FPA MEDICAL MANAGEMENT: Will Be Out Of Sacramento Area By September

      FPA Medical Management Inc.'s "bumpy ride in Sacramento is expected to end by September when the financially troubled company closes up shop in the area," the Sacramento Bee reports. The San Diego-based physician management firm's departure from the Sacramento market follows its July 19 bankruptcy filing and earlier threats by the company "to pull out of Sacramento." FPA medical director Winni Loesch said the 55,000 Sacramento-area patients affected by the FPA closure won't see any coverage interruptions "because doctors who worked for FPA have arrangements with most health plans that allow for unbroken coverage." The Bee notes that the 34 physicians who worked for FPA have set up "a new medical group, the Greater Sacramento Medical Group, which will be affiliated with Catholic Healthcare West." However, it is "unclear" if CHW "will take over" the six Sacramento-area health care centers where the FPA doctors worked. According to a spokesperson for the buildings' owner, Foundation Health Systems, "negotiations are ongoing" over whether CHW will take over the space or move the doctors elsewhere (Young, 7/28). Click FPA Medical Management to read past California Healthline coverage of the once "high-flying" firm.