Southern California Reproductive Center Santa Barbara

My husband and I had an incredible experience with Dr. Maxwell and her staff at SCRC - Santa Barbara. We found Dr. Maxwell to be highly attentive, caring, and considerate. She always took the time to listen to all of our questions and concerns and explain thoroughly. The nurses and staff responded promptly to any questions I had through the SCRC portal and were very kind to us at every appointment (which we had a lot of!). Any time I had a billing question, the front desk receptionist, Pam, would assist and reach out to my insurance companies and would communicate with me promptly via e-mail. We felt very taken care of at SCRC and are very grateful for our experience there during such a vulnerable time in our lives!

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We did not have a very good experience here. The staff are nice people, but we could tell we were not a priority and they were fairly disorganized with medical records and instructions. We were driving 2 hours one way to see them here. For one, they uploaded another woman’s medical records onto my wife’s patient portal, whose medical history was VERY different than ours. We’re thankful we caught it before getting prescribed something that was totally not for us. Two, the day of our IUI (first time) they asked my wife to come back for an ultrasound (which you do NOT do on your IUI day) even though my wife asked about it and she was like “no , you’re supposed to have one” and then my wife had to say, “well the name on the monitor is not my name” and then the lady was like “oh I’m sorry, the front desk lady usually stops me if I have the wrong person”. Three, the day of our IUI, we arrived on time, I gave my sample, and we waited for an hour and 15 minutes before we got called back, and I had to step up and ask if we were ever going to be seen, then the nurse walked over next door and then got the doctor to come in (Dr.Maxwell). Ideally, the sample is deposited as soon as it’s washed, but is only good for up to 90 minutes. Google search this and every article agrees. My semen sample was collected at 8:30am (although our paperwork said 8:44). The doctor did not come in to “deposit” it with my wife until 9:51am. She apologized, that she was in another surgery. I know the IUI is quick, but we didn’t realize they double book doctors at the same times, and it felt like that other procedure was more important than our first IUI, which maybe it was. We felt like such an inconvenience to them. They also haven’t even followed up with us since the IUI, like radio silence. I understand it’s the holiday season, but we just felt like a number here. We have a WIN fertility benefit through my company, and it feels like they got they their money and that’s all they were worried about. We will not be going back. Again, the nurses that work there are nice, the front desk lady was kind, even Dr. Maxwell was nice to us, but we did not have a good experience. This was our first attempt at anything beyond FemVue/HSG, and it was not a good one for us..

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My husband and I had an incredible experience with Dr. Maxwell and her staff at SCRC - Santa Barbara. We found Dr. Maxwell to be highly attentive, caring, and considerate. She always took the time to listen to all of our questions and concerns and explain thoroughly. The nurses and staff responded promptly to any questions I had through the SCRC portal and were very kind to us at every appointment (which we had a lot of!). Any time I had a billing question, the front desk receptionist, Pam, would assist and reach out to my insurance companies and would communicate with me promptly via e-mail. We felt very taken care of at SCRC and are very grateful for our experience there during such a vulnerable time in our lives!

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Do not go to a doctor here! SCRC has been the worst business I had to deal with in a very very long time. Do yourself a favor and find a different doctor so you don’t have to go through SCRC.nThere have been so many headaches dealing with this business that I completely regret going here and wished I would have just driven the 200+ miles to go to a different doctor.nThey got my husband’s email address wrong so he was unable to access documents.nThey got my date of birth wrong so now all of my records with them and the labs have the incorrect DOB.nThey billed us $230 more than the amount we were quoted.nThey billed us again after we already had paid our invoice.nThere were other annoyances as well these are just a few examples.nI honestly feel bad for the doctors that work for this business because they are doing them a disservice.nIt sucks because all of the fertility doctors in the area are under SCRC. However, if I could go back in time I would have chosen a doctor that was not part of SCRC even if that meant I had to drive 200+ miles each time..

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I don’t often write reviews, but every once in a while, a business impresses me so much that I have to share my experience. SCRC absolutely went above and beyond to make our fertility dreams come true. Beginning with the warm and inviting office. Situated in the heart of Beverly Hills, SCRC has the most state of the art equipment of any doctor’s office I’ve been to and everything is shiny and new. The level of care is absolutely superior to anything I’ve experienced before. The nursing staff goes out of their way for you, even sending someone to our house at 10 pm because I was nervous about my trigger shot. For someone who hates needles, knowing the nurses can jab you without pain is a major bonus. They always answer the phones and reassure your every need. The retrieval process is done in house, not at some massive hospital the way many other IVF centers do it. The transfer (also in house) was the most relaxing procedure. I was allowed to choose the music and I got to see the moment the embryo was transferred on screen! Dr. Surrey himself is an absolute magician. Our transfer worked on the first try and everything was completely seamless and fluid. 10/10 will be back for my next baby! Thank you Dr. Surrey!!

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I unfortunately had to switch doctors when I switched jobs and the doctor I was seeing was no longer in network. Dr. Surrey is the third doctor I have worked with while on my journey. The first doctor I saw was amazing and the doctor I am currently with is amazing as well. All that to say, I can confirm that the experience I had with SCRC is not the norm of how a fertility clinic should operate. I truly believe Dr. Surrey has no business being in this field. I should have trusted my gut from the very first meeting and not wasted a year of precious time on treatment with SCRC. It was bad from my initial consultation. Dr. Surrey spent all of ten minutes with me and it was clear he never took the time to review my charts from my previous doctor. From there it did not get any better. He turned out to be condescending, dismissive, and cold. He didn’t take the time to explain treatment and spoke to me as if I were stupid when I asked follow up questions. Terrible bedside manner. Worst experience I’ve ever had with any doctor in any field. I now willingly drive an extra two hours for care as to not have to go to this office.nnA few notes about SCRC:nnWhen you call the office, you automatically get put through to a call center who takes a message and you have to wait for a call back so you never get a quick answer to any of your questions. The patient coordinators are very nice but flaky and often don’t call when they say they will.nnThey will find any way to get money out of you. They charge you for EVERY little thing. I was charged for things that the other two offices never charged me for. They try to add on things to your treatment that aren’t covered by insurance and are not necessary to have a successful cycle. When I asked about these things Dr. Surrey didn’t explain in detail exactly what they were for and how they were beneficial but said he recommended them. I also received a bill months later from an out of network lab that they had never used for my lab work previously. My insurance said they should have known not to use that lab. I was responsible for the entire bill due to their carelessness. As if fertility treatment isn’t expensive enough.nnMy ultrasounds were done by a tech who never seemed to be very thorough. I never had an ultrasound done by a doctor. Not even my first one. If you are looking for an office where you see the doctor at each visit, this is not the one. And if you have another option, DO NOT choose SCRC. I 100% would not recommend this office to anyone. There is a reason why this clinic and Dr. Surrey’s ratings are so low..

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Awful experience. They never checked with insurance regarding coverage for blood work or other testing, and tried to mislead us into getting the work done at their office and just paying out of pocket. We refused, took the order to a diagnostic lab, who told us the clinic was supposed to pre authorize any analysis. Now we have to wait for them to pre authorize, while this was all supposed to be done before our initial consultation. We provided all of the insurance information weeks before the appointment. We then found out that my wife and I had already done ALL of the blood work 6 months ago, which he refused to look at. He just tried to persuade us into paying out of pocket for the SAME tests. He never looked at the previous results or gave us his opinion on them. He never referenced the testing we already paid for in preparation for this appointment. He just told us we HAD to do them again.

The rest of what made this appointment traumatic is almost too difficult to put into words. The Dr explicitly said his assistant would be performing the uterus ultra sound. Then mid procedure, he bursts into the room without consultation, and decides it's a good time to make jokes. This, while my wife has a large scope inside of her. He decides that saying "when you are done making friends in here" is an appropriate statement during a vulnerable medical procedure. This was beyond unprofessional, and felt like a completely intentional breach of responsibility. My wife has expressed how tense and awful this dr made her feel, and it infuriates me. This is not our first rodeo. My wife says she has never had someone make her feel like that during any previous medical procedure.

Please avoid. They will try to swindle you at best, and traumatize you at worst.

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As a medical professional myself, I can say with confidence this is where you want to be when you are losing hope in your fertility journey. Dr. Surrey brings his long history of expertise to Santa Barbara, and we are lucky to have him. Every story of fertility struggle is difficult to say the least and mine is no exception. I was losing hope, and Dr. Surrey, Physician Associate (PA) Sam, and nurse Madi stuck with me, never gave up, and after tremendous challenge, we are pregnant. If professionalism and compassion had a perfect blend, this is it. The entire office gets to know you and cheers for you the whole way. For such a delicate specialty, a lot of reassurance is required, and there is no shortage of that here. As for the experts in their field, this is where they are. Dr. Surrey not only an excellent reproductive endocrinologist, but surgeon as well. Sam and Madi bring years of experience in their field and can answer almost any question you come up with. They're ALL there every step of the way. When there are downs, they support you, take the time you need to understand and explain, and immediately move to the next treatment step. As for the ups, the amount at which they share your victory with you is incredible. I am extraordinarily grateful.

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We came to see Dr.Surrey and his team after months of trying to conceive. I'm happy to report we are expecting our first baby this fall. I can't express how great full I am for the staff and care I received. From the second you walk through the doors you feel like you are apart of a family. They are always available to answer any questions, are so kind and compassionate and really take their time to make sure you are getting the best care Possible. I will miss seeing them all on a weekly basis! I Highly recommended the SB office!

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We tried for several years to conceive and several months on clomid before coming to SCRC. I was 40 and started my first egg retrieval for IVF as soon as possible after my initial consultation with Dr. Surrey in Feb of 2021. One year later we welcomed our first child into the world on Feb 23, 2022! My story is probably unusual, I don't think most women my age with unexplained fertility are able to get pregnant with just one round of egg retrieval and eSET transfer, but it worked for us. Dr Surrey and the staff in Santa Barbara are awesome. Thank you all and thanks especially to Madi for the excellent communication and always positive attitude, which really helped keep us calm during such an emotional process.

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Dr. Rychlik and his staff were amazing through the daunting IVF process. My husband and I were referred to him by my OB/GYN after a couple early miscarriages. We had out first consultation with him August 2019 and were pregnant by the following March. IVF was recommended as our best option to conceive given low ovarian reserve and egg quality. The IVF process itself is time consuming and requires a lot (mostly mentally exhausting) and isn't cheap. But we were willing to try and trusted Dr. Rychlik. It all paid off. I'm currently 36 weeks pregnant with our baby and so far so good. We first met Dr. Rychlik in consultation in Bakersfield but had the option of going to his Ventura office and all major office visits and procedures were done in the SCRC office in Santa Barbara which wasn't a bad drive or place to spend the day. I highly recommend Dr. Rychlik and his team and am so grateful for everything they've done for us. Hopefully in 1-2 years we can try this process all over again with our other embryo for baby #2.

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After spending many months trying to conceive with no luck of a viable pregnancy my husband and I were referred to Dr. Rychlik. From start to finish he was professional, explained everything in a way that we could understand, and had a way to make you feel comfortable and at ease. IVF is a struggle, emotionally it takes a toll on you. Even when you go into it as strong as possible there are moments where you feel weak but Dr. Rychlik & his staff and everyone at SCRC were so very kind and helpful through the entire process. They put me at ease and gave me some laughs along the way.
After our first IVF transfer, we conceived and in April welcomed our beautiful Londyn Kate.
We are so blessed to have been referred to SCRC. We have two frozen embryos remaining, and with his team I am optimistic our londy will be a big sister some day!
I highly recommend Dr. Rychlik! He is, and forever will be someone I am extremely grateful for!

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Our experience with SCRC was awesome. We had a hard time getting pregnant and was about to give up until my gynecologist referred us to Dr. Surrey in Santa Barbara. Going into IVF is scary especially facing the unknown but the staff at SCRC made our experience calm and easy to understand. It's an emotional rollercoaster with ups and downs but having trust in Dr. Surrey made it so much more calming and understanding as he answered all our questions with so much knowledge. Thanks to the staff and everyone else at the center we now have a beautiful 2 month old baby girl and we are forever grateful for everyone at SCRC.

Thank you,
The Evans family.

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We had a successful round of IVF with Dr. Rychlik (after way too many rounds of IUI at another doctor's office). It was our first IVF experience and we felt well cared for. Our nurse Vicky was great answering all our questions and went above and beyond to help us with all the treatment plans, medications, etc.
Dr. Rychlik has the best IVF facility (including the lab) in the area. He is very knowledgeable and stays on top of new developments in the research of fertility treatments. When we asked questions, he often backed his answers up quoting published research which ensured us that we were pursuing the best possible course of the treatment.
All our interactions with Dr. Rychlik were very friendly and sometimes even funny. We also liked that he responds straight to the point and not in a roundabout way to questions. Initially we were a bit surprised since we were used to more sugar-coated answers from other physicians, but we actually really like this more direct approach.
All in all, we highly recommend Dr. Rychlik and his team at SCRC in Santa Barbara.

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My husband and I came to SCRC in hopes of becoming pregnant with our second child. We had previously seen a different fertility doctor in Santa Barbara to assist us in getting pregnant with our daughter. But there were certain situations and communication problems at that facility that made us decide to seek out a new doctor the second time around.

SCRC and Dr. Rychlik were great. The last year has been a roller coaster of emotions. There were many setbacks and hurdles to overcome, but Dr. Rychlik was dedicated and focused on helping us meet our goal of becoming pregnant. At one point I had lost hope and was ready to give up, but Dr. Rychlik assured me that there was still more we could do and that he hadn't given up on us.

The only criticism I have is that communication was not always as clear and prompt as I wanted it to be. When going through fertility treatments every phone call is a heart stopper. What will the results say? There were times I was expecting a phone call around 3pm and it didn't come till 5pm or later. Which always left me expecting the worst.

But overall, I would highly recommend SCRC and Dr. Rychlik to anyone looking for infertility treatments. Dr. Rychlik's knowledge is incredible and their technology is far ahead of any other facility I have seen.

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