Consumer Purchasing Power
2009 was a very difficult year and those couples yearning for a child have had some tough decisions to make. Fertility treatments can be awfully expensive. But in spite of the fact that some couples may have decided to put their baby-making on hold, one healthcare manager says its fertility centers are growing and expanding.
IntegraMed America, Inc., a leading manager for specialty outpatient healthcare facilities announced an improvement during the fourth quarter and the year that ended December 31, 2009. IntegraMed specializes in vein care and the technological side of fertility treatment. IntegraMed's CEO, Jay Higham commented, "Our Q4 and 2009 results reflect solid revenue growth across all three business units and margin expansion in two of those businesses. Our results demonstrate we have created a business that is strong in good economic environments and resilient in bad economic climates."
Higham goes on to say that the company's fertility centers are expanding faster than those of their competitors. The company gained three new Fertility Center contracts in the final quarter of 2009. IntegraMed sees nothing but opportunities ahead as they continue to increase their base of fertility centers.
Challenging Year
These successes come in spite of a difficult year. The costs of fertility treatment may not have changed, but the purchasing power of consumers has taken a huge dent.
One of the challenges faced by IntegraMed includes patients who now opt out of pricey IVF treatments, choosing instead to take advantage of whatever treatments are better covered by their health insurance. Still, IntegraMed has the largest consolidated network of fertility treatment centers in the United States. There are 14 partner centers in 66 locations spanning 12 major markets across America. Because of its fast-paced growth and geographic diversity, the company manages to deliver solid financial results.
Great Flexibility
IntegraMed is responsible for the Attain IVF Program. The company pioneered this effort to help fund in vitro fertilization (IVF) for couples who have decided to begin a series of IVF treatments. This program has great flexibility in that it allows the combining of the various treatments involved in an IVF attempt and allows refund options on up to six treatments. Couples receive up to a 100% refund for those treatments that fail to place a baby in their arms. The Attain IVF program has a very strong appeal for infertility consumers, and this gives the IntegraMed fertility centers an advantage over other such clinics.
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