Oklahoma Cancer Specialists and Research Institute (OCSRI) - Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dee Hale

My mom was a patient of Dr. Zito. He and his nurse did not have a caring manner. He was very knowledgeable and nice, but at times, he was cold and fake. His nurse was happy only at payday. My mother's care (breast cancer - ductile carcinoma) started in October of 2023, and she was better by February of 2024. The surgeon (located at St. John's) wanted to do surgery, but the chemo doctor (Zito) pushed for more medicine. The doctors had very poor communication. My mother decided to go on and do more chemo. She became tired of going and exhausted. She died at the end of the month: February 29,2024 - of heart failure. Chemo is very drugs, but what contributed to her cause of passing was her age (she was 74), and she had kidney and heart disease. My main concern is that this facility's only care is for money. They have a valet at the door, massage therapist, food, gifts, massage chairs, and so on. And constantly ask for money at every visit. She was sent bills weekly. Love of money extinguishes the love of people. I do NOT recommend this place at all for treatment. But some people have no choice. My mom was on fixed income, and this is the only place her insurance would pay for. If you are interested in going here for treatment, I would strongly suggest two things: 1. Do NOT choose Dr. Zito. And 2. Be your own advocate. Do not do everything that the doctor tells you. Take care of your own health - eat correctly, drink more water, stop smoking (and/or over- drinking alcohol), take vitamins, get adequate rest and exercise, control your stress, keep spiritually healthy, and keep your body and surroundings clean. May my mom rest in peace. And may your relative stay healthy and survive their battle with this horrorble disease.

E A

I wish I could say I had a great experience here, but it would mislead people that are in the greatest need of their life for accurate reviews.
There are many options in Tulsa and I would suggest you look at all of them before choosing here.
For my cancer , and I think many others , the medical plan is well established and would be same regardless of where you go.
So then it comes to how they relate and treat you as a patient… communicate and bed side manner.
This is where my “medical team” sadly underperformed, causing me stress, frustration and disappointment. They talk out of both sides of their mouth… team members says opposite things, never offering apologies , never proactive to find a solution or work arounds unless forced.
Forget about getting returned phone call… it’s more like 3 calls to them MAY get you a response. I even LM for the facility administrator…. Stating that maybe my expectations were not in line high with what they offered and maybe they could help me…. she never called me back.
Finally, please understand this is a 8-5 M-F “business” if you are ill and there at 4:30 they just send you home… cuz they “get off and close at 5” and that doesn’t change for anything.
Too bad, none of this is necessary but it’s the reality of the Dr and team I had.
All the best to you on your journey to recovery!❤️‍?

SIS

Just wanna say it was my first time going here, and I would recommend this place, especially Dr. Katherine Moxley she was my dr and I had to have a procedure done and she was the most caring, loving and honest dr! Just wanna say thanks Dr. Moxley you are something special to me!!!!

Samantha Mazuc

Dr scheckel is amazing has helped my husband tremendously. My husband is currently down at md Anderson and he still speaks with my husband to see how he's doing and help give advice where he can. My father had lung cancer and wasn't given a great prognosis and Dr z got him into remission almost a year later. These two Drs I will hold very close to my heart and always have my respect and gratitude I highly recommend them.

Michael Thorp

I need someone from the Oklahoma cancer specialists and research institute to explain the policy of “no children under 12 in the building”. I need someone to explain why my infant wasn’t allowed to go to my wife’s dr appointment. A quiet well behaved baby was told to leave the lobby. If OCSRI responds to this please leave a name, extension and best time to call because we would really like to have answers.

Mary Dean

I am very impressed about the professionalism, how organized and how all the workers from check in, scheduling, secretarial, lab techs, pharmacy, nurses, and doctors show how much they care for their patients and the families. My brother, Tom Dean has had the best care from every single person who has worked on him. Thank You❤️❤️

Michele Coleman

My sister was referred here for pancreatic cancer treatment. She was told that chemotherapy would give her more “time”, but it did not do anything but make her die more quickly. Dr Zito was told she could not eat but gave her chemo anyway. This resulted in her vomiting constantly and made the nausea worse. She hardly took another bite.
Get a second opinion if possible before listening to a doctor who gets paid by selling chemotherapy treatments. My sister was walking around until she took only two weeks of chemotherapy. She died 8 weeks later. The chemo did not give her “more life” as they claimed it would and made her miserable instead.
Beware of all for profit doctors and cancer treatments centers as they don’t care about people’s lives just how much money they can make. Otherwise, they would tell us the truth about our situations and what is best for each individual and not encouraged to do something harmful to ourselves for their personal benefit.

Kristen Chambers

I have been a patient at this facility since 2021 and I honestly have not had the best experiences at this facility, particularly with some of the nurses. But with that said, both my new hematologist Dr. Scheckel, and their social worker Jason are phenomenal. I truly feel like these guys are in my corner and they are ultimately why I have chosen to stay.

Edited 10/11/23: Nichole Sinko is one of the worst nurses that I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. In July, I requested a referral to a pain management doctor due to my condition, and I was told that they would not give me a referral despite reporting bone and joint pain, as well as erethyma in my hands, feet, and my face to their office for over two years now. My hematologist didn't refuse, the nurses did. Now I've requested to have them send a refill for a medication that I have been taking for the treatment of pain related to my condition for over two years. Previously another one of my specialists was prescribing this medication to me but that provider has moved to another hospital in another state and I have not been able to establish care at their new facility yet. Nichole wrote me to let me know that they will not be able to refill the medication because it is a controlled medication. A Schedule 5 controlled substance... the lowest for abuse potential. I'm not an addict, I have a hematological disease that causes me to live in pain every single day of my life.

They didn't want to refer me out, but they also don't want to help me with the pain. Nurses like Nichole are the reason why patients who live their lives in pain ultimately decide to end their lives just to stop the pain.

Edited 9/12/24: Since being reassigned to Dr. Scheckel after my previous hematologist retired, I’ve experienced a level of care that has truly made a difference in my life. I have a lot of medical trauma and often feel dismissed and unheard in healthcare settings, but Dr. Scheckel has consistently made me feel listened to and cared for. Earlier this year, when I expressed my concerns about how symptomatic I was still after getting to 4th-line therapies and told him something needed to change, he suggested a newly rolled-out medication, which has been life-changing for me. After suffering from daily symptoms for over three years, I finally have relief and feel like I’ve regained a sense of quality of life. I can't thank him enough for the compassion and expertise he’s shown me. He truly is a wonderful provider.

I still have some frustrations around the nursing staff, but the nurse who has most recently been assisting Dr. Scheckel has been a joy to work with. She is really down to earth and quite hilarious if you ask me. My apologies for not remembering her name, it's been a couple of weeks since I was there last.

Also want to shout out Jason Davis again. He is one of the nicest people ever. He has helped me on a couple of occasions when I needed an advocate and also when I just needed a shoulder to cry on metaphorically speaking. He has such a calm, cool energy about him, and he absolutely listens and empathizes with my feelings, and sometimes that's all I need.

Anyways I've changed my star rating simply because of the people I mentioned in this review.