Dr. Jessica Chan, United States

I haven't been able to reach anyone! The voicemail message is very short, and no one returns my calls. In the end, I had to contact the operator at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and they helped me schedule a phone consultation five weeks later. Today is my scheduled phone consultation at 11:30 AM, and it's already 11:53 AM, but no one has called yet. I tried calling myself, but I could only leave a voicemail. I'm so angry and disappointed!

Every doctor at Cedars-Sinai Fertility, including fellows and residents, saw me, which always made me uncomfortable. The attending physicians, Dr. Pisarska, Dr. Wang, and Dr. Chen, were all very kind. This is not a typical fertility clinic: you do not see the same doctor or staff member at each visit, so I never felt fully comfortable proceeding with IVF. At every other fertility clinic I attended, continuity was the norm. I tried Cedars-Sinai because I liked the idea of an all-female team, most of my excellent doctors are affiliated with Cedars-Sinai, and I expected fertility costs to be much lower than at other large, well-known clinics. I was wrong. My benefits renew annually but have a cap, and Cedars-Sinai exceeded it. I had “2” IUIs and was billed thousands of dollars. Anyone who has undergone both IVF and IUI and is fortunate to have fertility benefits knows the enormous difference in cost. A few IUIs should not cost more than $9,000. Cedars drained my insurance benefits, leaving only a few hundred dollars—not enough for the IVF cycle I usually complete once a year. When I realized this, I became so stressed that I developed hives. Please consider another clinic. I reviewed claims from treatment at other clinics, and they all appeared legitimate; Cedars did not. Many outrageous charges were hidden under “radiology,” “supplies,” or “ancillary charges.” Other clinics bill simply: a pelvic ultrasound is billed as a pelvic ultrasound, and estradiol or progesterone blood tests are billed as those tests. I wish I had researched more and deeply regret coming here.

I cannot praise her highly enough. I have had PCOS for more than 6 years, and we had been TTC for over a year. We began seeing Dr. Chen. I wish we could have continued, but our insurance changed and she did not accept the new plan, which was not her fault. Although I did not become pregnant while seeing her, she restored my periods after five years without them! For over three months, we drove from Orange County almost every week to see her. It was completely worthwhile. I have not found a doctor near me whom I admire as much and deeply wish we could still see her. She is undoubtedly the best doctor I have seen during my PCOS and TTC journey!

After working with Dr. Chen, my husband and I agreed: "It does not get better than this!" Dr. Chen is very kind, reassuring, and professional. She made the process very simple, and the results speak for themselves: at age 34, I froze 28 eggs in my first cycle. I went to the clinic every other day. I do not know whether other doctors monitor patients this frequently, but everything at this clinic seemed very clear. They checked my hormone levels every other day to adjust my medication. Everything at the clinic was well organized. Everyone was responsible and gracious. I give Dr. Chen and her team 5 out of 5 for the entire treatment process.

Her office canceled my appointment at the last minute twice and would not offer another appointment. When I finally saw her, she spent 4 minutes with me and immediately prescribed medication without listening. The medication she prescribed was unsuitable for me, and her office did not return calls about an alternative.