News on financing IVF fertility treatments

News about a new IVF financing option for couples experienced infertility and the financial challenges associated with treatment. Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut in Norwalk CT has recently joined an elite list of only 31 infertility centers in the country, and the only one in Connecticut, to offer patients a financing option for In Vitro Fertilization procedures. The program is provided by Integramed America, Inc. and is called Shared RiskTM. It enables patients to receive up to three rounds of IVF treatments for one flat, discounted fee.

NORWALK, CT August 4, 2004 -- Doctors at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut recently joined an elite list of only 31 infertility centers in the country, and the only one in Connecticut, to offer patients a financing option for In Vitro Fertilization procedures. The program, provided by Integramed America, Inc. a leading provider of services and products to the reproductive medicine community is called Shared RiskTM, and it enables patients to receive up to three rounds of IVF treatments for one flat, discounted fee. In addition, part of that fee may be refunded if all three treatments are unsuccessful.

This is a tremendous opportunity for us to help our patients manage the growing cost of family planning, said Dr. Mark P. Leondires, Medical Director at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut. Its also a testament to the unwavering commitment we make to our patients, to provide them with an array of comprehensive, successful treatment plans and innovative family building management options.

Because the company shares the risk of failed IVF, Integramed requires that the practitioners who offer it be at the very top of their field. In fact, their success rates must be in the top 25% of all procedures performed nationally. In addition Dr. Leondires noted that in order to provide its patients with access to the Integramed Shared Risk program, Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut underwent months of rigorous screening by the company.

We were more than willing to complete the requirements set forth by Integramed, Dr. Leondires explained, because we knew that the end result would be a program that would be beneficial to many of our patients.

Patients who qualify for the program pay an up-front fee, which is usually comparable to the fee charged for two rounds of IVF for women under 35, for three full rounds of treatment. Treatment rates are slightly higher for women aged 35-37; women 38 and over are disqualified from the program. According to Integramed, approximately 70% of those who apply for the program are accepted, and another 70% of those who are accepted succeed in delivering a healthy baby during one of the programs three cycles.

If three cycles of treatment do not result in a live birth, patients receive a substantial refund of the up-front fee. Integramed also offers financing plans for its Shared Risk program, so those patients who are accepted into the program can take out low interest loans through the company to help pay for the services.

Integrameds Shared Risk program covers the majority of expenses associated with IVF, except for fertility drugs, egg and/or sperm donation fees, cryopreservation of eggs for future IVF procedures, and several other procedures. Integramed was recently ranked #13 on Fortune Small Business magazines fourth annual list of the 100 fastest-growing small businesses in the nation. More information is available at www.integramed.com.

More information about Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut is available at: www.thecenter-norwalk.com.

Bio:
Dr. Mark P. Leondires, M.D., FACOG, is a leading authority on reproductive medicine. Dr. Leondires is board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He is a member of the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Leondires earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. Dr. Leondires completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. After completion of his training, he fulfilled his military obligation by serving as the ART Director for the largest and most successful program in the military health care system at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. During this time he was an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and clinical faculty for the Combined Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology. Dr. Leondires is currently Medical Director and lead physician with Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut in Norwalk CT. Along with numerous teaching and research activities, Dr. Leondires has published articles in professional medical journals, national consumer magazines and newspapers, as well as abstracts and book chapters.

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