Center for Reproductive Medicine of Knoxville, United States

Dr. Michael Doody was recommended by three of my close friends, all of whom had seen him for various fertility-related issues. I called to schedule an appointment and spoke with someone who said they would email documents to me. Once completed, the documents would automatically return to the office, and they would call me within 48 hours to schedule the earliest appointment in early April. Two weeks later, I still had not received a call and repeatedly tried to contact the office without success. In the third week, I finally reached someone and explained that I had returned my documents immediately on the day I received them but had not been called. They said the next available appointment was in mid-May. Struggling with infertility, I began to cry and asked to speak with a manager, explaining what had happened and why I was upset after doing everything they requested. I was told bluntly that if I wanted to be seen, I could take the May appointment. I agreed to hold my place while looking for other fertility clinics. By the time my turn finally came, I had nearly forgotten I had scheduled the appointment. At 12:57 p.m. on the day of the appointment, I received a reminder call for a 1:00 p.m. telephone appointment. The doctor conducted the remote consultation, and we began discussing why I was seeking care. In less than 7 minutes, he interrupted me without offering any possible options and simply said, 'I do not think I can help you. If you miscarried, you can clearly become pregnant on your own, so why spend the money?' Almost 8 weeks later, I received a bill of more than $200 for the 'telephone appointment' in which I was essentially dismissed. If you do not want major surgery for endometriosis or IVF, they do not want to be bothered, or at least that is how I felt. Honestly, I do not think I should pay a cent to someone who was so dismissive of 3 early miscarriages. He would not even order blood tests and made no effort at all.