NJ medical provider to close dozens of offices, lay off hundreds

Optum, one of North Jersey’s largest primary care and pediatrics providers, is shutting down several offices and laying off more than 500 employees.

The sudden move to shutter offices — many by Dec. 1, some by Dec. 5 — has forced thousands of patients to scramble to find a new provider, especially parents whose children were cared for by many of Optum’s pediatricians.

Some patients received emails about the closures beginning on Monday. Others have said they received no word directly from Optum and learned of the news from other parents on social media.

The company, a subsidiary of health care giant UnitedHealthcare, will lay off 572 employees among its four divisions and many offices in New Jersey, according to documents filed with the state . This includes 122 at its Secaucus offi