Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey

From an administrative and customer service perspective, this place is horrible. I was referred for a biopsy by dr thomas hardy. I spoke to their staff, and was assured several times that all referrals were taken care of. They weren’t. I am trying to straighten out the issue and the staff either hangs up on me or transfers me to people who can’t help me. If I actually get a person, they have no idea what they are doing, or give me incorrect information. The absolute worst organization I’ve ever had to deal with.
Update: I am now being scheduled for appointments that I didn’t make and don’t need (my biopsy was negative for cancer, so no reason to return). Yet, every three months, I am getting notices in the mail for appointments I didn’t make. Additionally, I am now getting requests for donations «so we can continue the work we do here». If I could lower the rating to zero, I would.

Awful. Awful. If you have an alternative, take it. My experience is similar to previous reviewers: as one wrote, «from an administrative and customer service perspective, this place is horrible.» And since we’re talking about cancer, that makes a tremendous difference. The service is simply appalling. I never had the sense that the word «care» was part of what the staff (including the doctors and nurse practitioners) at this place do.

There are some brilliant physicians and nurse practitioners who bring a level of academic care to patients in Central New Jersey that is not available unless you travel to New York or Philadelphia. With that said. The administrators of CINJ should be fired. Beyond when you actually see the physician face to face it is nearly impossible to get in contact with anyone other than rude switchboard operators. There are a few physicians who understand how bad the system they work in is and actually give patients their personal cell phone numbers. The institute itself treats patients and families like they are pieces of meat. The lack of ability to have basic needs met and basic questions answered among very sick and dying patients/​families is disgusting. The administrators of CINJ should ashamed of what they have created. The level of care outside of those who directly care for patients can only be described as shameful and cruel. Keep in mind that this review is coming from someone who has had immediate family members under care from several different specialities at CINJ for the last 8 years.

I have been extremely unhappy with the way patients and business are handled here. I have had problems from the very first appointment and should have taken that as a sign. As someone going through a very new and scary experience, I didn’t take the time to look into anywhere else. My doctor had suggested here and I went with it. Many times I was told that I would receive a call where they would schedule an appointment with me (labs, follow-​ups, etc.). I have had to hunt them down for such appointments. I would call and be told someone would get back to me. No one did. They’d say, «It can take up to a week for the scheduler to plan it.» A week later, still no call and I had to call AGAIN. Meanwhile, the timeframe in which my doctor had told me she wanted to see me has now passed. My surgery date had to be pushed back because lab results need to be done 10 days prior to the surgery and weren’t because the scheduler took so long getting back to me. Headache after headache. This is not what a person needs when going through a sensitive time. Additionally, their hours are not convenient to a M-​F worker’s schedule. No appointments after 3pm. By the way, when I did get that follow-​up, my doctor was pulled into surgery and never got to see me– though they let me sit there undressed for a half hour before I asked questions and they told me she wasn’t even in the building. They wanted me to take ANOTHER day off to come in another time. They said they’d call and schedule it. I won’t hold my breath. I heard my doctor is leaving there anyway, so I will be going to a different cancer center.