Inside Reproductive Health Podcast

What happens when carrier screening shifts from an opt-in choice to an opt-out default?
At Northwestern Medicine, opt-out carrier screening has become the standard. 
But how does it affect the clinic? The practice workflow? The patient experience? Should other fertility practices be doing the same? 
In this episode, Dr. Eve Feinberg, REI at Northwestern Medicine Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and consulting medical director at Natera, explains why her clinic moved to an opt-out model and how it operates in practice.  She is joined by Jennifer Saucier, MS, CGC, VP of Women’s Health Product Management at Natera, who offers insight into how lab partners can support clinics through the operational demands of carrier screening.
They dive into: 
Why Northwestern adopted opt-out carrier screening 

Managing results as screening volume grows 

Preparing patients for expanded panel findings 

Standardizing and customizing donor screening panels 

What genetic screening reveals beyond reproductive risk 

It’s working for Northwestern, and it might just work for you too. Have a listen and find out.

What does a fertility practice manager do when there is no formal training for the job they were just promoted into?
Peter Fuzesi, Jessica Medvedich, and Jennifer Straub, explain how the Association of Reproductive Managers (ARM) gave them the business education this field never built. They also preview the new Business of Medicine certificate and the ARISE conference.
They dive into:
• Why an MBA does not prepare you for IVF leadership
• The staffing ratio math that convinces physicians and investors
• The malpractice coverage gap most IVF programs miss
• What the Business of Medicine certificate will actually teach
• Why ARM is the go-to network for fertility managers

Patients are coming into fertility appointments more informed than ever.
They’ve talked to ChatGPT, researched their treatment options, and sometimes even come in with an idea of what they think their doctor should recommend.
So what does that mean for the REI?
That’s the question Dr. Maria Costantini explores. She’s a Partner REI and Medical Director at RMA, and she believes self-awareness may be one of the most important tools physicians have as the patient-physician relationship changes.
We dive into:
Why patient self-education is reshaping fertility care

How technology is changing physician decision making

Dr. Costantini’s belief that self-awareness may prevent provider burnout

The balance between authoritative and collaborative consultations

RMA’s new AI and how it supports the patient journey

AI may be changing what patients bring into the exam room, but Dr. Costantini argues that how physicians respond may come down to something much more human.

“You’ll never be able to make it on your own.”
A challenge issued by a network CEO to this week’s guest, Dr. Shvetha Zarek.
She left anyway, built Arbor Fertility in St. Louis, and co-founded AIRE, the Alliance of Independent Reproductive Endocrinologists. Now, she’s one of the loudest voices challenging the idea that corporate consolidation is inevitable.

We dive into:

The myths practice owners are told about going independent
Why independent REIs often take home 3-4 times more revenue than their corporate peers
What really happened when her venture-backed group quietly ran out of money
The debate over whether owning your lab makes you truly independent
Why AIRE is calling this a breaking point for corporate medicine

If this conversation resonates with you, leave us a review or share it with a colleague who's thinking about hanging their own shingle.

Behind every successful fertility journey is a team of nurses, administrators, and clinical staff working under intense pressure. 
Too often, the people holding the system together are the ones left without a safety net.
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Debbra Keegan, full-time REI physician and Vice President of Clinical Partnerships and Strategy at CCRM, to discuss how to protect and empower healthcare teams from the ground up.
We dive into:
The hidden cost of burnout on fertility clinic staff 

How physicians, leadership, and staff can actively support their teams

The impact of CCRM's new patient navigator system

Why introducing mental health resources on initial visits elevates care

How wearables and microbiome tracking are transforming patient wellness