New data shows Shady Grove Fertility financial programs make testing, treatment more affordable

New data shows Shady Grove Fertility Center's financial programs -- designed to help make infertility testing and treatment more affordable -- helped more than a quarter of patients proceed with treatment in 2010, despite the year's significant economic challenges.

Shady Grove Fertility's Shared Help financial discount program was launched in 2009 to help patients with no insurance coverage and a household income of $95,000 or less to cover their out of pocket expenses.  In 2010, applications for the Shared Help program increased by 60% while the approval rate jumped 11% over 2009.  An unprecedented 84% of applicants were offered a discount on fertility treatment.

Shady Grove Fertility's Shared Risk 100% Refund program continues to be a very popular option for patients.  The Shared Risk program offers IVF and Donor Egg patients up to six treatments for a flat fee, with a guaranteed, 100% refund if treatment is not successful. More than 1,000 patients enrolled in the Shared Risk 100% Refund program for IVF or Donor Egg treatment last year, an increase of nearly 18% over 2009.

After a costly, failed IVF cycle elsewhere, Gabriell Bryen and her husband found Shady Grove Fertility's Shared Risk 100% Refund very reassuring. "I remember reading about the program online and thinking, 'This is too good to be true,'" she says. "We had already paid a lot of money and had nothing to show for it, so the idea that we could do a donor cycle and get our money back if it wasn't successful was incredibly attractive.  It was a huge relief."

Now the mother of six-month-old twins, Gabrielle adds, "For us, that guarantee made all the difference."

"Our research shows the cost of treatment is one of the major barriers for infertile couples who want to have a child," said Dr. Michael Levy, Co-Founder of Shady Grove Fertility Center. "In order to help our patients overcome the financial obstacles, we created the 100% Refund Program for IVF, and have since developed several more financial options that offer significant discounts on all of our treatments."

Other Shady Grove Fertility financial programs include:

• Shared Donor Egg Program – Allows two to three recipients to share the eggs of a single donor, which can reduce the cost of treatment by up to 50%. Can also be offered in conjunction with the Shared Risk 100% Refund program.
• Partnership with the Cade Foundation – A non-profit organization that works to serve the needs of couples struggling with infertility, the Tinina Q. Cade Foundation, in partnership with Shady Grove Fertility, offers grants of up to $10,000 to assist selected couples with the costs of infertility treatment or domestic adoption.
• Fertility Finance – Specializes in providing patient financing services for all fertility treatment options.  In 2010, Fertility Finance helped over 300 couples finance fertility treatment through a wide variety of loan programs and competitive rates.

"Shady Grove Fertility is pleased to have developed a variety of programs that provide effective financial options for our patients," says Dr. Levy. "The popularity of these programs helps families overcome the financial hurdles of having a child."