Transforming Fertility Treatments

Key Takeaways

1. Affordability Drives Access: Fertility services are notoriously expensive, and the historically large price tags hinder access. According to Kappelman, improving quality of care will lead to better success rates and ultimately lower costs. It’s an area of focus for Ovation. “If we can minimize either the number of cycles or the total time it takes to have a healthy child, we're actually reducing costs and improving outcomes,” he said.
   
   
2. Insurance Coverage Increasing: Kappelman expects an increase in insurance coverage for fertility services through 2022. “Several major employers have come out with access and fertility coverage that either didn't have it in the past, or they're significantly expanding their coverage... I think that's going to continue each and every year,” he shared, also noting that this change will bring new managed care or benefits administrators into the space.
   
   
3. The Rise of Value-Based Care: The shift to value-based care is pushing into the fertility health market. Ovation is actively discussing these topics with payers and believes the trend will continue. “I think particularly as we see women's health as a whole start working together and fertility and women's health getting in that spotlight, I think there'll be opportunities to work with payers and patients and employers on delivering the best results at the lowest cost,” said Kappelman.
   
   
4. Transforming Fertility: Ovation is working on a number of exciting innovations to drive innovation in fertility. In partnership with the University of Bath and University of Cambridge, the company recently released a landmark study on how early genes express themselves. The findings have long-ranging implications infertility treatment, epigenetic inheritance, stem cell derived embryos, and cancer. The company is also looking closely at the future of genetic testing to support healthy embryos and parents interested in deeper information on their genes and their embryos.