I needed to find a reproductive endocrinologist in California, and my former clinic in another state recommended HRC, presumably because of its history of reproductive medicine innovation in the 1990s. I live in Mission Viejo, so I was pleased to find an office here and scheduled an intake appointment with Dr. Becht. I was impressed by her fertility preservation experience and watched some of her online videos and interviews. Before the appointment, the office sent me a portal to complete my medical history, which I did. The day before the appointment, they sent a Docusign link for paperwork. It did not work, but on the morning of the appointment an administrator called, and after I explained the problem, she sent a working link. The first document asked me to consent to receiving protected health information through unsecured channels such as text or email and to waive liability if this harmed the patient. The form stated that consent was optional, not required to see the doctor, and could be withdrawn at any time, but there was no way to decline it while electronically signing the rest of the packet. I did not want to sign it, and I do not know why anyone would, but because it said it was optional, I planned to address it at the appointment. When I arrived, I explained the issue and requested paper forms, but the receptionist said they did not provide them. They resent the link, beginning several rounds of discussion with an administrator who repeatedly came to the waiting room, left to call a manager elsewhere, and returned without a solution. Although I arrived on time, after 30 minutes the administrator noted that I had missed half my appointment and would receive only the remaining time. She left to speak with her manager, then returned and said it was my fault that most of the appointment had been missed because the paperwork had to be completed in advance. We continued going back and forth until the issue was resolved 45 minutes after the appointment time, at which point I left without being seen. I found it remarkable that throughout this process only my mother and I were in the waiting room, while the doctor was supposedly waiting in another room 15 feet away, yet Dr. Becht never came out once to ask what the problem might be. If you are reading this, you may be seeking an IVF or reproductive medicine clinic for the first time and may not know this, but as someone who has used this specialty before, I can assure you that you will interact with and visit a reproductive medicine practice constantly. You will spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars and may have dozens of appointments. You will know everyone who works there by name and deal with them frequently. Beyond caring greatly about this appointment, I took time off work and paid $375 out of pocket. I was astonished that the practice treated a prospective patient this way during intake, the patient's first impression of future care. Their inability to prepare their own forms correctly suggests they cannot manage their business well. The doctor's leaving me waiting for 45 minutes without checking suggests she did not care much. The administrator blaming me for their error showed that these people were difficult and unreasonable, and I did not want to interact with them regularly. If you have half a day and $375 to spare, you can schedule an intake appointment and see whether they treat everyone this way or only me. In your position, however, I would simply find a better doctor and medical practice.

The way this HRC office treats clients borders on fraudulent. The doctors seem uninterested in learning how poorly the front desk treats patients, or they are unaware of it. On such an important journey, you have no choice but to trust the fertility professionals you select, and I cannot say I saw that trustworthiness in this team.