Tens of thousands of patients are scrambling to find new doctors, fill prescriptions, and reschedule appointments following the abrupt closure of a large physician group that had six offices throughout Southeast Massachusetts.
Compass Medical, which has 80 physicians and serves 70,000 patients, said earlier this week that it would close its practices, effective immediately. Compass urged patients to go to their nearest local emergency room or urgent care center for medical attention in the interim.
By Thursday afternoon, Compass’s website noted that many of its doctors had joined Atrius Health, a large medical group practice that was recently acquired by the for-profit company Optum Care. But it remained unclear how soon patients would be able to reschedule appointments and medical tests that had been canceled with no warning, The Boston Globe reports.
State officials responded, in the meantime, WHDH reports.
“We understand that this is stressful news for patients and staff, and we are working to learn more about the situation as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson for the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services said.
The spokesperson said officials with the Office of Health and Human Services had reached out to Compass and been in touch with personnel at the state Attorney General’s Office as of Wednesday afternoon. Read more.
