Inside Reproductive Health Podcast

Fertility Bridge
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  • HEALTH & FITNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Inside Reproductive Health is your source for information about the growing field of fertility. Inside Reproductive Health features an active blog and weekly interviews with leaders from the clinical, investment, patient relations, and pharmaceutical corners of reproductive medicine. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and check back frequently for new content!

  1. 272 The Massive Blindspot in IVF Costing. Dr. Jason Barritt. Steve Rooks.

    NOV 30

    272 The Massive Blindspot in IVF Costing. Dr. Jason Barritt. Steve Rooks.

    How much does an IVF cycle cost? Seems like a simple question. But as this week’s guests explain, it’s not. The way most of us account for “an IVF cycle” hides how many individual work orders and variables are actually involved. That lack of clarity can distort cost, efficiency, and strategy. This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Griffin talks with Steve Rooks, co-author of a groundbreaking paper in JARG on activity-based costing in IVF, and Dr. Jason Barritt, Chief Scientific Officer at Kindbody, to unpack what’s really behind those numbers. Together, they discuss: – Why “an IVF cycle” isn’t a single service but a set of unique work orders – How retrieval volume, ICSI, and PGT each reshape the cost per cycle – The dramatic efficiency differences between labs performing 200 vs. 4,000 cycles per year – The growing impact of managed care on margins – How scalable systems like AURA from Conceivable Life Sciences could expand IVF access

    59 min
  2. 271 Things Are Changing Fast. The Need for Genetic Counselors. Dr. James Grifo

    NOV 23

    271 Things Are Changing Fast. The Need for Genetic Counselors. Dr. James Grifo

    “They expect us to be perfect.” That’s how Dr. Jamie Grifo, Chief Executive Physician of the Inception/Prelude Network, describes the expectations placed on reproductive endocrinologists from patients, payors, and policymakers alike. And while perfection may be impossible, preparation and partnership aren’t. He discusses: – Why NYU Langone has three in-house genetic counselors in their REI department – How they counseled over 700 new patients last year – What led to 300 PGT-M cycles out of 5,500 retrievals – The challenges of sharing counselors across a growing network – Regulatory complexities from state and federal oversight – Why some REIs may be missing key opportunities to help patients with mosaic embryos

    55 min
  3. 270 Quality in IVF Labs. From Acceptable to Exceptional. Drs. Michael Baker & Robert Mendola

    NOV 19

    270 Quality in IVF Labs. From Acceptable to Exceptional. Drs. Michael Baker & Robert Mendola

    Embryologists have a lot riding on the line. Bad supplies can cause big problems. Good supplies can create big improvements. Either way, success rates and patients’ lives hang in the balance. Every detail in the IVF lab matters.  “Good enough” can cost more than it saves, because only the highest standards protect consistency, outcomes and trust..    We’re joined this week by two of the most respected leaders in embryology. Dr. Michael Baker, Lab Director at Aspire HFI, and Dr. Robert Mendola, Lab Director at CCRM and member of the network’s Innovation Advisory Board. Together, they break down: – The full chain of quality assurance, from suppliers to networks to individual lab – The burden and importance of retesting lab materials – Why labs should evaluate not just blastocyst formation but cell counts per blast – The tension between cost control, standardization, and lab autonomy – The suppliers and products that stand out for exceptional quality (including Vitrolife’s media and oils) – Why transparency and competition should set the standard for lab supply quality (instead of regulation)

    49 min
  4. 269 Why Clinicians Are Struggling. Dr. Alice Domar

    NOV 9

    269 Why Clinicians Are Struggling. Dr. Alice Domar

    How are clinicians doing? Patients are expecting more, offering less gratitude, and leaving negative reviews faster than ever. Sound familiar? Dr. Alice Domar, Chief Compassion Officer at Inception, talks about the emotional toll of working in reproductive medicine and what can be done about it. Dr. Domar shares: – Practical strategies for burnout prevention – The one small intervention proven to improve patient retention – Results from three psycho-social trials currently underway at Inception – The patient traits most predictive of treatment dropout – How Inception Fertility supports providers through empathic communication training - What needs to change to better support front-line fertility professionals.

    52 min
  5. 268 The IVF Lab in 5 Years. Dr. Denny Sakkas

    NOV 3

    268 The IVF Lab in 5 Years. Dr. Denny Sakkas

    What will the IVF lab look like in five years? Trying to predict and shape that response is Dr. Denny Sakkas, Chief Scientific Officer at Boston IVF and head of the scientific advisory board for AutoIVF. In this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Dr. Sakkas about what automation really means for embryologists, and how new technologies could transform lab operations, chain of custody, and patient safety. Dr. Sakkas shares: – The potential downsides to automation and where caution is needed – How AutoIVF differs from AURA by Conceivable Life Sciences –  His prediction about time-lapse imaging within five years – The areas where embryologists must hold firm on lab standards – The next big innovations he’s watching (and what Boston IVF plans to purchase next year)

    45 min
  6. 267 What IVY Fertility is Using And Why. Amy Jones

    OCT 26

    267 What IVY Fertility is Using And Why. Amy Jones

    Lab directors, how do you make sure your concerns actually reach ownership? Vendors, how are you being vetted by the groups you serve? This week on Inside Reproductive Health, Amy Jones, Chief Quality Officer of Ivy Fertility, talks about how one of the country’s leading networks evaluates quality, chooses partners, and plans for growth. Amy shares: – The specific criteria Ivy uses to vet vendors for cryostorage and digital witnessing – How they’re implementing an AI solution to compare data across EMRs – The patient concierge platform guiding patients through the IVF journey – Where current patient education tools fall short – The tradeoffs of proactive expansion – And why fertility professionals get into trouble when they stay “too stuck in their own lane”

    37 min
  7. 266 Break the IVF Cartel. Dr. Francisco Arredondo, Dr. Robert Kiltz

    OCT 19

    266 Break the IVF Cartel. Dr. Francisco Arredondo, Dr. Robert Kiltz

    What’s the definition of a cartel, and has the way we pay for care created one in fertility? This week on Inside Reproductive Health, two practice-owning REIs with very different models join Griffin to push that question hard. Dr. Robert Kiltz (CNY Fertility) and Dr. Francisco Arredondo (Pozitvf IVF & The IVF Academy) dig into the economics, the ethics, and the possible alternatives to the status quo. They discuss: Dr. Arredondo’s argument that today’s IVF system resembles a cartel (and what can be done about it) The right question to ask about access and cost in IVF How insurance helped create today’s medical-industrial complex Dr. Kiltz’s meeting with HHS leadership and what it revealed Lessons from Aravind Eye Care in India (Could that model work for IVF?) What the IVF Academy is teaching clinicians about entrepreneurship and sustainable practice This episode doesn’t offer easy answers. It’s a clear-eyed conversation about structural incentives, mission, and what it will take to make IVF more affordable and accessible.

    58 min
  8. 265 The Leadership Lesson. Dr. Alison Bartolucci. Cara Reymann.

    OCT 12

    265 The Leadership Lesson. Dr. Alison Bartolucci. Cara Reymann.

    If you’ve ever tried to get doctors, embryologists, and executives on the same page…you’ll want to hear this one. In this episode of Inside Reproductive Health, Dr. Alison Bartolucci (CSO) and Cara Reymann (CEO) of First Fertility talk candidly about leadership, lab management, and network-wide decision-making. They discuss: – The emotional cost of leading a fertility network – When to build consensus (and when to just drive the bus) – The decision to implement digital witnessing across all nine IVF labs – The “magic question” Cara uses to align stakeholders – Why First Fertility abandoned plans for a single EMR – Why Alison swears by using a lab monitoring service (and the business benefits beyond happy embryologists)

    57 min
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Inside Reproductive Health is your source for information about the growing field of fertility. Inside Reproductive Health features an active blog and weekly interviews with leaders from the clinical, investment, patient relations, and pharmaceutical corners of reproductive medicine. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and check back frequently for new content!

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