WELCOME TO OUR PRACTICE!


We appreciate your appointment and we pledge to provide the highest quality of medical care. Please read the following to ensure the best possible experience for you at our clinic. Do not hesitate to call our Practice Administrator, Candice Morgan, CMPE, with any questions or concerns.

Our Professional Staff

Welcome to Fertility Associates of Memphis. Our professional staff includes board certified Reproductive Endocrinologists, registered nurse specialists, embryologists, andrologists, registered sonographers, and medical laboratory technicians. . William Kutteh, MD, PhD, HCLD is the Director of Reproductive Endocrinology, Raymond Ke, MD, HCLD is Chief of Assisted Reproductive Technology, and Ringland S. Murray, Jr, MD specializes in clinical services. Lucy J. Williams, BS, TS is Chief Embryologist and supervises the Embryology and Andrology laboratories. Services at Fertility Associates of Memphis include reproductive endocrinology and infertility, advanced reproductive surgery, recurrent pregnancy loss and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (IVF, GIFT frozen embryo transfer, ICSI, and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis).

New Patient and Follow-Up Visits

Initially, you will be scheduled with Drs. Kutteh, Ke or Murray for a comprehensive new patient consultation. During your first visit, a complete history will be taken with review of past treatments. Additional tests may be scheduled. You will meet the nurse practitioner that will participate in your care. Please bring your completed Registration Form and Infertility Evaluation form, along with all current insurance cards and necessary referrals. Also, please bring all old medical records including operative notes, laboratory tests, and x-ray films.

Confirmation of Your Appointment

In an effort to keep our clinics efficient, an automated verification service is used to confirm your appointment with us. The service will attempt to contact you starting three evenings before your appointment. When you answer this call it will ask you to confirm your appointment or give you an opportunity to reschedule or cancel. If the service is unable to reach you in three attempts, then our patient service representative will make two additional attempts. Please insure that we have your accurate telephone number because if we are unable to confirm your appointment, then we will cancel and try to reschedule you at the next available opportunity.

If you must cancel your office visit, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance. Failure to notify our office 24 hours in advance will result in a charge of $150 (new patients) or $50 (return patients) unless the cancellation was because of a valid emergency. Your insurance carrier does not pay for cancelled appointments. After payment of the cancellation fee, you will be rescheduled in your doctor’s next available opening.

Insurance/Pre-Authorization

Many of you will have medical insurance coverage. It is your responsibility to be sure that your referral and authorization are up to date prior to your visit. We will be happy to assist you with your referral if you are having difficulty obtaining it from your primary care physician. Please call us at least two business days in advance of your appointment day. You will be responsible for all charges payable at the time of the visit if your referral or authorization is not current. If you prefer to reschedule your appointment for a later date, please do so at least 24 hours before your appointment or the cancellation fee will apply.

Payment Policy

You will not be required to make advance payment for any services that will be paid in full by your insurance company. However, to avoid paying these fees in advance, we must have an unrestricted promissory note in writing from your insurance company or a contract to provide services. Payment is expected at the time of your visit. Payment for all ovulation induction/intrauterine insemination cycles and all assisted reproductive technologies (IVF, GIFT, ICSI, donor oocytes, FET) must be made in advance of cycle initiation, which is the first day of medication. We accept major credit cards, cash, and checks. Questions may be addressed to our practice administrator.

Letter for Predetermination of Benefits

If your treatment includes any of the assisted reproductive techniques, we can assist you by filing a letter for predetermination of benefits. Please be advised that it may take four (4) weeks to get a response from your insurance company. If a non-restricted letter is received prior to the start of treatment, you will only be expected to pay the difference of those services that are not fully covered by your insurance. If services are not covered, you will be required to make full payment in advance for these procedures. If a credit balance remains, we will process your refund as quickly as possible.

Diagnosis

We currently utilize the ICD.9.CM International Classification of Diseases and the latest CPT Current Procedural Terminology codes to classify your diagnosis and treatment. Many couples we see are referred because they desire to become pregnant and carry a child to full term. In the overwhelming majority of cases, this includes a diagnosis of infertility (exceptions would be recurrent pregnancy loss). We are required to code your visit with all applicable diagnoses. Failure to do so would constitute fraud.

Surgery

Our staff will schedule your surgery and preauthorize the procedure with your insurance company. Please be advised that pre-authorization does not ensure payment. Please contact your insurance company to determine if your insurance pays for your planned surgery. Procedures that are pre-authorized but not covered will be the patient's responsibility.
After your surgery is scheduled, we will inform you about the portion of the surgery fee for which you will be responsible to pay as determined by the terms of your insurance policy. This payment is due two (2) weeks prior to the date of surgery.
All surgeries will be scheduled and performed by your physician. Resident physicians may assist Drs. Kutteh, Ke or Murray with your procedure. Our practice is affiliated with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, one of the nation's premier training programs for OB/GYN physicians. You may request that Resident physicians not assist at your surgery; however, you will be charged for the surgical assistant's fee if this service is not covered by your insurance.

Post-Op Visits / Return Visits/ Annual Exams

Your post-operative visit will be scheduled at the time of your surgery. This visit is designed to ensure that you are healing normally after your surgery and will be performed by a Resident physician. Return visits to discuss plans for additional treatment for fertility concerns should be scheduled as an office visit. In general, your Ob/Gyn or referring physician should perform your annual exam.

Phone Calls/Messages/Privacy

Our office phone 901-767-BABY (2229) is answered Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you have an emergency at any time please call (901) 767-2229. During business hours, a member of our professional staff will be brought to the phone. After hours, follow the instructions to page the staff member on call. If your emergency is life threatening, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for care.

We realize that infertility treatment will generate many routine questions. To allow our staff time to take care of patients in the office at that moment, we ask that you leave a message on our voice mail system for routine queries. When you call, please leave us your name, phone number, date of birth, and the reason you are calling. If it concerns medications, we will also need your pharmacy name, phone number and the medication you need. If you left a message before 2:00 PM, our nurses will return your call the same day. After 2:00 PM, the nurse will return your call the next day. For a discussion of test results or treatment plans, you should schedule a return office visit. If this is not convenient, we can schedule a telephone consultation with your physician or nurse practitioner. These calls are generally not covered by your insurance, and you may make payment in advance by credit card.

Non-emergency phone calls that occur after 4:30 p.m. weekdays and on weekends will be billed at $25 for each call (to patient, pharmacy, etc.) and are not covered by insurance companies. Extended phone calls to our professional staff (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, embryologists) will be billed at $25 minimum. These charges are not covered by and will not be filed with insurance. In most cases, additional questions are best addressed at a brief office visit with your physician or nurse practitioner.

Form Completion

We routinely must complete multiple forms mandated by your insurance carrier to obtain coverage and request laboratory tests. When indicated, we will provide you with written notices for leave of absence from work as follows: for laparoscopy or hysteroscopy, 2 days; for IVF oocyte aspiration, 2 days; for embryo or blastocyst transfer, 3 days; and for laparotomy, myomectomy or tubal reversal, 5 weeks. We will request your assistance in completing these multiple forms. Additional requests for leave of absence from work or disability not indicated by your treatment will be completed after receipt of a payment of $25. Similarly, requests for forms to be completed for non-formulary drugs and "letters of medical necessity" will be performed after receipt of a $25 fee for each.

Laboratory Services

Kutteh Ke Fertility Associates of Memphis, PLLC does not provide routine laboratory services. Memphis Fertility Laboratory, Inc. provides exclusive andrology, endocrinology, and embryology services related to assisted reproductive techniques. Drs. Ke and Kutteh are investors in Memphis Fertility Laboratory, Inc.

Smoking Policy

Tobacco use is known to decrease the pregnancy rates in women undergoing treatment for infertility. It is also associated with increased complications during pregnancy (such as miscarriage) and childbirth. Tobacco use has also been shown to decrease sperm function. Moreover, it is simply harmful to your overall health. Smoking is not allowed in our office at any time. We cannot allow any patient undergoing an assisted reproductive technology cycle to smoke, as it not only adversely affects the smoker’s chance of success but all other patients that will be treated that day. We reserve the right to cancel your cycle if we determine that you have been smoking during a treatment cycle.

Weekend Schedule

Our medical treatments must be carried out seven days of the week. Certain treatments cannot be postponed for one or two days; therefore, we have physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, laboratory personnel and office staff in the office every weekend to perform these necessary procedures. We only perform necessary procedures in the morning on the weekend, and there are no scheduled office appointments. If you have a procedure that must be performed on Saturday or Sunday, you can reach the nurse on call before 4 p.m. by calling 901-747-2229 and paging the professional staff on call.
Thank you for choosing Fertility Associates of Memphis.
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Thank you for choosing Fertility Associates of Memphis.