A Fertility Clinic Team Reveals Their Best Tips for Patients

Building a successful doctor-patient relationship starts with connection, interaction and, of course, conversation. In this helpful guide, fertility doctors, nurses, and other team members share how to cultivate the best experience possible throughout your fertility journey.

In this article:

• The Key to Good Communication
• What Fertility Doctors Want You to Know
• Partnering With Your Patient Navigator
• Helpful Advice From Fertility Nurses
• Improving Your Patient Experience
• What You Probably Don’t Know About HIPAA
• Remember: Communication Goes Both Ways

Note: This is the final guide in our 3-part series, How to Be an Empowered & Effective Fertility Patient. If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, check them out for more great advice and insights!

The Key to Good Communication

Successful conversations - ones that increase understanding and exchange information - only happen when both participants are actively listening and thoughtfully speaking.

Actively listening and being curious about the other person’s perspective is often the hardest to practice, because it means putting aside your own agenda or frustrations in the moment.

This is especially true when there’s a power differential in the conversation. What do I mean by 'power differential?'  In a conversation with a doctor or clinician, it is often assumed that the power lies primarily with the health care provider, not the patient. But that isn't true.

Your Input is Essential

You, as the patient, are the one ultimately making decisions about your care, and don’t forget - you’re paying for a service! So while the doctor/clinician is the expert when it comes to medical information, you are the expert on your own experience, boundaries, and preferences throughout your journey.

In the end, we all want three things with our health care providers:

1. Collaboration
2. Communication
3. A good relationship

Establishing a cooperative relationship with your care provider that is built on mutual respect will lead to a much more satisfying experience - and help to decrease potential stressors along the way.

What Fertility Doctors Want You to Know

Our board-certified reproductive endocrinologists offer their perspectives on creating positive relationships between health care providers and patients, plus the best ways to navigate your experience at a fertility practice:

1. Practice Mutual Respect

Dr. Mark Leondires shares what makes communication and engagement with a patient go more smoothly:

"I like when a patient has a list of questions - it shows forethought and planning," he says. "However, One thing I find very upsetting is when someone is unkind to anyone on our team. It is simply not acceptable. It is the same as being unkind to me. I do always want to know when a patient is upset so that I can help. I want patients to understand that I am dedicated to giving everyone the care and attention they deserve and need."

2. Be Honest With Your Doctor

Dr. Spencer Richlin echoes Dr. Leondires, saying, "Patients need to be honest with me about how things are going - it’s the only way that I can help improve their experience if it’s not going well for them. Fertility treatment can be very tough, and it is the entire team’s responsibility to make the process go smoothly, with as few ups and downs as possible."

3. Take Ownership When You Can

Dr. Joshua Hurwitz acknowledges how challenging it is to be a fertility patient while also reminding patients of their responsibilities in this relationship.

When a patient doesn’t attend to their side of things, it can negatively impact the way that a fertility treatment cycle proceeds, while also impairing the communication process.

"I try to remember that although this is what we do every day, it is always new to patients, so they need (and deserve) more support during the process. Although treatment can feel overwhelming, especially in the beginning when everything is so new, it is still important for patients to take ownership of what they can control, including:

• Listening to their voicemails
• Opening and reading each email
• Reviewing medication protocols carefully

By doing this, Dr. Hurwitz says, "patients will know when to ask for clarification about things they don’t understand, such as ordering critical medications. It is very frustrating for the team to do so much work on a patient's behalf and then hear them say, 'You never told me about this!' when it reality, they didn’t listen to their voicemails, get back to their nurse, open an attachment, or watch their assigned videos, for example."

The added benefit to taking ownership of what is in your control, Dr. Hurwitz adds, is that patients feel much more empowered and in control during their fertility journey.

4. You Can Ask to Talk to Your Doctor

Dr. Shaun Williams encourages patients to talk to him directly if needed. When utilized appropriately, this is very helpful advice!

"I don't want patients to be afraid to 'go to the top' — getting direct communication from their physician can often help, and although physician schedules are busy and we often don’t have time for a full consult in between patients or after hours, patients should feel comfortable asking to speak to their physician to answer questions that they may still have after exhausting readily available resources."

5. Know We Work Together to Care for You

Finally, Dr. Ilana Ressler regularly reassures her patients about the personalized care they are receiving:

"There may be multiple doctors in our practice, but we are all one big team that's here to take care of you. We all help take care of each other’s patients.

Even if you don’t see me face to face when you come in, I am watching your progress the whole way through! I see all of your results as they come in, including images. If you ever want to speak directly to me, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your team and ask, and I will give you a call."

Single vs. Multi-Provider Clinics

When it comes to choosing a fertility clinic, only you can decide what works best for your goals, personality, and lifestyle. Explore the pros and cons of each type of clinic with our detailed guide. 

Partnering With Your Patient Navigator

Your patient navigator is just that - a personal guide assigned to help you throughout your time at a fertility practice.

Acting as a bridge between you and the rest of your Care Team, patient navigators are in charge of handling tasks like coordinating appointments, getting your questions answered, and keeping the process as organized as possible.

Here's the first thing they want you to know: "We don’t get upset or annoyed about questions or need for clarification - everyone understands information in different ways," says Chelsea Merwin, one of our patient navigators at Illume Fertility.

Tips From a Patient Navigator

Hoping that puts your mind at ease, here are some specific tips from Chelsea and the patient navigator team that will help to ensure the smoothest journey:

• Save your team's contact information on your phone and email to ensure you receive all communications and have their direct phone numbers handy (otherwise, emails or calls may get blocked or missed).
• Add all appointment links and information to your calendar right away, if possible.
• Thoroughly read through each email and check for any attachments – your patient navigator will be sending important and helpful information.
• Be patient and understand that sometimes things happen that are out of your navigator's control. For example, if there’s ever a change to a health care provider's schedule, the team will need to reschedule many appointments. "We promise we’ll always do our best to accommodate your needs and wishes," Chelsea adds.

Remember to Update Communication Preferences

Jocelyn Crespo, a veteran fertility nurse and the manager of Illume's patient navigator team, emphasizes the importance of notifying your team if you want to change the way you receive communication from them. This will help avoid interruptions or delays in important messages.

"There are times I've emailed patients, knowing that that is the way they preferred to communicate previously, and then they may suddenly change their minds and say they now prefer phone calls," Jocelyn says. Telling your team that you now prefer phone over email (or vice versa) will help them communicate updates and information in the best way for you.

"Another important point to keep in mind is that when we make phone calls to answer your questions, those are often done at the end of the day," she says. "So while it’s tempting to keep calling and emailing until there’s an answer, it’s not necessary or effective."

Helpful Advice From Fertility Nurses

Fertility nurses are much more than intermediaries between you and your doctors, and their responsibilities reach far beyond clinical care. There’s a lot they want you to know!

Maintain Open Communication

Nurse Brigitte Alicea shares what’s most important to her team: "As your nurses, we are here to advocate for you and help you through this journey, whether it is a long one or a short one."

"Strong communication is very important, so please make sure you have your team's contact information stored, including phone numbers and email addresses," she adds. "This is vital information that allows us to help with your questions, communicate about your treatment plan in a timely manner, and most of all, make sure you know who to turn to if you need anything."

Another thing to know? "Your nurse and patient navigator work very closely together, and they will typically both send out an introduction email at the beginning of your journey, which will contain your team’s contact information so you can always refer back to the email when you need to reach them," says Brigitte.

Set Clear Expectations

Illume's Director of Nursing, Christina Dias, who has decades of experience as both a fertility nurse and manager, shares her thoughts:

"For me, the biggest thing is open communication - setting expectations on both sides right from the beginning. What’s your preference about how to communicate? Let’s set expectations about call backs and results and ensure you know which member of your Care Team is responsible for which piece of the process."

Watch this video to learn more about your fertility nurse's role.

More Tips From Fertility Nurses

• Keep an eye on your phone and try to always pick up if you are expecting a call back.
• If you've requested email communication, look out for an email (but don’t expect both a call and email, and/or an additional call to your partner).
• Take accountability - we can provide resources, but you should communicate to us if instructions are unclear so we can help!
• Never assume, always confirm (and yes, it’s okay to ask more than once).
• We don’t work seven days a week, so while your team may respond on a weekend, that should be considered an exception, not an expectation. We always have 24-hour coverage for urgent and emergency situations.
• You can always email us over the weekend, but please don't expect a response until Monday.
• We prefer receiving a list of questions, rather than multiple emails throughout the day. One email is always more effective and helps our team get you all the answers you need in an organized fashion!

Improving Your Patient Experience

Illume Fertility's dedicated Patient Experience Team specifically focuses on improving the patient journey.

Patient Experience Manager Angie Rojas emphasizes the value of building a relationship with your Care Team from the first point of contact, which requires dedication from both the fertility practice AND the patient.

Keep in mind: Fertility practices have many complex issues going on at all times (think scheduling, protocols, surgeries, blood draws, and monitoring, to name a few) with frequent changes because of our focus on individualized health care for each patient.

Tips From a Patient Experience Manager

• Recognize that your team will do their best to accommodate essential aspects of your schedule. (For example: if you’re a teacher, we won't call before 3:30pm.)
• A friendly nudge to your team after 24 hours without a response is appropriate.
• Similarly, follow up with whomever is covering for your team member if they are out.
• Review and confirm that you have each of your prescribed medications and watch all IVF medication mixing videos prior to starting your cycle. (These educational videos will be 'assigned' to you via a platform called EngagedMD.)
• Let us know if you'd like a quick overview or a more detailed explanation when you are unsure about the logistics of an upcoming appointment or procedure. Sometimes it’s a quick question and sometimes more time is needed. When we understand that, we can schedule you more appropriately.  

Most importantly, Angie says, "Remember that we are all human beings, and that a little kindness goes a long way. Fertility treatment and infertility are very challenging, and frustration, anger, and sadness are often part of the process."

"Speaking kindly to your team may feel impossible sometimes, and we understand when you can’t, but want you to know how much we appreciate it when you can," she adds.

What You Probably Don’t Know About HIPAA

You've probably heard of HIPAA (short for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and have some idea of how it protects you.

But here's what you may not know: every single person at our practice is trained yearly on HIPAA regulations, which means your team understands that you can’t waive your HIPAA rights to have information sent to you in unsecured ways.

Every team member in a medical office is bound by HIPAA regulations, so even though dealing with encrypted or secured email can be a little cumbersome, know that when you ask us to send something in an unsecured way, it’s typically not possible for us to legally do so.

We all want to keep your private health information safe and secure! 

Remember: Communication Goes Both Ways

With all that great advice in mind, here's the short and sweet summary:

We want to get to know you, we want to hear what you need, and we want to be aware of how the experience is going for you. We want to establish relationships where all participants are open and engaged.

Without your irreplaceable input, we don’t know how you're feeling and can’t fix things or support you in the ways you deserve. So, use your voice! Tell us how you're really doing throughout your fertility journey. We're all here to help you reach your goals and find success.

Note: This is the final guide in our 3-part series, How to Be an Empowered & Effective Fertility Patient. If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, be sure to check them out for more great advice and insights.