KPC Patients ‘Slowly’ Find New Providers

Nearly 300,000 patients left without physicians when KPC Medical Management filed for bankruptcy on Friday are "slowly finding new medical care" by contacting other doctors groups and insurance companies, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports. Industry officials said some patients will "likely be absorbed" by Orange-based St. Joseph Health System and Costa Mesa-based Talbert Medical Group. CIGNA HealthCare of California opted to place its 20,000 KPC members into other medical groups within its network. CIGNA spokesperson Jim Harris said, "We're getting good cooperation from these groups in terms of accepting our patients and setting them up with new family doctors." Daniel Zingale, director of the California Department of Managed Health Care, said, "The biggest thing is the uncertainty and the lack of information on the part of the patients. But it appears the infrastructure is there to provide a continuation of care." KPC closed its 35 clinics in southern California last week (Smith, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 11/28).