battle-tested sales advice
- TJ Farnsworth’s entrepreneurial journey and his perspective on the necessities of field wide collaboration.
- Dr. Kshitiz Murdia’s reasoning on why doctors make good CEOs
- Marc Segal’s perspective on private equity and its place in Fertility’s future
- Francisco Lobbosco’s first 100 days as CEO and the power of listening
- David Stern’s steps to finding the right financial partner (Hint: It’s like a marriage)
- Lisa Van Dolah’s philosophy of transitioning nurses into executive leadership roles
- Andrew Meikle discussing the power of perspective (Both patient & entrepreneur)
When will embryologists be robots?
Dr. Jacques Cohen, Chief Scientific Officer of Conceivable Life Sciences, walks us through the research and development currently underway for the automation of the IVF lab.
Tune in to hear Dr. Cohen discuss:
- The next potential game changing innovations in IVF
- His opinion on time-lapse incubation and its future in the lab
- What the FDA doesn’t like about AI solutions
- The $1B project to automating the IVF lab
What do embryologists do when they own stake in the company?
If you’re Professor Alison Campbell, Chief Scientific Officer and equity owner at Care Fertility, you’d build massive datasets to train a machine learning system to predict live births.
With Alison we dive into:
- Their proprietary Caremaps-AI system (Saving 10 weeks of Embryologist time per year)
- Why CARE is building a machine learning system rather than using AI software already on the market
- How she pitted 10 of her best embryologists against an AI software she was skeptical of (And who won!)
- The one AI solution she likes for egg freezing (Why CARE Fertility uses that rather than building their own)
How do you prepare your patients for donor IVF in a way that provides the personalized care they need while setting the right expectations for their future?
Dr. Mark Leondires, REI and co-founder of Illume Fertility, tackles this question with Lisa Schuman, licensed clinical social worker and co-author of Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception.
Tune in as Dr. Leondires & Ms. Schuman discuss:
- The criteria intended parents should focus on more when searching for donors (And focus on less)
- What’s reasonable for intended parents to expect from their donors
- What’s reasonable for donor-conceived children to expect from their donors
- The commodification of donor sperm and donor egg
- Speculation on how to solve the issue of 3rd Party IVF demand far outstripping the supply of carriers & donors
How does someone go from CCRM to one of the big fertility networks in Australia?
What can fertility executives in the US and other countries learn from the consolidation that happened earlier in Australia? How does the Australian fertility market compare to the US?
Find out on this week’s podcast as Scott Portnoy, COO of Genea Fertility, gives an in-depth look at the current climate of the Australian fertility space.
Tune in as Scott discusses the Australian perspective about:
- Where Australia is ahead of the US with Fertility (And where it’s behind)
- Fellowship & training practices (And how it's impacting their doctor shortage)
- Donor and surrogacy regulations in the fertility market
- Fertility Networks going public (And why that may have happened sooner in Australia)
- The private equity backed consolidation in fertility (Foreshadowing what may happen in the States)
What trends are young REI doctors interested in?
What do fertility practices need to consider when recruiting first year Fellows?
Dr. Morgan Wilhoite, a first-year REI Fellow, provides insight into her career focus and how she's shaping her Fellowship experience to align with her goals.
With Dr. Wilhoite we discuss:
- Her areas of learning interest during Fellowship (Valuable for clinics to see the trends for young REIs)
- The resources that all Fellows should be consuming to prepare for their ideal careers
- Why Privademic might become the default model for young REI career preferences
- Advice for clinics looking to recruit young fertility doctors (How to be ahead of the hiring curve)
Ever wondered how much your fertility clinic could achieve with just a 5% increase in efficiency?
In this week's episode of Inside Reproductive Health, we explore this question with returning guest Dr. Mark Amols, Medical Director of New Direction Fertility Center, and Elizabeth Lee, VP of Wellnest Fertility.
Join us as we dive into:
- The impact of your EMR on your clinic's performance
- Where a 5% efficiency boost can generate 25% overall clinical improvements
- How enhanced efficiency can unlock patient access to care
- A brief demo of Embie, spotlighting its clinic-streamlining features
You have an idea for a start-up that will completely revolutionize the fertility space and need seed money, how do you attract investors to believe in your idea?
Dr. Santiago Munné, Co-Founder of Homu Health Ventures, offers up the investor side of that question as he gives an honest look at the venture capital landscape in the fertility space.
- Tune in as Dr. Munné:
- Introduces us to a different kind of venture capital in the fertility space
- Tells us the start-up must-haves for his company to invest
- Discusses AI: Tool or complete business solution?
- Reveals Homu Health’s target ROI multiple (And their ROI timeline)
- Speaks on the current climate of the VC Market (Hint: Winter is coming)
The first 100 days are often the litmus test of leadership, and this week’s guest rose to the occasion.
Francisco Lobbosco, CEO of FutureLife, spent the first 100 days of his tenure hopping country to country, clinic to clinic, clinician to clinician while asking one set of questions. What he learned from his listening has created the blueprint for the future of FutureLife.
Tune in to hear Francisco reveal:
- The questions he used to create his growth strategy.
- How his first 100 days inspired FutureLife’s current mandate.
- FutureLife’s 4-Pillars driving the company forward.
- A clinic’s sweet spot for FutureLife acquisition [And the KPI’s they look for]
- His philosophy on Quartile Growth
- Some of the solutions FutureLife is implementing [Including a new CRM]
- FutureLife’s growth trajectory [And if they’re expanding beyond the European continent in 2024]
IVF patients are dropping out and it isn’t just about the money.
Dr. Alice Domar, Chief Compassion Officer at Inception, discusses empathic communication and its role in minimizing patient stress and physician burnout.
With Dr. Domar we dive into:
- Her definition of Patient Centered Care
- How she measures patient stress (comparing against retention rates)
- An example of a study she ran (the 67% difference in patient dropout)
- Her format for teaching empathic communication
- Common trigger points for patients (And their impacts on your reputation as a physician)
Capacity, Reach, and Concierge Service.
Betsy John, Business Development Manager at My Egg Bank, shares how these three systems are necessary to growing your 3rd party IVF program.
With Betsy we discuss:
- What Concierge Service looks like when serving your patients
- The burden 3rd party nurses have (And how you can alleviate that burden)
- The diversity of egg donors required for fertility practices to grow their 3rd party programs
- What fertility practices should avoid when working with a new egg bank
- The trends she sees on the horizon for donor egg IVF (Including AI for facial recognition)
- Why offering both fresh and frozen donor cycles is necessary (and how My Egg Bank helps with each)
The job market is red hot! There are more jobs open than people to fill them, true for the broader economy and just as true for the fertility field.
Dr. Eric Widra, Senior Partner at Shady Grove, talks through his experience with recruiting and training personnel, and how to project future needs.
Dr. Widra discusses:
- The need for Human Resources (And the risks they mitigate or eliminate)
- When to listen to what HR says you need (But also when to push back)
- Redundancy and cross training personnel (The appropriate levels to have)
- Adopting technology to automate and augment tasks (While eliminating others)
- Individual job training (And when company culture training becomes important)
- The “Godsend” technology solution that’s made the workload and workflow of his financial counselors a lot more efficient.
Could your impact as an REI be magnified by where you live and practice?
3rd-year REI Fellow Dr. Zachary Walker shares his strategies for creating an impactful career, outlining where and how he intends to contribute to the fertility community.
With Dr. Walker we discuss:
- Promoting diversity among patients, providers, and outcomes (And research needed in those areas)
- Income versus cost of living for REIs (Big cities vs. small)
- Establishing REI Fellowships in states without existing programs
- Talking about access to broader IVF care versus providing it
In the realm of fertility, many claim to prioritize personalized care. But how often is this a reality versus following predefined profiles?
Daniella Gilboa, Co-Founder and CEO of AIVF, shares her thoughts and leverages her experience as a seasoned clinical embryologist to shine a light on where fertility can improve patient care and how AIVF is stepping up to the challenge.
With Ms. Gilboa we discuss:
- Her definition of personalized care (Contrasting with what is being done today)
- The micro & macro of what’s happening in the IVF field
- New technologies improving efficacy & efficiency (And where the two come together)
- AIVF’s innovations allowing embryologists to do more cycles more effectively (And its impact on the embryo)
- How this same technology can provide non-invasive genetic screening.
Exploring all the different approaches to IVF.
That’s the objective of this week’s guest, 2nd year REI Fellow Dr. Sarah Cromack, who shares her thoughts on Fellowship, practice preferences and the future of the fertility field.
Tune in as Dr. Cromack shares:
- Her 2 objectives for REI Fellowship (that every REI should have)
- The criteria for choosing an REI practice (when navigating the interview process)
- Why she prefers a bigger practice over a smaller one
- Where she stands on the Fellowship length debate (3 years or 2)
- What she’d like the fertility field to look like in 20 years
Has research output in REI atrophied?
Dr. Kate Devine, Medical Director and Chief Research Officer at US Fertility, guides us through the current state of supply and demand for fertility services, and how Privademics could build the infrastructure to meet the growing demand for ART.
Dr. Devine shares her thoughts on:
- Why, in her view, research in REI has atrophied
- Her robust definition of a Privademic Practice (and their advantages)
- How Privademics can adopt new technologies faster (with a higher standard of quality control)
- The specific research she believes is needed to improve innovation
- Current technologies she’s paying attention to
Academic programs (will and should they be Privademic programs)
We bring back fertility entrepreneur Dr. John Schnorr to share his experience and advice for building companies in the fertility sector without investor money.
Tune in as Dr. Schnorr talks about:
- Some great examples of how he’s proven concept (both functionality & market value)
- The conditions for bootstrapping without a proven concept
- How Cycle Clarity gave equity to early employees (and how you might be able to do the same)
The pros & cons of hiring top-down in the accountability chart (And bottom-up)
Scalable and solvable questions.
According to Dr. James Grifo, Chief Executive Physician for [Inception Fertility (TM)], that’s what REI’s need to bring to the table to advance fertility medicine over the next 30 years.
In this week’s episode we look back at Dr. Grifo’s fertility legacy and look forward to the new opportunities REIs have to create their own.
Tune in as Dr. Grifo talks about:
- Your biggest opportunities in the years to come (From egg retrievals to streamlining ovulation induction)
- How to bring patient education into the culture
- Non-Selection Studies and how you may be leading them
- The unique opportunities the Prelude Network offers (Like pioneering research at the Prelude Research Institute)
- How one legacy career leads to another: Yours.
What does it take to grow a third party IVF Program?
Dr. Daniel Shapiro and Dr. Monica Best from RBA Atlanta provide exclusive insights into the intricacies involved in establishing and developing a third-party IVF Program.
Tune in to learn:
- The essentials to staying compliant with the FDA
- How to properly counsel patients on 3rd party options: Dr. Best’s tips
- What to tell donors during the application process (And what to tell them if they’re not selected)
- Processes currently impeding more 3rd party IVF cases (But how new technologies are changing that)
- Dr. Shapiro’s hard-won lessons from running an egg bank
Is vertical integration inevitable?
That’s the question we explore this week with Louis Villalba, CEO of TMRW Life Sciences, as he dives into the consolidation and current business climate within the fertility space.
Tune in to learn about:
- The 5 ancillary services of the fertility space (And how they make the distinction between vertical and horizontal integration)
- The argument against concentrating these services (Like risking new buckets of liability)
- The argument for concentrating these services (The sweet spot to acquiring a related service)
- Backward integration vs Forward integration (Move closer to raw materials or toward end patient consumers?)
- A breakdown of the recent major lawsuits in fertility (And what those would look like in a vertically integrated fertility space)
- Speculation on when we could expect to see antitrust regulation in the field
Your fertility center is growing. Do you expand your current office or build a new one?
Lindsey McBain, Executive Director of IVI America, has overseen numerous IVIRMA office setups, relocations, and expansions, playing a key role when they relocated their headquarters to a new city.
Tune in as Lindsey reveals:
- The differences between starting, expanding, and moving your office [And the unique considerations of each]
- The difference between building a new office and moving into an existing building [With and without a lab]
- When to Buy vs. when to Lease
- The non-negotiables that should go into a letter of intent for a new lease
- Building a Standard Operating Procedure for launching new locations [So organizations can do it at scale]
- How she selects vendors for each new site
- Some Pro tips for what small offices can do to save money [And simplify logistics]
The innovative potential of AI is an increasingly common topic in IVF and beyond. But on this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health we bring back Dr. David Sable and Abigail Sirus to ask a different question.
What’s preventing AI from completely taking over the fertility space?
Dr. Sable and Ms. Sirus discuss the seven big areas of AI investment in IVF and the obstacles standing in the way of full fledge adoption.
Tune in to hear:
- The 7 categories of AI Investment (And their criteria)
- Their visual for how they categorize AI in the fertility field (Corresponding to their seven categories)
- Current developments in AI across the IVF space (Including the sticking points)
- What’s preventing the inflection point of AI completely sweeping fertility treatment (And making their four principles the standard)
Tables are turned in this week’s podcast as guest Kim Abernethy, CCO of PC Alliance, interviews Griffin Jones about the origins of Inside Reproductive Health and his journey as a fertility entrepreneur.
Throughout the interview Griffin talks about:
- How he built IRH without any outside funding (And if you should do the same)
- The “Rising Stars” in the fertility field (And who he believes will be the big winners)
- The complications of nailing product-market fit (And how doctor’s expect us to provide value)
- What advice he would give to fertility entrepreneurs looking to make a name for themselves.
Dr. Neel Shah, Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic, deconstructs what it means to be a CMO and gives an inside look into his roles and responsibilities regarding reproducibility with clinical outcomes.
Listen in as Dr. Shah discusses:
- The indoor vs outdoor cat methodologies of CMO (90% are outdoor cats)
- Why resolving Medicaid constraints means putting your fees at risk for clinical outcomes
- His system for qualifying providers (And how he gets product and protocol feedback from them)
- Some examples of what he believes to be disinformation within the fertility space
- The overlap between business and clinical operations (and where the CMO role converges and diverges with the CEO and Medical Director)
Download CooperSurgical’s brand new PGT-A Clinician's Reference Tool
“I always recommend parental DNA checking. Parental QC provides important protection for everyone, both patients and clinicians” – Dr. Peter Klatsky
Dr. Peter Klatsky, Co-Founder of Spring Fertility, provides harrowing examples of catastrophic close calls with gamete swaps, prevented only with the help of the latest advanced technology in PGT-A. Dr. Klatsky is joined by Chelsea Leonard, Clinical Science Specialist at CooperSurgical®, as she walks us through the current and future developments of PGT and its place in helping to maximize patient success while minimizing risk of irreversible harm.
Ms. Leonard and Dr. Klatsky dive into:
- Developments in PGT-A testing that are critical to help avoid gamete swap
- Real life examples of where and how PGT discovered DNA mismatches (Helping reduce legal and ethical liabilities)
- The technology behind a new test called PGT-Complete (And its impact on the origin of aneuploidy)
- AI’s place in PGT Testing (The new possibilities in scaling and learning)
- Why tests like CooperSurgical’s PGT-Complete℠ Tests are necessary to help avoid gamete swapping catastrophes (And how they might protect those providing fertility treatment)
Download CooperSurgical’s PGT-A Clinician's Reference Tool
In this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health we dissect the successful rapid expansion of Kindbody with their Chief Medical Officer, and 25 year Stanford Professor, Dr. Lynn Westphal.
Dr. Westphal discusses:
- How her role of CMO was constructed (As well as her part in designing it)
- Her process of establishing protocols (And her process for amending them)
- Where she believes, as CMO, it’s important to have input (Why staffing ratios are high on the list)
- Her take on the difference between clinical and business operations (And if/where they overlap)
- The major differences between REI business plans (academic institution vs venture backed enterprise)
- One crucial thing she’s used to support her medical team (And why its effectiveness surprised her) Transcript
Whether you’re a fertility doctor looking to make an AI company or a tech entrepreneur entering the fertility field, this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health is full of interesting insights.
Paxton Maeder-York. CEO and Founder of Alife Health, breaks down how he started his medical AI company, and walks you through the business and regulatory obstacles required to stay in business.
Tune in to hear Paxton discuss:
- How an AI company is funded and founded (And If it’s possible to bootstrap without outside investment capital)
- The unbiased large heterogeneous datasets required to run AI (Not to mention the other companies needed to acquire this data)
- How he chose his early investors and advisory board (Including former guest Dr. Michael Levy)
- The monumental difference in data science between 85% good and 99.99%
- Navigating the high regulatory burdens within the Healthcare Space
- The criteria for when it’s appropriate for a VC funded company to acquire other companies.
This may be the most serious topic we’ve discussed on Inside Reproductive Health, and it is a vital conversation to be having in the fertility space. The buying and selling of human trafficked eggs.
Diana Thomas, CEO and Founder of The World Egg and Sperm Bank and an early recipient of donor egg IVF, addresses the concerning rise in trafficked eggs reaching clinics and patients, along with the associated legal and ethical concerns.
Diana talks about:
- The spike in donor eggs from developing countries (And how many of them are flagged as high risk for human trafficking)
- How victims are coached to amend their profiles to look upper class (Reducing suspicion of exploitation)
- Specific examples of different egg donor agencies and banks where there’s contradicting information regarding donor information.
- A new Human Trafficking Act (Including the legal and financial implications)
- TWESB’s strict protocols to minimize the risk of providing trafficked eggs to their patients
- Her checklist any clinic can use to help ensure they are not buying and selling trafficked eggs
Daniel Madero, VP of Partnerships at LEVY Health, gives an inside look at the fertility industry throughout Latin America, breaking down the market from major players to major growth potential throughout the region.
Tune in to hear Daniel discuss:
- The growth of the Latin American Fertility Market in the last 20 years [Revealing the countries that are major players by market shares]
- Regional Regulations [And their impact on everything from taxes to gestational carriers for same-sex couples]
- How Post-Covid Inflation is affecting the IVF-space throughout the region.
- Why it costs 40% more to set-up the IVF lab in Latin America [As compared to the US and even the same country 10 years ago]
I share my secrets for having sold to over fifty fertility clinics in seven different countries despite having no outside funding or previous experience in the fertility field.
Listen to Hear How To
- Engage multiple decision makers at fertility networks
- How to shorten the sales cycle to fertility clinics
- How to pull in the chief decision makers like practice owners and CEOs when they kick you down to gatekeepers
Embie has calculated 23 metrics for REI and clinic benchmarks for converting IVF Patients and we are making them available to you.
These metrics include;
- Conversion Rate from Referral to REI Consult
- Avg REI Appt Time for NP/ 1st Consult, Incl Prep and Notes
- Avg REI Appt Time for F-U Appointments, Incl Prep and Notes
- Total Appointment Time Per Year, Per REI
- IVF Cycle Cancellation Rate
See the numbers for these metrics and 18 others to see how your clinic compares.
This week on IRH we break down The New York Times podcast, The Retrievals, a five part series that provides an in-depth look at the Yale Fertility fentanyl scandal.
Lisa Duran, who’s consulted dozens of fertility clinics across the US and Canada and was the Chief Experience Officer at Inception Fertility, leverages her experience to offer up methods you can integrate to drastically reduce the likelihood of a terrible scandal at your own clinic.
She provides four big takeaways:
- A Closed Loop Feedback System (Lisa gives some examples and how they work for patients and staff)
- Recruitment and Retention (And the risk management necessities involved)
- Leadership (How to engage your team to create consistent accountability)
- Service Recovery (Validating feelings, getting more information, and taking ownership)
🔹 Learn from Cheryl and Karol about the significance of vertical integration in the fertility field and explore how this strategic approach is changing the landscape of fertility treatment.
🔹 Gain insights into how BUNDL's program alleviates this burden and contributes to a positive patient experience, reputation, and online ratings for clinics.
🔹 Explore how BUNDL's transparent pricing model gives patients peace of mind upfront, allowing them to focus on their treatment journey without financial worries
🔹 Delve into how BUNDL collaborates with lenders to assist patients in affording comprehensive fertility treatment, enhancing trust and communication.
Should you consider integrating an in-house genetics counselor into your practice?
Today’s guest, Dr. Mili Thakur, makes her case on the future of genomics and its place in the REI medicine space. She walks us through how an in-house genetic counselor can boost practice revenue and optimize patient retention.
Tune in as Dr. Thakur gives us insights into:
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Her 3-point business plan showcasing the importance of genomics integration into REI practices
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The number of cases she believes warrants an in-house genetics counselor [It’s not as high as you think]
- Why Carrier Screenings matter [And her criteria on how she vets companies]
- The future of Genomics [And why it’s the biggest investment opportunity even beyond the infertility space]
- And more…
Gain expert insights and invaluable advice on navigating the sale of your fertility practice with special emphasis on that crucial document - the Letter of Intent. Richard Groberg, a seasoned financial expert and Jay Stucki, an experienced corporate attorney, share insights from the sell side perspective and zoom in on the details that matter most.
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Discover the major points addressed in the Letter of Intent that serves as the foundation for buying or selling a company.
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Delve into comprehensive coverage of key elements in the LOI including:
- Insurance
- Non-competes
- Governance
- Equity
- Evaluation multiples (based on adjusted EBITDA)
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Profitability conversion
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Acquire valuable knowledge into the process and timeline of finalizing the LOI and next steps to completing the transaction.
In our latest episode, Barbara Collura, the President and CEO of RESOLVE, delves into the critical topic of expanding and protecting access to care. RESOLVE is making a significant impact in this area, and the key talking points from our conversation illuminate strategies, steps forward, and solutions.
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Learn about RESOLVE's initiatives to expand and protect access to care and assist employees with insufficient coverage.
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Stay updated on the New York State mandate, implemented in 2021, and its connection to fertility preservation legislation.
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Speculate on upcoming Access to Care legislation, potentially involving IVF, in Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, or California.
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Address concerns about IVF legislation in states such as Kansas, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Georgia.
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Explore fertility preservation and Onco-fertility Preservation bills, as well as access to care legislation, including IVF.
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Support and contribute to RESOLVE's advocacy through events, memberships, and funding.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin delves into the pros and cons of compensation models for fertility physicians in conversation with the CEO of Inception Fertility, TJ Farnsworth.
Here are just a few key points to pique your interest:
- Different performance camps and metrics: In the realm of variable compensation, TJ highlights the various performance camps and metrics that can be used.
- Two main compensation sides: TJ explores the two primary sides of compensation for fertility physicians, namely guaranteed income and variable compensation.
- Challenges with KPI-based compensation: TJ shares the drawbacks and pitfalls of tying compensation to KPIs.
- Simplicity and variable comp: TJ emphasizes the benefits of keeping compensation simple and honestly shares the mistakes made by Inception Fertility with KPI-based compensation.
- Importance of physician ownership and other roles: TJ sheds light on the significance of physician ownership in calibrating incentives within the practice.
With Dr. Levine we learn:
- How he leveraged his connections to unite with his fellow CCRM New York co-founders
- The “Aston Martin” amount of money invested to validate the business concept (and how that number was chosen)
- The first people hired (and why)
- His criteria for establishing new partnerships with other firms and businesses
- How he gets founders and executives of elder care companies to come knocking on his door (and what the heck elder care can teach us about reproductive health)
- And more…
Let’s save you and your patients some money!
From the materials you buy to the software you invest in, it can be difficult trying to find where to safely and effectively reduce, replace, or eliminate to save money and maximize your practice’s bottom-line.
We talk with Dr. Mark Amols, founder of New Direction Fertility Centers, and he walks us through his low-cost affordable IVF model. He reveals where and how he invests, or doesn’t, to keep his practice thriving.
Dr Amols breaks down his four categories when purchasing materials and services:
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Which line items can be completely eliminated
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Materials that can be reduced or replaced with cheaper alternatives
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Finding cost-effective versions of necessary commodities
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How to know the expensive must-haves to pony up full price
Dr. Amols opens up his playbook and gives specific cost examples from his own practice, so listen in and see where you can cut your bottom-line.
Everyone says we need more REI Fellows, but how do we get them?
In this episode, Dr. Rachel Weinerman sheds light on what is required to make more REI Fellowships and Fellowship Programs, and why those two solutions aren’t exactly the same. Dr. Weinerman talks about:
- Creating REI fellowships: Exploring the steps in establishing robust REI fellowship programs.
- REI fellowship funding and operation: What Medicare pays for vs what the institution pays for.
- What an REI must do vs what another ‘IVF specialist’ can do
- Specific resources that SREI and ASRM can contribute to Fellowship growth
- ACGME’s role vs ABOG’s role in accreditation and certification
- The limitations and scarcity of Privademic Partnerships
Are you seeking ways to enhance the efficiency of your IVF lab and improve patient outcomes? We invite you to listen to the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health, where host Griffin Jones engaged with Dr. Liesl Nel-Themaat, IVF Lab Director and Associate Clinical Professor at Stanford University.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Identifying and addressing common inefficiencies in the IVF lab.
- The importance of standardization and its impact on success rates.
- Strategies for optimizing workflow and reducing turnaround times.
- The role of technology in enhancing lab efficiency and patient care.
- Overcoming resistance to change and implementing effective process improvements.
- Best practices and practical tips for managing patient flow and scheduling.
Some practices can’t get two fertility doctors to agree on a set of protocols. How about >250 physicians?
Dr. Kshitiz Murdia, CEO of Indira IVF discusses the enormous growth of the Indira network in India, how their approach to IVF practice management differs from the US’, and how they tackled massive obstacles (such as patient education) along the way.
Listen to hear:
- Indira’s massive marketing and awareness programs.
- How to transition out of your clinical role, to a director role, and finally, CEO.
- The due diligence regarding private equity groups that took place before the majority stake sale of the company.
- How Dr. Murdia got out of the ‘contributor seat’ and into the seats of integrator and visionary.
- About the standard operating procedures Dr. Murdia and his team built, and the training and management system that backs them up.
- Griffin press if standardization in protocols is antithetical to individualized care.
What is stopping IVF labs from becoming fully automated? Tune in to this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health, as Griffin Jones sits down with Eva Schenkman and Helena Russell of ARTLAB to breakdown the six main barriers to automating the IVF lab.
Listen to Hear About:
- Why automation isn’t happening in certain areas of the IVF lab.
- Risk and inefficiency of data entry.
- Lack of trust that comes from business intelligence software.
- Lack of adoption of the Vienna consensus.
- Which metrics are meaningful for safety that don’t necessarily improve clinical outcomes, but are required to improve safety and productivity.
- Delivery vs operations- what needs to be prioritized now vs. what should be prioritized for the future
Do you know your worth as a fertility nurse? How strong are your negotiation skills? Griffin hosts guest Dayna Hennessy, Chief Operations Officer of Extend Fertility, to discuss her tenacious journey from nurse to executive, and how you can learn from her experiences.
Listen to Hear:
- The merits, and lack thereof, of getting an MBA.
- The highlights of Dayna’s experience to get to the position of COO of Extend Fertility, and what advice she has to share with nurses who are advancing their careers, at any stage of their career.
- Why it is so important to increase your worth to make yourself more marketable, and how that worth is not necessarily linked to formal education.
- Specific negotiation strategies, like anchoring, and avoiding negotiating against yourse.
- How nurses can secure their first job, those win a promotion, and negotiate with vendors and strategic partners.
This week, CARE CEO, David Burford, joins Griffin to discuss what goes into the operational and financial decision-making process behind CARE Fertility’s business model.
Listen to hear:
- The tension between financial and operational divisions of a fertility center.
- Examples that look good (or bad) in a financial model, but then have good (or bad) consequences in operations.
- Certain elements of operations that served the clinic, but not the patient.
- When staff needs are at odds with patient needs, and the trade-offs that need to be solved for.
- CARE’s HR machine and the concept of necessary, if not immediately efficient, redundancy.
- The mass retirement of physician CEOs, and what that means for the fertility field as they are replaced by business people without medical degrees
Chat PGT is here to change the future of your job in the fertility industry, or maybe even take it. Is this a stretch? Dr. Ravi Gada and Manish Chhadua discuss how Chat GPT and its predictive technologies has the potential to revolutionize is already revolutionizing the fertility space. And what may come next.
Tune in to hear:
- Uses for Chat GPT in fertility clinics and the Open AI source behind it.
- How Chat GPT is being used to share data with patients, aggregate data, how it may be used in the future to generate prompts and consult notes.
- The elimination of scribes and schedulers.
- How Chat GPT will be able to interface with patients to provide 27/7 availability and access to care.
- Griffin push Manish and Dr. Gada about what the second and third order consequences will be from this development, and what significant long-term impact it could have on the future of REIs.
What should you take into consideration when tackling the insurance companies for fertility service reimbursement? This week, Griffin hosts Boston IVF’s CEO, David Stern, to discuss the ins and outs of maximizing insurance reimbursements, and the barriers you may not have considered. Tune in to the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health to hear more.
Listen to hear:
- How to position both insurance companies and employer carve out companies to get better pay out rates
- What data you need to share to get the best reimbursement rate.
- About the differences in negotiating when it is a global fee vs. different CPT codes and what state mandates do to codes.
- David give examples of some mistakes that can happen, ie: money loss, when billing uses incorrect CPT codes.
- How Boston IVF negotiated a 67% increase in reimbursements.
- About the principle of disruptive innovation, why traditional fertility companies were late to the fertility game, and how others cashed in.
This week’s guest, Vinesh Ghadia, CEO and co-founder of BlackCap Equity’s fertility vertical in India, talks about the exponential growth and consolidation happening right now in India in the fertility space. How is it possible to have 60 to 70 new fertility centers per year opening, with no shortage of fertility doctors? Tune in to the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health to find out.
Listen to hear:
- About the five to six biggest fertility chains in India, and the four to five that are on their way up now.
- How India is averaging more than one new fertility clinic per week in the country.
- What the US can learn from India in terms of consolidation, comparatively, where a network with 35-40 clinics is considered a midsize chain.
- Grif press Vinesh to explain why he believes India to be the biggest market for growth in the ART space in the next decade.
- What Indian fertility companies did to solve their fertility doctor shortage problem, and what they may do regarding the embryologist shortage.
- What Vinesh thinks about the falling price of PGT-A.
How does a new grad pediatric nurse climb to the ranks of fertility company CEO and investor throughout the course of her career, while building a family of her own? Tune in to find out if you could benefit from a similar path, as Griffin sits down with the CEO of Ivy Fertility on the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health.
Listen to hear what:
- Steps and career changes Lisa made to end up where she is now, and which aspects she found most critical.
- Different roles shaped Lisa’s perspective of her field as a whole, and how it benefited patient outcomes, employee satisfaction, and operational success.
- It takes to marry clinical outcomes with organizational outcomes, and how that in itself can advance your career.
- Lisa has to say about the 80% rule, and how it can help empower your team.
- Characteristics she believes makes a person C-suite potential.
This episode was brought to you by Univfy. Download Univfy’s free IVF conversion and revenue calculator at univfy.com/ivfpatientretention.
DISCLAIMER: Today’s Advertiser helped make the production and delivery of this episode possible, for free, to you! But the themes expressed by the guests do not necessarily reflect the views of Inside Reproductive Health, nor of the Advertiser. The Advertiser does not have editorial control over the content of this episode, and the guest’s appearance is not an endorsement of the Advertiser.
Wondering what nuances separate the most desirable REI fellowship programs from the rest? This week, Griffin chats with Dr. Jaimin Shah to differentiate what criteria sets certain fellowships apart, and what you can do to make your program more attractive and more accessible to the best applicants.
Listen to hear:
- What made the difference between the 18 Fellowship programs that Dr. Shah chose to interview with and those that did not
- His 6 criteria for ranking programs
- What other applicants were talking about during the application and interview process.
- What the dealbreakers were for some programs, and how your program can avoid making the same mistakes.
Research, letters of recommendation, drive, ambition… If you are interested in applying to REI fellowships, this episode of Inside Reproductive Health is for you. Griffin sits down with Dr. Jaimin Shah to discuss what it takes to land at the top of the applicant pile.
Listen To Hear:
- Dr. Shah’s tips to those interested in entering the REI field.
- What REI fellowships are actually looking for in an applicant.
- What Dr. Shah did to secure upwards of 30 acceptance invitations to interview for fellowships.
- What you can do to stand out as an applicant, and when you should begin preparing.
In-house genetics counselors may be on the rise among fertility clinics. Amber Gamma, genetics counselor at IVI RMA America, discusses why the profession is trending toward in-house positions, how to address the challenges of funding their placement, and why you might want one of them on your side when it comes to litigation.
Listen to hear:
- Which genetic counseling is more suited for in-house vs. external genetic counseling telemedicine companies.
- How much these in-house positions earn, and how much they cost.
- Tips on how to bill insurance for genetic counseling.
- Amber’s response to Dr. Norbert Gleicher’s criticism of the overutilization of PGT-A.
- What AI will take away from the genetic counseling field, and what will remain in their control.
This podcast is paid sponsored content, by Univfy
Univfy supports fertility centers in increasing IVF conversion, outcomes, and revenue. Use of the Univfy PreIVF Report results in a 2-5x increase in IVF conversion, translating to over $1- 3M increase in profit and improved outcomes for patients. This week, Griffin hosts co-founder and CEO, Dr. Mylene Yao, to discuss how Univfy is working to make family-building more accessible, predictable, and successful, and how their technology has proven to benefit both fertility centers and their patients.
Listen to hear:
● How Univfy uses AI/ML to increase IVF access by helping patients to move past key decision points in the provider-patient flow.
● How Univfy services are easy to use.
● How AI and predictive outcomes have transitioned from a “nice to have” to a “need to have” as Gen Z and Millennials overtake the fertility space.
Click to download this free tool to set and achieve your own revenue goals from IVF conversion: www.univfy.com/ivfpatientretention
Dr. Norbert Gleicher breaks down why he believes PGT- A is overused, over-funded, and over-aggrandized on the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health with Griffin Jones. Is the genetics testing industry the new “big pharma”? Could PGT-A be harming pregnancy chances instead of improving them? And if so, why isn’t anyone talking about it? Tune in to see where you land on this week’s topic.
Listen to hear:
- Grif and Dr. Gleicher talk about IVF “add-ons”.
- Discussion on the huge differences in practice patterns.
- The failures at the early attempts of rolling up IVF centers in the 1990s.
- Talking points on the efficacy, or lack thereof, of PGT.
- Gleicher’s stance on scientific literature’s inability to support the use of PGT to the level it is being used.
- Gleicher explain why he believes Big Pharma has been replaced by the genetic testing companies, who also happen to be the biggest benefactors of PGT.
“Money is made when you buy, not when you sell.” Is the saying for real estate investors also true for fertility doctors, their work-life balance, and their control over quality of patient care?
How does an entrepreneurial fertility specialist find the REI practice equivalent to the under-priced house in the up-and-coming neighborhood? The one with unbelievably beautiful bones that isn’t too much of a fixer-upper, but is just at the inflection point where its market price is about to shoot up like a hockey stick?
There aren’t many. Few fertility practices have already transitioned their embryology and business leadership to the same generation as the fertility doctors that will take over.
But there are a couple, and we found one. Christine DeLuca and Stephen Hutchison join Griffin this week to discuss what it looks like when millennials run an REI practice.
Listen to hear:
- How younger docs find the best value in an REI practice.
- What Stephen and Christine’s team is doing at PCRS, that independently owned fertility practices almost never do
- What changes Millenials are making in the fertility practice industry- embryo storage, cryo inventory, and more.
- What it looks like to work in a culture where you not only help to create babies but can bring your own baby to work.
- Arbitrage and younger docs
PS: Watch what Stephen and Christine and their team can do. Can you do this at your practice?
Dr. Roohi Jeelani is back to share her operational tips about how she has grown to massive retrieval numbers, without compromising care. What does Dr. Jeelani do, that you could employ in your own practice?
Listen to hear:
- Which critical touchpoints absolutely require doctor-patient contact.
- How Dr. Jeelani’s workflow operates and how she maintains personal contact with ALL of her patients.
- What Dr. Jeelani does differently is paramount to patient conversion and retention.
- How she manages to see, treat, and connect with so many new (and established) patients.
- Griffin question whether or not the sheer volume of patients and procedures compromises care, and what Dr. Jeelani has to say about it.
- The place for virtual meetings in IVF care.
To listen to the precursor podcast with Roohi, click here: https://www.fertilitybridge.com/inside-reproductive-health/164jeelani
It’s uncommon for an embryologist to own equity in a clinic-lab company, at least here in the US. This week, Griffin hosts Alison Campbell to discuss where her career started, and how she earned her current role as an equity stakeholder and business influencer as the Chief Scientific Officer of the UK’s largest fertility care provider, CARE Fertility.
Listen to hear:
- What it is like when an embryologist becomes an equity partner of their group or practice.
- The unique advantages a lab director can bring to the practice.
- The potential for fertility clinic networks to become early-stage investors in fertility startups
- The differences in opportunities for embryologist education opportunities between the US and UK
- Dr. Campbell’s viability test for companies that want to sell to CARE Fertility. What the 3-4 who advance to demo do to get there.
This week, Griffin shares five points on how to report- and listen to- the news. What should you be looking for in reliable journalism? Do you understand the message being delivered, and is it verifiable? What to look for, what to look past, and what to think twice about, on this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health with Griffin Jones.
What’s happening in the business side of the fertility field in what’s soon to be the most populous country on the planet? Dr. Biswanath Ghosh Dastidar shares the origin of IVF and the fertility business model in India, as well as the challenges and coming trends for reproductive medicine in the country.
Who was India’s contemporary to Patrick Steptoe? Did you ever hear of his tragic end?
Listen to hear:
- The tragedy behind the Patrick Steptoe and Howard Jones of India.
- About Dr. Dastidar’s connections to the pioneers of the fertility field in India.
- What models look like in India, how they differ from the US and Europe.
- About the new trend of large companies consolidating and forming new companies.
- About the future potential of the IVF industry growth in India
Thematic investing. Venture capital. Private equity. Democratization. Lorin Gu, the founding partner of Recharge Capital- which has financially backed fertility companies across the globe (including KindBody), joins the show this week to explain his fresh-eyes approach to capitalizing on the empirical growth rate of the fertility industry. Tune in to Inside Reproductive Health with Griffin Jones for the latest episode.
Listen to hear:
- Private equity and venture capital being used together--to align incentives in the provider and vendor chains.
- Griffin ask Lorin how he can be sure to handle the speed of investing in reproductive medicine. How does he know he’s closer to world-class competence than to a Sam Bankman-Fried?
- Globalization: How Recharge is deploying its capital across borders in North America, Europe and Asia
- What makes up the capital stack and value chain across the fertility field.
- Which countries are attracting the most international patients, and who will be the ‘winner’, and why, in Lorin Gu’s opinion.
- Is this the end of globalization? Why supply chain issues are happening now across the fertility industry.
Sharing financial risk while guaranteeing 100% fertility patient retention. Is it possible? Griffin talks about one of the biggest points of patient dropout--paying for treatment--with guests, TJ Farnsworth, founder and CEO of Inception, and Cheryl Campbell, Director of Operations at BUNDL Fertility.
Listen to hear how others:
- Ensure patients don’t leave the fertility practice for another following a failed IVF cycle.
- Increase access to care for patients, while lightening their financial burden and improving patient satisfaction
- Increase IVF conversion with a step-by-step follow-through process (and how it differentiates from patient retention).
- Dismantle billing woes that may be hurting your online reputation. (Approximately 25% of negative fertility reviews are based on billing!).
DISCLAIMER: This is a featured sponsor episode with paid sponsor content. Advertisements are not an endorsement from Inside Reproductive Health, nor their personnel.
One of the venture capitalists with millions of dollars invested in KindBody is less than thirty years old.
Thematic investing. Venture capital. Private equity. Democratization. Lorin Gu, the founding partner of Recharge Capital- which has financially backed fertility companies across the globe (including KindBody), joins the show this week to explain his fresh-eyes approach to capitalizing on the empirical growth rate of the fertility industry. Tune in to Inside Reproductive Health with Griffin Jones for the latest episode.
Listen to hear:
- Private equity and venture capital being used together--to align incentives in the provider and vendor chains.
- Griffin ask Lorin how he can be sure to handle the speed of investing in reproductive medicine. How does he know he’s closer to world-class competence than to a Sam Bankman-Fried?
- Globalization: what is the money from Singapore doing in the US? Europe? Other Parts of South East Asia.
- What makes up the capital stack and value chain across the fertility field.
- Which countries are attracting the most international patients, and who will be the ‘winner’, and why, in Lorin Gu’s opinion.
- Is this the end of globalization? Why supply chain issues are happening now across the fertility industry.
1,300 egg retrievals in 2022. That’s not one practice. That’s Dr. Roohi Jeelani.
Dr. Jeelani joins the discussion this week to share how her unending work ethic and incredible social media presence has changed her practice, improved patient relations, and why she believes this paradigm shift is here to stay.
How did this REI end up doing more retrievals than any other doctor in the country? Tune in to this week’s episode to find out.
Listen to hear:
- How changes surrounding patient contact evolved during the COVID lockdown era, and why they may be here to stay.
- How the use of social media has opened the door to a new world of direct contact from patient to provider, and what that paradigm shift means for both patients and their providers.
- Griffin question whether this change is a good AND a bad thing at the same time, whether or not it has the potential to thwart the chain of command throughout the treatment process.a
- How Dr. Jeelani uses her social media presence to increase productivity through patient education, and how she believes that empowering patients with information is the key to success.
This week, Dr. John Schnorr joins Griffin to breakdown what transpired when he and his colleagues found themself at the bottom of the Integramed fallout. What happened to his clinic and his patients through the unraveling, how did it influence his career path afterward, and what entrepreneurial venture did he undertake as a result- all on this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health.
Listen to hear:
- What happens when another company is the employer of your employees-and they close their doors overnight-without paying you-or anyone else.
- What considerations you should make before you enter into an agreement with any company- especially when the rules for assignment change drastically under the umbrella of bankruptcy law.
- How Dr. Schnorr rose from this downturn, and continued down an entrepreneurial AI path that has the potential to significantly impact the industry down the line.
Former practicing REI, David Sable, and venture capitalist, Abigail Sirus, deconstruct how democratization will change the face of the IVF field. Sable and Sirus break down the four principles of how this will be accomplished, perhaps sooner than anyone anticipated, on this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health, with Griffin Jones.
Listen to hear:
- What Sable and Sirus believe will happen when the travel-agent model for IVF care is abandoned and patients are empowered to oversee their own care.
- Griffin question what risks this evolution may introduce to both patients and practitioners.
- What Sable and Sirus think may happen to incumbent REIs- whether or not they will be phased out entirely.
- Why Sable and Sirus believe, one day, patients will pay for IVF if - and only if- they have a baby.
Reference:
https://dbsable.medium.com/the-four-guiding-principles-for-democratizing-ivf-pre-asrm-2022-prep-notes-from-the-front-lines-of-2f2fd66e5d8d
Long-time fertility financial advisor, Richard Groberg, joins Griffin this week to review a Yale School of Management paper and to discuss whether the time is right (or wrong) to pull the trigger on selling an REI practice. What factors should you consider about timing, taxes, keeping a piece of the pie you created- and everything in between- on this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health.
Listen to hear:
- What it really costs to sell your fertility business.
- What hidden caveats to consider when selling an (even profitable) REI.
- The reality of compounding growth in the fertility field
- What the long-term hold principle means for younger fertility specialists who are not yet owners, but who may be on the brink of buying in.
Yale School of Management resource: https://www.readkong.com/page/on-the-nature-of-long-term-holds-holding-a-business-for-5835798
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin hosts Dr. Neil Chappell of Fertility Answers. Tune in to hear what advice the brand new partner has to contribute to younger docs finding their footing in the field. What does he consider the three goals every REI should have for their first gig?
Listen to hear:
- The ONLY three goals for an REI’s first job
- How important Dr. Chappell thinks micro-geography should be to younger REIs when selecting their position, and Griffin push back on his qualifying factors.
- What role Dr. Chappell believes research should play in a new REIs hierarchy of job “must-haves”, and how to adjust their expectations accordingly.
Deciding to expand your practice, either by acquisition or starting new, is an exciting time. But, adding new staff, physicians, and equity partners can come with a handful of problems. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, originally aired in 2019, Griffin Jones, CEO of Fertility Bridge, talks to Dr. Michael Levy, IVF Director and President of Shady Grove Fertility. Shady Grove Fertility is the largest independent fertility group in America. Griffin and Dr. Levy discuss the implication of having such a large staff base and just how they manage it, all while keeping the patient at the forefront of their culture.
This week, Griffin unleashes the secrets of client attribution in a Marketing Secrets Short episode. Tune in to understand how you can avoid making less money in a recession with proper attribution tracking on the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health with Griffin Jones.
Tune In To Hear:
- What you need to STOP looking for when it comes to attribution tracking.
- How to get directional attribution through Grif’s secret method of triangulation.
- Which metrics you can forget about, and which you should be looking at closer.
There’s a challenge in finding the balance between keeping both your staff and patients happy. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, originally aired in 2020, Griffin gets Dr. Peter Klatsky’s take on managing everyone’s satisfaction while providing a new standard of care. Working with his partners at Spring Fertility in California, their goal is to provide their patients a level of service that isn’t seen anywhere else, all while keeping their employees happy and in for the long haul.
Learn more about Dr. Klatsky and Spring Fertility by visiting www.springfertility.com/
Read about the work done by Mama Rescue and support their vision by visiting www.mamarescue.org/
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Other episodes mentioned in Episode 54:
Ep. 50, Dr. Pietro Bortoletto
Ep. 54, TJ Farnsworth
Griffin Jones hosts guest Dr. Eduardo Hariton to break down everything you should know before accepting a position as an REI. Having recently undergone his own selection process, Dr. Hariton discusses what you truly “bring home” when you sign on the dotted line. What is your risk tolerance? Do you know what questions to ask? Tune in to the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health today, before you sign that contract tomorrow.
Tune in to hear:
- Dr. Hariton and Griffin hash out the importance of understanding profit-sharing vs. equity and what questions to ask to get honest answers when interviewing for your potential partnership.
- A shares vs B shares
- What “partnership” truly means- and how to determine if it is the right fit for you.
- What questions you need to ask to understand your compensation, incentive structure, and to gain clarity on your career track.
- The importance of sharing ethos and fitting into work culture for long-term success.
This week, Griffin Jones hosts a Marketing Secrets Shorts episode, disseminating branding phases. Whether you are considering a rebrand for your clinic, beginning de novo, or somewhere in between, it is important to know where to start out if you want to end up with a marketable brand in the end. Listen now for tips and tricks to properly phasing your branding efforts, on Inside Reproductive Health with Griffin Jones.
Just in time for the ASRM conference, we share insights on the hottest fertility field news stories you can take with you to the Networking Lounge.
Listen to hear:
- About the acquisition that took place, which was not reported in the US or Canada.
- US Fertility’s recent change of CEO.
- KKR’s debt for the IVIRMA deal.
- The recent celebrity embryo lawsuit that has now turned against the clinic
With this roundup, Griffin offers a sneak peek into the future of Inside Reproductive Health and news coverage of the business of the fertility field.
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones hosts guest Dr. Jared Robins, Executive Director at ASRM, to discuss all things conference. Tune in to hear what innovations are coming to the annual gathering for 2022, where all that endowment money comes from (and what it goes toward), desired outcomes for the future of ASRM, as well as an exchange of ideas on the business of business in medicine.
Listen now to hear:
- What Dr. Robins has been working on since being named Executive Director of ASRM.
- What the new and improved events and features will be at the conference, and how you can benefit from them. (Hint: fireside chat, networking lounge, interactive e-posters, Med-Talks, and more).
- Where ASRM endowment money is procured and what it funds.
- Griffin question Dr. Robins on the validity of disclosures in the medical field regarding business interests.
- Griffin press about the level of influence business and medicine should have on each other, both financially and philosophically.
This episode, originally released in 2020, Griffin revisits Secrets of The Affordable IVF Model, as we head into what could be another recession. Is your practice prepared for the potential downturn? Listen now, as Dr. Robert Kiltz, Dr. Paul Magarelli, and Dr. Mark Amols discuss their implementation of the Affordable IVF Model, and how it benefited their programs.
This episode was recorded during a live webinar, originally released in 2020
On this special live episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke with three leading doctors whose clinics follow the Affordable IVF Model: Dr. Robert Kiltz of CNY Fertility, Dr. Paul Magarelli of Magarelli Fertility, and Dr. Mark Amols of New Direction Fertility Centers. Together, they talk about just how they make the Affordable IVF Model work, as well as answer common objections to their services.
This week, Griffin hosts Drs. Gurjeet Singh and Sahil Gupta, founders of Oma Fertility and Oma Robotics, to discuss their plans for utilizing $37.5 M in venture capital. Who will have access to the tech? How much automation can they bring to the industry? Tune in to the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health, as Griffin Jones presses these entrepreneurs on their plans to scale their company.
Tune in to hear:
- How Oma Fertility and Oma Robotics came to be, how they raised so much capital, and what role debt plays in their plans to scale their organization.
- What Drs. Sahil Gupta and Gurjeet Singh have to say about the role of AI in increasing productivity and reliability in the labs.
- Griffin ask about their growth, especially the pros and cons of purchasing clinics vs. beginning de novo, and where their footprint is expanding.
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Elizabeth Carr shares her experience from birth to where she is today, at Tomorrow, and everywhere in between. Born quite literally into the industry and its spotlight, Elizabeth has chosen to be an advocate for IVF, working to change public education, and further ‘industry’ advancements.
Tune in to hear:
- What Elizabeth Carr is doing to give back to the community that made her existence possible.
- How her relationship with Dr. Jones and his family contributed to her life and ultimate career path.
- What she wishes people in the industry would push harder for.
CEO Andrew Mintz shares the Pinnacle philosophy; will it scale?
Inside Reproductive Health guest, Andew Mintz, shares the evolution of Pinnacle Fertility on this week’s podcast episode with Griffin Jones. The fertility network which now owns ORM (Oregon Reproductive Medicine), SRM (Seattle Reproductive Medicine) and others, seemingly came out of nowhere. Is their model scalable? Will it stand the test of time?
Tune in to hear:
- Andrew Mintz detail the Pinnacle Fertility model, including how they constructed their Medical Director and Lab Director Councils, and how they contribute to the overarching success and development of their network.
- Griffin press Andrew on the efficacy of Pinnacle Fertility’s physician buy-in program, and how it could potentially implode.
- Griffin question whether or not Pinnacle Fertility’s private equity backing equally beneficial to physicians across the board, or only those stepping into retirement.
- Griffin ask how Andrew Mintz and his team approached the selection of the ever-challenging EMR system, and how they decided on just one.
What They Really Want Out of Their Future Permanent Position
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones hashes out the goals, aspirations, and challenges of three prominent REI Fellows in their search for the right permanent placement. Dr. Megan Sax, Dr. Victoria Jiang, and Dr. Zoran Pavlovic share their experiences on recruitment, what factors weigh in on their decisions on job selection, and how much they’re willing to put at stake for their professional (and personal) success.
Tune in to hear:
- What they are looking for in a partnership and/or position.
- How factors such as location and politics have a huge impact on the appeal of job offers.
- Griffin press all three and question how much accountability they are willing to take on in exchange for the autonomy they crave.
- What you might say to a recruit to catch their interest.
In this sponsored episode, Griffin Jones and co-founder of EngagedMD Jeff Issner discuss the unique ways the company provides added value for practice owners, employees, and their patients. How informed is your informed consent? Does your practice unknowingly carry added risk? EngagedMD’s education and informed consent solutions help to increase provable informed consent, reduce practice risk, increase and personalize provider-to-patient face time, increase patient education, save time, add to practices’ bottom lines, and ultimately increase access to care.
Tune in to hear:
- Jeff and Griffin discuss ever-present nurse burnout, and what EngagedMD does to take some of the weight off of nurses’ shoulders.
- Griffin question how EngagedMD’s program roll-out can be successful with varying practice size and demographics.
- Griffin question how business advantage and patient standard of care can both be bolstered by partnering with EngagedMD.
- Staggering statistics on the EngagedMD analysis of ROI on just a two-practitioner clinic, and how these results increase patient access to care.
Dr. Joshua Klein, REI, Chief Clinical Officer, Medical Director, and Co-founder of Extend Fertility in NYC joins Griffin this week on Inside Reproductive Health to discuss the business of getting into business. Listen as they share perspectives on risk tolerance, people-management, financial backing, and the potential to lose -or gain- it all on the path to entrepreneurial leadership.
Tune in to hear:
- Dr. Joshua Klein share how he successfully cornered an underdeveloped segment of the fertility market, and what steps he took to get there.
- Griffin question Dr. Klein on how he knew when to time the change in his career path, and what others in the same position should consider before making a move.
- Griffin question Dr. Klein when he says “people are the hardest part.”
- How to not get way over your head in overhead before you even start.
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin hosts MedikalPreneur author, board-certified REI and OBGYN, and Inside Reproductive Health fan-favorite, Dr. Francisco (Paco) Arredondo to discuss the misguided concepts of physicians as business owners and operators, and what it takes to make it as both a healthcare provider as well as a successful proprietor. https://medikalpreneur.com/product/medikalpreneur/
Listen to hear:
- Dr. Arredondo’s 5 H’s for hiring success.
- Griffin point out that doctors can get away with bad business techniques because their trade is so high in demand.
- Griffin press on the tension between employee satisfaction and client retention, and question who really comes first, and why it matters.
- How much culture influences business success, and what to ask yourself about your own clinic operations.
- Dr. Arredondo’s crash course in business success as a practicing physician.
Boston IVF CEO David Stern describes some of the challenges of private equity-backed businesses. Griffin grills David on the models of Boston IVF and their parent companies.
Listen to the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health to hear
- David Stern talk about how little of their own money private equity firms typically use
- Griffin press David Stern on whether business decisions and clinical decisions are always separated
- David Stern and Griffin discuss the meaning of “trapped equity”
- What happens when Private Equity doesn’t flip at the right time, who pays for clawback provisions and what about those hidden fees?
- David Stern talk about Boston IVF’s model for partnership
CTA: Do you see the corporate fertility model as different from the private equity model?
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin gets to the root of the insurance debacle in the fertility industry with Holly Hutchison, managing partner of Reproductive Health Center in Tucson, Arizona. Are cash pay patients subsidizing insurance companies’ poor coverage? How can practice owners survive when insurance authorizations are exceedingly slow, reimbursements are laughable, time to pay is unpredictable, and patients don’t understand their own coverage- or lack thereof? Who is left holding the bag when insurance doesn’t cover what it claims to, and can anything be done about it?
Listen to hear:
- The evolution of insurance in the fertility space: how it began, when it was successful for a hot second, and where it is today.
- Griffin question which is more beneficial to the provider- employer benefit groups or insurance companies- and why.
- Griffin question why fertility clinics haven’t cut out the insurance companies who are draining their bottom line.
- Griffin discuss the cost-benefit analysis: (Reimbursement, time to authorization, time to payment, volume to practice, patient cost sharing) and how to bring more leverage back to the provider.
On Inside Reproductive Health this week, Griffin Jones chats with Rescripted founders, Abby Mercado and Kristyn Hodgdon about their business model, how it came to be, and what risks they have in this space. How has Rescripted’s capital been invested? How do they keep content fresh? Will they survive and thrive in this space, even though so many others before them have failed- despite having massive capital? Listen now and join the conversation, with Griffin Jones on Inside Reproductive Health.
Listen to hear:
- Griffin point out that pharmacies missed the boat- they could’ve seized the direct to consumer route, but did not.
- Abby and Kristyn break down their business model, why it works, and what they won’t allow in their space.
- Griffin discuss raisers of capital who had the cash, but ultimately failed, and question whether or not Rescripted has what it takes to beat the odds.
- Abby and Kristyn explain why, and how, Rescripted was founded, and where it hopes to go in the future.
Griffin hosts embryologist-turned-attorney, Igor Brusil, to discuss what he, as an attorney, believes is a bigger threat to the fertility space than the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and why. What implications could changing donor privacy laws have on your practice-even if you don’t practice in the state that overturns them? Could they extend beyond donor rights and result in an inspection of your business? Listen to hear one specialist’s opinion on Inside Reproductive Health with Griffin Jones.
Listen to hear:
- Who is advocating for the release of donor information, including medical history.
- What laws, changing in states like Colorado, could impact your practice (even if it is not in the same state).
- Griffin press on whether Roe v. Wade has a larger potential to damage the fertility space than changing donor privacy laws.
- Griffin question why no one is protecting the rights of the donors.
- Igor’s opinion on what you, as a practitioner, can do to protect yourself and your business.
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks with Dr. Dorette Noorhasan, fertility doctor (and patient) as she shares her journey to publishing not one, but two books in the fertility field- with a newborn at home. Always considered writing a book? What is stopping you? Listen as Dr. Noorhasan shares her experience writing and publishing her self-authored books, and find out what she wishes she knew sooner.
Listen to hear:
How the book writing process truly takes place, and how you can expedite it.
What you need to do first to save yourself time and energy in the publishing process.
Who you need on your side, and how to find them, in the publishing world.
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones explains how reputation and brand overlap, how they are both born of positioning and culture but are not equally synonymous. “Brand is about relevance and differentiation. Reputation is about legitimacy”.
In this week’s podcast, Griffin shares four competitive disadvantages for fertility business owners.
Listen to hear:
- What four things brand can do that reputation cannot.
- How impactful recognition is in your brand, and how to improve it.
- How your brand can align with peoples’ individual expression of self.
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin and guest Shaina Vojtko, Senior Digital Strategist at Fertility Bridge, shares how to determine whether or not you’re getting the right bang for your buck with your fertility practice website marketing company, how safe your website truly is from attacks, and what you can do to improve your overall digital marketing health.
Listen to hear:
- What the markup truly is on website maintenance.
- Whether or not you are paying expenses or investing with your marketing budget.
- Why you shouldn’t hire a development agency to do your marketing.
- How to keep your hosting costs the lowest
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin dishes on 9 effective ways to retain leads and turn them into patients- and they’re not what you might think. Listen to hear Griffin uncover the best ways to focus on, and correct, your patient lead process for increased profits and improved patient satisfaction.
Listen to hear:
- What you can do today to increase lead retention, at no cost.
- Griffin explain how to head-off no-call-back online reviews.
- The importance of first point of contact, and how it impacts patient experience all the way down the line.
Dr. Anate Brauer (REI, co-founder and IVF Director of Shady Grove Fertility’s New York Region) and Dr. Francisco (Paco) Arredondo (Chief Medical Officer and founder of Pozitivf and author of MedikalPreneur) hash out their agreements, and disagreements, on the upskilling of OBGYNs in the fertility space
Listen to the full episode to hear:.
- Dr. Anate Brauer argue that years of training and experience as an REI do not equal OBGYN general practice upskilling, which compromises patient care and increases risk.
- Dr. Francisco Arredondo state that it is taking place already, the need for providers far exceeds supply, and that OBGYNs are capable (and successful), if properly trained.
- Dr. Brauer and Dr. Arredondo agree on where APPs can offload the burden of REIs.
- Griffin question whether upskilling OBGYNs to handle IVF will create another chasm in the healthcare system.
- Griffin push back that a solution needs to be identified, (after years of overpromising and underdelivering on the increase of graduating REIs), as they are handcuffed by fellowships and educational institutions.
Dr. Anate Brauer’s Information:
Website: https://www.shadygrovefertility.com/locations/new-york/manhattan-fertility-center/
Dr. Francisco Arredondo ’s Information:
LinkedIN: linkedin.com/in/fertilitysanantoniotexas
Website: www.medikalpreneur.com
Need help attracting the right people to make your practice great? Connect with us at fertilitybridge.com
Dr. Carol Curchoe, ART Compass director and reproductive physiologist and embryologist, speaks with Griffin Jones about the future of artificial intelligence in the IVF lab, shares her thoughts on how it could be the solution to the ever-present threat of embryologist burnout, and what technologies could take the place of old school, antiquated monitoring systems.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- What will happen when the big names in IVF labs retire (soon), and who will be (or won’t be) replacing them.
- Why the idea that technology hasn't advanced in the IVF lab is a myth
- What solutions AI presents for IVF lab quality control, and how we universally implement them.
- How the tech gaps in IVF lab management are overburdening embryologists everywhere, and how this can, and should, be solved.
Dr. Carol Curchoe’s Information:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-lynn-curchoe/
Website: https://artcompass.io/
What is your first patient impression saying about you? We can help. Contact us at fertilitybridge.com today to start capturing more patients tomorrow.
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
This week, Griffin speaks with Laura Olson, long-time political science professor at Lehigh University and author, about what private equity has done to other healthcare sectors, and what Olson believes it has the potential to do to the fertility space. Should it be banned, or is it the key to correcting the supply vs. demand struggle in fertility care accessibility.
Listen to the full episode to hear:.
- Laura Olson’s take on the private equity playbook.
- How private equity has negatively impacted other areas of healthcare, and what that might mean for fertility care’s future.
- Why new docs and retiring docs make the decision to get into bed with private equity- or not.
- Griffin push back on the lack of data to praise or condemn private equity controlled networks
Laura Olson’s Information:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-katz-olson-a7706034/
Website: https://wordpress.lehigh.edu/ethicallychallenged
Need help attracting the right people to make your practice great? Connect with us at fertilitybridge.com
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin shares the 6 pillars to generating the best first impression for new patients, and how that can directly impact both your bottom line, and the patient experience. Listen to hear how you can build a successful New Fertility Patient Concierge Team.
Listen to hear:
- How (and why) to put the right people in charge of your patient’s first impression
- Griffin explain how to emotionally incentivize your Concierge team.
- How to measure the Team’s impact on your practice’s bottom line.
This week, Steve Rooks, COO of The Fertility Partners, and Griffin discuss how entities like EngagedMD and the Lean system work to reduce employee burnout and improve the patient experience. But can programs like Lean fit into the fertility space? Is the EngagedMD approach of automation helpful to the patient, or does it cut down on valuable patient face-to-face interaction? Listen to learn more.
Listen to hear:
- Griffin question the one-size-fits-all approach to Lean’s operations solution, and whether or not it works in the fertility space.
- Steve Rooks explain how it is possible to add patient value and reduce operational volume at the same time through automation with programs like EngagedMD.
- Griffin question the viability of pre-packaged patient education in a virtual format vs. face-to-face physician conversation.
- Griffin and Steve discuss the importance of patient engagement during their (long) initial waiting period.
Steve Rooks:
Company name: The Fertility Partners
LinkedIn Handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenrooks/
Website URL: https://www.thefertilitypartners.com/
Want to make your company irresistible to new talent? Let’s start the conversation at fertilitybridge.com.
This week, Griffin chats with Gina Bartasi, founder and chair of Kindbody about the development and success of the first-ever consumer fertility services brand. Griffin posits that their latest acquisition of Vios will not be their last, Bartasi disagrees and instead has her sights on global scaling. Bartasi believes that the end-to-end care model of Kindbody is most beneficial to the patient, and everything is better, and more efficient, under one umbrella.
Listen to hear:
- How Kindbody developed their brand, and how it influences their culture for employees and patients alike.
- Griffin press Bartasi on future multi-site multi-practice acquisitions, and how that may influence global growth.
- Where Kindbody stands on utilizing extended care practitioners for retrievals and transfers.
- Bartasi argue that Kindbody’s end-to-end business model improves (and controls) the patient care experience.
- Bartasi use stats to back the clinical success of the Kindbody model, despite the 25-30% price cut.
Gina’s information:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-bartasi/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeAreKindbody
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kindbody/
- Website: https://kindbody.com/
It is no secret that demand far exceeds supply in the word of fertility treatment, a gap franchises like Mate Fertility seek to close. But REI’s, like Dr. John Storment, argue that the training process employed by organizations like Mate merely imply board certification, and oversimplify years’ worth of education and training. Traci Keen believes that her company is serving the needs of patients with integrity and diligence, providing access to care that would be otherwise unavailable due to the lack of board-certified REIs in existence.
Who is right? Is access to care, even if it is not in line with ASRM guidelines, better than no care at all? Is this the evolution of fertility patient treatment?
Listen to the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health to learn:
- How impactful the care-access gap is to the evolution of fertility treatment.
- Griffin press on the difference between private equity and venture capital’s place in the industry.
- Dr. Stroman discuss how fellowship training in REI is absolutely necessary and OB/GYN physicians cannot be equally trained in mini-programs provided by organizations like Mate.
- Traci Keen argue the criticism of Mate Fertility’s training program, how they provide an evolved model of care, and how they plan to increase accessibility of treatment.
Traci's Information:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traci-keen/
Website: www.matefertility.com
John's Information:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-storment-b4892b1b8/
Want to join in on the conversation? Visit fertilitybridge.com
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones and Dr. Duana Welch, author of Love Factually, explore why couples are waiting longer and longer to have children. Science is indicating that the changing landscape and evolution of communication could be the leading cause of later-in-life marriages, as well as couples ultimately waiting longer to become parents. Listen to the full episode to step into the mind of some of your patients today.
In this episode you’ll hear:
- Why couples are waiting longer than ever to partner and reproduce.
- Men and women have short term mating strategies that are exploited by "swipe to date" platforms.
- Duana talk about the psychology behind human reproduction.
- Duana talk about the evolutionary science behind the 'double standard'.
- How Duana's book, Love Factually, and coaching services, provide a framework to navigate dating today.
Duana’s Information:
Free content and contacting Duana: http://lovefactually.co
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveFactuallyAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/duanawelch
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/lovefactuallybooks/
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin brings Dr. Daniel Kaser on the show to chat about the growth of the LGBTQ+ patients and third-party care. What it means to be inclusive to this group may surprise you! Little things, like patient intake forms, can make a huge impact on your ability to serve all populations.
Listen in to the full episode to hear:
- How 20% of Dr. Kaser’s patients are LGBTQ+ and how he is serving them well.
- Why REIs could potentially service only LGBTQ+ patients in some markets.
- Griffin drag Dr. Kaser into the battle about board certification and access to care.
- How state laws were relevant to Dr. Kaser’s practice location choice.
- How you might be wrongfully segmenting patients at intake.
Book Links ->
- Woke Racism by John McWhorter
- “How to be An Anti-racist” by Ibram X. Kendi
Dr. Kasers info:
Website: https://rmanetwork.com/staff/daniel-j-kaser/
For more information about our competitive diagnostics, go to fertilitybridge.com.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones chats with Terry Malanda about patients’ freedom of choice. Terry, the owner of Mandell’s Clinical Pharmacy, believes that customer service is the North Star for long-term company growth. With all the consolidation happening, Griffin and Terry explore the current state of how consumers make their pharmacy decision and future trends on what will impact that decision.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- The debate on freedom of choice for patients to choose a pharmacy
- Why pharmacies can and should be providing additional services to patients, including benefits coverage and discount programs
- How consolidation of fertility clinics is reducing the choice that patients have when it comes to pharmacies and other services
- Why some pharmacies outsource their compounding, and what that means
- The virtuous cycle vs. the vicious cycle of customer service
Terry’s Info:
Website: https://www.mymandellspharmacy.com/meet-the-staff/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mandellsrx
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-malanda-09ab9528/
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
Technology is changing how we look at fertility and family planning. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Dr. Janet Bruno-Gaston (Director of Fertility Planning at Center of Productive Medicine) joined Griffin Jones to talk about how the latest technology in fertility preservation affects decisions of families today.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- Gabriel came in as an outsider, having worked at companies like LinkedIn
- Why he believes OB/GYNs can do many of the IVF cases that REIs are currently doing
- Why they believe patients are being gouged because of the limited number of fertility specialists
- About a proven model for the smaller markets of the country
- He feels many hospital systems are not equipped to properly serve LGBTQ+ patients in many areas of the country
- He explains the difference between venture capital and private equity, and Mate Fertility's history with venture
Dr. Janet Bruno-Gaston:
Website: www.infertilitytexas.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-bruno-gaston-1bb6a014b/
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
Want to grow your brand? Visit fertilitybridge.com to learn more.
On this week of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones is joined by Gabriel Bogner, co-founder of Mate Fertility—a leading disrupter in the IVF space.
Did you know—nearly 20% of the time, it takes more than two people to make a baby? And yet, only 1.7% of those dealing with infertility seek or receive the treatment they need. Gabriel and his team of fertility doctors believe the best science should be available to the most people. And at ma(t)e fertility, they’re working to make this possible.
Listen to the full episode to learn:
- How Mate Fertility is disrupting the IVF space with affordable, accessible IVF treatments
- How traditional OB-GYNs can get set-up with a Mate Fertility clinic in less than 6 months
- And what the future of mate looks like for both IVF patients and clinic owners
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
Gabriel Bogner:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielbogner/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matefertility/
Interested in adding IVF to your clinical services? Mate Fertility can help with that. https://matefertility.com/how-it-works/
Need help with your marketing? Go to fertilitybridge.com
On this week of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones shines a light on what responsibilities should be handled by the principal of an organization and what should be delegated. This is something that all business owners struggle with but is especially unique in the fertility industry due to the nature of being a doctor and a business owner.
Listen to the full episode to understand:
- What roles should principals not delegate.
- How involved should the integrator role be in the core operations.
- What do the best brands have in common.
- When to do a brand refresh.
Think you need a brand refresh? Visit fertilitybridge.com to learn more.
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones and Dr. Kutluk Oktay go down the rabbit hole on the meaning of work-life balance. They discuss Dr. Oktay’s approach to limiting his patient load to spend more time on research and how that affects his motivation and quality of life. This conversation culminates in tips on how to be more productive and comments on developing leaders in your organization so you can get the balance you deserve.
Listen to the full episode to hear our perspective on:
- How to fill your schedule
- What makes good leadership
- How does social media fit into ‘self-care’
- How to approach work-life balance
Dr. Kutluk’s Information:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kutluk-oktay-md-phd-909b656a
Website: https://www.fertilitypreservation.org/
Sponsored by:
Add HERE
Mentioned in the Episode:
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz: https://profitfirstbook.com/
Need help attracting the right people to make your practice great? Connect with us at fertilitybridge.com
Social: Get all the details by listening to the latest on Inside Reproductive Health wherever you listen to podcasts.
On this episode, Griffin Jones and Giles Palmer, the executive director of a group called the International IVF Initiative, discuss what’s happening in the lab and why clinicians, managers, and other folks should pay attention. Giles holds webinars for embryologists and other fertility professionals, attracting over 800 people each session. Tune in to this episode to hear more on the shortage of embryologists and how automation could be one key to increasing your embryologists’ capacity and quality of life.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- Giles perspective on hiring young embryologists
- How automation will affect lab efficiency
- Giles viewpoint on corporate IVF
- How Giles is able to attract large crowds of embryologists
Giles Palmer:
Company name: International IVF Initiative
LinkedIn Handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-palmer-52461531/
Twitter Handle: @IVFLIFE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giles.a.palmer
Website URL: https://www.kosmogonia.net/
Want to make your company irresistible to new talent? Let’s start the conversation at fertilitybridge.com
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones is joined by Dr. Rony Elias. They discuss how Dr. Elias is able to attain hundreds of positive reviews online by deliberately putting service first and friendship second. Contrary to many popular social media doctors, he believes in firm social boundaries with patients because ultimately, patients are there for a service, not a relationship.
Listen to the Full Episode to learn:
- How to set social boundaries with patients
- When you should or should not reach out to your patients
- How to talk to patients about sensitive topics like weight and age
- How to increase patient satisfaction whether treatment was successful or not
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
Want to put a strategy in place to improve your reputation both online and offline? Visit us at fertilitybridge.com.
This week Griffin Jones highlights four steps fertility businesses should use for goal setting to speed up execution. Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up. Griffin lays out goal setting from an unique perspective and talks about the goal snowball effect. Listen to this episode to gain a better understanding of how to evaluate your goals based on the investment of time and money they will take to achieve.
This episode covers:
- How to set and attain goals
- How to prioritize goals
- What is the goal snowball
- The 4 steps to goal setting to speed up execution
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
Episode Sponsors:
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
This week, Dr. Tony Anderson joined Griffin Jones on the podcast to shed light on why there are so many embryologist openings and what you can do about it. He estimates that out of 420 clinics, there are 400 job listings for embryologists. Even if you do find one, how do you retain them? Dr. Anderson gives us strategies that you can implement now to help embryologists avoid burnout
More from this episode:
- How to reduce embryologist burn-out
- Why there is a huge demand for embryologists
- How to attract and retain embryologists
- Best way to train new embryologists
- What younger embryologists look for in a work environment
Dr. Anderson’s Information:
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-anderson-d-h-sc-eld-abb-8272a21b/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/embryodirector
Website: https://ivfacademyusa.com/
Mentioned in this episode:
Think Again by Adam Grant: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Again-Power-Knowing-What/dp/1984878107
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
Griffin Jones and Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh discuss how she is successfully running her practice solely accepting cash-only patients. The days of losing money due to insurance companies’ refusal to pay are far gone for her. The secret to Dr. Eyvazzadeh’s success is her massive top-of-the-funnel marketing strategy and her efficiency of weeding out patients that aren’t a good fit before she or her staff spends time with the prospect. What matters most in fertility marketing isn’t what most people expect.
In this episode, we cover:
- Who would be able to run a cash-only only system
- How Dr. Aimee has developed a massive top of funnel engine
- Why success rates aren’t the marketing factor most think
- Why Dr. Aimee attracts 15% of her patients from out-of-town
This episode is sponsored by:
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh’s Information:Company: Aimee Eyvazzadeh MD, Inc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-eyvazzadeh-12715932
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_EggWhisperer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctoraimee/
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/eggwhisperer/
Mentioned in the episode:
NoHold ( https://www.nohold.com/)
EggWhispererSchool.com
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin has a conversation with Richard Groberg, a man who helped facilitate the acquisitions of The Sher Institutes to Integramed, eIVF/PracticHwy.com to private equity as well as many other business owners exit their business through rollups, sales and consolidations. A common thread through a lot of acquisitions is that he sees fertility business owners lose out on millions upon the sale of their company because they don’t categorize their accounting correctly. Richard gives his insights on roll-ups/consolidations from a private equity group, and he believes that he has not found a consolidation that has been successfully operated.
This episode covers:
- How to get the biggest evaluation of your business
- How to survive the ‘proctology exam’
- Why roll ups from a private equity groups haven’t been successful
- When it makes sense for an owner to sell his/her business
Episode Sponsors:
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
Richard’s Information:
Email: Richardgroberg@outlook.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rsgadvisorsllc
Mentioned in this Episode:
Built to Sell book: https://builttosell.com/
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
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In this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin tackles the challenge of opening a brand new fertility center. Griffin explains the five operational and five marketing phases you need to work through before opening up your new center. It is certainly not a perfectly linear process and will come with a different set of challenges, but going through these phases will save you time, money, and stress. If you are considering starting a new clinic or in the infancy stage of your fertility center now, this episode is for you.
In this episode you’ll learn:
-> 5 operational phases of launching a new center
-> 5 marketing phases of launching a new center
-> Understanding how to assess the risk vs. investment of starting a center
-> Whether or not launching a new center is right for you
If you would like to learn more about these phases after listening to the episode, check out our blog post, where we go more into detail! https://fertilitybridge.com
Inside Reproductive Health is sponsored by EngagedMD. For technology that educates your patients with true informed consent, visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
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Today’s conversation between Griffin Jones, Dr. Milroy, Dr. Supogay, and Dr. Yanni explores the overlap between clinical operations and marketing. The fact of the matter is, you cannot totally separate them. More often than not, when our clients first come to us, they aren’t able to fit more patients into their system so we first have to work on clinical operation efficiency before driving more patients through the door.
In this episode we explore:
- The REI bottleneck and how to optimize your REI’s time
- Referral patterns from other professionals in your community
- How patients choose an REI
- Why OBGYN education improves the quality of patients
Visit engagedmd.com/IRH for 25% off your implementation fee.
Guests:
Dr. Milroy:
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/colleen-milroy-37a45ba1
Colleen Milroy, MD, FACOG is a board-certified Obstetrician gynecologist, and board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility physician. She currently leads the Billings Clinic Reproductive Medicine group serving the state Montana, parts of Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Dr. Supogay:
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/anna-sapugay-md-facog-66932714
Anna Sapugay, MD, FACOG is a board-certified obstetrician gynecologist who practices in Northern California's East Bay Area. She currently serves on the Compensation Committee, Strategic Oversight Committee and Anti-Racism Working Group. Sutter Health is a not-for-profit healthcare delivery system that operates 24 hospitals and over 200 clinics in Northern California.
Dr. Yanni:
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/leanne-yanni-md-9b6117194
Dr. Leanne Yanni serves as Vice President Medical Affairs, Richmond Market, Bon Secours Mercy Health and the Chief Medical Officer of St. Mary’s and Richmond Community Hospitals. She is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Hospice & Palliative Medicine.
Website:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/mhcm/
This week on Inside Reproductive Health Griffin Jones interviews Pamela Hirsch from Baby Quest Foundation. After witnessing her daughter struggle to conceive, Pamela launched Baby Quest in 2012 and has since awarded grants totaling $2.3 million. Grants, like the ones from Baby Quest, are not only beneficial to the patients, but also to clinics. Finance is one of the biggest drop-off areas between consult and treatment; therefore, the inclusion of scholarship information increases conversion rates. Furthermore, grants allow fertility clinics to receive payment more quickly and easily than if they were reimbursed from insurance claims.
In this episode we cover the topics of:
- The perception of scholarship programs among doctors
- Where to learn more about fertility scholarships
- How to utilize these programs in your arsenal to increase conversion rates
Links:
Pamela Hirsch: linkedin.com/in/pamelababyquest/
Baby Quest Foundation
Website: www.babyquestfoundation.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BabyQuestFoundation
Twitter: https://twitter.com/babyquestgrants
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
In this episode, Griffin expands on his past two articles about selling to fertility centers and differentiating your company. There is a right way and a wrong way, and he almost fell into the trap of doing it the wrong way. Along with telling his story in this episode, he expounds on the 7 challenges that face sales organizations today including fewer qualified prospects, limited time and access, more gatekeepers, detached point of sale, high regulation, short sales window, and paradoxically, long sales cycle.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- 7 challenges of sales
- How some companies overspend on brand awareness
- Proper positioning in the market
- The transition from a sales mindset to a marketing mindset
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
Obesity plays an important role in the worlds of many struggling with conception, and in recent years the field of Obesity Medicine has grown substantially. Weight loss makes the fertility journey so much easier while increasing the quality of life for the patient.
Today’s episode features Evan Richardson, CEO and Founder of Form Health, a modern obesity practice that remotely connects their patients to dieticians. He speaks with Griffin Jones about a wide range of topics relating to obesity and fertility, from their complicated connection all the way to the future of subspecialties and medical health as a whole.
You can find the episode anywhere you stream podcasts or at our website.
Today’s Episode Focuses On:
- The role Of BMI in fertility
- The importance of medical subspecialties
- The difficulties behind sustained weight loss
- The future of subspecialty practices
- The relationship between obesity medicine and fertility medicine
Social Links:
Evan’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evrichardson/
Form Health Website: https://www.formhealth.co
FH Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formhealthofficial
FH Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/formhealthofficial
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
In this week’s episode Griffin Jones and Lisa Duran talk about the challenges that leaders face in the ever-growing infertility field as their clinics’ needs change and develop. They discuss consistency and coaching methods that can help make a professional team stronger.
Lisa Duran is a consultant who has worked with a multitude of organizations with the focus of bringing teams and customers to the forefront of care. She has worked as the Chief Experience Officer for Inception, Reconceived, the DiJulius Group, VP of Patient Experience with Vivere Health, and was Formerly Chair of the Association for Reproductive Managers through ASRM. She is an experienced public speaker that has spoken at a range of fertility and health conferences.
Today’s Episode Focuses On:
- Efficient Delegation Practices
- Consistency in Behavioral Standards
- Navigating Through Negativity in the Workplace
- Utilizing Different Personality Types Effectively
- Healthy Communication Strategies
Lisa’s Social Media Links:
Linkedin Handle:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-d-4025494b/?trk=public_profile_browsemap_profile-result-card_result-card_full-click
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
In the latest episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Stephanie and I explore if MD & DO referrals are still king or have been overthrown by internet resources as top referral sources. Knowing where most referrals come from can help you build an effective strategy to capture more new patients and convert those referrals at a higher rate. We also layout 6 pillars for an effective referring provider strategy that you can either give to your physician liaison to start implementing or outsource to a company like Fertility Bridge. At the end of the day, if your PL does not have a system, you are leaving money on the table.
Listen in to the full episode to learn:
- The 6 pillars of an effective referring provider strategy
- Make sure your reporting is in line and cohesive
- Ancillary services
- Building the right content
- Having the right events
- Outreach of referring sources
- Converting referrals that come to you
- The % of patients actually referred by a doctor (and what that means for your clinic)
- If a physician liaison is needed
- How to attribute referral sources properly
Additional Resources:
Referral Pattern Blog Post: https://www.fertilitybridge.com/inside-reproductive-health/the-6-pillars-of-the-fertility-referring-provider-system
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
In this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones and Dr. Amanda Kallen debate the future of academic REI practices. They talk about the trade-offs as well as the positive future of academic practices. Being a Yale alumnus, Dr. Kallen is the perfect guest to share her view on the operation systems, marketing systems, and scope of practice an academic practice has versus private practice.
Dr. Kallen, MD, FACOG, is currently a reproductive endocrinologist at the Yale Fertility Center and an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Kallen runs an NIH-funded laboratory and has received multiple awards for research, including the Society for Reproductive Investigation “Early Career Investigator” Award for her work on mechanisms of reproductive aging. Her clinical interests include fertility preservation, access to fertility services for her LGBTQ patients, and primary ovarian insufficiency.
In this episode we cover:
- Academic medicine practices’ shortcomings
- How marketing blends into the standard of care
- Distribution of funding for research
- Operational differences of academic medicine practices (vs. private practice)
Dr. Amanda Kallen’s Information:
LinkedIn Handle
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-kallen-58b80959
Twitter Handle
@AmandaKallen
Website URL
https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/amanda_kallen/
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones and Dr. Angeline Beltsos go down a thread of the multi-generational value that happens from colleagues mingling with each other. It’s important for an organization to learn from both the young and old to gain fresh perspectives. Organizations that do this well have many short-term and long-term benefits like being able to recruit well and staying culturally relevant long-term.
In this episode Griffin interviews Angeline N. Beltsos, MD. She is the CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Vios Fertility Institute. She is double board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI). Dr. Beltsos is also part of the Clinical Research team at Vios and participates in a number of research projects and scientific publications. She has received numerous awards in teaching and has been honored as “Top Doctor” from Castle Connelly for several years. Dr. Beltsos is the executive chairperson for the Midwest Reproductive Symposium International, an international conference of fertility experts.
Topics discussed include:
- Learning from different generations
- Principles of leadership
- Leading as an executive
- Recruiting younger doctors
- How to be culturally relevant while aging
MSRI Conference: https://www.mrsimeeting.org/
Dr. Angeline Beltsos’s Information:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angie-beltsos-b33a846
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angeline.beltsos
Website URL: https://www.viosfertility.com
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
In this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Stephanie and Griffin talk about IVF conversion rate, the six areas that affect it, and the order of importance of those areas. This episode lays out the Fertility Bridge system and methodology for doing for increasing IVF conversion rates. We can't tell people how to act as clinicians. We're just sharing with you the patterns that we see.
You’ll certainly get some food for thought as we discuss:
- Follow up best practices
- Pre educating your patients
- How to share your wellness providers
- Physicians’ styles and their effect on if a patient moves on to treatment
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
Sometimes it’s the REI that holds back the growth of a clinic because he/she is doing tasks that could be delegated. It’s our job at Fertility Bridge to help you bring new patients through the doors of the clinic and it’s your job to convert as many of those patients to treatment as needed. In this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin chats with Tamara Tobias on her perspective on the role the APP plays in reducing the REI bottleneck.
Tamara Tobias is a nurse practitioner supervisor at Seattle Reproductive Medicine with over 24 years of experience. She is active in ASRM, currently serving on the Membership Committee. She helped develop the REI nurse certificate and basic courses available through ASRM and is a recipient of the ASRM Service Milestone Award. She is also an active leader in her local fertility community and publisher of ‘Fertility Walk’.
Topics covered in this episode include:
- What your APPs should be doing vs the REI
- How the REI could increase productivity by only doing follow-up appointments
- What to do to have recruiting advantages
- Training APPs
Connect with Tamara:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-tobias-0752bb30/
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones and Dr. Levine discuss what it's like to launch a brand new center under the umbrella of a very large company in an extremely large market (New York City). They also chat about the pressures of launching a denovo clinic in a big market versus the pressures of starting a clinic as a satellite office.
Dr. Brian Levine is the founding partner and practice director of CCRM New York. He is board-certified in both reproductive endocrinology and infertility and obstetrics and gynecology. Brian Levine, M.D., leads the industry in normalizing open dialogue about infertility and educates prospective parents on a national level. He has been cited as one of the nation’s leading fertility experts in The New Yorker, New York Post, NBC, CNN, Avenue Magazine among others, and was honored with the Doctors of Distinction award in Westchester County.
Key Take-Aways from this episode include:
- New York market dynamics insights
- The value of good mentors
- Where technological advancements are happening
- Why REI’s don’t get the training they need from school
Connect with Dr. Levine:
LinkedIn Handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbrianlevine/
Twitter Handle: @drbrianlevine
Facebook: @drbrianlevine
Website : https://www.ccrmivf.com/new-york/brian-levine-md/
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
In this week’s episode of Inside Reproductive Health, we don't talk about new patients. We talk about patients ready to move on to treatment that are a good fit for IVF, how you convert them into IVF treatment, and some of the national averages when it comes to conversion. If your concern is mostly about having more IVF patients and you want to reach your IVF goal, but you’re good on your new patient goal, this episode was recorded for you.
I brought Stephanie Linder, our director of client success, on the show with me. She sits in the operational marketing seat very often and gets to get close to this part of the patient marketing journey. We talk about the reasons why patients don't move through treatment, and how to overcome those reasons to increase the conversion to IVF patients when they are in fact a good fit for IVF.
Some topics we cover include:
- KPI’s to focus on to move patients to treatment
- National averages for conversion of patients to IVF patients
- Reasons patients don’t go through with IVF
- How online reviews impact your business
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com
In this episode, Griffin Jones interviews Eduardo Hariton about the current and future state of AI in the fertility field. Eduardo Hariton received his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, followed by a combined MD / MBA at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School. He is currently a clinical fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of California, San Francisco. He has published extensively on both clinical and nonclinical high impact journals on topics that range from fertility and reproductive surgery to technology and medical education
Artificial intelligence is changing the landscape in our industry and will continue to affect fertility clinics in the near future. How much and in what ways, are the real questions that should be on your mind. That’s why I brought in Eduardo who is on his way to becoming the leading expert in Artificial Intelligence in the Fertility Industry.
Some topics we cover include:
- What is keeping AI from progressing faster
- What should we keep under human control vs AI?
- Future of IVF Cycle prices
- Data rights and privacy issues.
Eduardo Hariton Info:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/haritonmd/about/?ref=page_internal
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardo-hariton-6687ab63/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eduhariton
Website: https://obgyn.ucsf.edu/eduardo-hariton-md
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
Marketing is a huge part of a successful business, but marketing teams look different for every organization. Whether you have a marketing team, one marketing person, or no one solely thinking about marketing on a daily basis, we cover your business needs with resources to be successful. In this episode, Griffin breaks down the role of each marketing title, what targets they should be hitting, and what additional resources they need if any. You’ll be able to refer to this episode as a resource to understand the purpose of each marketing role, and more importantly set outcomes that they are being evaluated against.
Listen in to today’s episode to get the rundown on how to make your marketing department run more efficiently and effectively.
4 Phases of Fertility Patient Marketing Journey: https://www.fertilitybridge.com/inside-reproductive-health/2017/10/17/fertilitymarketingfundamentals2018?rq=marketing%20journey
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
Connecting with your target demographic is vital to running a successful business. However, in your target audience there are many subsets that each have their unique needs. One of those subsets is the LGBTQ community. The best way to get to know your customer is to talk with them, and to help you better understand the best way to serve this audience I sat down with Ron Poole-Dayan.
Ron is a marketing and business strategy expert. He is the executive director and founder of Men Having Babies. Along with Greg, his husband of 25 years, they are among the first same-sex couples in the nation to father children through gestational surrogacy. Their twins, born in 2001, were conceived with the use of eggs donated by Greg's sister, and carried by a gestational carrier.
Tune into this episode to hear us talk about:
- How to market to the LGBTQ community
- Men Having Babies Conferences
- How to make the LGBTQ community feel welcome
- Why gay couples may consider fertility clinics vs surrogacy agencies
Resources:
GPAP (Gay Parenting Assistance Program): https://menhavingbabies.org/assistance/criteria/
More from Ron Poole-Dayan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-poole-dayan-9bb76/
Twitter: @MenHavingBabies
Facebook: https://fb.com/MenHavingBabies
Website URL https://MenHavingBabies.org
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
Understanding the past can often help create clarity for the future. Many industries are changing rapidly these days and Fertility practices are not immune. Changes from scientific advancements, culture, and consumers all play a role in the landscape shift of the industry. When you add technology to the mix, advancements start snowballing rapidly.
This week on Inside Reproductive Health I interviewed Dr. Robert Stillman, a Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility subspecialist with over 40 years of experience. We recount his experience from beginning to the present and what he deems will be important in the future. He has direct experience with the integration of private equity capital into fertility practice and has led trends in practice financing, technology (e.g. AI, genetic testing, egg freezing), physician and staff recruitment, retainment, compensation, partnership tract, and retirement paradigms.
In this episode, we talk about Dr. Stillman’s insight into the industry and big trends we are seeing including how Artificial Intelligence is and will continue to shift the industry. We also talk about:
- How Private Equity effects Fertility Practice
- What changes have happened in the Fertility field over the last 20 years
- How has consolidation and expansion has affected the REI landscape
- How Bob was able to successfully work with the academic centers
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin goes through all the frequently asked questions we get about working with us and about the Fertility Marketing System. So, if you’ve ever considered working with us, but have been wanting to know more about how we work, this is the episode for you. In addition to answering all the frequently asked questions we hear, Griffin also elaborates on who is the ideal Fertility Bridge client and shares exactly what you need to do to get started working with us.
Find the Fertility Patient Marketing Journey here. And to read all of our FAQs, find them here.
Subscribe to our emails. Connect with Griffin on LinkedIn.
Ready to work with us? Visit us at FertilityBridge.com to get started.
Since the inception of Fertility Bridge, our Fertility Marketing System has helped dozens of fertility clinics and businesses across the world. Our proven system of diagnosis (Goal and Competitive Diagnostic), treatment plan (Fertility Marketing Blueprint), application of treatment (Execution, Oversight, Advisory), and ongoing treatment can be applied to any business in the fertility field.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin breaks down the Fertility Marketing System, outlining each step of our process, what is involved, and can help you decide which path might be best for your fertility clinic or adjacent business.
Find the Fertility Patient Marketing Journey here.
To learn more about the Fertility Marketing System and how to get started with us, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
We’ve seen it happen all over the country and you’ve probably seen it in your backyard--clinics are merging and consolidating, absorbing the market share. But with the fall of Integramed in the spring of 2020 and dozens of clinics left in the lurch, mergers and consolidations started to appear more risky.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Mark Segal, CEO of Shady Grove Fertility and CEO of the newly-formed US Fertility, a fertility group made up of Shady Grove Fertility, IVF Florida, RSC of the Bay Area, and FCI in Chicago. Despite forming in a pandemic and after the Integramed news, US Fertility’s partnerships thrive--and are geared to keep growing, especially in the next 18 months. So what does that mean for the hundreds of smaller clinics that continue to remain in the field?
You can find Mark Segal on LinkedIn and learn more about US Fertility by visiting USFertility.com.
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
Are all clinic owners entrepreneurs? Do all physician-owners really have what it takes to successfully run and grow a private practice?
We’ve talked about joining networks, understanding private equity, and entrepreneurship a lot on this podcast, but usually we are talking about high-level practices to get patients in the door and help them convert to treatment. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, we get a new perspective, one that focuses on entrepreneurship, best business practices, and what it really takes to grow in our field.
Dr. Andrew Meikle is the Founder and CEO of The Fertility Partners, a company based in Canada that aims to empower and enable fertility clinics by providing collaboration and strategic expertise. Through his experience in other healthcare fields and his current work in the fertility field, Dr. Meikle shares his thoughts on clinic ownership and entrepreneurship, what fertility networks are looking for, and important things to keep in mind when considering joining private equity.
Learn more about The Fertility Partners and Dr. Andrew Meikle at www.TheFertilityPartners.com.
Mentioned in this episode:
74 - Dr. Paco Arredondo
78 - Dr. Paco Arredondo
59 - Dr. Michael Alper
16 - Dr. David Sable
85 - Dr. David Sable
45 - TJ Farnsworth
Discover our Fertility Marketing System at www.fertilitybridge.com
We’re taking a break from our usual show today! On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, our own Griffin Jones talks about the Fertility Patient Marketing Journey, a recap of a recent blog post he wrote that can be found here: https://www.fertilitybridge.com/inside-reproductive-health/2017/10/17/fertilitymarketingfundamentals2018. From the initial touchpoint with potential patients (strangers) to how to continue patient delight post-treatment, Griffin offers his tips on how to make the most out of each phase.
Want to dig into the journey more with your clinic? Sign up for the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Creating a succession plan can be a daunting task for both new REIs entering the field and docs who are ready to retire. New REIs are looking for a place to call “home” that will help them meet their goals, while retiring docs want someone who will carry on their legacy and maintain their core values.
On this episode, Griffin talks to Dr. Paul Brezina, Director of Reproductive Genetics at the Fertility Associates of Memphis. After finishing his fellowship, Dr. Paul Brezina set out to find a private practice to join with the hopes of one day being a managing partner. From day one at Fertility Associates of Memphis, he knew what needed to be done to join the two founding partners of the clinic. While sharing his story, Dr. Paul Brezina shares his thoughts about creating succession plans and what new REIs should be looking and asking for as they set out in their careers in the fertility field.
Learn more about Dr. Paul Brezina and Fertility Associates of Memphis by visiting FertilityMemphis.com.
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
It’s safe to say that fertility nurses play a vital role in the success of any clinic in our field. But nursing burnout can happen quickly causing staffing shortages and even a reduction in conversion to treatment rates. To combat this, clinics need to remain proactive in their efforts to manage nursing overwhelm. So how do you do it?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Sima Taghi Zadeh, the Director of Nursing at Pacific Fertility Center of Los Angeles. Sima began her career in fertility as a Medical Assistant, then went on to continue her education and work up the ladder to her current role, all while being a fertility patient herself. Sima’s perspective gives insight into what clinics can do to retain their nurses through empowerment, building morale, and preventing burnout.
Learn more about Sima Taghi Zadeh and Pacific Fertility Center of Los Angeles by visiting https://www.pfcla.com/.
Mentioned in this episode:
14 - Dr. Serena Chen
89 - Drs. Serena Chen and Roohi Jeelani
Monica Moore
MRSI
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
Academic clinics, independently-owned private clinics, network clinics. With a variety of options for a new REI to choose from, it’s hard to decide just which one is best.
After working in almost every REI path, Dr. Samuel Brown decided to go out on a limb and start his own practice. Today, Brown Fertility is a flourishing independently-owned fertility clinic located throughout Florida.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Dr. Brown shares his experiences in all types of career paths and what led him to decide to form his own practice. He tells it all: the ups-and-downs of owning your own clinic, some tips on handling business challenges in a fertility practice, and why he chooses to remain independent despite a changing field. Dr. Brown also offers his perspective on the future of the independent REI clinic.
To learn more about Dr. Brown and Brown Fertility, go to brownfertility.com or find them on Facebook or Instagram, @brownfertility.
Mentioned in this episode:
#93 - Dr. Eric Forman#59 - Dr. Michael Alper“The Great Game of Business”“Toxic Charity”
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
After her own experience with fertility testing, Afton Vechery set out to make the testing process easier for millions of women across the country looking for a better understanding of their reproductive health. From day one, Modern Fertility aimed to provide quality, peer-reviewed information to empower young women to have the knowledge they need to make more informed decisions about her fertility.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Afton shares the Modern Fertility story. She shares how she brought her vision to life, including how she has been able to raise funds from Venture Capital companies. Griffin and Afton also discuss how Modern Fertility hopes to work with fertility clinics to improve the patient experience across the board.
Learn more about Afton and Modern Fertility by visiting modernfertility.com/ or finding them on Instagram @modernfertility.
Mentioned in this episode:
85 - David Sable
61 - Jeff Issner and Taylor Stein of EngagedMD
ACOG Publication: Concordance of Fingerstick and Venipuncture Sampling for Fertility Hormones
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
Dr. Eric Forman currently serves as the Medical and Lab Director at Columbia University in New York City. After his fellowship and early years as an REI in a private practice, Dr. Forman took an opportunity to join one of the most well-known academic REI divisions in the country.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin and Dr. Forman take a look at both the private practice and the academic REI division models, dissecting the pros and cons of each. From restrictions on care to cumbersome processes, Dr. Forman corrects some preconceived notions and offers his advice to new fellows searching for the right career path for them.
Learn more about Dr. Eric Forman by visiting https://www.columbiaobgyn.org/profile/eric-j-forman-md or find him on Twitter @EricFormanMD.
Mentioned in this episode:
59 - Michael Alper
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
Marjorie Dixon is the founder, CEO, and Medical Director of Anova Fertility and Reproductive Health in Toronto, Canada. After completing her training in the States and experiencing what the field was like in her home country of Canada, Dr. Dixon knew she wanted to start a new clinic that used the best technology, provided the best care, and increased access-to-care for the LGBTQI+ population, one that was close to her heart.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin digs into why Dr. Dixon chose to start her clinic in Toronto and what she does to not only increase the availability of care to all populations, but what she does to make them feel welcome in her practice.
Learn more about Dr. Marjorie Dixon at anovafertility.com/dr-marjorie-dixon/ or find her on Twitter @DrMarjorieDixon.
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
Dr. Cindy Duke is the founder Physician, Medical Director, and Lab Director at Nevada Fertility Institute in Las Vegas. While finishing fellowship, Dr. Duke began to pursue a unique start to her career in fertility: a de novo clinic for a fertility network. Combining her passion for research and patient care, she was able to form her own clinic, all while remaining under the umbrella of a supporting network.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin and Dr. Duke dig into why she chose this career path and just how she was able to get a nationwide network on board. Dr. Duke also shares the balance between influencer and leader in her clinic and the field as a whole. Griffin and Dr. Duke also reminisce about Rochester, New York and the benefits of “small town” fertility clinics.
You can find Dr. Cindy Duke at DrCindyDuke.com or on Twitter @DrCindyMDuke.
Mentioned in this episode:
Bret Weinstein’s Intellectual Roundtable.
To learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, visit us at FertilityBridge.com.
As we head into a new (and hopefully better) year, we wanted to take a look back on all the wonderful, inspiring guests we had on Inside Reproductive Health throughout the year. We talked about affordable care, mentoring new staff in the clinic and the lab. We learned about independent clinics and how they thrive despite heavy network competition, networks and how they continue to provide personalized care even after becoming publicly-owned. We talked about reducing physician burnout and increasing patient communication. And so much more.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, we highlighted your favorite episodes and compiled the best clips into one episode for you to enjoy as 2020 wraps up.
Find the full list of included episodes here.
Thank you to everyone who came on the show this year!
Patient advocacy has always been an important part of the fertility field. With great organizations and lots of outspoken patients, patients are receiving more education outside of the clinic. But should physicians be involved in this sort of advocacy, too? Don’t they have enough on their plates?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke to Dr. Serena Chen of IRMS and Saint Barnabas Medical Center and Dr. Roohi Jeelani of Vios Fertility. Together, they co-authored a recently published paper, “Is Advocacy the solution to physician burnout?” They discuss why physicians should be more involved in advocacy and educating patients outside of their clinic. And why, against what one might think, it could reduce burnout for physicians in the long run.
Learn more about Dr. Chen by visiting her on Instagram @drserenahchen or at sbivf.com.
Find Dr. Roohi Jeelani on Instagram @roohijeelanimd or at viosfertilityinstitute.com.
Discover our Fertility Marketing System at www.fertilitybridge.com
Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh is a single-physician practice owner, operating out of her clinic in the San Francisco Bay area. When she entered the field in 2008, she had one goal: reach every person who needs access to fertility care. To her, that doesn’t necessarily mean treating every patient, but it does mean putting out valuable information for patients to help them make informed decisions and, hopefully, help them reach their dreams of becoming pregnant.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin and Dr. Aimee explore all the ways that she is trying to change the patient-physician relationship through communication both in and outside of her office. From her extended hours and lax phone call policy to her Podcast and YouTube channel, she has made herself accessible to her direct patients and her audience around the world. She shares what our clinics can do to further build their relationship with their patients and help make patient journeys just a little bit easier.
Learn more about Dr. Aimee and her endeavors at www.draimee.org or by visiting her on Instagram @eggwhisperer.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Matt Retzloff of Fertility Center of San Antonio. This time, they discuss how Fertility Bridge was able to help FCSA increase their new patient appointments, ramp up their referral network, and ultimately increase their retrievals after years of plateauing and even dropping.
Mentioned in this Episode:
82- The Business Case for Fertility Surgery
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
The disposing of embryos has long been a controversial topic in the world of IVF. Clinics can’t afford to keep embryos around when patients have stopped paying their bills. But the ethical and legal implications keep embryo disposition from being a simple decision. Plus, patients aren’t really properly educated on what the limitations of cryopreservation are and clinics aren’t always fully prepared with proper consents and contracts when the time comes to freeze embryos.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke to Igor Brusil, attorney-at-law and per diem embryologist and legal counsel for the American College of Embryology in Houston, Texas. After working as an embryologist, Igor became interested in the ethical and legal implications of lab procedures, specifically embryo disposition. This led him to pursuing a legal degree and working as counsel for a variety of clients, but his focus remained in healthcare law, risk management, and professional liability.
He brought his unique experience to the show, sharing his thoughts on what clinics can do to protect themselves when it comes to the issue of embryo disposition.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Venture Capital has been slowly making its way into the field over the last several years. But just what is it looking to improve?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. David Sable, a retired REI and current serial investor in biotechnology and other companies that aim to make the field more efficient and accessible by the patients we aim to treat. They discuss what it is going to take to scale to a million cycles in the US and 15 million around the world. From lessons from oncology to bottlenecks holding us back, Dr. Sable shares his biggest hopes for the fertility field and what entrepreneurs need to do to get it to the next level.
Dr. David Sable co-founded and served as director of the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey, was founder of Assisted Reproductive Medical Technologies, and was co-founder of Reprogenetics. In addition to serving as a reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Sable also sought to help the field as a whole by finding investors to create new technology to increase the amount of people served by the field. Today, Dr. Sable is a life sciences portfolio manager, an adjunct at Columbia University, and serves as director, advisor, and board member for a wide range of biotech and advocacy organizations.
Learn more about Dr. David Sable at www.dbsable.com or find him on Twitter @dbsable.
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 16, Dr. David Sable
Episode 2, Dr. Robert Kiltz
Episode 68, Dr. Robert Kiltz, Dr. Paul Magarelli, and Dr. Mark Amols
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
When COVID-19 entered the United States, it felt like a scramble to figure out what our next steps were as a field. Do operations continue to give patients the best chance of success? Or do the risks outweigh the benefits? Some clinics pivoted quickly, following the ASRM guidelines precisely. And some clinics panicked with feelings of apprehension of stopping treatment all together.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Oluyemisi (Yemi) Famuyiwa, the leader of a clinic who seemed to be well-prepared for the unknowns of the virus. Dr. Famuyiwa is the founder and director of Montgomery Fertility Center, an independent clinic located in Rockville, Maryland. Dr. Famuyiwa aims to provide state-of-the-art care based on emergent technologies and ongoing research. And this philosophy was truly exposed when COVID-19 first came on the radar.
Her ahead-of-the-game research got her clinic appropriately prepared for the emergence of the virus in her area, keeping volume steady--and even bringing it to the highest it has ever been. So what lessons can other clinics take from her experience in the COVID-19 era?
Learn more about Dr. Yemi Famuyiwa and Montgomery Fertility Center by visiting montgomeryfertilitycenter.com.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. John Crochet of the Center of Reproductive Medicine. CoRM is an independently-owned clinic based in Houston, Texas, one of the largest markets in the field. In recent years, PE-owned and PE-backed clinics have started to take over the city, making the independent clinic almost obsolete… or have they?
Together, we discuss how the Center of Reproductive Medicine continues to thrive despite the money being funneled into their competitors in the market. From how they hire new docs to their philosophy on patient experience, we hear it all.
Dr. John Crochet trained in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Duke University and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas. Originally from Texas, Dr. Crochet went back to his roots, joining the Center of Reproductive Medicine in 2012. As an REI, Dr. Crochet has a goal of providing personalized care and an evidence-based approach to each family hoping to expand.
Learn more about Dr. John Crochet and the Center of Reproductive Medicine by visiting www.infertilitytexas.com
Mentioned in this episode:
38 - Dr. Candace Perfetto58 - Dr. Lowell Ku
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Matt Retzloff, a Reproductive Endocrinologist from the independently-owned Fertility Center of San Antonio. Dr. Retzloff is board certified in both RE and OB/GYN and has a special interest in fertility-related surgery, focusing on minimally invasive surgeries.
Dr. Retzloff is a firm believer that surgery for infertility-related issues is best managed within a fertility practice, allowing for continuity, confidence, and best outcomes for the patient. But looking at it through the lens of business, those benefits don’t always align with business operations and finances.
Together, we dig into the pros and cons of keeping fertility surgery in the purview of the REI.
Mentioned in this episode:
The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack
Learn more about Dr. Retzloff by visiting https://www.fertilitysa.com/.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Despite busy schedules taking care of patients and often running clinics themselves, it’s not uncommon to see doctors getting involved in ventures outside of their clinic’s four walls. From investing in pharmacies to serving as medical directors for new ART companies to starting software companies, REIs can be found doing a lot. No matter what the venture is, there is always the potential for creating a conflict of interest. So how do doctors draw the line? How are they able to ensure they are keeping the patient’s best interest at heart, and not just making decisions that are beneficial to the physician?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Kevin Doody. Dr. Doody founded Care Fertility in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife, Kathy, in 1989. He is also co-creator of effortless IVF, which is a new ART technology treatment that uses INVOcells. He is also the Chief Scientist of Global Fertility and Genetics.
Together, Griffin and Dr. Doody talk about entrepreneurship in the fertility field, and then, we dig into conflicts of interest in the field: what is acceptable and what isn’t.
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 42, Jamie Metzl
Episode 16, David Sable
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Reproductive endocrinologists and other professionals in our field all have the same main goal: helping people build their families. But we all know that treatment is expensive, and the resulting revenue is how clinic owners get paid. In some cases, treatments can involve ‘extra’ services, resulting in additional revenue, but it may not always mean a better chance of success for the patient.
So how do you draw the line? When do clinics start to toe the ethical line when presenting options to their patients?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Mark Trolice of Fertility CARE: The IVF Center in Winter Park, Florida. From his perspective as a former patient and as a provider of care in a non-mandated state, we look at fertility treatment “up-sells” such as egg freezing and PGT and the ethical implications of REs owning their own labs.
Mentioned in this episode:
Journal of the American Medical Association Article about biomarkers of ovarian reserve
Santiago Munné Paper from Fertility and Sterility about PGT
Learn more about Dr. Trolice by visiting https://TheIVFcenter.com, finding him on Twitter @drmarktrolice or on Instagram @myfertilitycare.
Purchase Dr. Trolice’s book The Fertility Doctor’s Guide to Overcoming Infertility here.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
As of August 2020, less than half of the states in America have some form of mandated insurance coverage for fertility treatments. Some require coverage for IVF, some cover preservation, but more than 30 states still have no requirement for covering fertility treatments in any form. But why? Is coverage really beneficial on the business side of the fertility field?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke with writer and women’s health advocate, Jennifer “Jay” Palumbo. Jay is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Wonder Woman Writer, LLC and is an avid women’s health advocate. From her award-willing blog “The Two Week Wait” to working at major fertility benefits companies, her experience has helped shape her mission to advocate for women’s health needs, especially when it comes to infertility.
In this episode, we uncover the pros and cons of mandated coverage from both the patient and the clinic side.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Wall Street has been moving into healthcare for several years and it has been making its mark in the fertility field. Some practices have taken advantage of the influx of money in the field, but several haven’t. But several docs have some concerns, specifically when it comes to decision making.
Do private equity firms or people who invest in fertility clinics and businesses really have the best patient care in mind?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Francisco Arredondo, founder of RMA of Texas and author of his upcoming book, MedikalPreneur. Together, we dive into the pros and cons of money entering our field in the form of private equity.
Learn more about Dr. Arredondo here.
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 74 - Dr. Francisco Arredondo
Harvard Business Review Article
Bloomberg Businessweek Article
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Private equity, the growth of PGT, insurance negotiations, employer benefits, social media, IVF conversion rates, venture capital, marketing, partnership agreements, physician recruitment...and this is only half of what's happening in the field of reproductive medicine right now.
This is Inside Reproductive Health, the media outlet of the business side of the fertility field.
Join us as we dig deep into the world of fertility with doctors, nurses, and thought leaders from throughout our field.
New episodes launch every Tuesday.
Find us at InsideReproductiveHealth.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.
August is here. Usually, it's the time for vacations and recharging. But not in 2020. It's a different time now and finding the balance between work and life is trickier than ever.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Dr. Stephanie Gustin of Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine, PC in Omaha, Nebraska. Between seeing patients, running her independent practice with her partner, teaching OB/GYN residents, raising a family of her own, and making time for herself, it’s safe to say that Dr. Gustin has a pretty full plate. Despite it all, however, she has found a work-life fit that works for her. So what is her secret?
Learn more about Dr. Stephanie Gustin at heartlandfertility.com
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Choosing when to retire, or more simply, whether or not one should retire, is a difficult question. It takes lots of reflection, looking back on one’s journey throughout their professional life and whether or not they feel like they’ve left no stone unturned as their journey comes to an end. In the field of fertility, it can be even more difficult to make that decision.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Selwyn Oskowitz, founder of Boston IVF and heads the Rwanda Fertility Initiative, an organization with a mission to provide affordable fertility services to every citizen of Rwanda. Dr. Oskowitz retired in 2016, leaving behind a legacy that left its mark across the entire field of reproductive medicine in the United States and beyond. In addition to sharing what he’s been doing with RII, Dr. Oskowitz also discusses why he chose to retire and what he sees are the biggest positive changes to come to our field.
Learn more about the Rwanda Fertility Initiative at www.therii.org.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Are you leading your employees? Or are you just managing them through every task?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Rita Gruber, President of Gruber Group, LLC, a consulting firm helping people in the medical field become effective leaders in their organizations. She shares with us the change in business management practices over the years, how to empower your employees, and what you can do today to help yourself become a better leader.
Whether you are a physician-owner, an office manager, director of a department, are part of the C-suite, or aspire to be any of the above, this episode is for you!
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 59 - Michael AlperEpisode 36 - Michael LevyEpisode 46 - Alan CoppermanStart with Why - Simon SinekEpisode 10 - Jason FranasiakEpisode 15 - Hannah Johnson
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Can physicians be business people? It’s not a part of their medical training. And medical problem solving isn’t exactly like business problem solving. So is it even possible for successful physicians to be equally successful entrepreneurs?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Francisco Arredondo, founder of RMA of Texas and author of his upcoming book, MedikalPreneur. Dr. Arredondo digs into a few concepts discussed in his book, focusing mainly on the similarities and differences between the traditional physician and the traditional entrepreneur. Listen to find out what it takes for physicians who wish to also be entrepreneurs in the fertility field to be successful in both endeavors.
The academic fertility practice has forever played a crucial role in the fertility field. The pursuits by those in academia have led to deeper insights into genetics, the development of ICSI, and has helped shape most of ART as we know it today.
But from the outside, the academic center appears to be full of bureaucracy and red tape, often translating into a lack of control for docs on the inside. If this is true, is it pushing away potential new doctors? What is the motivation to jump into this practice model?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Kenan Omurtag of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Omurtag shares what he views as the pros of working in an academic clinic, as well as the downsides to working in an academic system. They also discuss the history of the model and what it will look like in the future as the world of fertility continues to grow.
2005 Article from Fertility and Sterility on Academic Medicine
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Social media marketing. Website content. Reputation management. Are these marketing channels really beneficial for fertility clinics? Will it really help you beat out the new competition in your market? Can’t you just rely on word-of-mouth referrals?
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Donald Young of Mid-Iowa Fertility, a two-doctor physician group outside of Des Moines. His practice has been a client of Fertility Bridge for the past year, completing the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic, got a treatment plan, and chose to continue an ongoing marketing relationship. He shares why Mid-Iowa Fertility decided it was time to pursue working with a marketing firm and why they chose Fertility Bridge as their marketing partner.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Patients were heartbroken by fertility clinic shutdowns due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. People who have waited for possibly years for their chance to start or continue to build their family had their hopes dashed when they learned their treatment would be delayed for an indefinite amount of time. But how did clinics handle the communication with their patients? And are patients ready to come back with the threat of the disease still looming?
To help answer those questions, RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association, conducted a survey asking over 500 patients directly impacted by the shutdowns to share their experiences.
On this live episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke to Barb Collura, President and CEO of RESOLVE. She walked us through the survey's results and what your clinic can do with the results to make a better experience for your patients who had to stall their fertility treatments, as well as those coming in during these unknown times.
Link to survey results: https://resolve.org/covid-19-and-infertility-patient-experience/
HRC Fertility is one of the largest providers of Assisted Reproductive Care in the United States. Started in Southern California in 1988, the clinic has grown immensely, serving thousands of patients every year. In 2017, HRC took their success globally, joining forces with Jinxin Fertility and listing on the Hong Kong Exchange. Despite the booming expansion, HRC never forgot its roots: providing quality, personal care for its patients and giving physicians the opportunity to have full control of patient treatment.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke with Dr. Bradford Kolb, President of HRC Fertility. Dr. Kolb joined the practice in 2001 and worked through the IPO process with his partners, making HRC what it is today. Not only did we talk about the process of going public, but more importantly, we talked about how HRC was able to maintain their patient and physician culture in this rapid phase of growth. He shares the structure of the clinic and what they do to maintain a small practice feel for such a large organization. Plus, Dr. Kolb offers advice for young fellows and physicians entering the world of Reproductive Medicine and what they can do to be successful in the field from both a personal and professional standpoint.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
The first trimester of pregnancy is crucial. Organ development is taking place, the placenta is being developed, things that can affect the trajectory of the entire pregnancy, or the baby’s life. But as of now, there is no data on the potential impact of COVID-19 during this critical stage of development.
But soon, that will all change. And what will it mean for fertility clinics once there is scientific data?
On this special live episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke with Dr. Eleni Jaswa and Dr. Marcelle Cedars, two of the Principal Investigators of the ASPIRE study being conducted through UCSF Center for Reproductive Health. This study hopes to reach 10,000 pregnant women in their first trimester and monitor them, looking for any impact that COVID-19 might have on fetuses through babies aged 18 months. They share the ultimate goal of the study, just how they are going to do it, and what you can do to be involved to help patients make more informed decisions when it comes to the potential risks of COVID-19.
This episode was recorded during a live webinar. As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues and new issues arise, we are putting out new information to help you and your fertility business. Follow us on social media for updates on upcoming webinars and how to join them live. Find this information helpful? We’d love it if you’d share with a friend or colleague in the fertility space.
It’s not often that people relate the word “Affordable” with IVF. But the Affordable IVF Model is a thriving business model in a world full of expensive treatments. Despite questions about their revenue, rates, and processes, the model is growing and providing high-quality care to a vast amount of patients across the country. What can all clinics gain from this model, especially heading into a post-COVID-19 world?
On this special live episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke with three leading doctors whose clinics follow the Affordable IVF Model: Dr. Robert Kiltz of CNY Fertility, Dr. Paul Magarelli of Magarelli Fertility, and Dr. Mark Amols of New Direction Fertility Centers. Together, they talk about just how they make the Affordable IVF Model work, as well as answer common objections to their services.
This episode was recorded during a live webinar. As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues and new issues arise, we are putting out new information to help you and your fertility business. Follow us on social media for updates on upcoming webinars and how to join them live. Find this information helpful? We’d love it if you’d share with a friend or colleague in the fertility space.
Clinics are slowly opening back up. Patients are returning for services. But things definitely look different than they did two months ago.
On this special live episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talked to Dr. Jovana Lekovich of RMA of New York and Lisa Rinehart of LegalCare Consulting. Together, we discussed the new normal of clinics and took a look at how clinics can update their Standard Operating Procedures to comply with federal guidelines, all while keeping their patients and employees safe.
This episode was recorded during a live webinar. As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues and new issues arise, we are putting out new information to help you and your fertility business. Follow us on social media for updates on upcoming webinars and how to join them live. Find this information helpful? We’d love it if you’d share with a friend or colleague in the fertility space.
**Please note that this episode contains some insights into the legal aspects of SOPs and COVD-19. This is not intended to provide legal counsel to you or to your clinic, it is merely a conversation about legalities with a licensed attorney.
The past several weeks have brought about new decisions that clinics never thought they’d have to face. Pausing treatments for almost all patients, furloughing or laying-off staff because of that pause, and so many other never-before-seen challenges. Hopefully, the light at the end of the tunnel is coming and clinics can get back to business as (almost) usual. But what about all the doctors in limbo? Doctors are coming out of fellowship, ready to make a difference in the lives of thousands of patients, but will they have a place to go when restrictions are lifted? Can clinics support new docs in an economic downturn?
Continuing in our COVID-19 Business Response Series on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin was joined by Dr. Ruben Alvero of Stanford University Medical Center, Dr. Angie Beltsos of VIOS Fertility Institute, and TJ Farnsworth of Inception Fertility Ventures. Together, they take a look at what will happen once clinics reopen: Will they be able to operate normally? Will contracts from fellows be honored? Will more staff be needed if a backlog of patients is ready to start treatment? These questions and more are discussed among the panelists, hopefully shedding a positive light on the future of clinics after COVID-19.
This episode was recorded during a live webinar. As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues and new issues arise, we are putting out new information to help you and your fertility business. Follow us on social media for updates on upcoming webinars and how to join them live. Find this information helpful? We’d love it if you’d share with a friend or colleague in the fertility space.
Need help navigating marketing through this unprecedented time? Check out our COVID-19 Toolkit from Fertility Bridge.
Unemployment, reduced hours, pay cuts. The reality of the COVID-19 Pandemic extends far beyond the pausing of fertility treatments. Over 60% of our country has been financially impacted by stay-at-home orders and social distancing. While clinics are working hard to keep patients in their funnels to start treatment once restrictions are limited, how are these patients going to afford the treatment? It’s not out of line to think that the demand for new financial resources will go up and the need for financing of treatments will increase. But, as we all know, discussing money can be sensitive, especially when it comes along with an infertility journey.
So, When do we talk about it with our patients? How do we talk about it with them? What can we do to help our patients afford proper care while the economy is in a downturn?
On this special episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. David Adamson of ARC Fertility and Andy Swan of Ally Lending. They discuss not only the changes we can expect in lending and patient decision-making post-pandemic, they also offer advice to financial counselors on approaching the sensitive topic of funding treatment.
This episode was recorded during a live webinar. As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues and new issues arise, we are putting out new information to help you and your fertility business. Follow us on social media for updates on upcoming webinars and how to join them live. Find this information helpful? We’d love it if you’d share with a friend or colleague in the fertility space.
Need help navigating marketing through this unprecedented time? Check out our COVID-19 Toolkit from Fertility Bridge.
“...this is an unprecedented time for everybody. We all have our expertise in different areas and our experience in different areas and now's the time to be talking about our approaches, what we're doing, sharing our ideas, and really, really working together to try to get through this and to put practices and patients in the best positions possible.”
It is business as unusual right now. Patients everywhere have been told that treatments have been put on hold and have been left in limbo. Thankfully, there has been a surge in interest in using digital technology to keep some semblance of normal for patients seeking treatment. Thanks to applications such as Zoom, clinics are able to conduct consults or relay testing results. And thanks to new innovations making consents available online, clinics are able to get patients ready for treatment, while remaining in good legal-standing.
On this special episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Jeff Issner and Taylor Stein of EngagedMD, a company that has developed an application that not only provides digital consent forms, but also goes the extra mile in patient education. Dr. Stephen Katz of REI Protect joins in the discussion, offering his perspective on risk mitigation and ensuring your practice reduces liability in any way it can during these unprecedented times.
This episode was recorded during a live webinar. In the coming weeks, we will continue to provide webinars with updated information on relevant topics. Learn more about our upcoming webinars at FertilityBridge.com.
Please note that all information included in this podcast is not legal advice and is simply to provide fertility clinics with information on the use of digital consents. Before using any advice in this podcast episode, please consult with your legal team.
Find Jeff Issner and Tayor Stein at Engaged MD by visiting Engaged-MD.com.
Learn about Dr. Katz and his services at REI Protect at REIProtect.com.
Need help navigating marketing through this unprecedented time? Check out our COVID-19 Toolkit from Fertility Bridge.
Determining when, how, and why you should consider staff reductions can be challenging. During the COVID-19 pandemic, making these decisions can be even harder.
On this special episode of Inside Reproductive Health, I spoke with Sara Mooney, Director of Administration at Seattle Reproductive Medicine and Marianne Kreiner, Chief Human Resources Officer at Shady Grove Fertility. Together, we lay out some details of the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program, and answer questions from fertility leaders in clinics across the country.
We are all in this together. If you need help navigating your business through this pandemic and want to know how to prepare your clinic when it is over, sign up for our Communications and Marketing Toolkit.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
The outbreak of COVID-19 is changing the world, in both the present and in the future. In these uncertain times, hospitals and other healthcare facilities are looking to implement new technologies to continue to provide services, while limiting their face-to-face interaction. But implementing HIPAA-approved telehealth applications in a short amount of time can prove to be a challenge. Thankfully, the federal government is lifting rules and reevaluating their regulations to allow healthcare companies to use other tools to reach their patients in these difficult times. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Jill Gordon and Sarah Swank, lawyers in the healthcare division of Nixon Peabody. They navigate the changes to HIPAA regulations in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis and how clinics can appropriately implement telehealth to help their patients through their journeys without seeing them in office.
Learn more about Nixon Peabody or contact Jill Gordon and Sarah Swankfor more information on implementing telemedicine.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Entering the fertility space outside of owning a clinic is challenging. Entering the space as a tech company, well, that’s a whole other story. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke with Jeff Issner and Taylor Stein, co-founders of EngagedMD. Together, they developed software that helps to educate patients and provide informed consent in clinics across the country. They share the story of how they got started in the fertility space, from idea to execution, without any commercial debt.
Jeff and Taylor also talk about how they got doctors and clinics on board before their software was even fully developed. Plus, they discuss the ever-challenging hiring process and what they do to make sure they are getting the best people on board.
Learn more about Jeff and Taylor and EngagedMD.
Other episodes mentioned:
Episode 36, Michael Levy
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic atFertilityBridge.com.
Selecting the right path in fertility is hard. Each type of practice: private, network, or academic, each has its own pros and cons and it’s easy to get lost in the details of each. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin spoke with Dr. Eve Feinberg, Medical Director at Northwestern Fertility and Associate Professor at Northwestern University. Dr. Feinberg shares her story of leaving private practice as a full equity partner to pursue her love of teaching and mentoring fellows by entering academia. She share her thoughts on the benefits of working in each and offers advice to anyone looking to switch their current trajectory.
Learn more about Dr. Feinberg and her department at Northwestern Fertility.
Other episodes mentioned:
Episode 41, Eduardo Hariton
Episode 50, Pietro Bortoletto
Kenan Omurtag, upcoming episode
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic atFertilityBridge.com.
Boston IVF, one of the largest IVF centers in the nation and one of the first free-standing clinics in the country. What started as an independent clinic grew into one with a well-respected academic affiliation, and now has partnered with a worldwide hospital group. Through it all, their mission remained the same: bring state of the art technology to a patient-centered outpatient clinic. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, I talk to one of the founders of Boston IVF, Dr. Michael Alper. Dr. Alper shares the history of Boston IVF, but more importantly how they grew into what they are today. His story teaches important lessons to any doctor-owned clinic curious about academic affiliations or partnering with outside equity groups.
Learn about Dr. Alper and his team at Boston IVF.
Other episodes mentioned:Episode 36, Dr. Michael Levy
Episode 14, Dr. Serena Chen
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic atFertilityBridge.com.
Large practice networks and groups with private equity backing are becoming more and more attractive to new REIs coming out of fellowship. Is there still a draw for new doctors to join smaller, independently-owned practices? On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Lowell Ku, Senior Partner and Medical Director at Dallas IVF. Dr. Ku left fellowship with a plan to join academia, but was quickly drawn into being his own boss at a small privately-owned clinic. Dr. Ku shares his story about why he chose this path and offers his advice to new fellows who are searching for answers to determine their own path in the fertility world.
Learn about Dr. Ku and Dallas IVF at dallasivf.com.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic atFertilityBridge.com.
We’ve all heard the stories. Your neighbor started the adoption process and got pregnant in the middle of the process. A cousin gave up on conception after 3 years and was pregnant within a month. Is there something internal going on that helps this happen? On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Marc Sherman, founder of Organic Conceptions. After two unexpected pregnancies amidst a journey with infertility, he wanted to investigate this phenomenon. Teaming up with a psychologist, Organic Conceptions created an online program for couples struggling to conceive. Their program helps to reassess patient expectations and help them through their mental and emotional challenges.
Learn about Marc Sherman and his company, Organic Conceptions, by visiting www.organic-conceptions.com.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic atFertilityBridge.com.
Patient retention is a crucial part to the success of any clinic. While good success rates and pleasant staff can get patients to continue treatment with you, there are other ways that your clinic can help. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Connie Stark of A.R.T. of Wellness. Their discussion uncovers a new way to help retain patients. Learn about the five aspects of life Connie focuses on in her coaching services and how integrative care can keep your patients all in on their fertility journey.
Learn about Connie Stark and A.R.T. of Wellness at www.artofwellnesscoach.com.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic atFertilityBridge.com.
Embryo disposition is a sensitive topic for patients even long after they’ve left a clinic. However, there can also be a burden placed on clinics when it comes to making space and cryopreserving embryo, eggs, or sperm for an extended period of time. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, we learn more about how one company is working to alleviate the burden for both the patient and the clinic. Listen to Griffin talk to Andrew Gairani of Embryo Options, a web-based application that provides patients with disposition education and resources, along with other features that make storage easier for everyone.
Learn more about Mr. Gairani and Embryo Options here.
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
There’s a challenge in finding the balance between keeping both your staff and patients happy. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin gets Dr. Peter Klatsky’s take on managing everyone’s satisfaction while providing a new standard of care. Working with his partners at Spring Fertility in California, their goal is to provide their patients a level of service that isn’t seen anywhere else, all while keeping their employees happy and in for the long haul.
Learn more about Dr. Klatsky and Spring Fertility by visiting www.springfertility.com/
Read about the work done by Mama Rescue and support their vision by visiting www.mamarescue.org/
To get started on a marketing plan for your company, complete the Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at FertilityBridge.com.
Other episodes mentioned in Episode 54:
Ep. 50, Dr. Pietro Bortoletto
Ep. 54, TJ Farnsworth
Are you struggling to retain your lab employees? You are not alone. Retention is a commonly-discussed issue across the field of reproductive medicine, but no one is hurting more than the lab. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Bill Venier, IVF Lab Director at San Diego Fertility Center. Together, they discuss what SDFC is doing to keep their employees in for the long haul, as well as some ideas to ease the training process of new reproductive biologists.
Learn more about Dr. Venier and his staff at San Diego Fertility Center here.
Other episodes mentioned in this episode:
Episode 26, Shaun Reed
Simon Sinek books mentioned in this episode:
Start with WhyLeaders Eat Last
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Privately-owned, private equity-backed, academic medicine, independent practice...each type of clinic comes with its own set of pros and cons, but are all of them going to be around forever? On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. John Nichols. Dr. Nichols left his job in academic medicine to open his own private-practice, Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group (PREG) in Greenville, South Carolina. They discuss Dr. Nichols’ journey, his thoughts on the benefits of independent practices, and whether or not these clinics will continue to be relevant in the ever-changing fertility world.
Donor gametes are a crucial pillar of the field of fertility, but what happens behind the scenes? On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dennis Marchesi, Director of Laboratory Operations at Xytex, a sperm bank located in South Carolina. Together, they talk about the nuances of different labs working together and how Xytex is dealing with cultural changes that are affecting anonymity of donors.
Millennial REIs are finishing their fellowship programs and entering the workforce. With this passing of the torch, change is bound to happen, but what kind of changes can we expect? On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Pietro Bortoletto, an REI Fellow at Weill Cornell Center for Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Bortoletto shares his thoughts on the future of REI clinics, both privately-owned and academic, and how the millennial doctors can make a positive impact on their patients and the field as a whole.
It’s easy to feel like the patient’s journey is confined to the four walls of your clinic, but their journeys extend deep into their lives. Because of this, providing support services, either in your clinic or outside of it, is so important to the mental health of the families you serve. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Amira Posner, founder of Healing Infertility and the Mind-Body Fertility Group in Toronto, Ontario. With her background in social work and her experience with secondary infertility, Amira set out on a mission to help women going through a similar experience and provide them with the mental health support they need. Together, Griffin and Amira discuss what she does to support her clients and offers advice to providers and support staff on how they can best provide mental health support in their clinics.
Consolidation, IPO, publicly-owned...all words that weren’t a part of the fertility world vocabulary 10 years ago. Now, they are becoming more and more common, which can be both exciting and nerve-wracking to entrepreneurs in the field. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones, founder of Fertility Bridge, talks to David Wolf, President and CEO of Hamilton Thorne. They discuss the implications of consolidation coming into the fertility world as well as the pros and cons of both publicly- and privately-owned clinics and suppliers.
With the introduction of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act in Canada, Canadian clinics and families have been struggling to find quality third-party reproduction partners while remaining in accordance with the law. After going through her own journey and learning the challenges of the process, Liz Ellwood decided to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of Canadian families struggling with infertility by co-founding Fertility Match, an agency that matches families with donors. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Liz about her story and what she is doing to make the third-party reproductive process easier on families in Canada.
Building and growing an IVF practice can have numerous benefits for both the owners and the patients they serve. But growth can sometimes lead to loss of patient-focused care. On this episode, Griffin Jones, CEO of Fertility Bridge and host of Inside Reproductive Health, talks to Dr. Alan Copperman, Co-Founder and Medical Director of RMA of New York, one of the nation’s largest IVF centers. Together, they discuss how RMA of New York was able to retain their patient-focused culture while exponentially growing the practice. Their approach to delegating important tasks, understanding the “new” patient, and finding the right, compassionate employees has greatly contributed to their success today.
While outcomes are so important in the field of fertility, the patient journey can easily be lost. After going through his own journey, TJ Farnsworth founded Inception Fertility, a group of fertility practices across the country hoping to provide positive experiences for their patients. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin and TJ discuss the culture of Inception Fertility and how empowering your employees to be champions for your patients can have a meaningful impact on their experience. TJ also shares his thoughts on increasing collaboration between fertility clinics across the country and how that can mean success for everyone.
Getting involved with a nonprofit organization can provide numerous business development benefits to your company or practice. But finding the right organization to get involved with can be a challenge. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones talks to Barbara Collura, President of RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association. They discuss the benefits that RESOLVE can give to a business in the fertility field, but also the major benefits they provide patients seeking fertility treatments.
With a journey as emotional as infertility, it can be hard for patients to take a step back and laugh at the process. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Karen Jeffries (or as you might know her, @hilariously_infertile), a fertility patient trying to help others through their journeys with a little bit of humor. They talk about her fertility journey and how it impacted where she is today. They also discuss how providers can better communicate with their patients and the importance of transparency.
Preimplantation genetic testing has opened up a world of helping families have successful pregnancies. But when does the testing and selection of embryos go too far? In this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Jamie Metzl, author of Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity. They discuss the implications of advanced technologies such as the future of embryo screening and gene-editing. More importantly, Dr. Metzl discusses the significance of understanding the coming technologies and how those in the fertility field can help prepare their patients and the rest of the world for these changes.
The business of medicine is complicated and more often than not, the concept is split and managed by two people with different backgrounds and education. But what if they merged? On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Dr. Eduardo Hariton, a clinical fellow at the University of California in San Francisco. While attending Harvard Medical School, Dr. Hariton also attended Harvard Business School, simultaneously earning his MBA. Griffin and Dr. Hariton discuss the merging of business and medicine and how new REIs can gain business skills while still focusing on what is important: the patient.
There are lots of variables that make marketing to your patients a challenge. From age to regional differences, it isn’t an easy task and getting someone who understands both the world of marketing and the world of fertility can be beneficial. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks to Rob Taylor, owner of TD Media, another marketing firm helping fertility centers get results. They talk about trends they see in the world of fertility marketing, as well as some strategies that clinics, and physicians, can implement to increase their online presence, in turn, helping them reach their marketing goals.
Fertility practices across the United States can vary greatly based on state mandates and regional culture. But think of the differences across the world--it’s hard to fathom! On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones and Dr. Alex Quaas give us a glimpse into (literally) the world of fertility. Having practiced in numerous states and countries, Dr. Quaas shares his experiences, diving into the biggest differences in care he witnessed in Europe and here in the USA.
Growing your followers on social media can be challenging, especially when your niche is focused on fertility. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones, founder of Fertility Bridge, talks to Dr. Candice Perfetto, a board-certified REI working in Houston, Texas. Dr. Perfetto has grown her following on Instagram to over 10,000 followers and has seen the effort carry over into her practice. She discusses why she got started on Instagram and how she uses social media to build relationships with other practitioners and patients, both near and far. You can find Candice on Instagram at @candiceperfettomd.
We’ve flipped the script on this episode of Inside Reproductive Health and interviewed our esteemed host, Griffin Jones! Stephanie Linder interviews Griffin, founder of Fertility Bridge, and learns the mission of Fertility Bridge and why he chose to help the field of fertility. Griffin also shares his thoughts on who is doing well and what clinics could be doing to reach more patients and make their mark on the field as a whole.
Deciding to expand your practice, either by acquisition or starting new, is an exciting time. But, adding new staff, physicians, and equity partners can come with a handful of problems. On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin Jones, CEO of Fertility Bridge, talks to Dr. Michael Levy, IVF Director and President of Shady Grove Fertility. Shady Grove Fertility is the largest fertility group in America and has over 25 equity partners and almost 1000 employees. Griffin and Dr. Levy discuss the implication of having such a large staff base and just how they manage it, all while keeping the patient at the forefront of their culture.
On this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, CEO and Founder of Fertility Bridge, Griffin Jones, talks to Gina Bartasi.
A malpractice case can be the end of an REI practice, and with IVF errors often making it into the news, the pressure to be perfect is high. Thankfully, technology aimed to reduce errors has grown. On this episode, Griffin talks to Dr. Stephen Katz, CEO and Founder of REI Protect, a company formed to provide risk management services and coverage for REI practices across the country. They discuss what can go wrong in an office or IVF lab, and, more importantly, how to protect your practice from errors.
Growing your practice is exciting and adding in new Physician Partners can mean a lot for both your business and your patients. But adding to your group of decision makers can be intimidating. In this episode, Griffin Jones talks to Dr. Louis Weckstein, Medical and IVF Director and Managing Partner at the Reproductive Science Center of the Bay Area in San Francisco. Dr. Weckstein discusses the importance of building consensus amongst Managing Physicians and three simple ways to help facilitate easier decision making.
Working from home has become more and more prevalent across all industries and is starting to catch on in the field of fertility. But how can working from home be beneficial and successful for both employee and employer? On this episode, Griffin Jones talks to Marianne Kreiner, Chief Human Resources Office at Shady Grove Fertility. Together, they discuss how implementing telecommuting in your office can boost employee retention, the importance of building culture with those who work from home, and how to appropriately set up telecommuting employees while following labor regulations.
In this episode, Griffin talks with Lindsay Fischer, best-selling author, co-founder of the InfertileAF Summit, and a member of the Trying-To-Conceive Community. Jones and Fischer discuss the importance of honesty and meeting patients emotionally through their individual fertility journeys. Her unique perspective on the patient experience can help practices build stronger relationships and, in turn, the TTC community as a whole.
Connecting with your patients is an important part of the Fertility Marketing System. Take the first step in developing your practice’s plan with our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic. Learn more at FertilityBridge.com.
The world of fertility has grown and changed as the needs of families has changed. And now more than ever before, there are different populations seeking fertility care. In this episode, Griffin talks to Dr. Mark Leondires, a board-certified REI and the founder of Gay Parents-to-Be, about the various paths of family-building and how fertility clinics can provide personalized care to those with differing goals and needs.
In this episode, Griffin hosts Dr. Rhonda Zwingerman, a fellow OB-GYN and REI at the Royal Surgeons of Canada and an assistant professor of OB-GYN at the University of Toronto. Jones and Dr. Zwingerman talk about the factors shifting the entrepreneurial landscape for incoming REIs including the funding of fertility treatments, the recruiting of REIs, and the risks involved. Tune in to find out more!
In this episode, Griffin hosts Dr. Joseph Davis, a Reproductive Endocrinologist who saw the need for a fertility clinic in the Cayman Islands and brought his years of experience working in US clinics and his passion for global health policy to a country that never before had this field of medicine. Jones and Davis chat about the world of fertility past the borders of the United States, discussing not only the access to care issues in other countries, but also the traveling of patients from the US to other countries to seek more affordable options, find privacy, or simply relax during the process.
Let us help you diagnose and treat your practice’s marketing concerns. Learn more about our Goal and Competitive Diagnostic at fertilitybridge.com.
In this episode, Griffin Jones hosts Dr. Angeline Beltsos, CEO and Medical Director of Vios Fertility Institute as well as the founder of Midwest Reproductive Symposium International (MRSi). In the competitive climate of large fertility networks, Dr. Beltsos’ independent fertility center, Vios Fertility, has thrived, largely in part to implementing an intentional culture of transparency. Dr. Beltos discusses how Vios is built on three important pillars: an unparalleled patient experience, early scientific adaptation, and robust and dynamic culture that starts at the head of the team and trickles down.
In this episode, host Griffin Jones chats with embryologist Shaun Reed. As the Embryology Technical Supervisor at Utah Fertility Center, Reed offers a unique perspective on one of the more mysterious parts of any fertility clinic: the lab. Jones and Reed discuss the future of embryology, the differences between millennials and the generations that came before, and Reed’s concerns about the lack of interest in innovation.
In this episode, Griffin Jones hosts Nicole Koczanowicz, the Vice President of Artisan Medical Solutions. Koczanowicz’s focus on adoption and adaptation of Artisan’s EMR program to every practice has set Artisan apart. Jones and Koczanowicz have an honest conversation about the delicate dance between a practice fully adopting a necessary change, to the EMR team adapting to the individual needs and workflow of each practice. After all, Wall Street and Silicon Valley both want your patients, but there is a plan, if you are willing to take action.
In this episode, host Griffin Jones chats with Lisa Duran, the Chief Experience Officer for the Inception Fertility Network. Duran’s extensive experience in team-focused patient experience programs has led her to help clinics implement programs that impact the way patients and staff alike respond to the clinic. Jones and Duran discuss the changes in the field and how clinics can differentiate by creating a truly customized experience for patients.
In this episode, host Griffin Jones speaks to Melissa Brissman, an experienced attorney specializing in reproductive law. In addition to practicing law with a focus on reproduction for the last 21 years, Brissman also acted as her own attorney as she had twin sons and a daughter via gestational carrier. An advisor to a variety of organizations and an experienced keynote speaker, Brissman was the 2017 Advocacy Award recipient from Path to Parenthood. Today, Jones and Brissman discuss the differences between a contract and consent, the changes coming to fruition thanks to recent laws, and more.
In this episode, host Griffin Jones speaks to Lori Whalen, a RN who currently works at HRC in Southern California as the international IVF coordinator. Whalen speaks across the country about topics such as compassion fatigue, so Jones invited her to discuss the intricacies related to international IVF as well as the ways to combat the compassion fatigue that often accompanies this high-pressure field.
In this episode, host Griffin Jones talks to Valerie Landis, a proponent and advocate for egg freezing who has not only documented her own journey of freezing her eggs, but works actively to educate young women about the advantages of freezing their eggs in their 20s. Jones and Landis had a spirited discussion about the pros and cons of egg freezing.
In this episode, host Griffin Jones spoke to Maya Grobel, a licensed social worker and psychotherapist who focuses on working with people experiencing infertility; additionally, Grobel and her husband, Noah Moskin, created a feature-length documentary about their own infertility journey titled One More Shot. Jones and Grobel discuss her own personal journey as well as the need for education about embryo donation.
On this episode, host Griffin Jones talks to infertility influencer and advocate Tia Gendusa, the co-founder of the upcoming Infertile AF Summit on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in Rosemont, IL. Jones and Gendusa discussed the value of the infertility community on social media and in the blogosphere as well as the importance of recognizing that there is success to be found after infertility.
In this episode, host Griffin Jones speaks to Caroline Harries, author and influencer in the infertility community. Harries’ blog In Due Time as well as her book of the same title reaches out to people who need encouragement during tough seasons of their life, and her support group, Moms in the Making, specifically reaches out to women at different stages of the infertility journey who are seeking support and encouragement. Jones and Harries discuss the place that Harries has carved out in the infertility community for people of faith as well as the importance of creating a continuously positive space within the community.
This week, host Griffin Jones speaks to a provider and their patient to get a perspective on the fertility journey from both sides. Dr. Nichole Barker, a board certified REI practicing in Tacoma, Washington, is joined by her patient, Stephanie Fattal. Dr. Barker speaks about her own infertility journey and how that changed the way she practices medicine, and Fattal discusses how it felt to work with a REI that truly understood the patient’s point of view.
Today, Griffin Jones spoke to Dr. David Sable, who directs healthcare and life science investing for the Special Situations Fund in addition to acting as the portfolio manager for the Special Situations Life Sciences Fund and the Life Sciences Innovation Venture Fund. Dr. Sable’s deep background in reproductive medicine and his interest in entrepreneurship led to a fascinating discussion about the future of reproductive endocrinology and IVF, with a focus on the fear of a private equity takeover and the realities of the large population of underserved people experiencing infertility in America today.
In this episode, Griffin speaks to Hannah Johnson, Director of Operations for Vios Fertility Institute, which has branches in Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. With a deep background in practice management, Hannah’s the ideal candidate to discuss the joys and challenges that come with working with millennials, as employees and as patients. Hannah appreciates their passionate approach to their work and recognizes that whether we like it or not, practices have to adapt their processes to suit millennials. Find her on Instagram at @habejo.
In this episode, Griffin speaks to Dr. Serena Chen, director of the division of REI and OB/GYN at St. Barnabus Medical Center and clinical associate professor at Rutgers and St. George’s University. Dr. Chen strongly advocates physicians embracing social media to maintain cultural competence; she and Griffin discussed how this commitment to connection helps doctors communicate with patients and how embracing advocacy can prevent physician burnout. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @drserenahchen.
In this episode, Griffin speaks to Dr. Dan Nayot. Dr. Nayot, an REI in Toronto, Ontario, has established a reputation as a media personality, thanks to his appearance on CTV’s “The Social” and his own show on YouTube, “Ask Dr. Dan.” Griffin and Dr. Nayot discuss the importance of finding your own platform and the importance of creating a five-star experience for each patient.
In this episode, Griffin talks with Bob Huff, the Chief Technical Officer of Imagine Fertility (https://www.imaginefertility.com/), a software that seamlessly blends documentation with EMRs and a variety of third-party software solutions. Griffin and Bob chat about the impact that software with walls has had on everything from practice management to patient care and what the future holds for tech in fertility practices.
In this episode, Griffin chats with Dr. Lora Shahine about the importance of public relations and content creation. Dr. Shahine is an REI specializing in infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss at Pacific Northwest Fertility and IVF Specialists in Seattle, WA. She has written three books and many blog posts for outlets such as the Huffington Post, not to mention her social media presence. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @drlorashahine.
In this episode, Griffin talks to Dr. Jason Franasiak. Dr. Franasiak works with RMA of New Jersey, and he has joined Griffin to discuss the importance of professional networking. Even during his fellowship, Dr. Franasiak became an active member of professional organizations, and today he sits on committees for a variety of organizations, including ASRM and PCRS. Follow Dr. Franasiak on Twitter at @jasonfranasiakmd.
In this episode, Griffin talks to Holly Hutchison. Holly and her brother, Dr. Scott Hutchison, operate Reproductive Health Center in Tucson, Arizona. Holly and Griffin discuss the importance of establishing key performance indicators to ensure that partnerships begin successfully and go the distance. Additionally, Holly and Griffin tackle the importance quality of life plays in their practice and the need to establish boundaries related to that early in a partnership.
In this episode, Griffin spoke with Monica Moore, a former nurse practitioner who currently consults with fertility practices around the globe from her home base in Florida. They discussed the topic of nursing staff retention, how to prevent burnout, and the importance of emphasizing employee engagement. You can reach Monica on Twitter @monicamoore422, on Facebook at Fertile Health Expert, or through her website, https://www.fertilehealthexpert.com.
In this episode, Griffin talks to Dr. John Storment, a successful REI practicing in Louisiana. Dr. Storment talks about the potential pitfalls of accepting an offer from a private equity group, and how that can impact the way that you practice, as well as the importance of understanding the business side of your medical practice.
In this episode, Griffin talks with Sara Marshall-Page and Tracey Bambrough, co-founders of IVF Babble (https://www.ivfbabble.com/) about their online magazine and other efforts in the fertility community. They delve into the differences between an online magazine and a blog, the value that their site has for providers, their work with My Fertility Buddy (myfertilitybuddy.com), what it means to have a pineapple badge, and much more!
In this episode, Griffin talks to Dr. Natalie Crawford, an accomplished REI practicing in Austin, TX. Dr. Crawford (@nataliecrawfordmd) has successfully utilized Instagram as a tool for education as well as marketing; today, she has tens of thousands of followers who turn to her for information and connection. Griffin and Dr. Crawford speak about the role social media plays in medicine, and the ways that physicians can use social media to create a connection with patients and prospects alike.
In this episode, Griffin talks to Dr. Alice Domar, a psychologist and the co-creator or Ferticalm and Fertistrong apps. After many studies, Dr. Domar concluded that the infertility practices needed to become more patient centered care in order to reduce the dropout rates of those patients who have insurance. The number one reason for infertility patient dropout is stress. Reducing that stress can help patients to stay in treatment and then in turn help practices to keep business up.
In this episode, Griffin talks to Rebecca Flick, Vice Presidents of Communications and Programs for Resolve, the national fertility association (http://resolve.org/). They discuss how the treatment of IVF and infertility as an industry has hurt patient advocacy and the ability to give access to people who may not have the insurance or out of pocket ability to go through infertility treatments. Rebecca explains how they are trying to change the internal viewing of fertility treatments by lawmakers and employers as a optional medical practice to one that anyone should be able to have access to. Griffin and Rebecca then continue to speak about how being a part of Resolve not only allows businesses to further influence the fertility community, but to give back to it as well. Also mentioned: http://fertilitymatters.ca/
In this episode, Griffin talks with Dr. Robert Kiltz, the founder and director of the first successful IVF center in Central New York, CNY Fertility Center. Griffin and Dr. Kiltz discuss the topic of who is really responsible for lowering the cost of fertility treatments. They discuss whether the responsibility falls on the insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, medical device, hardware and software companies, or the providers themselves. They then discuss Dr. Kiltz’s methods of becoming a successful fertility specialist that offers a lower cost treatment plan, creating a new market with new levels of accessibility and affordability.
In this episode, Griffin talks to Valerie Libby, a second year reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellow at UH Cleveland Medical Center. They discuss what millennial REI fellows want in the process of building their careers, such as mentors, work-life balance, and more business training, and analyze how the risk-averse nature of the medical field and an outdated business model keep fertility doctors from opening their own practices.