GLMA 2009 Conference
September 23, 2009 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
Understanding the Healthcare Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Individuals
A growing number of medical societies, health plans, academic institutions, public health officials and others have recognized the need for healthcare providers to receive special training on how to meet the unique healthcare needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals. This fall, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) is hosting the 27th Annual Conference of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association to address this need.
I am honored to be one of the featured speakers at this event discussing how gay and lesbian families can navigate the alternative family building journey through surrogacy.
The conference will be held on September 30 – October 3, 2009 at the Westin Washington, DC, City Center. It is the world’s largest scientific meeting focusing on LGBT health, healthcare delivery, workplace discrimination, and healthcare education and offers up to 18 hours of continuing education for healthcare professionals. In addition to rich educational offerings, the conference provides ample opportunities to meet and socialize with other healthcare professionals, students and GLMA members.
More information about the Annual Conference, including a preliminary program of educational offerings, is available at www.glma.org/annualconference.
Jude Andrew Adams Fund
June 11, 2009 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
I am proud to announce that Lotus Blossom Consulting has officially established the Jude Andrew Adams Charitable Fund to bring new life to families who are struggling to conceive. motivation and intention in creating this grant is to offer a free fertility treatment for those who could not otherwise afford it. To learn more about this fund and how it came to fruition, please click here.
Applications for a free treatment cycle are now being accepted. The board of directors will select from applicants who meet the following criteria:
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Have a history of infertility, and provide a physician documented medical indication for exploring IVF treatment along with the application
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Demonstrate a financial need; defined as a gross combined annual income less than $80,000. A copy of the last two years’ IRS tax returns and two of the most recent pay stubs is required.
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No insurance coverage for infertility treatments.
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Do not currently have any children.
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Be under age 40.
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Be current legal citizens of the United States and living in the United States at the time of the award and subsequent treatment.
Thank you all for your help and support for this great cause.
When the Path to Parenthood is Not Linear
March 26, 2009 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
We understand that sometimes the pathway to parenthood is not linear. As frustrating as this is, reality requires us to make difficult choices and explore paths that we never imagined. Coming to terms with using a third party candidate can be a complicated and overwhelming process. In my experience, when clients can reach a comfort zone in selecting a candidate who meets close to their ideal criteria, the process becomes much more palatable.
So where does one begin the search? Some clinics provide in house egg donor recruiting programs. These programs tend to be small and often consist of only local donors. Due to their size, supply does not often meet demand and wait lists to select a candidate tend to be long. The agency route is another avenue. Agencies often have larger pools of available candidates, but weeding through profiles to identify ideal candidates can be time consuming and overwhelming.
Explore your resources. As an Infertility Consultant my focus is to advocate for the intended parents. Through carefully established strategic alliances with agencies nationwide, the consultants at Lotus Blossom Consulting have access to vast pools of qualified and available surrogate and egg donor candidates. Our match time is typically less than two weeks. We deliver to your email box targeted profiles to specifically meet your ideal criteria. There is no limit to the number of profiles you will have to choose from. The goal is to identify a candidate that appropriately suits your needs. But in addition, Lotus Blossom Consulting closely screens the agencies. We drive business only to agencies that are willing to include special clauses in their contracts for our client, which ensures that your financial risk factors will be mitigated in the event that a candidate does not pass your physician’s medical screening. This is one of our commitments to you in working as your advocate.
With our help, the complicated process becomes less overwhelming. Our very personalized touch and direct guidance in what to seek in an ideal candidate enables clients to focus their energies and emotions on other aspects of the cycle. Having the confidence to move through third party reproduction comes with knowing that you selected the right candidate, within a timeframe that is consistent with your course of treatment, and a budget that suits your financial reserves.
The journey through infertility need not be a fearful or overwhelming adventure. Identifying support, resources and guidance can save valuable time, preserve emotional well being and help to optimize the resources for your treatment cycle while minimizing the overall financial expenditure for the end family building goal. Being proactive in building the foundation for multiple cycles is simply acting prudent.
Patient Advocacy
March 6, 2009 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
As an Infertility Consultant, I am horrified and embarrassed that octuplets were allowed to be created, and the industry has been burdened by the wrath of their birth these past few weeks. The news stories have been less than flattering, and rightfully so. But it is unfair that one story gone awry should cloud what the industry as a whole has to offer. Infertility treatments have helped so many to achieve their dreams of parenthood. These success stories cannot be mitigated.
Now more than ever it is vital to focus on education. Empowering the patients with information about the risks and potential outcomes associated with given procedure, and helping patients to determine an appropriate level of risk given their particular situation and individual risk adversity.
I understand completely, the exhaustive process that infertility involves. It affects every emotion, both in one’s personal and professional life, it greatly impacts one’s financial resources, and physically, continued treatments take a toll on one’s body.
And if this is not enough there are still many factors that need to play into the decision to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. These are the moral and ethical debates. What to do with embryos that have been frozen for future embryo transfer attempts once your family is complete? Should we be able to create more embryos then we intend to transfer so that we can use these embryos for future genetic siblings?
I started my company, Lotus Blossom Consulting after having walked in the shoes of these women who are tortured by these very difficult decisions and face the same crap shoot each time they undergo an IVF treatment. There are no guarantees. The stakes are high financially and emotionally, as well as the desire to pursue each attempt is inflated by the basic and often innate desire to procreate. So how does one strike the appropriate balance when attempting to achieve their end family building goals?
There is no one solution. Each individual is required to make choices that are often very risky. Choices, however, need to fall within the parameters and suggested guidelines that are set in place and congruent with industry standard. These guidelines although suggested, do act in the patients’ best interest. In the recent case of the octuplets certainly, this intended mother should have considered, or been required to undergo four separate frozen embryo transfers limited to only two embryos each. These multiple transfers would have limited the exponential potential risk factors associated with multiple births. The intended mother would have had the same opportunity of achieving her goal of a large family, but the pathway to parenthood would have afforded her a chance at a similar outcome with much less risk to herself and the all of the offspring.
We need to learn from this graphic mishap and move forward with measures to appropriately balance hope with caution. These efforts emanate from education and awareness. Education is empowering. Education needs to include:
• Having a clear understanding of your treatment options and the success rate of each given opportunity at a particular embryology laboratory
• Assuming appropriate risk factors emotionally, physically and financially for each individual situation
• Formulating a clear cut treatment plan, treatment philosophy with specific boundaries to guide you
• Using the above established guidelines to know when to change the course of treatment
• Understanding informed medical consents, risks and benefits before signing and undergoing any treatment
These are the necessary elements that allow you to be your own best advocate through the process.
Being your own best advocate requires effort and commitment. Keep copious notes of your consultations, ask for medical records and test results. In the event that you decide to obtain a second opinion, the information does not need to be re-gathered. Learn about your condition, your options for treatment, and the success rates for couples in your situation. Doing your research will enable you to effectively discuss your situation with your healthcare team. Learn to advocate for yourself by being assertive, staying informed, asking questions, and keeping records. Be certain you get what you need from your healthcare team.
Patient advocacy is more important than ever in order to keep up with the advancements of medical innovations and technologies available to us today. With these advancements come responsibilities. These responsibilities demand a level of conscientiousness, and this needs to be distributed among those who offer and those who receive the benefits.
Financing Your Fertility: Healthcare Plan Arrangements
November 1, 2007 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
Before beginning any discussion about insurance coverage, it’s important to explain the status of fertility benefits in the United States. Not every employer is required to cover fertility treatments; this benefit is delineated per state.
States that do require some benefit level for infertility treatments are called “mandated to cover” states, although specific rules may vary from state to state: Arkansas, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and West Virginia are “mandated to cover” states.
Others, called “mandated to offer” states, require infertility benefits to be offered for additional purchase: California, Connecticut and Texas are “mandated to offer” states (This list may have changed as of the printing of this article).
To make it more complicated, large, national corporations oftentimes offer the same benefits company-wide, resulting in exceptions to the states’ directive. For example, you may live in a state that mandates coverage, but work for a company that is not required by the federal government to meet the state’s benefit mandate. On the other hand, if you live in a state that does not require fertility coverage; you may still be covered through your employer. In addition to these complications, many times your healthcare plan may cover some parts of your treatment even if you work in a state that does not mandate coverage. It is extremely important, therefore, that you contact your Human Resources department and your healthcare plan provider to discuss in detail your benefits.
I’m the cover story on City Woman Chicago!
October 24, 2007 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
Check out the full issue table of contents here.
It’s difficult to express how excited I am – Seeing my family on the front cover of the magazine was overwhelming.
While this is a print publication, they also have a .pdf version online so you can read the article even if you aren’t in Chicago. (Fact: Over half of my clients are international, so I’m used to making sure people that aren’t in the same area I am get the info they need!)
Let me know what you think of the article…thanks!
ART balance of expense to cost.
October 23, 2007 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
“The economics of health care is of vital importance to our patients, and to society generally. Using a standard measure like cost per additional year of life, infertility treatments are one of great bargains in modern health care,” stated David Adamson, MD, President-elect of ASRM. (Full Article Here)
Wow! It was actually shown in a study that adding ART as a benefit of a health insurance plan only increased the cost of insurance per member an eensy weensy bit.
The ASRM is the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. The information and studies they do are published in peer-reviewed journals (the good kind) and the results are really promising!
Building the Foundation for Infertility Treatment
October 22, 2007 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
Download a registration form or call (312) 582-6035 to register.
Lotus Blossom Consulting, LLC, is a concierge service for people undergoing fertility treatment. Join the company’s founders, MINDY BERKSON and TONI SIRAGUSA, for this seminar that will discuss a range of issues confronting people with infertility: maximizing insurance benefits, choosing a fertility center, holistic opportunities, and financing treatment. Berskon has worked in the industry for over 10 years in a variety of capacities both at donor agencies and at fertility centers. Siragusa is a financial planner and insurance agent who has worked specifically with couples undergoing infertility to properly plan for and finance treatment. Check out their Web site at www.lotusblossomconsulting.com.
Location: Latin Upper School, 59 W. North Blvd.
Instructor: Mindy Berkson & Toni Siragusa Course Fee: $40
Date: Thu, 25-Oct 1 Class Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Building Families and Achieving Dreams
October 7, 2007 by Mindy Berkson · Leave a Comment
I’m really pleased to be able to present you with an article published this month in FHI (For Her Information) – please take a moment and visit. You’ll be glad you did!
http://www.forherinformation.com/herstoryart11007.php
Jude Andrew Adams Charitable Fund
August 31, 2007 by Mindy Berkson · 3 Comments
Lotus Blossom Consulting has established the Jude Andrew Adams Charitable Fund to bring hope and new life to those in need. Through this grant, we are offering a free fertility treatment cycle for financially needy individuals.
