I would like to file a formal complaint regarding The Oncology Institute clinic located on Garfield Avenue in Alhambra. I had an extremely poor and frustrating experience while coordinating my brother's cancer treatment.
Dr. Zhang recommended that my brother take oral chemotherapy medication, Capecitabine 1500 mg, along with chemotherapy injection therapy. I have been following up about the delivery of this medication since December 8, 2025. Between December 15 and December 31, 2025, I called the Garfield Avenue office multiple times (more than 10x), but no one was able to provide accurate assistance. I was repeatedly transferred between departments, given incorrect information, and ultimately left without any resolution.
Due to the lack of help over the phone, I went to the clinic in person on December 31, 2025 to file a complaint. The front desk receptionist (I believe she is Chinese) told me that she did not know where the medication was sent. She showed me that the prescription had been sent to two different pharmacies and printed both records for me: one for Biologics and another for The Oncology Institute of Hope & Innovation in Downey, CA. She then told me, with a dismissive attitude, that I needed to follow up with the pharmacies myself.
I explained to her that I had already contacted Biologics before coming to the clinic and was told they had not received any prescription, so they could not check on the medication. I even provided her with notes and documentation of who I spoke with. Her response was simply that she did not know and that she had messaged the team and someone would call me back.
She then blamed me, stating that next time I call the clinic, I should ask to be transferred to the "dispenser department." I told her that as a patient's family member, I would not know which department handles medications, and if clinic staff themselves do not know where to transfer calls, how could patients be expected to know?
She continued to insist that it was my responsibility to follow up with the pharmacy to find out why the medication was not delivered. I asked her since it became a patient's responsibility to track down missing chemotherapy medication--especially when the clinic itself could not confirm which pharmacy actually received the prescription.
This entire experience was extremely frustrating. The lack of knowledge, poor communication, and inability of staff to properly assist patients only made an already stressful situation worse.
After more than 10 follow-up calls and finally filing a complaint in person on New Year's Eve, the pharmacy in Downey called me while I was still at the Oncology clinic. I was told that the medication would be sent out that same day--Wednesday, December 31, 2025--via one-day FedEx shipping and would arrive by Friday, January 2, 2026.
My family and I stayed home all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, hoping the medication would arrive so my brother could begin the oral chemotherapy on Monday morning before his injection therapy day. However, the medication never arrived.
On Monday, January 5, 2026, I called the pharmacy again at 9:11am and was told--once again--that they did not have the medication and that it was supposedly sent to Biologics, putting us back at square one. I was transferred to the operations manager, Logan, who finally attempted to locate where the medication actually was.
This entire situation reflects a serious lack of staff knowledge, poor coordination, and inadequate training. Staff need to be better educated on medication processes, provide accurate information, and stop transferring patients to the wrong departments. This level of mismanagement is unacceptable, especially when dealing with critical cancer treatments. read more