Your Experience with Defy

[Vince Carter]

I've got a couple of minor gripes with Defy and it's really only in the area of working with the front office staff, I think Chelsea is the bright spot in the office. I see emails unanswered and I've had to gripe and complain to (unamed) management. I think from a previous clinic I liked having a case manager, one person I dealt with and that was it.
Plenty of great things about Defy though, from pricing on meds, and I have insurance that pays for bloodwork so $25 for a script for testing is a HUGE thing I like. I have great experiences with the Nurse, Jill, too. She's on top of things, no doubt.

 

[DDD]

I just googled Defy and came across this link, not sure what to think.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Defy-...-Bruce-Fabian-Cruz-Sharon-Diamond-Nico-910018

Does anyone know anything about this? I realize people can put on the internet anything they want. And the comments people wrote were in defense of Defy. My experience with them via email and asking questions has been very good.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

That was posted by an angry competitor. That site charges $3000 to remove negative reviews (that is how they make money!).

This is what I added to that review:
[h=2]Jasen Bruce has been a great helper of people with chronic illness and armed forces veterans[/b][h=3]AUTHOR: Nelson - (United States of America)[/b]SUBMITTED: Monday, January 21, 2013


I have known Jasen Bruce for 7 years. I met him in my search as a community activist looking for ways to help my peers with HIV wasting syndrome find effective treatments for this deadly disease.

Jasen offered his services for free to many people living with HIV that had low income and needed help with their health and unintentional weight loss. He directed them to trained physicians and pharmacies that could provide the needed treatments at discounted patient assistance rates. Over 3000 people in my network (pozhealth at yahoogroups.com) had access to his help and many are thankful that he showed generosity to share his great health and fitness knowledge to help people less fortunate than him. Many war veterans have also benefited from his kindness and help.

I was shocked when I found out that he had an encounter with a priest who tried to molest him on his way to his car in a parking lot. Jasen reacted like most people would by defending himself. He even called 911 at that moment after he had to force the guy to stop his unsolicited advances. The church finally dropped charges after more was found about this priest (like other priest involved in sexual abuse).

Luckily, this horrible time did not stop Jasen Bruce from helping people. It took a toll on him and his family. It is completely unjust for others who have no knowledge of the details on the case to make false statements.

Jasen Bruce is an honorable and extremely knowledgeable man with a heart of gold. He helps people daily and does not deserve any more frivolous attacks on his character. Whoever decides not to seek his help should not do so based on false statements from people who obviously do not know him. There are many people like me out there that could stand for him and his great work helping others live better.

 

[DDD]

Thanks Nelson. I took it with a grain of salt, but I take my health seriously and always like to research something before I do it. Especially since learning there was so much I did not know or was not told before starting TRT. I have even done things that have hurt my TRT because I did not have adequate knowledge.

I just wanted to have the confidence that they are legimate. So far my interactions with them have all been positive.

When I looked at the site, it had a box you could click if you wanted to "restore your reputation"--- and my first thought was, I bet they make money on that.

Thanks.

 

[Dr. John Crisler]

To reply to your main query, DDD- I am a recent patient of theirs. Can't speak for long term care, but so far they seem very agreeable.

I did visit two other local clinics in Florida. One more than 1 year ago when I first began researching TRT and doing blood work. This clinic recommended in office injections every two weeks, did not offer at-home administration and was a bit pricier ($65 every injection).

The other clinic I visited before Defy- they seemed more agreeable, offered in home administration options, was open to using different compounded blends of cypionate/propionate to see what worked best for me, and the director I spoke with there (prior to consulting the doctor) was very generous with his time. He seemed on top of the current best practices and I felt confident that i would receive good care there. If circumstances were different, I might have gone with them.

The sticking point was cost- base cost was $99/month, plus bloodwork plus twice annual consultation fees, plus an annual membership fee. This included the prescription, needles and syringes, all shipped to your door. If HCG was indicated on your protocol, cost jumped to $175/month and if an AI was necessary, cost would jump to $200/month. In total, I was looking at an estimated $3000+ annually.

Defy in contrast, is roughly half of that for me, including medications, consultations and bloodwork. Plus they have the endorsement of Nelson and many members here. I have the ability to either order supplies (needles/syringes, etc.) from them at a reasonable cost (30c each), or purchase my own supplies (such as from http://www.allegromedical.com/).

I live close enough that I visited the office, and Dr Saya was similarly gracious with his time during my consultation. He answered all my questions and concerns, and did not pressure me when I indicated that I was still on the fence. He was honest about the possible risks and benefits, and seemed to appreciate the effort I put in to self care, and how exhaustive I'd been in my research, tracking and self-experimentation.

I've had a couple of minor questions thus far and his staff has been mostly helpful. Though I would certainly consider tweaking and experimenting with my protocol as time goes on (for example, I would be open to more frequent injections or experimenting with different esters (propionate rather than cypionate), I recognize the value of being a compliant patient, so as to minimize variables and determining whether refinement is called for. I trust that the standard of care I'll receive there is high and want to give Dr Saya and his staff every opportunity to direct the care based on their clinical experience.

We'll see how it works in the long term, but for now I'm comfortable working with them and they've given me every reason to trust them.

That is because Dr. Saya is not there to try to sell you drugs; his mission is to improve your health and happiness.

 

[Dr. John Crisler]

I've got a couple of minor gripes with Defy and it's really only in the area of working with the front office staff, I think Chelsea is the bright spot in the office. I see emails unanswered and I've had to gripe and complain to (unamed) management. I think from a previous clinic I liked having a case manager, one person I dealt with and that was it.
Plenty of great things about Defy though, from pricing on meds, and I have insurance that pays for bloodwork so $25 for a script for testing is a HUGE thing I like. I have great experiences with the Nurse, Jill, too. She's on top of things, no doubt.

In my 17 years (total) in medicine, Defy is without a doubt the best run medical practice I have seen.

So if emails have gone unanswered, that really surprises me. But I do know, from my own experience, there are patients who send email after email, and will call numerous times (in the same day). These same folks are apparently unaware of the time it takes to answer each communication, or the fact the practice is taking care of hundreds, if not thousands, of patients, simultaneously.

It's also true that it is very difficult providing compounded medications to people--it's nothing like sending a script with a patient to walk across the street to their local pharmacy. Questions from patients that require follow-up with the compounder also have to get in line. It's a LOT of work, and takes four teams, working in the background, to deliver compounded medications to people (providing medications, at a fraction of the cost, otherwise unavailable anywhere otherwise).

And, yes, Chelsea is indeed very dear.

 

[Loki]

In my 17 years (total) in medicine, Defy is without a doubt the best run medical practice I have seen.

So if emails have gone unanswered, that really surprises me. But I do know, from my own experience, there are patients who send email after email, and will call numerous times (in the same day). These same folks are apparently unaware of the time it takes to answer each communication, or the fact the practice is taking care of hundreds, if not thousands, of patients, simultaneously.

It's also true that it is very difficult providing compounded medications to people--it's nothing like sending a script with a patient to walk across the street to their local pharmacy. Questions from patients that require follow-up with the compounder also have to get in line. It's a LOT of work, and takes four teams, working in the background, to deliver compounded medications to people (providing medications, at a fraction of the cost, otherwise unavailable anywhere otherwise).

And, yes, Chelsea is indeed very dear.

Dr. Crisler do you still think this protocol should be attempted first? Topical gel twice per day, HCG small doses everyday? Just curious if frequent injections are considered superior now... From this site I am doing Gene's stack and is freaking awesome (minus the prescriptions but hope to get those next week)... Also considering if-

Sermorelin should be in the protocol or only if labs dictate...
DHEA
Pregnenalone

 

[Dr. John Crisler]

OOPS! I forgot to mention how knowledgeable--and just plain nice, and thoughtful--Jill, our RN, is. She's always got my back.

Defy is the fusion of an amazingly well-run business and state-of-the-art Interventional Endocrinology.

 

[Vince Carter]

When I have to send 9 email exchanges from 9 - 20 Nov asking, begging, for someone to call me and setup a consult, that's a problem. There's always room to improve minus the arrogance of thinking you're hitting all your marks or that the patient is the one being difficult, or that every ones experience with the staff is without error, on the part of the staff.

 

[Dr Justin Saya MD]

Vince- as the medical director, I would like to hear more about this as I wasn't aware and that is not the experience we strive for or expect for my patients. PM me with more details including who you were contacting so I can get to the bottom of the issue. Thanks.

 

[Vince]

Vince I always call, I know they are a very busy Clinic. I don't leave a message, I just call later. At times it does take a few calls to get through.

 

[Loki]

I looked into them a little over a year ago and they have been pretty aggressive (in a good way) following up with me. Offered to check my labs at from my previous provider, mentioned the need for the sensitive test and gave me easy to follow direction for their labs and consult... I had my consult yesterday with Dr. Saya and Jill (the RN) followed up as he said she would... So up to this point I am pleased!

 

[Vince Carter]

I have to say that when I do have an issue, real or perceived, management's desire to fix it and have the best, most professional practice, is really noteworthy.

 

[Dr. John Crisler]

I have to say that when I do have an issue, real or perceived, management's desire to fix it and have the best, most professional practice, is really noteworthy.

Yes, they really are good people. It's always a pleasure to work with them. The positive energy around the office brightens everyone's day.

I hasten to add you have to be REALLY good at what you do to work there. Everyone associated with the practice is.

When you consider the average turnaround time for conventional medical practices these days is 3 days, and the average office visit encounter time (the BEST time for the physician who loves his/her work) is only 7 minutes, Defy is setting the standard. And being able to help people who otherwise--literally--would find no relief, is very satisfying.

 

[Someguy]

I've been with Defy for just over a month now. I'm very pleased so far. Dr. Saya was very knowledgeable and really took the time to listen to my concerns and come up with the best treatment plan for me. After bad experiences with local doctors it's very refreshing to be working with a doctor who knows what they're doing and can educate me on TRT rather than vice-versa.

My emails have always been answered promptly. I received my medication order with no problems. I appreciate that the arimidex is compounded to my exact dosage which avoids me trying (and failing) to split up the tiny 1mg pills.

 

[ERO]

I have been with Defy since April of last year and I am extremely pleased with them. I have been on TRT for 5 years now and Defy is by far the best provider that I have worked with. If this was an Amazon review, they'd get 5 stars.

 

[Vettester Chris]

Defy is an awesome clinic, great people, excellent value. I also like the fact that we are seeing management from Defy, willing to address and listen to any concerns that their patients have. Like ERO, Defy is by far the BEST, and I've been through several providers over the past 7 years. I've never even had a physician ask me if I was satisfied with the other areas of the business.

 

[BBaller]

That is because Dr. Saya is not there to try to sell you drugs; his mission is to improve your health and happiness.

Indeed Dr Crisler. My experience has been very positive and extraordinarily professional.

And thank you as well for your work. I read your book, as well as Nelson's before my consult. I miss your video on Sub-Q injections; seems to have disappeared from YouTube.

 

[WTimm77]

I have been with Defy since October '15. They have helped me more in the three or so months that I have been a patient with them than my PCP and Endo did in the previous 2 years.

Do yourself a favor and schedule your initial work up and consult. The associated costs are very reasonable, so even if for some reason you decided not to go with them you aren't out that much money.

 

[Dr. John Crisler]

Indeed Dr Crisler. My experience has been very positive and extraordinarily professional.

And thank you as well for your work. I read your book, as well as Nelson's before my consult. I miss your video on Sub-Q injections; seems to have disappeared from YouTube.

The videos came down secondary to a divorce.

We are working to put them back up again.