Abrupt closure of Lags Medical Clinics leaves patients without care or referrals
Stephanie Bjorge needs a fentanyl patch to manage her chronic pain. But she and hundreds of other patients are scrambling after the medical clinic that treats them abruptly closed its doors.
Lags Medical Clinics, which operates about 23 clinics throughout California – including two in Modesto – are shutting down, leaving patients without referrals, records or treatment plans.
No explanation for the closures was provided. The Bee reached out to the founder and CEO, Dr. Francis Lagattuta, but he did not respond. Lagattuta holds a license to practice medicine in California.
Doctors who do not provide notice to their patients before terminating their medical care could receive disciplinary action from the California Medical Board for patient abandonment.
The medical board states that to reduce the liability of patient abandonment and minimize disruption of care, “the physician terminating the physician-patient relationship should notify patients sufficiently in advance.”
Although the time required isn’t specified, the California Medical Association recommends that physicians provide patients with enough written notice to allow them time to find alternative care and to obtain their medical records.
Lags Medical Clinics provided a range of services but their primary focus was treatment of chronic pain. They have locations in California, Nevada, Florida and Delaware.
A former medical staff member in Modesto, who did not want her name published, was tearful when she described the surprise about the clinic’s closure and her heartbreak for her patients being left without a care plan.
She said, “Patients should contact their health plans,” so there are no interruption in their treatments.
Phone calls to several of the Northern California locations were answered by a recording stating the office was closed, without any additional information.
A staff member at the Lompoc location answered the phone and said that all the sites would be closed by Friday. She said she didn’t know the reasons but thought it was related to Medicare.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is the federal agency responsible for the administration of Medicare and Medicaid federal insurance programs, including the billing and financial aspects of providing medical care under those programs.
In 2018, CMS terminated the Medicare provider status to the Lags Surgery Center in Oxnard, stating the site was not in compliance with regulatory requirements for an ambulatory surgery center with Medicare. The clinic continued to provide pain management services, according to their website.
Dr. Ed Balbas, one of the physicians listed at the Modesto site, has a previous felony conviction for insurance fraud. He also has a 2017 limitation on his California medical license, including that he cannot practice solo and requires oversight for patient billing.
Impact on patients
Bjorge, a chronic pain patient at the Lags Stockton location, said she received a text on Thursday morning from her nurse practitioner notifying her about the closure. The text said she would receive a one month’s supply of her pain medications and that she should contact her other doctors for ongoing care.
Bjorge said she has chronic pancreatitis, which has required four surgeries in the past year, use of a feeding tube for nutrition and causes her debilitating pain.
“This is unbearable pain. I need heavy medications, including a fentanyl patch,” said Bjorge.
She said she was a Lags Clinic patient years ago for chronic back pain, but reported them to the authorities for unhygienic conditions, verbally abusive staff and lack of attention from medical staff. She said she didn’t want to return to Lags Clinics with her current illness and that the clinic staff did not want her back, but it was the only nearby location that accepted her insurance.
“The next closest option for me is in San Francisco,” said Bjorge, “There are no options. There’s nothing for us in the valley. This is catastrophic for us.”
For help with ongoing care, Lags Clinic patients can reach out to their primary care doctor or health insurance plan to find an alternative source of care.
This story was produced with financial support from The Stanislaus County Office of Education and the Stanislaus Community Foundation, along with the GroundTruth Project’s Report for America initiative. The Modesto Bee maintains full editorial control of this work. To help fund The Bee’s children’s health and economic development reporters with Report for America, go to bitly.com/ModbeeRFA.
This story was originally published May 15, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
