TAMPA, Fla. — Kurt Loosenort asked the same question hundreds, if not thousands, of Laser Spine Institute patients are grappling with: “Where am I going to get help next?”
The company abruptly shut its doors for good and canceled all appointments Friday afternoon, blaming financial problems. Some patients, like Loosenort, came to Tampa from out-of-state for surgery, only to get the call saying their appointments have been canceled.
“I said, 'this is one of my friends playing a prank on me. This can't be true,'” Loosenort said. “She said, 'no,' and she started to cry. She said, 'it's true. We can't help you next week. We're done.'”
Loosenort, who is from Michigan, said the institute is trying to help him find a new place for his surgery.
Physician Partners of America is opening its doors to those patients.
“We are ready, willing and able,” Dr. Abraham Rivera said.
He said the group can accommodate patients coming from Laser Spine Institute.
“We offer the same menu of services, the same type of procedures, same technology,” he explained.
As patients try to figure out what's next, laid off employees are doing the same. Laser Spine Institute left more than 500 people in Florida, Ohio, Missouri and Arizona without jobs.
The company said it had tried cost-saving measures over the past six months, including closing three surgical centers.
What other people are reading right now:
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.