Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine – Lincoln, Vereinigte Staaten

This place was a nightmare for me. Why did a nurse, rather than a doctor, only briefly remind me to take ibuprofen before a tubal patency test? Other clinics provide anesthesia for this test. My support person was not allowed into the X-ray room, which I understood, but when we asked for someone to hold my hand, nobody did. I had never been so frightened or in so much pain. Dr. Oates said, ‘Ha, yes, we hear a lot of swearing here.’ It was not funny, and women in distress should not be expected to endure that level of pain. At the follow-up, the doctor said both tubes were now open, but that was incorrect and I had to remind her. Dr. Oates had performed the surgery. I was distressed and wanted relief from severe menstrual pain. They prescribed birth control even though I was trying to conceive, and said I did not have to fill it, so I did not. A nurse called about follow-up and asked how the birth control was working. I said I would not take it. She booked an appointment, then canceled it because I would not take the medication. A month later, I expected the appointment but received no Zoom link. When I called, I learned there was no appointment and nobody had explained the next step. The nurse argued that I should have called when my period began because the doctor's notes said so, but the doctor had never told me this. When I requested my records, I was asked to sign a release to myself. The chart contained an entry dated the day before an appointment stating a nurse had explained the procedure, which she had not, and that my husband was offered Viagra, although he was not present. I was angry and changed doctors. The new doctor seemed better but would not prescribe metformin for PCOS because I was not morbidly obese, despite its common use for PCOS. He prescribed letrozole during my period, which the first doctor apparently intended but never explained. I then had an ultrasound to assess ovulation. The ultrasound was scheduled only two days after my period ended, although ovulation generally occurs at least 5 days later. I believe this was done for money. The $400 visit ended with a cold ultrasound technician telling me I had not ovulated and should return in a few days. Worse, the room still contained instruments used for another patient, which was alarming and disgusting. They first offered the next ultrasound free, then said I would owe another $200 because of their scheduling error. I had continued bleeding since the prior ultrasound, and the medication clearly had not worked, so I did not return. I have now bled for nearly a month and do not know what they did to me. This clinic is cruel and unethical, and I will never return. The experience caused severe PTSD and worsened my problems. The stress this clinic caused felt like contraception, even though my goal was to have a child.

From day one, when my husband and I sought help building our family, I felt that Heartland was on our side. Everyone was wonderful, guiding and supporting us through the highs and lows of our journey. Special thanks to Dr. Weedin! She not only helped us start and grow our family, but also identified factors critical to my treatment and long-term care that other doctors had missed. She unquestionably goes above and beyond and genuinely advocates for her patients. We are now expecting our *second* baby—can you believe it?—and could not be more grateful for Heartland’s care and support.

Dr. Oakes' team is wonderful. Hope is always caring and warm, especially during blood draws, which can be very uncomfortable. Stephanie is a master at drawing blood. The front-desk receptionists are always friendly and welcoming. My entire experience here was brief, pleasant, and excellent.

I cannot say enough good things about my experience at Heartland! Fertility treatment was one of the most vulnerable and emotional periods of my life, and every nurse, receptionist, and doctor we encountered showed extraordinary kindness. We interacted mainly with Dr. Weedin, Dr. Delaney, and Dr. Gustin. I especially appreciated how they handled difficult conversations with honesty and empathy while offering reasonable next steps and a clear path forward. During every ultrasound, tubal examination, biopsy, and other procedure, the clinician was completely transparent about what they saw and what it meant. We were never told something like, “The doctor will call you in a week.” When we successfully became pregnant, all the staff knew who we were, and Dr. Weedin even called to wish us well on the next stage of our journey. After nearly a year at Heartland, returning to a “routine” prenatal visit, where patients are moved in and out as quickly as possible, felt quite uncomfortable. Our baby girl was born about a week ago, and we are incredibly grateful to all the staff and doctors at Heartland for making this dream possible!

My husband and I recently concluded our treatment journey at Heartland. Although our infertility treatment did not produce the outcome we hoped for, I want to share our experience in the hope that it helps others navigate this difficult path. First, I am grateful that Nebraska has a resource like Heartland. Infertility is extremely challenging, and I do not take access to specialized care close to home for granted. Dr. Gustin was very kind and compassionate, and the nursing staff consistently provided supportive, professional guidance throughout treatment. However, some aspects of our experience could be improved. Our greatest challenge was communication with the finance and billing office. Responses were often delayed or absent, adding unnecessary stress to an already emotionally, physically, and financially draining process. I understand the complexity of managing billing for multiple medical facilities, but timely and clear communication is essential, especially when many patients pay out of pocket or have limited insurance coverage. I often needed the nurses' help to obtain a response from billing, and even then, if I missed a call and returned it promptly, I received no response. Emails and portal messages also frequently went unanswered. Another area for improvement is the availability of the in-house therapist. Evening appointments would be very helpful because many patients must balance work with frequent daytime appointments. Mental health support is an important part of fertility treatment, and more flexible scheduling could make a major difference. When financial pressure led us to make the difficult decision to stop treatment, I sent the clinic a message. Unfortunately, I never received a response, not even a simple acknowledgment. At such a painful moment, a kind word or encouraging note would have meant a great deal. Despite these issues, I do not want to discourage others from seeking treatment at Heartland. I know many families have succeeded here, and I am genuinely happy for them. This was simply our personal experience, and I hope sharing it helps the clinic continue improving and support future patients more effectively.

My husband and I were impressed with everyone at this clinic. We met with Dr. Constance, and being able to complete all monitoring appointments in Lincoln saved a great deal of time.

We are so grateful to Heartland and Dr. Delaney's team for the excellent care they provided! We live in Lincoln, so it was wonderful to have a local office for some of the ultrasounds.

We love Heartland! Our experience was wonderful, and we will always be grateful for the staff's attentive care and unwavering support. Special thanks to the Delaney team. The medical expertise and care plan were outstanding. More importantly, the emotional support, understanding, hugs, and love helped us through one of the most challenging periods of our lives. Adding the Lincoln location was a blessing for us because we live in Lincoln. Thank you for everything, Heartland!!!

I am extremely disappointed. I called several times and requested an appointment twice through their website but received no response. After trying for about a month, this was very frustrating.

Their communication is terrible. They rarely contacted us about any tests or next steps. They also use what appears to be a scam testing service that charges $13,000 per test, knowing insurance will deny it, then offers you a "special price." More than a year later, we still have received no response about our $13,000-per-test charges.