Building the Future of Family : Orlando Family Magazine

Building the Future of Family

By: Kristen Dowd

Through groundbreaking research, global collaboration and a commitment to personalized care, Reproductive Medical Associates is helping more patients achieve their dreams of parenthood.

When patients are facing infertility, it’s not always easy to figure out a way forward. Reproductive Medicine Associates is not only a guiding light on that journey, but with its higher-than-average success rates and global network of locations and medical professionals, the Lake Mary-based clinic can offer the best, most personalized care along the way.

“I love the team here at the Lake Mary location. We do a really, really good job in treating our patients not just medically but emotionally,” nurse practitioner Amanda Hill says, adding that she and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Michael Simoni collaborate on all patient care decisions. “We’re a good team and that’s hard to find in the medical field.”

Ahead of the curve
RMA has been a pioneer in global research since its inception in 1999. With hundreds of pieces of research and more than a dozen clinical trials under its belt, the company is continually striving to improve patient care put all of our heads together for a common and stay ahead of the curve in all aspects of science and technology.

“As a whole, RMA is very much involved in research. We are at the top of the research bracket,” Hill says. “We’re constantly looking for new ways to improve treatment protocols and help our patients reach their dream of parenthood.”

Pushing the field forward is a primary focus at
RMA because staying abreast of the most advanced and best research will ultimately lead to more healthy babies being born with the help of advanced reproductive technology.

“We’re still a research-oriented facility. We still ask questions,” Dr. Simoni says. “We’re constancy looking at new ideas and new technologies to see how we can make this easier for our patients and improve our already amazing success rates.”

Another way RMA sets itself apart is with its embryological laboratory. Dr. Simoni always explains to patients who come to RMA after treatment with another facility that the process may not fed much different. Their body is the same. The drugs are the same. The protocols are similar.

“What changes from place to place is the embryological lab primarily: the people in the lab, what they use in the lab, what the air quality is in the lab and how the gametes are being handled,” Dr. Simoni says.

RMA lab personnel are some of the most highly trained in the field, working in state-of-the-art labs that are constantly raising the standards. And they are all trained in the same place and then move to practices around the country and world. This ensures they all have the same high standards and expectations.

A global network
The fertility journey can sometimes be a long one, and RMA patients have the benefit of finding comfort at a local office with a team they come to know and trust, but also an office that is tapped in to physicians and medical professionals around the globe.

“We have this whole network of physicians. We get together once a month to talk about hard cases something we haven’t seen before, something we want opinions on,” Dr. Simoni says. “We are constantly reevaluating protocols, we get to put all of our heads together for a common goal.”

Hill credits this high success rate to the network of professionals and RMA’s team mindset, too.

“Our success rates are some of the highest in the nation. Contributing to the clinic’s success is our approach-evidence-based treatment plans and the advantage of all the incredible research RMA has done. The entire team here in Lake Mary is invested in our patient experience, we are a warm, welcoming, inclusive practice and guide our patients through every step of their journey,” she says.

A personalized patient experience
Above all else, Hill wants to ensure her patients are comfortable while on their fertility journey at RMA. It’s a stressful process, she explains, and they do their best to reduce that stress as much as possible.

“This is one of the most vulnerable areas of medicine and our goal is to make it as comfortable as possible for our patients. We are available 24/7 whether we’re in office or not. Our patients can reach us after hours if they have concerns,” Hill says. “More than just providing success in the cycle itself, we want to make sure our patients’ questions are being answered, they fed comfortable with their treatment plan and that they aren’t feeling like they’re being left in the dark.”

The RMA team collaborates with patients, not abiding by a “one-size-fits-all” approach. They consider past medical history, previous fertility trearments and where each patient is on their individual journey.

“That goes back to our personalized approach,” Hill says. “It’s more personalized in the sense that they get better care but also in the sense that they’re able to try different things and different treatment approaches to their fertility journey.”

Every patient is assigned a care team-consisting of a provider, nurse and financial counselor.

“I’m very rational and science driven. I like to think of plan A, plan B, plan C,” Dr. Simoni says. “In the totality of our clinic, you will get what you need. I’m very analytical. But, we understand there needs to a balance that, and some handholding. Whatever the patient needs.”

At RMA, they understand that having emotional needs met is just as crucial as a patient’s medical needs.

Some patients have been on this journey for a while-and every month with a negative pregnancy test chips away at their confidence.

“It’s emotional. A lot of patients blame themselves. It’s becoming more of a popular topic now, infertility. Before it was not talked about and it was almost shameful. It’s good it’s being talked about more often now. Patients realize they are not alone,” Hill says. “It’s important to provide that emotional support knowing these patients want nothing more than to be parents,” she continues. “To empathize with the journey they’ve been through from before they come to see us and while they are under our care.”

Reproductive Medicine Associates | Lake Mary | (407) 804-9670 | RMANetwork.com