by
John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter | June 06, 2023
Compass Medical announced on May 31 that it would close all its practices.
Without warning, Compass Medical, a healthcare provider with 95 clinics across southeastern Massachusetts, announced on May 31 that all its practices would close their doors effective immediately, leaving hundreds of employees without jobs and patients with unanswered questions, scrambling to find new care providers.
The decision to close came “after a steady stream of challenges,” said the company, which advised patients to seek care at their local emergency rooms and urgent care facilities,
reported NBC 10 Boston News. Staffers at its Quincy location told the outlet that they are unaware if the closure is temporary or permanent.
Either way, the decision has left 450 employees without a job and 70,000 patients looking for care elsewhere,
according to 7 News Boston/WHDH.
Compass, which ran six medical clinics south of Boston, said it would regularly update its website to instruct patients on how to contact their physician in their new practice setting, as well as how to obtain access to medical records, which will be preserved and made available in accordance with state and federal laws.
“We deeply regret the impact that Compass Medical P.C.’s closure will have on our patients, and would like them to know that we are implementing a plan to ensure the continuity of their care. Most Compass physicians will continue to provide medical care in their local communities as part of other practices,” said Dr. Bruce Weinstein, the president of Compass, in a statement on the company website.
Weinstein has refused to take any questions, referring concerned parties to “check our website,”
according to NBC 10 Boston, which, along with other media outlets, is investigating a potential connection between the closure and a lawsuit the company lost last year to Steward Medical Group.
According to Fox News affiliate, Boston 25 News/WFXT, Compass was a partner with Steward for ten years, providing medical care to South Shore residents. Their collaboration ended in 2022, with both suing each other over financial issues.
A Boston jury in October found Compass guilty of fraud, with the judge ordering it to pay Steward $16.4 million. According to Howard Cooper, of Todd & Weld, LLP, which represented Steward, the settlement has not yet been paid and has grown, with interest, to at least $25 million.
Both the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Governor Maura Healey are looking into the closure. The AG’s Office told affected residents to call its office with any concerns.
"It just added more, like I said, stress, and saddened me to really have to go through the process of looking for another doctor," former patient Susan Dollard told NBC 10 Boston, saying that she cannot imagine seeing a new doctor.
