Copyright Joliet, IL Patch
NJ patients and doctors got a month's notice that the pediatrics, primary care, mental health, and specialty doctors' offices will close. Hoboken mom Cynthia Link was concerned when she found out Monday that both of her pediatrician's offices in her city are closing at the end of the month. "I'm...very concerned that if one of my kids gets sick this winter, getting a doctor's appointment locally will be absurdly hard," she said. She and thousands of other patients and caregivers in New Jersey are being forced to find new doctors now that Optum — a health company owned by UnitedHealth — sent letters to patients Monday saying they are closing scores of medical practices statewide within 30 days. The offices include pediatricians, mental health practicioners, primary care doctors, and specialty practices including podiatry, gastroenterology, and pulmonology. As first reported by Patch on Tuesday, the company sent four notices to the state of New Jersey last month saying they will lay off a total of 572 employees — including doctors, nurses, and office staff — by February and March. A company spokesperson repeatedly declined to give a number for how many offices are closing in New Jersey. But NJ.com, taking lists from the providers' websites, created a spreadsheet that includes 80 offices, with numerous doctors at each location. In separate emails sent to patients on Monday and Tuesday the company listed doctors in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Ocean counties that they are laying off. One email listed more than a dozen podiatrists: Another email received by patients on Monday that they will stop offering all behavioral health services as of Nov. 30. And a separate email sent Monday night listed nine gastroenterology offices in Bergen, Essex, and Ocean counties that will close by Nov. 30, with more than a dozen doctors listed: A Patch reader in South Jersey forwarded an email saying three family medical practices in Camden County are closing, including the office where she was scheduled for an annual checkup in December. That appointment is now canceled, she said. Optum Care will lay off 390 employees statewide, with most paid through Feb. 2, according to the layoff notice sent to the state. Separately, Optum Medical Care will lay off 122 employees just in Secaucus by February and March. And Optum Select Services and Optum Management are laying off 60 workers total. Optum was part of a restructuring earlier this year by its parent company, UnitedHealth, with some saying they had expanded too rapidly or taken over too many practices. UnitedHealth Group's CEO was quoted last week as telling investors in a conference call that the company will prune Optum's network of doctors, saying, "To be constructive, sometimes you have to take some things away." 'List Of Laid-Off Providers Is Insufficient' "I think it's really disappointing," said Emily Jabbour, a Hoboken mom of two, this week. "I've had a couple of parents reaching out to me, saying, 'Where does this leave us?' And I'm trying to find out." One of the Optum pediatrics locations that's closing is on Hoboken's west side, where the city's low-income housing lies. “Not only have I been hearing from constituents, but my family will be personally impacted," said the councilman for the area, Michael Russo, a doctor and father of four. "Simply providing the state with a list of laid-off providers is insufficient. I call on Optum and UnitedHealth to proactively help existing patients track where their providers are moving in order to ensure continuity of care, preserve institutional knowledge, and mitigate preventable bureaucratic hurdles." Optum Responds An Optum spokesperson said that some specialty practices, including cardiology, will remain open. She noted that even though four pediatrics offices are closing in densely populated Hudson County, a pediatrics practice in Jersey City will remain open. She released this statement to the media: "As part of our commitment to making health care more affordable, we regularly review our services, footprint and staffing levels to ensure they meet the needs of the people we serve, our business and evolving market dynamics. We will continue to provide pediatric, primary care, cardiology, rheumatology and urgent care in certain locations across New Jersey. We are providing clear information and support to our patients to ensure uninterrupted care." Patients who want to request their medical records can visit optum.com/record-request-RIV or email MedicalRecordsRIV@riversidemedgroup.com, they said. Are the Optum Health closures affecting you? Reach out to Patch.
