SGF celebrates two milestones with its Moments Made Possible campaign: 30 years of SGF and 100,000 babies born.
“While the treatment of infertility has advanced tremendously over the past 30 years, one thing that hasn’t changed is SGF’s healthy obsession for never settling for the status quo. … We have consistently lived by the mantra to ‘always do what’s best for our patients.'”
ROCKVILLE, Md. (PRWEB)
September 07, 2021
Shady Grove Fertility (SGF), a national leader in fertility care, announced today it has reached a momentous milestone: 100,000 babies born from 30 years of continuous innovation, a commitment to research, and by offering hope.
SGF first opened its doors with two founding physicians, Michael J. Levy, M.D., and Art Sagoskin, M.D., in 1991 to the Rockville, Maryland community. Because of its ‘patient comes first’ approach to care, more than 70 physicians have joined the practice since with expansion across 41 offices now open (with a 42nd opening within the month in Brooklyn), seven states and Washington, D.C., an international location in Santiago, Chile, and international partner clinics throughout the UK and Canada.
“While the treatment of infertility has advanced tremendously over the past 30 years, one thing that hasn’t changed is SGF’s healthy obsession for never settling for the status quo,” says Dr. Levy, IVF Director, who sees patients in Rockville, MD, and internationally through SGF’s renowned Donor Egg Program. “With a practice our size coupled with our partnerships with four leading reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) training programs and a full-time clinical research team inhouse, individuals and couples benefit from advanced care that continuously evolves and improves. We have consistently lived by the mantra to ‘always do what’s best for our patients’ — this has served our patients and staff very well through the years.”
Today, SGF operates 11 state-of-the-art embryology labs in Atlanta, GA; Chesterbrook, PA; Denver, CO; Fairfax, VA; Manhattan, NY; Norfolk, VA; Richmond, VA; Rockville, MD; Tampa, FL; Towson, MD; and Santiago, Chile, offering the most sophisticated technology in the field to improve patient outcomes.
SGF believes that leadership is not a position or a title, it’s an action and an example, which is why they embrace their size and believe their prominence positions them in a seat of leadership. “We take that responsibility very seriously, which is why we invest heavily in training the next generation of physicians, serving the professional community as society leaders, publishing our scientific discoveries, and taking advantage of myriad educational platforms both domestically and internationally to advance the field,” shares Robert Stillman, M.D., SGF Medical Director Emeritus.
SGF performed more than 17,000 assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles in 2019 and is among the founding partners of US Fertility, the largest physician-owned, physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices in the U.S., which tops the list for most fresh non-donor in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles, the most fresh donor cycles, the most frozen donor cycles, the most donor embryo cycles, and — of key importance — the most live births from fresh non-donor IVF cycles in women ages 35 and younger.
“In the early days of SGF, we set out to be the best by simply creating a culture that valued taking care of one patient at a time. By following that model, the demand continued to grow, which gave us the opportunity to increase accessibility to top-quality care in more regions,” says Mark Segal, former CEO of SGF for 25 years, and now CEO of US Fertility. “Now that SGF is part of the US Fertility partnership, we’ve developed an even greater culture that nurtures and energizes great talent, invests in recruiting, selecting, and growing the right people, and intensely focuses on innovation and collaboration to drive efficiency at all levels, all while refining a supportive infrastructure that’s built not only for enormous growth but also to enhance the patient experience.”
SGF’s fertility specialists provide basic and advanced treatment to overcome infertility, as well as fertility preservation and LGBTQ family building. SGF’s success rates continuously rank well above the national average and their high-risk, high-order multiple birth rate is less than one percent, among the lowest in the nation.
“The singular goal that all of our physicians have in common is to help more people build their families,” shares Dr. Sagoskin, who sees patients in Rockville, MD. “This is universal throughout our practice and the reason our teams work tirelessly to care for our patients. Earning their trust and being there to support them through the highs and lows on their pursuit to building their family is what it’s all about. At the end of the day, our team knows they give our patients their all.”
Over the course of SGF’s tenure, by focusing on improving patients’ overall experience, SGF has become well known for providing award-winning care, with many of the SGF physicians having earned top doctor distinctions and accolades. “While the awards and recognition are well appreciated and never taken for granted, the greatest joy and satisfaction comes from our patients. People are counting on us, and we never take that lightly,” adds Dr. Sagoskin.
“Aside from the 100,000 babies to our credit, one of our proudest accomplishments that keeps us humble and extra vigilant every day is having earned the trust of over 5,000 physicians who refer their patients to us annually for fertility care,” says Eric A. Widra, M.D., SGF Chief Medical Officer. “Our referring provider community has come to expect from us the highest of clinical standards and uncompromising patient service. They know that we will leave no stone unturned when it comes to helping patients achieve their dream of a family.”
A 2019 national study conducted of obstetricians/gynecologists (OB/GYN) revealed that the majority of respondents believe that when referring a patient to a fertility specialist, they look for good success rates and positive patient experiences first and foremost.
“We believe that any decision we make from the perspective of serving the patient will ultimately be the best choice,” says Ryan Martin, M.D., of SGF’s Warrington, PA office. “Therefore, we remain dedicated to delivering the most comprehensive, efficient, fiscally responsible, and compassionate care possible.”
Among contributions to SGF’s credit — now revered as a game-changer in how patients gain access to quality more affordable fertility care — was SGF’s Shared Risk 100% Refund Program for IVF and Donor Egg.
SGF was one of the first fertility practices in the country to create such a program in its early years and since has enrolled more than 25,000 patients. SGF’s unique 100% refund guarantee programs offer a financial safety net by providing qualified patients with the opportunity to pay a flat fee for up to six IVF or donor egg cycles and any subsequent frozen embryo transfers from those cycles. Patients either take home a baby or receive a full refund.* An estimated 82% of participants take home a baby.
“Among the factors that set SGF apart is we designed the first-of-its-kind guarantee program to be affordable and inclusive,” adds Dr. Levy. “The majority of patients meet the program criteria and close to 40 percent will become pregnant on their first try.”
SGF was also among the first practices to incorporate psychological support services into its treatment approach. “Treatment at SGF doesn’t just involve caring for patients’ medical needs, our integrated care model offers psychological support services by SGF’s licensed social workers,” adds Dr. Martin. “By helping to support the ‘whole’ patient, the aim is to reduce the stress and emotional toll that is often associated with infertility.”
Another reason SGF delivers optimal patient care is because of their individualized approach. “There is no one size fits all when it comes to determining the best course of treatment for patients,” adds Desireé McCarthy-Keith, M.D., M.P.H., of SGF’s Atlanta, GA location. “We base our treatment recommendations on a variety of circumstances including a patient’s test results, age, medical history, previous fertility treatment, and personal preferences. With all of these variables, we customize and optimize each treatment plan to meet the unique needs of each patient with the ultimate goal of offering patients the best chance of pregnancy.”
SGF’s ‘Moments Made Possible’ Campaign
SGF is commemorating these accomplishments that led es born over the course of 30 years with its ‘to 100,000 babies born over the course of 30 years with its ‘Moments Made Possible’ campaign. Whether patients are just beginning treatment or have a 30-year-old SGF “baby,” SGF is inviting the SGF community to add their voice and moments at #MomentsMadePossible on social media.
“The fertility journey is made up of moments—some big, like hearing a baby’s heartbeat, and some small, like the time a nurse said just the right thing on a day a patient needed encouragement the most,” shares Dr. Levy. “On our 30th anniversary, we honor and celebrate all the moments made possible if not for the sheer grit and resilience of our patients as well as the tireless efforts of the entire SGF care team. This campaign celebrates moments that happen while patients are in our care and those moments beyond, like baby’s first steps, a child winning that soccer championship, your son’s high school graduation, or father and daughter walking arm in arm down the aisle.”
“A patient’s relationship with SGF is lifelong,” adds Dr. Sagoskin. “Your moments matter to us long after you leave our care. We’re now celebrating many of our first SGF babies now grown having babies of their own. When you come to SGF you become part a 30-year strong community. You become part of our family.”
Speaking of community, SGF offers a comprehensive website and blog, as well as active Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels, where current and prospective patients will find a wealth of support and resources.
“While we joyfully celebrate 100,000 babies born, what we do is so much more than a tally of babies born,” says Vicki Gerber, SGF Executive Managing Director. “The magnitude of our efforts reverberates for many years and generations to come. Every team member at SGF is an integral part of the care community. We take pride that our mission is one of restoring hope when it’s lost, calming fears in the face of uncertainty, and offering solutions after a setback. And we do it with an assembly of professionals who have the biggest hearts. That’s what makes SGF truly special.”
(*Some exclusions may apply, please talk with an SGF Financial Counselor to learn more.)
About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)
SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 100,000 babies born. With 41 locations, including new locations in Colorado and Norfolk, VA, as well as throughout CO, FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, SGF offers patients virtual physician consults, delivers individualized care, accepts most insurance plans, and makes treatment more affordable through innovative financial options, including 100% refund guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. SGF is among the founding partner practices of US Fertility, the largest physician-owned, physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices in the U.S. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
About US Fertility
US Fertility is the largest, physician-owned and physician-led, integrated network of top-tier IVF/fertility practices in the United States, offering comprehensive fertility-market-focused non-clinical, technology and management platforms that help domestic and international practices improve patient outcomes, while increasing patient access and demand. To learn more about partnership- or affiliate-status benefits, call 914-908-3289 or visit http://www.USFertility.com.
