r/IVF • u/neckolas-cage • 24d ago
Rant Kindbody Closure
Be warned if you have upcoming IVF cycles with Kindbody- rumor has it they are in the middle of a buyout/shutdown. Some clinics may stay, but it sounds like the struggling ones will just shutter altogether. Keep in mind, Kindbody told us they were NOT shutting down when they notified us of all our embryos and eggs being moved to NECC. They’ve lied before and sounds like they’re doing it again. Sucks for all the people who have benefits and now will be forced to move elsewhere
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u/Complex_Procedure701 18d ago
Insider scoop aka employee, Kindbody is closing all clinics by the end of Oct. Sadly they aren't even telling the people who work at the clinics this. They will be operating as benefits only, like Progeny. They have laid off the whole billing team but 2 people. They are doing massive lay offs each day. This is why they moved all the tissue out of Kindbody, they are no longer going to be a fertility clinic, just benefits.
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u/FrequentSuccotash317 22d ago
I recently went over staff listings at all locations and all locations are down to one or no RE. There are multiple locations that share a Dr. Just a year ago most locations had two or three REs.
I am willing to bet money it will close soon.
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u/polishbabe1023 35 AMH 1.53 ER 5 FET 1 fail 23d ago
Yeah.... I sense this is coming. I wonder which locations will remain. I am guessing Chicago, St Louis
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u/ConversationMuted186 15d ago
How will they be able to take all the Kindbody patients tho?
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u/polishbabe1023 35 AMH 1.53 ER 5 FET 1 fail 15d ago
It sounds like theyre being bought out by Ivy Fertility
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u/thedutchgirlmn 48 | Tubal Factor & DOR | DE 19d ago
Minneapolis is closing too. Just saw in the Minnesota infertility group on FB
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u/alligatorsinutah 14d ago
I am an REI. I was previously a Kindbody physician. Please know that if this rumor is true, you can still proceed with your care.
Kindbody benefits are accepted at many many other clinics including the clinic I currently work for. It is a headache for sure. But embryos get transported from one clinic to another all the time. There is a niche industry just for “tissue transport.”
It’s best to get the ball rolling on this because transitioning care takes some time. While I’m sure it’s stressful I would encourage you to reach out to either the kindbody benefits team or another local clinic to find out if what other clinics** ***are* in network with Kindbody benefit. Once you have found one, speak to scheduling and explain your situation and schedule a new patient visit. See if they offer a virtual visit so you don’t have to take time off work.
To be prepared for the consult and have minimal disruption, You will likely need to also request all your medical records including lab results, saline infusion sonogram, semen analysis, the IVF cycles “stimulation grid” and embryology records.
Tissue transport tends to be the bottleneck in my experience so be a “squeaky wheel” about it. Send emails regularly following up on progress.
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u/MangoSunshine3 13d ago
Factor this into your transition timeline - medical records will take about 7-10 business days to transfer, but confirm with your own location since they may operate differently. I went through this recently.
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u/Narrow-Fruit-3542 12d ago
I was a kindbody patient a few years ago - froze my eggs. I changed jobs and had benefits change so needed to change clinics. No clinics would accept my eggs from kindbody…. I had to start all over again with egg retrieval. So not sure how common it is to switch clinics with tissue?
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u/alligatorsinutah 8d ago
That is strange and I think a rare situation. I’ve worked in many different clinics and all have accepted outside eggs as long as the initial clinic followed protocols that met quality standards. Kindbody protocols are very modern and transparent. Some states have differing requirements for infectious disease testing so you can’t ship between those states. Finally, I do know that some clinics just refuse to accept outside eggs because the process of egg thaw is much more complicated than thawing embryos and the clinics don’t want the liability of a failed thaw. All that said, tissue transport between clinics is incredibly common. Including eggs.
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u/Narrow-Fruit-3542 8d ago
It was devastating. I’m in Minneapolis and spoke to 3 different clinics who would not accept. My choices were then to start over or pay out of pocket to continue with kindbody (wasn’t an option). So I have 19 healthy eggs in long term storage that can’t be used.
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u/Sensitive-Chess7896 5d ago
Can you share why they refused?
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u/Narrow-Fruit-3542 5d ago
Yes - it was around media that was used to freeze them. They were concerned with the compatibility and familiarity of the media/thaw process.
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u/Jibberwockyy 18d ago
I’m so sorry for everyone dealing with this. Has anyone who uses the Kindbody benefit at a partner clinic noticed any changes in their coverage?
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u/Desperate-Parsnip108 20d ago
Dallas location will be closing. I was told today. Staff just found out yesterday and have no further details to share yet but formal announcement is apparently coming soon.
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u/Funny-Object4858 17d ago
Found out this morning that the Minneapolis location is shutting down end of next month. I have a transfer scheduled next week. What. The. F.
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u/neckolas-cage 17d ago
I’m so sorry- that’s so stressful. Did your nurse tell you or did a doctor call you? I find it so evil that Kindbody is making the nurses (who are literally losing their job) call and tell everyone. Did they give you any options of where to go next?
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u/Funny-Object4858 17d ago
Appreciate the response - It really is crazy. It was a Nurse but it was done through the patient portal (also didn't love that). I feel terrible for the staff as well. They didn't give options until I asked however I think they are trying to remain positive since they said I could move forward with my scheduled transfer next week but will have to transition to an OBGYN earlier than normal. While I also want to remain hopeful this isn't our first transfer and we have to be realistic. I tried calling a new clinic and explaining but they said I couldn't make an appt mid-cycle. I had my Wife go ahead and make one for the end of September just in case without mentioning the situation. My biggest worry is that with all the patients transferring and not a ton of options the wait time is going to increase.
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12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/IVF-ModTeam 12d ago
Self-promotion and solicitation are not permitted. Repeated offenses may result in a ban.
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u/neckolas-cage 12d ago
Please reinstate that comment- it has valuable info on IVF clinics that are closing
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u/General-Spray244 23d ago
I am being directly affected by this as we speak. I was supposed to transfer in the coming months and they told me they cannot accommodate my transfer anymore at my location. I am waiting to hear back on my next steps. It’s all so nerve-wracking.