Dive Brief:
- Long-running Buffalo Cardiology & Pulmonary Associates (BCPA) said it will close its doors May 20, due to changes in the healthcare market.
- A layoff notice filed with the State Department of Labor on April 6 cited economic reasons for the decision, Buffalo Business First reported. One hundred and nineteen employees are due to be laid off.
- Williamsville, NY-based BCPA has served the Buffalo region since the mid-1970s.
Dive Insight:
“As we assessed the challenges of changing healthcare over the last few years, the physicians believe that they can better serve you in new, dynamic ways,” BCPA said in a note to its patients posted on its website. The note emphasized the business is not closing because of regulatory, ethical legal issues or problems with standards of care.
Nine of the physicians and some support staff will be joining Buffalo Medical Group, the area’s largest private practice group. Others are moving to CSS Healthcare, UBMC Physicians Group, Mercy Comprehensive Care Center, and Great Lakes Cardiovascular.
The change will allow the doctors to focus on patient care rather than administrative matters related to owning a building, leasing equipment and meeting payroll and human resource needs.
BCPA is among the largest in a string of private practices in the region to close or sell to area hospitals. The group has set up a hotline for patients who have questions about the closing.