IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO OUR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES:
The Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) is aware of the media coverage regarding a mix-up in a different and unaffiliated Cincinnati IVF lab. Our hearts go out to the family affected. We want to assure our current and former patients that the alleged incident did not involve either IRH or our IVF laboratory, neither of which existed at the time. The alleged incident occurred in 1994, at The Christ Hospital and Christ Hospital’s Laboratory. The Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) and its IVF Laboratory were not formed until 1999. Because this alleged incident occurred in the Christ Hospital’s laboratory, before our practice and laboratory existed, we cannot comment on what may or may not have occurred in their laboratory. IRH is a practice group of reproductive endocrinologists and is a completely separate entity from Christ Hospital. The roles of a reproductive endocrinologist and an IVF laboratory’s andrologists and embryologists are separate. Embryology procedures are performed in a distinct laboratory during all IVF processes. Our physicians are not involved in the fertilization of eggs with sperm, as this process is handled by embryologists in the IVF laboratory.
IRH has stringent protocols in place to verify patient identity and maintain the chain of custody of all specimens involved in the IVF process. Our lab protocols have been inspected and accredited by College of American Pathologists (CAP), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) in order to ensure the highest level of care for our patients. We take very seriously the trust and faith that our patients have in our practice, and we will continue to provide the highest quality individualized care.