The 9,400-square-foot clinic in Dedham, Mass. opened on Sept. 2 and will be focused on customer service.
By: Ron Shinkman
Three physicians with Boston IVF have left the organization and have opened their own practice.
Drs. Pietro Bortoletto, Denis Vaughan and Emily Seidler have formed Terra Fertility after leaving Boston IVF in May. The 9,400-square-foot facility opened in the Boston suburb of Dedham, Mass. on Sept. 2 with 15 employees. It will be occupying a space formerly occupied by Fertility Solutions, which allowed such a rapid start for the trio after they left their old positons. A second clinic with a staff of three is planned to open in downtown Boston before the end of this year. Kathryn Go – former IVF lab director for The Brigham and Women’s Hospital and for Boston IVF – is serving as lab director.
Private Equity’s Grip Raises Physician Concerns
Bortoletto observed that while Massachusetts is a wonderful place to practice given the longstanding state mandate to insurers to cover IVF, Boston itself feels constricted.
“There’s one academic practice and then there are three private-equity backed network clinics in Boston, and that’s it,” he told Inside Reproductive Health. “There was room for a physician-owned private practice group that offered a better patient experience in Boston, and that’s what we're hoping to fill.”
Bortoletto also acknowledged that the trio wanted to strike out on their own because they are worried about the future of IVF clinics dominated by private equity.
“A lot of us found it unappetizing and not how we wanted to practice medicine for the future,” he said.
Bortoletto said he also wanted Terra to avoid what he sees as some of the customer service issues at other clinics.
“The state of affairs in Boston is that you play phone tag into voicemails, and you wait a couple days to get a reply back,” he said. “Turnaround times for new patient appointments and follow up appointments are in the order of weeks, not days. We’re hoping to do better than that.” Terra also plans to offer state-of-the-art technology, such as the use of embryoscopes, without an extra charge.
$6–$8 Million Price Tag to Build an IVF Clinic
Bortoletto noted that Terra is backed only by the investments of the three physicians. He did not disclose exact figures, but said it costs $6 to $8 million to build a clinic.
David Stern, the former chief executive officer of Boston IVF who himself left the company earlier this year to take over the top role at Kindbody, acknowledged that it can be difficult to secure a rapid appointment in the region, primarily because of the volume of patients seeking services. But he said other factors come into play that are beyond a clinic’s control.
“You also have prior authorization. So when you’re getting an insurance approval, it takes weeks to get that,” Stern told Inside Reproductive Health. “That’s not a customer service issue.”
Stern’s former employer also stood by its customer service model.
“Fertility care is as much about service as it is about science, and that's what we have built our reputation on,” Alan Penzias, M.D., Boston IVF’s regional medical director and fellowship director told Inside Reproductive Health. “Customer service means ensuring that every interaction reflects compassion, clarity, and respect, and we are always looking for new, better ways to deliver the highest quality care.”
Early Surge: 500+ Patients Already Booked
Meanwhile, Terra says they are moving toward a full patient pipeline. Bortoletto said that more than 500 would-be patients have already made appointments to visit the new clinic, vastly exceeding his expectations.
Stern said he’s not surprised. He heaped generous praise on all three doctors for their skills and reputations.
“They’re all fantastic doctors and amazing people,” said Stern, who hired Vaughan at Boston IVF during his tenure. “I think they have a very good following, and they have been in the area for a long time, and they’ve built good relationships.”
Stern also noted that Seidler has a strong social media presence, which he said will also help attract new patients.
He did sound a note of caution regarding how the nascent practice handles patient mix, particularly in a mandated insurance state such as Massachusetts.
“While there's a lot of patients that benefit from having insurance, your reimbursement is less than when you’re in a self-pay state. And I think that is always a challenge for any IVF program is – how do you balance the volume that you're getting from the insurance with the reduced margins?” Stern asked. “Because you have to give insurance a big discount.”