Kaiser Permanente Reproductive Endocrinology Infertility Clinic

This review is strictly about Francis an MA that works in the office. I have been coming to Kaiser REI for almost a year so this is not based on a one time occurrence. There have been many times that she is flat out rude and dismissive. She is this way especially on the phone. I don’t know what her problem is but it is really frustrating the amount of money I am paying and how often that I have to come in for appointments. One recent thing that happened was I had to call in for an ultrasound and she only provided me with one appointment time that was available to come in. She was extremely rude and told me that it wasn’t her problem that I couldn’t come in at that time and that if I wanted to do the ultrasound that was the only time that was available. It is really difficult to miss work 2 – 3 different times in a week because she isn’t willing to ask if I can come in for a different appointment time. She also doesn’t do a good job at multitasking. For example, if she is checking me in and the phone is ringing she will just reject the call. I would prefer that she ask the person on the phone to hold while she checks me in rather than rejecting the call. I have been on both sides of this and think that would be a suitable solution. At the end of the day I don’t need her putting me in a bad mood when my appointments are stressful enough. I hope someone will talk to her about her attitude because I am sure I am not the only one to have these frustrations.

Don’t have good experience here. Staff are nice… but Dr. Harris is very vague and does not recommend treatment. I feel like I have to be my own advocate and recommend my own regiment based on research I done online. For an Infertility clinic… that should not be the case. It is already stressful enough dealing with infertility drugs and treatment… you should not have to feel like you are doing it alone.

This has been a good experience so far with the staff. I have seen Dr. Nixon for a consultation and Marion Columbo for my ultra sounds. They are very nice and have answered all my questions/​concerns, especially through emails.
The scheduling is pretty easy by calling them.
Sometimes the wait is a little long even with an appointment 15 min delay or so, but they are busy. So far I feel like I’ve been in good hands.
Will update as I progress further.

I am also surprised at the negative reviews. Scheduling appointments is easy, there has never been more than a couple of people in the waiting room and the wait time is typically about 5 to 10 minutes at most before I am actually seeing the nurse. I found Dr. Harris to be very nice and non-​judgmental. The nurse practitioners, whom have been my primary interface, are extremely responsive (you can email them and expect an answer within the day, even within a day on weekends!) and are very kind, which is what I needed and wanted through this otherwise difficult process. The pricing for IVF seems to be very high compared to other clinics which is why I give it a 4 star rating only.

Wow I’m surprised at all the negative reviews here! I wasn’t getting a lot of help from my regular Kaiser OB/​GYN, but once I finally got her to refer me to the REI, it was like night and day! Dr. Nixon is awesome, he explained everything to me and my husband in great detail and was very positive but also objective and realistic. Our appointment was for an hour and he stayed an extra 15 minutes talking to us, even though they were holding a staff meeting until he could join — that is really putting patients first! He also responded to all of our crazy emails really quickly. Every time I call to make an appointment they have lots of times available, and I’ve gotten great help from the after-​hours advice nurse too. All the nurses /​techs /​admins /​etc. are super nice and I never feel rushed. They answer all my questions and make sure I truly understand the plan before I leave. Dr. Nixon understood my anxiety and he didn’t recommend a lot of useless «wait and see» time — he jumped right in and did a lot of the testing that I needed right along with my first cycle, so I didn’t have to wait another month before getting the treatment going. When I didn’t get my period for a few months, he was able to send in a blood test the same day that I emailed him, I did the test at lunch, got the results back the next day, and got a prescription and started Provera that night. Seriously, 24 hours later and I was already being treated for the problem! I really can’t say enough good things about my experience so far.

Dr. Harris’ bedside manner is sensitive yet honest. I want to hear the truth about fertility be that, WEIGHT OR AGE. If it’s the truth, I appreciate it. He was optimistic but has to give the stats. He’s young (handsome) but still very knowledgeable. I’m very happy; he’s an excellent doctor. The front desk gentleman was also polite and informative. He also made me feel comfortable.

I have been very impressed with the personalized care and thoroughness of this clinic. I had a HORRIBLE experience with UCSF Center for Reproductive Health and am so glad that I have found Dr. Eways. This clinic has been a special bright spot in what has been a very difficult journey.

The nurses, especially the advice nurses, and front desk reception are pretty nice in person. They are just really busy and rushed. So you need to be prepared with a quick list of questions or you’ll end up playing things by ear most of the time. It is Kaiser. So don’t expect stellar service. I did not find the doctors that helpful. I’m not sure they really pay attention to your individual case but rely on statistics by age and weight and make some quick conclusions. The waiting room is usually full of patients. Regular waiting time is at least 30 – 45 mins with an appointment.
If you are in a rush to solve your medical problem, it is best to go to another clinic because their approach is conservative and may likely take over a year.
For better results and efficiency of time, ask to do IUI with injectables (although this is the most expensive option there, but I believe gives you the best chance of success).
I highly recommend Nurse Practitioners Carla Schouten, Marion Colombo, and Debbie Pluckhan. They are knowledgeable.

Negative people. Terrible service. I tried to get a note for my employer to explain my absence on retrieval/​transfer days and was told by a nurse that she couldn’t do it because IVF was an elective surgery «like laser hair removal.» The woman who ran the class where they teach you injections bragged about how easily she got pregnant and joked about doing her own ultrasounds in the hospital where she worked.
Also, they are obsessed with weight. The doctor kept telling me it was going to be hard for her to access my ovaries because I am overweight. She asked me to lose 15 lbs. I lost 12 lbs and she continued to harp on me at every appointment about my weight until I literally burst into tears. When I switched to a different practice, my weight was a non-​issue. I asked the doctor if he would have any trouble accessing my ovaries due to my weight and he looked at me like I was nuts and then showed me on the ultrasound how easy it would be to retrieve the eggs. The retrieval went off without a hitch and most of the eggs fertilized and developed into healthy embryos. Infertility is hard enough without dealing with the extremely negative people at the Kaiser REI in Santa Clara. I am so glad I switched to a different practice, or else I would never have known that it didn’t have to be so hard. On the plus side, some of the other nurses, like NP Colombo, were very nice.

Dr. Nixon is wonderful — On my first visit he took the time to explain the photos from a recent procedure I’d undergone and explain them in great detail (something my gynocologist had never done, or perhaps had just not had the time to do with me) I learned so much about my own body and about fertility in just this initial visit with Dr. Nixon! On follow up visits I have been seen by Registered Nurse Marion Colombo, and helped by the staff at the clinic. Everyone has been so nice, friendly, helpful, professional, explanatory, informative — just excellent. I especially want to say thank you to Frances who seems to have infinite reserves of patience and kindness, and who really goes above and beyond to see that patients are cared for. It’s people like Frances who remind you that there are good people in the world. And the REI clinic is one place where it is very obvious by the way you are treated that every one of the staff cares about the health and well being of each of the patients.