We have been extremely frustrated with our experience at RMA. We initially chose to pursue IUI…read morefirst. We were referred to Dr. Rosencrantz and subsequently had a telephone appt with a financial coord. We were eager to get started, completed all of the requested testing, and provided records from our outside physicians.
During our initial conversation with the financial coord., we explained that our insurance required prior authorization. We had done our research beforehand and knew this would be necessary. Despite communicating this information, the authorization process was not initiated. We did not know this until the first day of my cycle, when we contacted the office to begin our IUI. Because the authorization had not been submitted, we had to wait to begin IUI. The financial coord. had 3-4 weeks to obtain the authorization, and failed to do so until I called on the first day my of cycle.
We ultimately completed 3 IUIs. Our experience with Rosencrantz himself was positive. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the office staff and administrative process.
There was very little proactive communication throughout the process. Everything was self-directed. If we wanted to proceed with another IUI or discuss moving on to IVF, we had to initiate the contact ourselves.
Even after our first IUI, to begin the 2nd, I was told that I could not proceed because either a required test had not been completed or the needed some type of records a certain way. Regardless, the larger issue was the lack of communication and coordination. I was consistently trying to stay ahead of everything the office needed so that there would not be delays when my cycle began, yet there seemed to be something new that prevented us from moving forward each time.
In July, our insurance benefits changed and IVF became a covered benefit. We made an appt with Rosencrantz in August and shortly afterward made an appointment with the financial coord. This was a different financial coord. from the one we had previously worked with. I had also previously tried contacting the original financial coord. through the patient portal with questions and often did not receive a response. If my husband called and left a message for the financial coord., he would not get a call back. It got to the point of contacting the nursing staff to get answers.
During our appt with Dr. Rosencrantz, we discussed our desire to begin IVF as soon as possible. He instructed us to communicate this to the financial coord. That conversation initially seemed to go well, and again, I specifically explained that our insurance required prior authorization.
Because of what had happened with our IUI experience, I was very proactive about monitoring the authorization process myself. Despite this, the IVF prior authorization was not submitted until the end of August. We later discovered that prior authorization was also required for certain medications, and those authorizations were not submitted until September.
At one point, I called the office to speak with a financial coord., and the person who answered the phone would not provide her name. I was also told that my insurance did not cover IVF, despite the fact that we had confirmed that IVF was a covered benefit under our new insurance plan. This was incredibly frustrating and concerning.
We initially expressed our desire to begin IVF in August. It is now October, and we are still not close to starting. The medication authorization expires in November, and there has also been a lack of follow-through regarding authorization for one of the medications, Omnitrope. My insurance covers it, however the clinic failed to respond within 5 days. Therefore, my insurance canceled the authorization and the medication would cost me to pay 700-900, even though this is covered, because RMA failed to do their job.
At this point, we have gone through three different financial coordinators, and we are now more than two months past our initial IVF financial consultation. Despite our efforts to stay on top of the process and repeatedly communicate what was needed, we still have not been able to move forward with IVF.
Our biggest issue is not one isolated mistake. It is the repeated pattern of having to chase the office for information, discovering that necessary steps had not been completed, receiving conflicting information, and having treatment delayed as a result.
This office is extremely disorganized when it comes to insurance coordination and communication. If you are considering treatment here and your insurance is involved, I strongly recommend doing your own research, confirming your benefits directly with your insurance company, and closely monitoring every authorization yourself. Do not assume that something has been submitted simply because you were told it would be handled.
Ultimately, after the repeated delays and frustration, we have decided to leave RMA. The experience has unfortunately made that impossible for us.
