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Like many women I grew up dreaming of becoming a mother one day. But life has a way of throwing you a curveball sometimes and I was no exception. I found out it was harder for me to get pregnant than I thought, especially as the years zip by and get to what is referred to as an “advanced” age. Finally, I decided I needed some help and after extensive research I found out it would be very expensive to do so. But I wanted a baby so badly, I decided it was worth it for me to try In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).   My fertility journey has been a very long and difficult one and I would like to share my experience in 2023 specifically at Northwell Health Fertility, New York, NY, 10065. I selected this facility because they were part of the “Center of Excellence” for my insurance company (I needed to enrolled  with one of these facilities to get insurance benefits) and I was told by my nurse case manager they are required to provide the same level of excellent service. Also, I consulted and felt comfortable with the Reproductive Endocrinologist who was going to help on this journey (I’m not sharing her name here because she has since resigned from this facility). Unfortunately, that was where the nightmare started. I did all the required tests, blood work etc., and received an email with my planned protocol for my IVF cycle a few weeks after I was told pre-authorization was sent to my insurance company. A nurse also called and informed me when to start taking my medication to get ready my for cycle and I did. I was surprised two days before I went in for my ultrasound and blood tests, I got a call from a nurse informing me the pre-authorization was just sent in to my insurance company and would like at least 3 weeks to get approved. This was supposed to have been done 2 months ago. When I asked why this wasn’t done earlier as I was led to believe, the person in charge of obtaining the pre-authorization said she was on two weeks’ vacation and she was the only one there who did pre-authorization. Even so, this should have been requested two months ago. Keep in mind I already started my medication as well, and the “plan” was in process. I was told if I wanted to continue treatment without insurance authorization I would have to call the Finance Department and pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. Otherwise, I would have to wait until we got authorization, whenever that was. Also, I should consider calling my insurance company myself to see if they could expedite the approval. I was shocked! Here I am being penalized for Northwell Health Fertility not doing their job as required. Just to note again, I already started taking medication per the plan/protocol for my IVF cycle! The next day I got another call that I needed to do a saline sonogram and I cannot move forward without it. This was never communicated to me before, even when I was doing all the other “required” tests two months prior. I had to take off work the next day and rushed to get this done. Also, please note I was calling my insurance two to three times each day, begging for someone to expedite the approval for me so I could continue with the plan instead of waiting another month to restart the process all over. It was a just mess. The nurse then informed me that the doctor decided I would have to stay longer than planned on the birth control until we get insurance approval. I expressed concern about this change in protocol that wasn’t my fault but no one cared. Due to my excessive calling, a supervisor at the insurance company made an exception and gave the authorization a few days earlier than the normal two/three weeks wait. But the damage was already done. Once we finally moved forward with the other fertility medication, my body didn’t respond at all. My follicles remained at almost the same size and wouldn’t grow. The doctor increased the dose of medication but nothing. She then informed me I was probably “too suppressed” because I stayed on the birth control longer than she wanted due to the fact we were waiting on the pre-authorization from my insurance company. All because the staff at Northwell Health Fertility failed to get this done in a timely manner as required. I was penalized mentally and financially for this careless act by the staff at Northwell Health Fertility, New York, NY. The doctor developed another protocol which she said should make a difference. The problem was I had used up the $10,000 lifetime maximum for fertility medication on the first botched protocol. This second time around I would have to pay out of pocket. I didn’t know what to do. I cried daily, I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t get any help from anyone at Northwell Health Fertility, including the doctor. But due to the fact I already started this process, I then decided to try again and put all the expenses on a credit card. I paid almost $5000 just for fertility medication alone, and guess what? We didn’t get a viable embryo. I strongly believe my uterus was probably still too suppressed from that first “botched” protocol. The doctor who treated me resigned from the facility shortly after and as such I requested a call with Dr. Christine Mullin, Director of Northwell Health Fertility, NY. I explained what happened and that I would like back the money I spent on additional fertility medication and out of pocket co-insurance and co-pays for the first botched protocol. She was cold, impatient, and abrupt. She spoke to me like I was insignificant and didn’t show an ounce of compassion. Long story short, my claim was turned over to Medical Malpractice VCM – a CCMSI Division. They were a third party who supposedly conducted an investigation that took months, then sent me a cold informal email that Northwell Health Fertility, NY, didn’t do anything wrong. I wasn’t surprised at this decision. I was advised this was what they usually do because they would never say their client (Northwell Health Fertility ) did something wrong, which would open them up a lawsuit. This was just a ploy to victimize me all over again. Also, the claims representative informed me Northwell Health Fertility could make their own decision on whether they wanted to reimburse me some of my money. Again, I sent Dr. Christine Mullin another detailed email, just asking back for some of the money I paid for the expensive fertility medication, so I could possibly try another IVF cycle elsewhere or even explore the option of using a donor egg as I still yearn to become a mother. Remember, I maximized my lifetime benefit of $10,000 for fertility medication with my insurance company and they would not be paying for anymore fertility medication. All my many phone messages and emails, which were confirmed to be forwarded to Dr. Christine Mullin, was never returned. I also emailed the office manager, Ms. Nancy Banks, and she also didn’t respond. I was ignored by Northwell Fertility, NY, because they didn’t want to take responsibility for what they had done to me. I don’t usually play the “race” card, but I strongly believe that’s the reason why my case was handled like that from the beginning at Northwell Health Fertility, NY, NY Also, it’s the reason why Dr. Christine Mullin treated me with such distain and lack of compassion. Please note I never owed these people a cent, every bill was paid promptly and yet I never received the same level of service that was extended to other women. A few weeks ago I left another message for Dr. Christine Mullin and Mr. Daniel Vaknin called me back. He informed me there was a new director at the facility and he was calling to hear my story and to see how they could help. I told him everything that happened, including the supposed “investigation.” He confirmed he had some of the email correspondence, including emails from the nurse showing the change in protocol because the pre-authorization wasn’t sent in as required. As requested, I also sent him the email that was initially sent to Dr. Christine Mullin, this included copies of the receipts for the fertility medication I paid for out of pocket because I wasted the $10,000 on fertility medication for the first botched protocol. This man seemed sympathetic to me but I soon realized that wasn’t so. He called a few days later to inform me he checked with staff and there was also a third party investigation and Northwell Health Fertility, NY, NY didn’t do anything wrong. They would not be returning any money. Please note at this point I would have accepted the money I paid for fertility medication to help me with my future fertility plans. I believe I paid a total of approximately $15,000 out of pocket. Another thing I wanted to share is shortly after the “investigation” started in June 2023 I began to get invoices from Northwell Health Fertility with outstanding balances. Please note I never owed them a cent, all bills were paid promptly and this was confirmed by an email from their Billing Department. I also noticed that all paid prior claims with my insurance company were re-adjusted and resubmitted. A supervisor at the insurance company said they could do an audit, but I decided to wait. The first invoice for approximately $374, then I received another for $74, and when I called  a few times to pay I was told I don’t have an outstanding balance. In fact, Mr. D. Vaknin confirmed I didn’t have an outstanding balance. I strongly believe this was done in retaliation for my claim against Northwell Health Fertility, NY, NY. I have the emails, voice recordings, invoices etc., to back up everything I am writing here. This was such a traumatic experience for me. Northwell Health Fertility, NY, NY, has hurt me financially, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I strongly believe some women of color are being treated differently at this facility. Even if you don’t struggle with infertility, I hope you can get a sense of the hell those of us who do go through. To be injecting these super expensive fertility drugs into your body, undergoing ultrasounds at regular intervals, repeated blood tests, traumatic egg retrievals and if you’re lucky to get one or a few viable embryos, the stressful embryo transfer. But the heartache comes after going through all that to learn you’re not pregnant. So, when I have a facility like Northwell Fertility Health, NY, NY, messing up my IVF cycle because they failed to follow the required protocol and then refused to take responsibility for their action, I feel victimized all over again. Women of color should be aware of Northwell Health Fertility, New York, NY. It has been reported we are not getting the same healthcare treatment. And for those of us who are fortunate to have good insurance and make the sacrifice of investing our hard earned money to get expensive IVF  to achieve the dream of becoming a mother, you need a facility with doctors and staff who care. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive this at Northwell Health Fertility, New York, NY. You will read different reviews for this facility but ask yourself who are writing these reviews. Will you be one of the lucky ones to get the care you need and is paying for? Or will you be like me who was treated unfairly and with bias and suffered the consequences of a facility who failed to follow procedures as required. I am a victim of Northwell Health Fertility, New York, NY and while it has been very hard for me, I am determined to rise above this. I hope by sharing my nightmare at this facility, it will help someone, especially a woman of color, who I believe is not getting the same treatment as required.