Featured in the RNE Magazine, 2021 Volume 1
By Sarah Law
Has there ever been a time where you had an opinion or concern about the care you were receiving? Have you ever wondered if anyone took the time to listen or view what you had to say? It can be extremely frustrating, and at most times you just want to give up. With fertility treatments, it is important to know that you are not considered just another number, that you are being heard, and that your providers are in your corner to ensure you are receiving the best care possible. Building a strong patient/provider relationship is critical. These principles were the inspiration for the Pregnantish Verified Network (PVN). Pregnantish founder Andrea Syrtash saw many patients expressing that they “wanted to leave their fertility clinic and go somewhere else for treatment.” She recognized that doctors and clinics are challenged by retention as well. With the help from educational grants from corporate supporters including EMD Serono and CooperSurgical Fertility and Genomics Solutions, PVN became a reality.
Of course, with any great project, there were some difficult challenges to overcome. Luckily, Syrtash viewed all those challenges as opportunities. Obtaining feedback was the first hurdle. With many individuals participating in the feedback process, there weren’t enough staff members to help support the large task of sorting responses. Syrtash and her team knew right off the bat that they needed to publish something that would be viewed seriously by many professionals. So, they created an advisory panel of providers from across the nation.