Friday, January 15, 2010

How we treat patients from the USA cost effectively !

Many infertile couples want to come to us from the USA for their IVF treatment because we are so much more cost effective than US clinics. Most will come to India directly on Day 1 of their cycle, and we can do the entire treatment for them in our clinic. Since the treatment takes only about 20 days, many of them find this to be the easiest ( and least expensive ) option.

However, some cannot take leave for more than 10 days. This is why they'd rather start their superovulation locally, and then come to Bombay on Day 10. This way they need to spend only about 10 days in Bombay, saving themselves a lot of precious time.

While many local doctors are happy to help them out by prescribing their medications and doing their Day 3 check scan, some doctors refuse to cooperate. This often makes if very difficult for patients, and adds to their frustration.

The good news is that we have now worked out a protocol which allows us to manage the patient's superovulation by remote control, so that they do not need any assistance from their local doctor at all !

How can we manage this ?

1. Firstly, we have a very clear treatment protocol, which is available online at www.ivfindia.com/ivfcalendar.php. This allows patients to plan their treatment and book their tickets

2. Using our Second Opinion Form, I customise their protocol for them, based on their age, FSH levels and antral follicle counts. They can check their blood levels of FSH,LH,PRL , TSH and AMH from www.mymedlab.com , which is much easier and cheaper than going to their doctor ! They can also check their antral follicle count and confirm their pelvic anatomy is normal by doing an ultrasound scan using the medical imaging services provided by RemakeHealth.

3. I prescribe their meds for them, so that they can buy them online from www.ivfmeds.com. This is much cheaper than buying them from a US pharmacy ! All they need to buy is Lupron for downregulation; and Menogon ( Repronex/ generic HMG) for superovulation.

4. On Day 3, they do an ultrasound scan to confirm they are downregulated and to check their antral follicle count. They can do this anywhere in the US, using the medical imaging services provided by RemakeHealth. They can also do a blood test for checking their estradiol ( E2) level at www.mymedlab.com , to ensure they are downregulated.

5. They email me the scan results, and based on this I individualise the Menogon dose they need for their superovulation, which starts on Day 4. They then fly down to the clinic on Day 10; and need to spend only about 10 days in Bombay for their egg collection and embryo transfer !

Using this protocol, patients now need to spend only 10 days in India !

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