Dr. Chao is amazing. Her Los Al office staff not so much. I needed 1 form to be completed for my pregnancy disability leave (just needed a signature) due on 10/28. My husband was supposed to pick it up on a Thursday. When it was not ready, I called the office & the office assistant's exact words were: "We said we would TRY to have it ready...not that it would be ready." Then they said they would send it to me on 10/28, the day it was due. I had to call 6 times to have it finally sent. Each person I talked to just had me repeat myself & said they would do it, but no form until 3 in the afternoon. By then I had to redo my leave request. No apology, no customer service, just like all the other reviews say. read more

Hello, Former patient of Dr. Chao's here. I had forever been trying to get ahold of their office since I had testing done that Dr. Ordered late last year. After many phone calls and no option to leave voice-mail I thought maybe I'm calling at the wrong hour of the day so I Google search and much to my surprise it states that the office is PERMANENTLY CLOSED. I'm not sure about any of her other patients but I sure did NOT get notification of this. Now I'm stuck without test results, without my birth control and without my medical records cause how hell am I supposed to get ahold of those now? If anyone has any info on where I can get ahold of these it would much appreciated. read more

Rough and not very nice. Will not be returning to her. I found her to be very condescending.

I have been seeing Dr. Chao through my whole pregnancy for my second child and recently this past Tuesday I had my baby boy! I had my first at Los Alamitos Medical Center with Dr. Cecilia Chu but she no longer is delivering and they no longer have Labor & Delivery @ Los Alamitos. Dr. Chao is amazing, when I first started going to her it did seem like she would spend more time with you at the doctor's visit and now that she has delivered my baby and I have first hand been through the whole experience with her I understand why. She is very busy and does it all! Dr. Chao always answered all of my questions at my office visits, she is very thorough in her explanations and is very knowledgeable in her field. Wait times were sometimes long, but nothing different than other doctor's offices. The staff is really nice and I would bring in a book or get a list going of questions for Chao while I waited. During my labor and birth, Chao was amazing, she was calm and motivating. My baby was facing up instead of down and she was able to manage to move him and although she had to use the "suction/vacuum" slightly because he would not come out, I was able to push him out within a few contractions! I did not tear and overall I was very grateful for her. The next day she came to check on me and to circumcise my baby boy. She did a great job answering our questions and concerns. Again she did an amazing job. I did unfortunately get migraines as a side effect of the epidural :( she suggested a blood patch but the anesthesiologist was unable to perform the procedure so I had to endure almost a week of migraines until they went away on their own. On average it takes 7 days to go away. The staff and Dr. Chao kept calling to check up and so did the anesthesiologists from St. Mary's. Overall I felt very well cared for. I will be seeing Dr. Chao again at my postpartum appointment. I highly recommend Dr. Chao. read more

Cynthia Chao, DO, MPH, NCMP - @ my last Dr. Appointment before Baby Boy arrived! - Obstetricians & Gynecologists Near Me - Long Beach, California

I would not recommend this location to anyone. This was my first pregnancy and my husband and I were very excited to be seen. Several things led me to switch doctors and am very glad I did. The lack of communication. It is almost impossible to get through to someone over the phone. I had concerns and bleeding through my pregnancy and when I tried to call to ask a question or to simply know what the results for blood work was no answer. When they did answer, I was told I'd receive a call back and never did. I'd call throughout the day hoping to catch someone. I never got a call to go over results with me and my results were concerning. My HCG levels dropped and was experiencing a miscarriage-- but I found out because I luckily had booked an appointment elsewhere and the advice nurse at this different location pulled up the results for me & advised me to go to er. My last appt there one of the staff members checked my vitals and asked questions-- and because I answered no to feeling any symptoms she listed she asked "you are pregnant right?" And keep in mind I'm experiencing spotting during my pregnancy, just so rude and inconsiderate, it was heartbreaking because I had feared to lose the baby since the beginning. I understand I didn't lose my baby because of this office, and there was nothing that could have been done to prevent this, but it helps tremendously when you feel supported and guided through this by your health care providers and staff - which is not what I received from this office. read more

DO NOT make an appointment with Dr. Chao! The ladies at the front desk are unprofessional, negligent, and rude. I scheduled an appt in mid April for June 24th to get a routine check up, pap test, and see if I can get the Paragard IUD. I should have known they were so bad when Dr. Chao told me to remind her staff in two weeks for the results and to make an appt to insert the Paragard IUD. I told the front desk which pharmacy for the prescription for the IUD procedure before I left. Sure enough I had to call them for the test results, remind them about the prescription (which they forgot to fill even though she said it should be ready 20 minutes after my appt on June 24th) and schedule a follow up appt for the IUD. I had to go to the pharmacy twice. The first time they didn't have my prescription because Dr. Chao's staff forgot to fill it and then a 2nd time to finally get the prescription. They didn't even add my insurance that I paid full price for the prescription. My appointment for the Paragard IUD was scheduled for July 28th @3:30pm. Dr. Chao's staff didn't even call the day before to remind me of the appt. I took one misoprostol 100 mcg tablet at midnight and then was going to take the next pill 4 hours before my procedure. One of Dr. Chao's staff called me @10:30am to cancel my appointment because they don't have the Paragard IUD yet and estimate, ESTIMATE it will come in next week. She had the nerve to call 5 hours before my appointment and 1 hour before I should take the last tablet to reschedule my appt! She should have called me at the very least the day before so I didn't take the tablet! Now I have to start all over again to find another Ob/Gyn. I wasted time, money, and several months dealing with Dr. Chao's staff! read more

I am done. After years of playing games with moronic receptionists, slow requests, delayed prescriptions, I'm firing Dr Chao and her office staff. Incompetence rules at this office. Stay clear. read more

Nina P (office manager) Edith medical assistant Dr. Cynthia Chao Nina is a rude woman, who continues to support the unprofessionalism within that ghetto office. I have tried being extremely patient with their negligence and lack of compassion for other women. I have been trying to move forward with having a procedure done, and 1st issue, Dr. Chao came rushing into the office, not making eye contact, and not greeting herself upon the initial visit. I was charged for a "wellness exam" despite there being a sign that clearly says all wellness exams are free. It took almost a month to obtain a referral for an ultrasound, and an additional 4months to even get authorization for the procedure to be done. I kept calling Edith to find out if she had scheduled something with pre-op and her response was "Scheduling could take weeks or months..." PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE save your time, co-pays, and energy, this office is trash, and extremely disrespectful and ghetto. read more

Very grateful and thankful ! Chao did an amazing job! Couldn't be any more thankful w the experience i had of dr chao deliverying my baby in saint mary thankyou so much! Everything went well ! read more

I don't know if Dr Chao was on her work phone or personal, regardless it was extremely unprofessional during a PAP smear. I could hear little buttons from her phone, she was texting as I lay there half naked about to have my Pap smear. Along with that from my last visit, the office is extremely hard to contact and doesn't answer the phone or return calls. It has been four months and I have not received a call back for my blood test. read more

I feel that the front office assistance has poor communication and customer service, they are inconsiderate with their patients' time. The first visit I had with her, I was in the exam room waiting to be seen for an hour in a half. Nobody checked on me to inform me that Dr. Chao is running late or is falling behind with her other patients. I was seen a couple of times by Dr. Chao I felt she was a little unprofessional. I feel there is lack of communication with their staff. I am not happy that I continue to call Dr. Chao's office to receive my results or to receive an authorization and do not receive a response. Once I receive my results from her office, I don't attend on seeing her again. read more

Horrible horrible HORRIBLE!!!! Just left my "appointment" was there for about 45 minutes saw the Dr. for all about 5 minutes where she made me feel like trash. Rolled her eyes at my "pregnancy symptoms" and embarrassed me. Needless to say I told them i was leaving (and I won't ever be back). Never have I been so humiliated. If you're pregnant and looking for a compassionate dr to be on the journey with you, SKIP CYNTHIA CHAO. DO NOT RECOMMEND. read more

WARNING! Don't come here if this is a first time pregnancy. My first apt, I waited in the lobby for an hour an 20 mins before being called back. After being called back, vitals were taken then was put in a room to wait for Dr. Chao. Once she came in, she did a pap then proceeded with an ultra sound. This was a 20 min visit, FOR MY FIRST EVER APPOINTMENT! She stated I am 8 weeks along, then I mentioned to her I am having bleeding, I expected her to want to find out where that was coming from, but no. She said idk where it's coming from & I was told to get the blood work done at quest then come back in 2 weeks. She never played the heart beat for me and just told me it was beating. That did not sit well with me at all, it felt like I was treated like she already knew I was having a miscarriage and I was one less patient she had to deal with. I called the next day to express my concern maybe she could have me come in to look further into these issues. The Dr wouldn't even speak with me the receptionist stated "the doctor is very knowledgeable in her decisions and if you disagree then you can go to the ER". Which I did, and they were able to properly diagnosis me. This was by far not at all what I expected for my first appointment for my first pregnancy. I thought this was suppose to be a pleasant experience with a doctor who at least pretend like they cared about the health of you and your baby. read more

Literally just tried to make an appointment and got put on hold for who knows what they just asked what type of insurance I had. Then I call back 3 times and get sent to voicemail. read more

I rarely write reviews let alone bad ones but it's been a little over a year since I've officially switched away from this office and am still receiving bills that should have been covered by my insurance. It's gotten to the point where rather than contesting as I've tried I've just decided to pay them, even though after many years I didn't personally really feel served. The billing office services are different from the doctors office, which is it's own messy management, but both still aren't reliable. I am sure Dr. Chao is very amazing at what she does and I respect her. But there was an appointment where I waited an hour past my appointment time and Dr. Chao was running late from an important surgery or something of the like. We spoke about a result from my test for 5 minutes and she was gone. I was billed for that consultation of course for an amount that was not worth the actual 5 minutes I was with her. I recall my last few months last year, it was impossible to get in touch with the office to even make any appointments, under the explanation of their phone call service being updated or changed. I called my insurance and requested them to contact the office, who responded immediately because reception can ignore regular calls but are obligated to answer to insurances. It was really quite a mess and gave me such great stress last year in particular when there was other things on my plate. Even seeing her name anywhere, like mail envelopes, reminds me of that same stressed and harried feeling. No ill will towards Dr. Chao nor the nurses at the office at all, but if you're considering a gynecologist that gives you any consideration or readiness you may want to look somewhere different. EDIT: I wrote this last night and today tried to call the number on the bill they mailed me to pay it. It didn't even go to dial tone! I even tested calling my brother to see if it was my phone but no, it's definitely the number that's out of order. I was at a loss because there actually is no other method of card payment other than I assume mailing in a check or going to the office in person which I will not do. At the moment I'm trying to figure out what to do. I attempted using the bill app Papaya and seeing if that will process the bill for me so I don't have to do either of the two options I'm left with above. read more

Dr. Chao is amazing!!! I was so lucky to have her deliver my two boys. She's straightforward and kind...a combo that makes for a great pediatrician. read more

If you're reading these reviews because you're questioning whether to continue your care with Dr. Chao or not, that nudging feeling is telling you everything you need to know. I suffered a pregnancy loss under Dr. Chao's care and she never acknowledged my loss and didn't seem to care about me as her patient. That speaks volumes of her as a physician. read more

If only there was an option for 0 stars to leave this review. All the reviews below complaining about Dr. Chao are 100% TRUE! Terrible, terrible, and unethical doctor. I got stuck with her during my 9 months of being pregnant. I gave her too many chances and it was unfortunate that I waited too long to change doctors. Shes not compassionate at all. Thankfully she DID NOT deliver my baby, for some odd reason the week I went to the hospital to get admitted for induction she was 'out' for the weekend. I did complain to my insurance company about her 2 weeks earlier. If you get lab work done by her, REQUESTED by her, she will NOT go over them with you & its your job to remind the doctor to go over them. When reminded, she makes you feel stupid and nonchanlantly will go 'uh uh everything looks fine, idk what you want me to say" wtf uhm, if i get ANY lab work done, i would want to know the damn results GOOD OR BAD.  She prescribed iron pills 3 weeks before i am due because of low iron when my iron was low the WHOLE ENTIRE PREGNANCY! I work for a doctors office, and i had to have the doctor I work for go over my results because she didnt care to go over a single one with me. Her office staff are not trained at all, or their just dumb and I dont like to say things like that but they are! They dont know jack shit. If your getting referred to a doctor, they refer you to the wrong specialist or a specialist that DOESNT EVEN PERFORM THE TEST REQUESTED BY THE DOCTOR.  I'm telling you Dr. Chao and her staff are CARELESS and what's sad and scary is that you put trust into another person because their a 'doctor' while they are supposed to CARE for a person and ANOTHER one growing inside of you! I was 41 weeks pregnant an she requested a NST to be done at 40 weeks, which made 0 sense when i'm already due ANY day. Come to find out, the doctor her staff was referring me too DOESN'T even do that test and its a test thats done at the hospital, so waited 1 whole week to find out that its not even really 'important' and that I can just go to the hospital and request it? When 1 week earlier the girl up front says for me to get induced I would need that NST done.  I was soooo furious! Then scheduled me that week to be admitted for induction at 41 weeks.  This wasn't my first time giving birth either so going through this whole process under her 'care' was so damn stressful. I advise that if your looking for a doctor to care for your pregnancy, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. Trust me, she's not worth the chance, and many chances after that. She will speak on about your weight, and say you need to be careful with gaining too much because it will be hard after you have the baby... HMM FROM WHAT I REMEMBER, IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, IT IS EXPECTED CORRECT? Shit like that, so about the 'fat shaming' that some people have stated in their reviews, I AGREE that is 100% true, she will talk about your weight. She's fucking rude, and the list goes on. Oh and her office staff will put you on hold for 7 minutes and hang up, then you'd have to call back. If you leave a message, FORGET about it! I also brought up how her phone line wasn't working and never was I given an emergency line from the start, she then goes 'well, did you get whatever question needed resolved with up front then? And ask why the phone was not working' AGAIN why would I ask them when YOU'RE the doctor and I asked because your front staff was CLUELESS. Smh... She also got me so upset when I asked when should i go on leave because my work is asking, and she goes 'you should know when' wtf. The list goes on and on about my experience with her, but there's not even 1 good thing to say about her or her staff. I'm thankful for my baby arriving here healthy, WITHOUT HER assistance with delivery. Closing this chapter with this terrible office for good !!! I hope this review helps for those choosing a doctor to care for your pregnancy. I WOULD PASS! read more

I called to make an appointment as a new patient. I was put on hold for over 10 minutes, nobody picked up the phone again. I just hung up.

The only reason I'm putting 2 stars is because Dr. Chao herself is an amazing Doctor. She is very sweet and informative about all the questions you have. She helped me with the birth of my daughter and was so great during labor and postpartum when she came to check on me. Now the 1 star goes to the absolutely horrendous staff. They are absolutely NO help at all. They make you wait 45 min + for any appointment, they NEVER EVER EVER answer the god damn phone, and they never ever call back with ANY results unless you harrass them by phone which they NEVER answer. My husband went to pick up some papers and we wanted to see what they do that they can never answer the phone and long behold they are either sitting on their lazy ass on the computer ignoring the calls or in the back of the office chatting it up ignoring the calls. Absolutely disgusting and unacceptable! It's unfortuante for Dr. Chao because she is wonderful and to have a dumb staff like hers makes her look really bad. I don't recommend this place because of the lack of professionalism in the nurses and staff, but if you want a knowledgable and great doctor, she is the one! She needs to fire every single incompetent nurse and hire an entierly new staff. Broads don't know how to do anything right!!! But thank you DR. CHAO for making my delivery wonderful! read more

Saw Dr. Chao one time and that was enough. Was there for regular GYN exam (not pregnancy services). I left her office in disbelief due to the following things that happened during my appointment: 1) She was seemingly obsessed with "fat." (Her word, not mine.) I am not overweight, and she pointed out how nice it was that I have a healthy waistline because usually her patients have lots of "fat" in their back areas. WEIRD. She discussed weight and "fat" several times throughout the exam. I can only imagine what she would have said to me if I was overweight. 2) She brought in a medical student without asking if it was OK. She was just there and started helping with the hands-on exam. I found this weird that she never asked me if it was OK for some random person to touch my body. Normally a doctor asks permission before they even allow a student into the room. 3) She proceeded to discuss my body with the student as if I wasn't there, LITERALLY pointing out things that were "different" about my body etc. (I don't have anything odd, I'm pretty typical just FYI.) She made me feel like I was a textbook or something. 4) She then proceeded to GOSSIP about someone who worked in the office WHILE I WAS IN THE STIRRUPS! She and the student had a full conversation about this co-worker over me. I would not go back to see this doctor. She came off as petty and harsh. After the appointment, I told my friend who had also gone to her (during her pregnancy), and the first thing she asked me was "Did Dr. Chao talk about weight a lot to you?" I guess it's just her thing... read more

No response to calls from me or the pharmacy. Office staff schedules appointment without informing doctor, they were 30 minutes late. Doctor apologized but made it seem as if there was nothing she could do. read more

Thanks to the awful office staff, I've filed a complaint with the medical Board against this facility. 100% would not recommend this place. I should have listened to all the reviews. Whatever positive ones are here were paid for or are friends of the employees. I was not even a patient here yet, just trying to schedule an appointment and the communication was the worst I had ever experienced. So many back and forth calls but all of a sudden the woman I had to speak to (Veronica) was in a meeting for 3 hours at the very end of the day after she told me to call her back and speak with her. She also kept cutting me off and rushing me with my answers when she would ask me to repeat spelling that she didn't get the first time. I tried calling two times before they closed and both times the woman answering the phone gave me attitude and basically told me to be patient. For a bunch of women, they sure know how to make a pregnant woman feel unwelcome, and like a bother. Shame on these "women" I'm literally changing my insurance to PPO because of this place so I can see a dr who has competent and caring office staff. So tired of worthless rude people in the workplace read more

We could not thank Dr. Chao enough for the love and expertise she gave us during the experience of having our first child! PROS: Dr. Chao always gave us her full attention during office visits, offering advice and knowledge to our many questions. Dr. Chao's staff are kind and attentive, working very hard to take care of her diverse patients. We delivered at Long Beach Memorial, where Dr. Chao is a bit of a celebrity. All the doctors and nurses were familiar with her and showed her great respect. Thank you Dr. Chao so much! We love you! CONS: When you visit her office, some days we did have to wait awhile. However, this is understandable once you realize that the reason you have to wait is because she is so attentive to each patient. Tip: Bring a book or prepare to be on your cell phone to help the time pass. Also, her office is hard to reach when you first call. We just left a message and they responded within 24 hours. read more

I you want to be insulted and demeaned, then, this is your doctor destination. I went to see Dr. Chao for a routine annual well woman exam for the first time and waited for over an hour in the waiting room, then once I put on my paper gown, with the gapping backside, sitting on the paper lined exam table and air conditioned room. I sat for another 30 minutes, over hearing a conversation of Dr. Chao talking to a mom with her baby about everyday chit chat, so after all this time I decide to open the door to let her know I've been in the exam room for a really long time. The doctor gives me a dirty look and says she'll be there shortly, then when she looks at my chart, the first thing she says is I'm fat and I need to loose weight. I was so stunned, I couldn't respond to such a rude comment, especially from a doctor. The rest of the exam was a blur, but I knew I'd never go back to her and I hope this review, along with all the similar reviews of this insensitive and horrible doctor experiences gets her removed from practicing medicine. She has no place in the care industry. I'll be making a formal complaint and everyone else should as well. read more

I had a lot of frustrations from this office. I struggled to reach anyone on the phone, never had my voicemails returned, and had to wait typically up to 1-2 hours for my appointment. They sent me a bill for a canceled appointment 8 months later, despite me canceling. When I called they said they removed the charge. I was charged again the same bill 4 months after they told me it was removed. This is wrong! read more

DISGUSTING!!! UNHYGIENIC and they broke HIPAA!!! Simply put...I waited 2 months for the appointment AND THEN 1hr 15 minutes before the doctor even saw me AND while I was waiting in the exam room I decided to leave without treatment! I was rapidly freaking out at the site of her medical equipment just laying there in a basket with no protection at all. Please see pictures!!! Speculums, swabs etc all piled openly in dirty looking buckets in this basket...there is no possible way that this can be cleaned! I AM AN RN---this is not ok! This is the stuff that goes in your lady parts girls! Horrified. The whole thing was out of a 3rd world country or something. The exam chair was cloth--not vinyl or something that can be sanitized. Utterly sickening! What did the DR have to say when I asked her what her sanitation process was??? "Get out". Guess what Dr Chao, I can't wait to leave! Ps, my bad experience started in the parking lot where a homeless guy was urinating (next to the sidewalk) and he wasn't even the scariest one out there. You really can do better. I know I can! read more

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It is near impossible to reach this office. I had to send a fax. Doctor sent me to hostile surgeon. She insisted I need surgery. I walked out and good thing since the cysts he would have operated on disappeared. Even before that All calls to this office since are unanswered. read more

Best Doctor Ever. My daughter in law's Doctor as well. Great gynecologist. Very professional.

I called to make an appointment for my mom, and was put on hold for 20+ minutes. No one ever came back on to talk to me. I used my other phone to call the office while I was on hold, and they did not pick up the phone. I tried to call the office at least another 5 times on the same day, and there's no answer. What kind of doctor office is this? This is very unprofessional. I see that this is a consistent problem in this office from reading the other reviews. Definitely will stay away from this office based on this. They can't even answer the phone to make an appointment then how can they help if you have a question in case of an emergency. read more

I have a new ob/gyn and thank the insurance gods, I never have to deal with this office again. No more calling and calling and calling because I need an appointment or test results, entirely routine things that everyone else deals with easily, and having the call go to voicemail that they don't return or just ring and ring and ring -- or not even ring sometimes. Several times I took time off from work to go in person to the office just so I could make an appointment after calling every day for weeks and not getting through to anyone. Once I emailed through the contact form on the website to ask for test results, but that option is no longer available because the website doesn't exist any more. Once I showed up for a scheduled appointment and the door was locked and no one was there -- the office had moved and they hadn't told me. (The Termino address currently listed on Yelp is incorrect.) They told me the new address and said they'd get me in right away when I got there, but they didn't -- that 15-minute appointment used up 4 hours of my annual sick time. They said they'd call in a prescription I needed prior to a procedure but didn't do it; I couldn't get through to the office so I called the hospital, and after multiple calls they finally got Dr. Chao's office to take care of it, and because it was by then last minute I drove over 30 minutes each way to the closest pharmacy that had the drug. Once when I was in the hospital for a procedure a nurse was telling me what things afterward would necessitate a call to the doctor, and a look must have come over my face, because without me saying anything she said, "I know, the office is horrible, but Dr. Chao is a really good doctor." Maybe she is a really good doctor, but if no one in her office ever answers the phone, who cares? It's an absolute nightmare to deal with. If you have any choice at all, go elsewhere. read more

Do not come here. Unless you have an 'emergency' **Shannon the secretary does not pick up my calls anymore. Calling their number 80% of the time does not connect to someone. Leaving a voicemail will never be returned. My first and only visit was on 9/7. Today is 11/2 and there is still no word about when is my surgery date. Making an appointment takes more than a month. I called in mid July to make an appointment and was scheduled in September as the earliest date. I was scheduled for surgery around Oct/early Nov. and they pushed back my date without telling me and never submitted the authorization forms to actually schedule a date. They said it would now be late Nov - early Dec... read more

Absolutely horrible office. Staff is a circus. Dr. Chai was alright, but this office is so unprofessionally run. I don't want to ever deal with them again. read more