Medication Mayhem, some advice, please?

[The Smiths]

Hello out there, my name is Dana. My wife and I are also south Floridian residents (in case you are listening out there Dr. Roseff!!) and have been attempting "the natural way" for about two years but my wife has unfortunately suffered cyst issues that, after numerous surgeries, have blocked her fallopian tubes and damaged her egg supply. We're both pretty young (she's 29, I'm 27) and two semen analysis have independently confirmed that my little flagellated dudes are doing just fine. In short, our fertility specialist has told us that IVF is the only way now, so now we're working out the details.

But while we've been researching our options, the cost of medications is turning out to be a murky variable. We've consistently read that IVF medication can run about 1500-3500 per cycle but the organization we have consulted with (IVF Florida, who have proven somewhat dodgy...) seems to be quoting 4000 per cycle. We're not sticklers when it comes to finance, but given our age, you can imagine that we haven't exactly banked a small fortune. A margin of error of a few thousand dollars per cycle can be a big deal. So why is there such a broad deviation in IVF medication prices? Is it possible to shop around and expect to get a standardized product? We've searched the web exhaustively and can't seem to get a clear answer.

[Scott Roseff MD]

Hi Smith Family,

We don't sell fertility drugs out of our office, as we don't want to buy medicine, mark up the price, and then make a profit off of our patients. I'm NOT saying that's what other centers do, but just saying what WE do in my practice. We have a practice that offers HIGHLY individualized care in a warm and caring setting. Our success rates are amongst the highest in the nation, but rather than have a HUGE number of patients going through testing/treatment at once, we limit the number we see in a month in order to give the attention and success rates each person deserves....

So, we have fertility drug speciality pharmacies we work with who give our patients their medications for the lowest possible costs. I determine which medicines my patients need, then we fax the prescriptions to these specialty pharmacies. The fertility drug pharmacy then calls you to get your ordering/shipping information, and they ship the meds to you (or to our office) for the lowest possible fees.

I hope this helps - If you want a "second opinion" here at my South Florida private practice, please let me know. I wish you the best!

Sincerely,
Dr. Roseff in Wellington, Florida

[The Smiths]

It was my suspicion that the other practice was reselling medication, hence the unusually high prices (but to be fair, I'm not 100 percent certain that they were reselling). I'm perfectly fine with fertility practices being "finely tuned money making machines" as long as the practice is acting in the best and most practical interest of their patients. Our experience so far hasn't been so great in that regard.

I know it sounds cliche, but it appears you guys are "different." We read around and did some research on your office, and we were pretty impressed with your reviews as well as your dedication to patients (and, as was evident on these forums, strangers in need.) We actually already made an appointment with your office earlier today, so we look forward to visiting!

[Scott Roseff MD]

I'm looking forward to meeting you.... I know you WILL find us different.

See you then - Dr. Roseff in Wellington