**BEWARE OF BILLING FRAUD** Not surprised to see how low this place is rated (and I wish I consulted yelp!!!). As you can tell if you look at my profile, I rate most experiences and businesses highly, and I find myself to be a very level-headed and fair person. I was considering CFA for fertility testing for both my husband and I. We had a 1-time consult with one of their doctors, which took ~15 minutes over zoom. Received a bill for CPT code 99205, which was over $400, and represents a 60-75 minute face to face visit (you can research the code yourself). I reached out to the company to say my appointment was extremely brief, and I don't believe this CPT code is accurate/represents the length of time with the doctor. I received extremely rude responses, justifying the use of the code (inaccurately, saying it includes documentation time - which it doesn't, and even if it does, show me what a 45-minute long note looks like...yeah right). Extremely disappointing and horrible to charge me for a service I didn't receive. I even mentioned that I'd be happy to pay for an accurate CPT code, even a 30-minute one, and they are not budging. Unfortunately, they have evidence of the length of the appointment since it was on the provider's zoom account, though I wish so badly I could pull that evidence (and we can all assume they won't show it). Bewareeeeeee read more

STAY AWAY. I've had the most horrible experience. Staff is unorganized, unfriendly and overall incompetent. I can't imagine they will be in business for long. I enjoyed my initial consult with Dr. Sacks but after my payment went through its been nothing but inconsistent and contradicting communication. I called and emailed many times to get direction on what medication to take and when, the response from Imani (the office manager) was rude and inconsistent with what the Dr. had said in-person. I was promised a refund, yet I am still following up and fighting for it. The CFA staff has no integrity or respect for their patients, please BE AWARE! read more

CFA undoubedtly has room to improve, but I have two children thanks to Dr Abbasi, and that is after abysmal experiences at two other local clinics (the largest one, then DF - see my review of DF for a real treat). If you are a hard case - if you have unexplained infertility and have had multiple losses - Dr A is the best choice for you in the DC area. Yes, it will require a lot of self-advocating. Yes, CFA was overall a better patient experience pre-COVID when they had three locations and a larger more competent nursing staff. But as someone who spent time at 3 different clinics, over a period of six years, I can tell you this clinic is no less disorganized than the others. read more

My review echos other recent reviews (all essentially terrible): run as fast as you possibly can away from CFA. I went through one retrieval cycle and am absolutely scarred from the process. I should have realized from the outset that things were not as they should be when they kept messing up my appointment dates and the purpose for the visit. They also sent my time-sensitive prescription to the wrong pharmacy, etc. - it was clear from the outset that they had organizational issues, but I thought at least the care would be good. I was wrong. This was my first retrieval so I did not have all of the education needed to push back on a treatment plan that, in hindsight, was terrible. My estrogen was off the charts and my follicles were oversized well before my trigger (and I'm not talking about a sacrificed lead follicle - more than half of the follicles were too large before my trigger), which another treating clinician has since told me created (1) an unnecessary and significant risk of premature ovulation before retrieval and (2) overmature eggs that would likely have issues as embryos, which is exactly what happened. Despite having very good fertility figures (follicle count, AMH, etc.), I would up with zero viable embryos at the end of the cycle. (For reference, 12 hours before trigger and 48 hours before retrieval most of my follicles were over 22 mm--some were bigger.) The entire process was absolutely heartbreaking. As it turned out, my retrieval was likely off pushed due to CFA's scheduling conflicts. As if that weren't enough, I learned after the retrieval cycle that CFA is engaged in fraudulent billing. I caught multiple instances of overbilling, including when they charged me as a self-pay patient for a procedure in advance, and then billed the full amount to my insurance after the fact. Then they wanted to reimburse Cigna, instead of me so that they could keep the higher amount instead of the contracted rate! Most insultingly, after resolving the issues of overbilling after countless hours and emails back and forth, I JUST received an invoice from CFA for my embryo "storage" fee for the TEN DAYS that the embryos were stored while awaiting PGT-A testing (i.e., they charged an entire month's storage for holding the embryos until they were determined to be non-viable and discarded). That is absolutely nonstandard in the industry and, let's be real, just adding insult to injury. I'm furious. In sum, this clinic is disorganized, engaged in fraud, and the doctor's do not give a shit about their patients. RUN! read more

Columbia Fertility is a pure fraud shop. They will misdiagnose you, mess up your treatment and overcharge you for it. I went there for an embryo transfer, the admin side is chaos, they don't fill prescriptions on time, they confuse appointments, and don't know how to use their own portal. The financial side is a scam. You will see fees getting added, then doubled with no services rendered. Most important they're medically incompetent and lazy. They won't go the full length to diagnose the problem because they're more interested in booking the next and next cycle. In my case, they froze a poor quality embryo, did not inform me till the day of the transfer and it failed. When I asked for explanation, they said "oh this happens, we can try again." Do not pick this place. Every other clinic in town is more competent, cheaper and more trustworthy. Just run away. read more

Did an egg retrieval at this clinic and it was such a stressful process. I never got timely responses, I almost didn't start my cycle meds on time due to an "office billing issue". They seem to know what they are doing but their patient care could use some work! It was a super stressful experience, I was glad when it was over. read more

WARNING: If you are age 35 and over, you're better off going to Shady Grove Fertility for treatment! I have been meaning to modify my previous reviews of Columbia Fertility Associates and I finally have found the time to do so. Initially, I didn't know what to expect as Columbia was my first experience with fertility treatments, but looking back, and now having SGF for comparison, my care was inadequate. I realized I never received a proper consultation which would eventually set the stage for a bad first-time experience. I felt that there was no real professional guidance. Once my provider left, I was then handed off to a doctor that couldn't seemed to care as to whether I reached my goals or not. His attitude often suggested that he was only interested in collecting a check. After I finally had my first IVF cycle and came out empty handed, this doctor was quick to suggest that I use a donor egg instead. I was far from age 40 and there was still time for me to obtain success. Visits with him to discuss my care was often met with blasé responses and indifference. My family urged me to make the switch, and I am so glad that I did. SGF was a world of a difference! No organization is perfect, but I felt I was in better hands with providers who sincerely cared and were competent. I was told that the treatment plan used during my first cycle did not maximize my potential for success because an important medication was omitted. My new SGF provider was rather perplexed by this basic omission. Whether this omission was pure incompetence or partly deliberate--I would never know, but I feel like I dodged a bullet by quickly making the decision to end my care with Columbia Fertility Associates. read more

We were looking at multiple fertility clinics in the area when we decided to have our second one, and this one didn't make the cut. Right away they muddled up the details of my wife's appointment, so we decided to pass. Moreover, unlike the clinic we chose to work with, which just charged a reasonable amount up-front for this, CFA workers didn't provide us with any information about the price of the initial consultation costs: they just told us they will charge our insurance and that we shouldn't worry about it. The claim was denied for unknown reasons -- and we got slapped with a $405 bill two months after the fact -- for a 30 minute measly Zoom call, which wasn't even with the doctor herself. Then I spent a whole week and 5-6 phone calls trying to get the person responsible for the account to call me back -- which she never did. read more

1 star based SOLELY on office staff. I had my first initial consult on March 16th with Dr. Sacks (for egg freezing). He was VERY personable and I loved him. He explained the entire process, and answered all my questions. They ran all the tests on the first visit, right there in the office. I was excited to book my procedure here. With that being said, I have called every single day since then, and sent MULTIPLE emails (both through the website, Yelp, and personal emails), with NO response. Absolutely NONE. I am beyond frustrated. It's a shame to see this clinic lose clients based on office staff, but seriously, save your time and effort and go elsewhere. read more

My rating is based solely on the office staff. I met with Dr. Rifka, had a wonderful experience and I was excited to work with him. Got my blood work done and the nurse was lovely. At the end of the visit I had a couple of questions about next steps for the office staff and that's where it all went downhill. When I say these people were some of the rudest and most condescending people I've ever met, I am really not exaggerating. They were irritated by my questions, when I asked them to please confirm with the Dr. they sighed audibly, and when they came back they started with "as I told you" and "do you understand now? Great" and walked away. I get that they're busy and my questions might have seemed redundant but it's not like I'm trying to buy a sweater, I'm trying to go through an extensive and expensive medical procedure! Fertility issues, which are, in themselves exhausting and emotionally draining process. Do you really want to add to that by being treated like you're an inconvenience? I'd recommend going elsewhere. read more

Nice experience here. You should always know your benefits before visiting any doctors office. It's key to your care. read more

Columbia Fertility Associates - Nice spring day - Fertility Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

After seven years of infertility struggles, we underwent IVF treatment with Columbia and had a successful pregnancy. I'm still giving them one star. We chose Columbia after consultations with multiple doctors/centers because Dr. Rafat Abbasi was the most knowledgeable about recent endometriosis research. Our first IVF cycle working with her was a success. The second was not. It's common knowledge that there is no guarantee of success with IVF treatment. It is an expensive, physically taxing, and emotionally draining dice roll regardless of the center you choose. However, the experience of working with Columbia was terrible. A sampling of the general incompetence we encountered: -Giving me instructions for dosing a different drug than the one I was using. -Not ordering enough needles to go with the medication. -Double-billing for items and never fixing the bill. (I finally gave up and paid because it was a relatively small amount and I wanted to be done with them.) -Not answering emails promptly or at all. -*Lots* of mistakes with appointment scheduling. -Not reliably telling me in advance if I need a full bladder for a procedure. (This was an especially big deal on my transfer day, as my doctor was rushed and stressed with the delay.) -Notifying me of a medication change too late in the day for them to call in the prescription (this was on a weekend) which meant several stressful hours of me calling pharmacies all over NoVa to find this one drug I apparently needed to start ASAP. -Casual disregard for how many sticks are necessary to do a successful blood draw. (There are 1-2 good nurses but most mean you'll walk out looking like you got into a fight with a bandaid box and lost.) -Not starting me on the highest possible dosages of medication even after we had a discussion with the doctor about starting at the highest doses to maximize our chances of success. (We only discovered we weren't at the highest possible doses when we switched to a different center and their dosages...shock!...were higher.) -Preparing blood work orders incorrectly (for example, order is for progesterone only when I know we also need to check estrogen). -Preparing multiple incorrect treatment calendars for me (for example, using their default protocol instead of the one that had worked for me before and which took a year of cancelled transfer cycles to develop, when we had discussed in advance the plan of using the working protocol on our second attempt). Most of this is, of course, the staff (reception, billing, nurses) and not the doctors. However, some of this IS the doctors and even if the doctors are doing everything flawlessly, this level of incompetence at every other stage of the process likely undoes the good being done by their thoroughness. I felt I had to double-check EVERYTHING because mistakes and miscommunication happened so often. And I have no medical training, so I'm sure I missed things. Did this impact the likelihood of success on our second try? Maybe not. But maybe. Which is ridiculous for something you're paying tens of thousands of dollars for (if your insurance doesn't cover fertility treatment, as many don't). Furthermore, the doctors know mistakes are being made. I've lost count of how many emails I sent pointing out an error that the doctor was copied on or of how many times I heard a doctor point out a nurse's mistake to them during one of my appointments. We are all human, of course. Mistakes happen. But if mistakes are numerous and varied and happening consistently, you need to change something. Nothing ever changed. No apology for any of the mistakes was ever offered, either. Adding to all this pleasantness was rudeness, condescension, and inconsistency from the staff. This was often on display as regards their enforcement of their Covid policies. On many, many occasions I was asked to wear a mask by someone who was wearing theirs incorrectly (nose not covered) or not wearing one at all. There was also the time my husband was not allowed to sit in the waiting room because "our policy says spouses must wait outside" even though he was a patient himself that day (not just there to support me) and the waiting room was **empty** when we arrived. Lastly, during my most recent treatment round with them in 2023, I got the impression the center was kind of falling apart. Water dispensers in the waiting room were consistently empty or didn't have cups. Bathrooms didn't have toilet paper. Staffing confusion on one memorable occasion meant no one arrived to work the blood draw lab until 90 min (ninety, that's not a typo) after they'd opened. I think it is all best summed up by the picture I've attached here from the blood draw lab. My husband's comment when I sent him this picture was: "There is a deeply malevolent presence in that office somewhere." Columbia took an inherently miserable process and managed to make it even worse. That's saying something. read more

Columbia Fertility Associates - If I were to sum up Columbia in one picture, this would be it. - Fertility Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I experienced several instances of them not honoring appointments, issues with not knowing how to submit claims to insurance, miscommunication and misinformation by the receptionists, extended wait times to be seen while at the appointment. I underwent severe emotional damage from the constant issues. However, I am taking it as a sign that this is not the right place for me and moving on. read more

After years receiving treatment here, I agree with the other reviewers about the absolutely atrocious administrative staff. Even the nurses in the practice lack compassion. The only saving grace is the doctor is fairly responsive but how can one have confidence in a clinic overall including it's lab, when nurses miss calls to update you on meds or lab work, you have a failed transfer and you and get an email that says "your beta is this, sorry", and nothing unless you follow-up? Forget trying to deal with billing. No real package deals, so if you are self-pay every single cycle is out of pocket with little transparency on some of the cost. I wasted so much time here and wish I wouldn't have wasted precious years at this point in my life (late thirties) with this clinic. Now I'm between a rock and a hard place as it could take months to start treatment somewhere else. STAY CLEAR. read more

This office is disgraceful. They are completely disorganized and will not abide by their own company statement which you are forced to sign. If you have an issue I would encourage you to reach out to the Office of Attorney General 202-442-9828 and the DC Department of Health. There is more strength in numbers. Please share this number with anyone who has had an issue with this provider. Hopefully she will start treating her patients with the decency and respect they deserve. This process is hard enough without having the provider add to our challenges. read more

I'm pretty torn on whether to give 2 or 3 stars. The main reason I feel this way is because of the office staff. I'm sorry, I must agree with many of the other reviewers here who have commented on the ineptitude of the office staff here. Dr. Abassi is ok. She definitely knows her stuff and she makes herself available for all of your questions. However, that office? Between the billing errors, the lack of thoroughness and follow-ups, the disorganization of appointment making, it's just a mess. I would most certainly not recommend them. I wish I'd read the reviews here about this office prior to becoming a patient. read more

If I could give them a ZERO star I would. I contacted the clinic to schedule an appointment with a specific physician, but all what they did is insisting on scheduling me with another! They bad mouthed the doctor I requested despite the fact that two of my close friends had successful treatment with him. It sounded a little bit unethical to do so, which made me change my mind about going to them. I wouldn't trust them with my treatment if they are like that even before starting. read more

Please read reviews before going to this practice. The reviews about a poorly ran office and rude staff are beyond accurate. The staff treats you as though you are an inconvenience, If you need a copy of your medical records sent to another doctor or even just for yourself expect to pay for it and expect to have to jump through hoops to get them even if it's a fellow doctor requesting them. The reviews about staff hanging up the phone on you, also accurate. I wish I could say that Dr. Abassi was an exception to her staff but unfortunately she is also quite unprofessional. The fact that any Doctor would be okay with looking at reviews like this of its office and allowing that type of behavior and treatment of patients to continue going should be your first red flag. Personally, I reached out to Dr. Abbasi to let her know of the situation I was experiencing with her staff and she never bothered to reach out or respond. Aside from all of this, the office is quite rundown and as a woman going through the fertility process, the last thing you want is to worry about is how gross the room your Ultrasound is, or the filthiness of the room that your partner has to give a sample in - they hand you a disposable sheet to put down! I truly hope the doctors at Columbia Fertility take some time to read through their reviews and prioritize their patient care. You could be a great doctor but bad staff will ruin your practice. read more

Stay away from this practice! Dr. Butler is great, but the nurses and administrative staff are incredibly unprofessional. It was nearly impossible to speak with their staff, schedule an appointment, etc. I would literally call 10+ times in a row to speak with someone. I left multiple messages that were never acknowledged or addressed. I used Columbia for egg freezing - a stressful process without the added headaches of inaccurate information, lack of communication, and frankly an utter lack of professionalism. Under no circumstance would I ever recommended this practice. read more

Columbia Fertility Associates provides horrendous customer service by its staff, including Dr. Sacks. At first, I thought it was only the female staff with which I was concerned. Most of the female staff that I dealt with, specifically Elsia, Wendy Hemingway, and Victoria McComarck, lack professionalism when entering the office, answering the phone, returning phone calls or emails, and greeting you when meeting them for the first time. As word eventually gets to the doctor and the doctor believes everything he is being told, Dr. Sacks begins to carry himself much like his staff. This practice will eventually run out of patients due to the lack of professionalism, respect, and courtesy in the office. I STRONGLY advise anyone to consult another fertility practice before spending more time at this pitiful practice, which is what I did. Best of luck! read more

Dr. Butler is fantastic. One of the phlebotomists is the most seemless vein whisperer in world. Five stars go to these two. Minus 4 stars go the front office staff that acts like a crowd of chickens with their heads cut off. Appointments that have been "made" will disappear for absolutely no reason. Their system has zero email or website confirmation of your appointment or records. Even my physical therapist has an online appointment system. Shady Grove has an online system, it's not perfect but at least I can email medical staff, billing, and make/change appointments. Holy hell they do not understand that when a pharmacist and patient make multiple calls for pre-authorization for a prescription drug that the doctor says is critical that they should probably answer and give pre-authorization, not resend the prescription. Also if you're supposed to take something 3 times a day for 3 months, maybe allow refills? Good luck trying to call after 11am. Nobody will ever answer. The best strategy is to just hit random numbers on the keypad until somebody is willing to try to help. Expecting a call with some very important results today? They'll probably forget and you'll have to ask and enter the afternoon phone lottery. The financial staff becomes very confused when insurance gets involved since they typically do not accept insurance. They do not understand health savings plans and why a credit card receipt is not enough to reimburse for their services. You have to keep asking the front desk, who will print the same document for you each time you ask with eyes that clearly say, "I don't understand what a health savings plan is but I do hope giving you a copy of the same credit card receipt a third time will make you go away." It was not until the head of billing finally came out that I obtained acceptable documentation. Even though you have been instructed by the doc to graduate to a more competent office to continue treatment for pregnancy, the admins will lie to you about having successfully transferred your records to your new doctor even though they definitely didn't because they feed on your soul and will never let you leave the fifth circle of hell that is their office. read more

If I could give 0 stars, I would. STEER CLEAR OF THIS PLACE, they are not good doctors and depending on your situation, they could endanger your life. I agree with all the feedback here about the horrible office staff --- you can call them four times in one week and never get a call back---but my issue is entirely with the doctors themselves. My sister went to this clinic for many months and during the course of her fertility treatments, she displayed symptoms that should have IMMEDIATELY cued any competent doctor to a broader, more serious endocrine issue. They SHOULD have referred her to another doctor or to an ER but never did, which borders on explicit malpractice. It turned out that my sister did have a life-threatening condition that required expert medical attention outside of a fertility clinic, and if we hadn't independently decided to go to the ER, I can't imagine where we would be today. Also, as a counterpoint, I had called other fertility specialists when I thought that maybe she simply needed a more competent fertility doctor, and 100% of the 5 clinics I called recommended that we go to the ER. So it turns out that Columbia Fertility is the dangerous, incompetent clinic in the mix. They never caught the seriousness of the issue and even until my last conversation with them, insisted that my sister had an ear infection (none of the symptoms aligned with that idiotic diagnosis). Anyway, my point is simply that you deserve much better than you will ever get at this place, and for the amount that you will pay, you should look elsewhere. I am very rarely moved to write positive or negative Yelp reviews but I am deeply deeply concerned that this clinic exists. I'd like to take more action to ensure that they don't endanger the lives of other patients, but I'm starting here. read more

Dr Saks was amazing but his staff and the customer service is HORRIBLE. I have been calling and emailing for over 2 weeks trying to get a copy of my medical records. They hung up on me, never call you back and have yet to email me my records. I so wanted to use this practice but I just can't with the service. read more

Once past working with the administration and the hoops I had to jump just to pay them (all out-of-pocket for me), I had a fairly good experience. I appreciated nurses Wendy and Imani who were highly communicative. I found the best communication with the healthcare team to be via straight email. This is true especially since in my own work I have my own clients so am unable to take calls in the early afternoon (when bloodwork comes back). There are a lot of improvements that can be made. Perhaps the buyout from Ovation Fertility will help? read more

We drove and hour and a half to this clinic. When we walked in we very underwhelmed. The clinic is old and not kept well. The front desk staff is absolutely awful - rude and make you feel like you're a bother, to say the least. We waited for over a half an hour without so much as a peep from anyone. We left after 30 minutes of waiting. About 15 minutes later we were called and didn't even bother to answer the phone. I was so upset. Do yourself a favor and pick another clinic. The google review must be from them paying people because they are not true at all! read more

My wife and I are working with Dr. Rifka for fertility treatment. We enjoy Dr. Rifka as a physician, but our overall experience at this practice has been terrible. I fully agree with other negative posts talking about the lack of communication, difficulty confirming lab results, etc. Specifically for us, we've now had to miss two IUI cycles due to either inaccurate or incomplete information we were given about next steps, timing of check-ins, etc. We feel at a lose as we're taking all the steps we're being told to take, only to learn that there was something else we also needed to do and/or a visit we should have come in sooner for at a point where it's too late to remedy the situation. To make matters worse, there doesn't seem to be a sense of remorse or apologies in the face of our obvious frustration that this has now happened twice. read more

This was a very awkward and embarrassing experience which made me feel so ashamed of myself. Upon arrival, the office manager could not find my appointment for my semen analysis and kept saying that without a referral, they were not able to take the specimen. So, I called the doctor and explained what was going on. She in turn called the office manager and told them to let me do the analysis. Standing there, quite embarrassed as others waiting took notice, I realized that the doctor must have forgot to tell her office manager that I was not referred, but went directly to Doctor Abasi. Next, I was taken to what was more or less a bathroom with a painting of Marylin Monroe on the wall. Really? And she's not even naked, just a big painting of her face. Do they expect me to get turned on by that? Even more awkward was that directly outside the bathroom there are people waiting and they can see you, and maybe even hear from that short distance. A young lab tech told me that there were no magazines or videos because of Covid-19, and told me most guys look at videos on their phones, which made sense, and then she showed me where to masturbate and put the specimen when I was finished. I know this is human nature and there's only one way to get the specimen, but the fact that people could see me going into the masturbation area was so unprofessional and humiliating that it made me completely nervous and uncomfortable. When I told my friend who is a urologist in New York he told me there is supposed to be a divided area so that you have privacy and peace of mind and he never hears of a practice getting away with anything like this and to get the heck out of there and stay away. He said they are not operating illegally, but they sound like morons. I think he's correct. I'll never go back to Columbia Fertility Associates and wish I had never gone there. I'm heading to Shady Grove Fertility and pray they are more professional. read more

The staff in this facility is very rude and it feels like they are not trained to deal with patients going through so much anxiety during IUIs and IVF journeys. I experienced an early miscarriage and did not even got to talk to a doctor and have some explanations about why things went wrong. They simply made me come back multiple times for blood work without having the doctor sit down with me. It is simply impossible to talk or email a doctor (they don't even have a portal) if you have questions unless you have an appointment. They instruct you to call the front desk which is supposed to notify a nurse who usually never calls back. Following my egg retrieval, they did not call me to update me if the procedure was successful and I had to chase them to have some news which was exhausting. Dealing with the billing department has been a nightmare. Their statements are always full of mistakes and they are incapable of following up with the insurance which can be nerve breaking during this process. I don't advice this facility at all as they don't make things even a little easier during this painful and stressful journey. read more

Never in my life have I ever felt like a number the way that Columbia fertility clinic has treated me I began my official first cycle of I UI February 2024 of course that was a discrepancy due to the fact that prior none of Dr. Sacs Nursing team or administrative team reached out to me to do a follow-up appointment from my previous blood work that was examined And so I had to start my treatment on day 6 instead of day 5 The first IUI cycle failed and of course I asked Doctor Sacs what happened and he could not explain Now mind you I just did an HSG exam with him January 2024 he asked me about my right ovary but insisted that it should be nothing that will harm me getting pregnant He then assisted with my second I UI cycle suggesting that in my exam for my blood work and sonogram that I may have a little of endometriosis But never stated to go and find a second opinion But encouraged to still do the procedure because once again he said it should not prevent me from getting pregnant now mind you I have had 2 IUI cycles that have failed back-to-back And so I went to get a second opinion come to find out I had a cysts on each of my ovaries. Yet Columbia fertility wants to go behind a past application to make me pay for genetic testing that was never discussed about treatment nor my results and would still not discuss with me What is causing my infertility issues. Now mind you the week prior after the I UI injection my body is always fine according to my blood work however somewhere between day 9 today 14 of the cycle things start to take a turn and every time I reach out to speak to my Doctor who happens to be "Dr. Sacs" He is nowhere to be found or he's always in a meeting it's always some excuse that either the front desk or his nursing team or the administrative staff has to cover for him. I encourage you to please take precautions if you decide to choose this fertility clinic because you can go miss diagnosed and have to So much emotional damage trying to conceive with this clinic only for them to take your money for fast rendered services. I know someone personally who also went to them first and they told her her tubes were blocked she went to go get a second opinion from another fertility clinic and now she has conceived threw another fertility clinic because she found out that her progesterone levels were low So I advise to any of you ladies please thoroughly do your research because Columbia fertility clinic is not it and I get that every clinic has is ups and Downs when it comes to the customer service however they lack in being redeptive of the client's needs and request and it's really not enough Doctors there to care for their patients. Now I understand why he has so many frustrated customers he doesn't spend enough time to go through the process with them and help them understand what their problems are that causes infertility he's always given this optimistic view Where he wraps you up through multiple cycles whether it's I UI or IVF And once you pay your money you don't see him again unless it is a rendered service so forget having a 1 on 1 consultation read more

It's difficult posting a public review about such a sensitive topic but I feel it's important people know what they're getting into before they choose this clinic. I have no other clinics to compare this to, so my experience may just be the industry standard. Treat you like cattle and then push you out the door. I'll start with the positives, most of the nurses here are wonderful, caring and put up with a lot form hormonal and emotional people while they undertake fertility procedures. My Dr Sarhan was good, but when she went on leave I was placed with another doctor for the remainder of my treatment, including the frozen transfer. Only once in 6 months (two egg retrieval cycles and 1 transfer) did I ever sit down with a doctor. Information was passed to me not through a portal but either via phone calls or random emails. I received 2 calendars via email but no calendar for my first cycle, making injecting loads of hormones into me very confusing and overwhelming. The bedside manner of the doctor and the main nurse I worked with was awful. Didn't bother to explain any of the procedures to me, I had to call 4 times to get them to explain the frozen transfer the day of. Due to covid, the doctor refused to see me for my last appointment when I was six weeks pregnant because, she had no other patients that day so wasn't coming in. I was fortunate to have very good insurance that paid for most of my procedures. The day of my second transfer, the financial counselor called me and said they hadn't received the authorization and without it I couldn't go ahead. They were rude and insolent. They had received it weeks before and only had to ask the doctor. They ended up resolving after a very stressful morning for all. This business is run at its bare bones, the staff probably over worked and not given any training to deal with people. This process is physical and emotional and the tone by all in the clinic must be improved. Emails are rude if you ever get one and doctors can't be contacted, as I said... no portal. Is it that they can't afford the portal? At $50K a pop, with countless patients, I think that is plain greed and laziness. Ask yourself, do you want to find out if your little baby is a boy or girl via an email from a rude nurse saying 'your one normal embryo was a male gender'? I doubt anyone wants to be reminded of their failures hearing the best news of their life. Lift your game Columbia. I wish I had gone anywhere else and will never be back. Do not recommend. read more

Only one positive is that Dr. Sacks had a good bedside manner. However, I would NOT recommend going here. From the front office, to the billing, to the doctor's poor experience overall - horrible and stressful. Medical Team: My case was never looked at holistically and I always the person having to pursue different treatment options. They did not show care in my treatment at all. I had 8 failed IUIs (no known fertility issues). Several times the sperm was left waiting on the counter for 30+ minutes while I waited for the Dr. One of the worst months was when I was not informed that a vial had a low sperm count, the IUI happened, and I only noticed later that the sperm count was very low. I was able to get a refund form the sperm bank and a partial refund for the month, but I wasted that month. Every month is a huge emotional and financial toll. Overall, I was hugely disappointed by the medical care I received and believe that they were not trying and that they felt it was in their best interest if I didn't succeed. Billing Team: I was consistently overcharged or just mischarged. Every time I was charged something different. They would fight me on all this and gaslight me every time. When I finally would get a "refund", they would just credit my account but then not keep great records of how much I had left/spent. I am not a bank...but my lending of credit and amount of money I gave to them sure made me feel like one. Even after paying in full, I would receive bills in the mail, and they would never tell me what those were for. I cannot express how much frustration and stress the billing team caused. By the end I felt that it was fraud more than negligence. Front Office: The check-in experience was poor; the staff were unfriendly and often only opening up their windows a tiny bit to speak with you. I frequently had to wait 1+ hours for routine blood work, and the front staff never knew what I was there for. This part improved slightly over the year. Overall, choose another clinic! read more

This one star is for the financial consultant that the office uses. It's been impossible to get any clarity on costs for our IVF services. Dr. Abbasi and the nurses have been overall reliable and helpful. (If I were reviewing the medical staff alone, the review would be much higher.) But, the process of figuring out costs and getting details on what we're paying for and what's being charged to the insurance company has been an absolute nightmare. And it's been months and we still have no clarity. Dealing with the financial consultant and the billing office has added unneeded stress to an already stressful situation. If we were to do this all over again, I would've gone to Shady Grove Fertility. read more

Avoid this clinic at all costs. The frustration in dealing with their billing staff is not worth it. They are intentionally unresponsive and vague in their billing and provide little to no justification in what they charge. read more

My wife went here and had nothing but issues with the billing department. They erroneously charged her on multiple occasions and could not explain what the extra charges were for. They don't know how to work the software that does their billing so they just printed off invoices without explaining what the charges were for. When asked multiple times to explain the charges, the staff could not explain them. It got to the point that she had to escalate it to the doctors on the staff who were also no help in fixing the issue. When going through fertility treatments, erroneous billing and rude staff are the last thing you need to be dealing with. After nine months of being a patient here, not only were the treatments unsuccessful, but we still haven't been paid back and they are now ignoring her emails. Find another fertility treatment facility. read more

Dr. Abbasi is great. Nurse Sharon has always given excellent instructions. However, the overall level of competence at Columbia Fertility Associates is worse than any other medical practice we have patronized. Here are some examples of why. We switched from Blue Cross to Cigna insurance in January 2018. I presented our new insurance card to Claudia, the receptionist, at our next visit to the Bethesda office. She failed to enter it into the system. At every subsequent visit that year, we were told that Blue Cross had rejected our claim, even though I made it very clear that we changed plans. It took them almost a year to update our information. I scheduled a semen analysis in Bethesda for November 26, 2019. Because I lived less than 15 minutes away, I produced a sample at home. When I arrived, Claudia refused to accept it. She falsely claimed that Columbia Fertility Associates only took samples produced on-site. I wasted a trip and 4 hours of medical leave due to her ignorance. I rescheduled the semen analysis over the phone with Claudia for December 17, 2019 at 10:00 AM. I made it very clear that I would again produce the sample at home. When I brought it in at the scheduled time, she berated me because the sample had been produced 15 minutes prior, and the person who did the testing would not arrive until 11:00. Hence the sample would sit for over an hour, possibly compromising the results. This could have been avoided had she scheduled me for 10:45 or 11:00. I eventually got an accurate sperm count, but Claudia never apologized or even acknowledged her errors. In February 2020 CFA sent me a bill for the full cost of the semen analysis. They had submitted it to Blue Cross, and it was rejected because we had switched to Cigna more than 2 years earlier. I called the billing department and spoke to someone with the last name Portillo. She said that they still had not updated my insurance, and to scan my Cigna card and email it to her, which I did. She obviously ignored my message, because we continue to get bills for the test. In late November 2019, nurse Venecia left a voice mail telling us to come for an exam in Bethesda the morning of December 2nd. She apparently forgot to enter it in the system, because when we showed up, no one at the office knew anything about the appointment. When I played Venecia her own message from my cell phone, she gave us a bad attitude and refused to own up to her mistake. After an appointment at the DC office on November 2, 2020, Venecia sent an email saying that she had called a prescription for Estrace to our local CVS. When we went to pick it up that evening, nothing had been called in. We went home and emailed Dr. Abbasi, who finally did call it in. We returned to CVS again, where 2 prescriptions were waiting: Estrace and Progesterone. The instructions on the Progesterone bottle made no mention of starting it later. It seemed likely to both of us that Venecia had forgotten to specify this second drug in her email, judging from her past mistakes. Ordinarily we would have contacted CFA for clarification, but it was late at night and we were exhausted from running back and forth. Hence my wife started on both medications. When we returned to DC for a follow-up sonogram on November 9th, Dr. Abbasi was horrified that she had been taking the Progesterone. As a result, we must now postpone our embryo procedure another month. I wasted another 4 hours of medical leave and made a useless trip to DC. This could have all been avoided simply by giving us a calendar and more thorough instructions. read more

For LGBTQ+ community members that selected this practice because of Signey Olson - DO NOT GO HERE. (And frankly, I would recommend that no one else go here either.) Here's our story: I am the partner in this story; my spouse was undergoing the IUI treatments. We selected this practice as a lesbian couple because a LGBTQ+ provider recommended Signey Olson. (Later, we found out that upon moving here circa 2016, Signey reached out to a number of queer providers to establish herself---if you are a LGBTQ+ person who has experienced this practice, PLEASE tell your providers your experience so they do NOT to refer any more patients here!) At first, we thought Signey was great and very knowledgeable. It was when our care was turned over to other CFA staff that the shitshow started. In Dec. '19, following our first visit with Signey, we never got a call from her cycle coordinator (LaShonne), then, when I followed up, got a checklist of information that was inconsistent with what Signey had told us. Then, when we started our first IUI, I went to the office for lab tests. The lab form was missing certain tests. While I'm there, I ask to speak to LaShonne to make sure there's nothing else we need to do (at this point we were ~7 days into the first IUI cycle, ~7 days away from the IUI itself) and had gotten no communication other than the checklist. LaShonne first says "my part is done, you need to speak with your provider" and starts to walk away. When I pressed further, she said I needed to speak to the nursing staff, so I ask to do so and am told to wait. 30 minutes go by and I get a text from my spouse that the nursing manager (Wendy Hemingway), knowing I am waiting in the waiting room, has called my spouse at work. Wendy calls me their "partner" despite their requests to refer to me as their "wife." (This is probably a good time to mention that prior to this visit, Wendy had performed an ultrasound on my spouse and asked repeatedly about "your husband" despite the medical records clearly noting "their/them" pronouns and a female spouse. We chalked it up to ignorance at the time and had said nothing.) Following Wendy's call to my spouse, I ask reception to speak to Wendy myself. Wendy refuses to speak to me, citing HIPAA, even though my ask is about general CFA policy on what needs to be done to prepare for the IUI. LaShonne, however, finally agrees to meet, and this is when I find out the nursing staff should have coordinated with us starting Day 1 of the cycle and told us about yet another consent form (sperm thaw) that was needed. Due to a minor miracle, and perhaps also my persistence, we get the paperwork done, and go through two IUIs (in fairness, I will say that the providers that did the IUIs were fine). I emailed Signey about the issues above, she apologized, and all was well. We then pause for a few months due to COVID. We decide to start back up, this time with IVF, in the summer, and set up an appointment with Signey, who is again very nice. She says the next step is pre-auth, and CFA will get in touch. Then the shitshow starts again. A week goes by with no word, I email CFA, and we find out that our file magically got placed back into storage by none other than Wendy Hemingway---had I not emailed, nothing would have moved forward. I email Signey about discomfiting this is, particularly given prior interactions with Wendy. She responds with what appears to be a cold, lawyer-written email about how we can work directly with the practice owners and she'll only see us if she happens to be on call. Apparently, the niceness doesn't extend to being accountable for the shitshow that is the rest of CFA and we had complained too much (?). At this point, we decide it's a good idea to leave CFA. Separately, the billing side was also a shitshow. We private paid for both IUIs (~$700-1000 each), so you'd think billing was easy. And yet. We first get a bill in Jan '20 double-billing us for sperm storage that threatened appointments could not be made until the balance was clear. We next get a bill in Apr '20 for the IUIs that was clearly fraudulent: the line items/amounts were nonsensical and the patient balance magically added up to $250---exactly the amount they had failed to get from insurance because they billed the wrong insurer after we switched insurance in Jan '20. I email CFA, and the new practice coordinator (Ashli Zimmerman) apologies, wipes the balance, and tells me that the billing manager has been fired. One year later, in Apr '21, we have now received yet another nonsensical bill for Feb '20 that again magically adds up to $242 - they have apparently still failed to bill the correct insurer, and are again trying to recoup it from us. There is a happy ending. We moved to CCRM Northern Virginia, with Dr. Owen, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community but more importantly, professional, kind, takes ownership (Dr. Payson is great too); and the admin & nursing staff could not be better. read more

I've been going to Dr Rifka for 14 years and it's amazing how fast the quality of care has fallen. I am no longer a patient there after a highly uncomfortable routine exam with the doctor and his nurse of 25 years, neither of whom acknowledged my follow up calls to discuss what went on. If this had been anyone else, I would have simply bolted right out the door, but given our long relationship, and despite how violated i felt, I wanted to give him a chance to explain his behavior. No dice, which only serves to make me think he knows he did wrong. The icing on the crappy cake however was that I couldn't get my test results back after 6 weeks of calls once or twice a week. it was only when I decided to show up at their office unannounced that they handed me not only my test results, but my ABNORMAL test results. No apologies, no acknowledgment or explanation. I doubt I'll ever hear from him again. It's been careless, violating, and retraumatizing as a survivor of domestic violence and multiple sexual assaults. Do better, there are women counting on you. read more

I have been going to Columbia fertility associates for the last 15 years. my last experience with them, is so disappointing that prompted this negative review. I found out I was pregnant and later on I had a miscarriage but the way the whole scenario was handled made me feel I was a number. My miscarriage could not be avoided and it is nobody's fault but the way the staff and dr. handled it was unfortunate. No educating the patient or properly following up. Dr. Rifka never mentioned AMH!!! during those 15 years I had been going there and Even Dr. Butler who followed up when Dr. Rifka was out of town...No proper education of the patient about what to do or not. I am currently with another provider and it is worlds apart from initial appointment to follow up. I feel so stupid and so misguided to having trusted this practice all this time :( . read more

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS OFFICE TO ANYONE. When I called to make an appointment with Columbia Fertility Associates (CFA), the woman who answered the phone was friendly and answered all my questions patiently. The day of our appointment, my husband and I were treated with respect and left feeling hopeful. Ten days later, I met with my OB/GYN and he still hadn't received the test results. It's now two days shy of three months later and we still haven't received the results. I completely agree with the other reviews: The CFA billing department is HORRIBLE. They rarely answer the phone, and although the voicemail greeting states that calls will be returned within 24-48 hours, don't bet on it - I waited over a week. I have been in a mess with their billing department for well over two months now because they billed us for the wrong test, and they refuse to put a note on our account to NOT send the bill to collections despite my many attempts to rectify the situation. My husband even receives automated messages telling him to pay the bill. The woman in billing is very rude and unwilling to help, and we haven't had any luck with her supervisor, either. We now have to get our doctor's office involved because we have to provide CFA with a copy of our referral to prove that they performed a test we did not request. (In)Fertility is so emotional and CFA has just added stress to our lives. They made a mistake and we are paying for it. I would NEVER recommend this office to anyone. Don't waste your time. read more

I found my experience with Columbia Fertility Associates to be generally good. I worked with Dr. Sacks and his team for egg freezing and found the team to be quite responsive throughout the process (scheduling appointments, sending information on the medications I will need, finalizing payment - all out-of-pocket). My experience on the day of the retrieval was straightforward, and the nurses and Dr. Sacks made me feel very comfortable and supported. I'm docking off a point because of two main areas: 1) the nurse coordinators (who you deal with most of the time) lack compassion and provide additional information only when you ask for it. Compassion in this field is crucial, particularly dealing with patients who are going through a very emotional process. I know the nurses deal with a lot of patients each day, but we're also paying a lot and need the support of the nurses to get through this process. It's not that they're unhelpful or rude, you just have to be prepared with questions and do your research in advance so that you can get the information you need throughout the stimulation process. 2) Not much explanation of "what comes next" after the retrieval. I received the final number of eggs via email, but no information on what this means, what comes next, how storage works. Again, it's not the worst problem, just requires some follow-up. All around, pretty straightforward process with responsive staff. Dr. Sacks is wonderful and would highly recommend him. read more