Crystal Run patients raise concerns over doctor departures and possible cuts to specialty services
Patients say they’re hearing about changes to psychiatry and orthopedic care at the Optum-owned practice. The company has not answered specific questions about the reported changes.
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Patients at Crystal Run Healthcare in Orange County are raising new concerns about losing longtime doctors and possible changes to additional medical services, including psychiatry and orthopedics.
The concerns come as Optum, which purchased Crystal Run Healthcare in 2023, continues making changes to its medical practices throughout the Hudson Valley.
Sophia Rodriguez, of Pine Bush, says she has lost seven doctors at Crystal Run over the past two years, including a primary care physician who treated her for 20 years.
Rodriguez says one of her physicians recently informed her that the practice’s psychiatry department would be closing. She says she was also told that orthopedic services would be eliminated. For Rodriguez, who has relied on several of the same doctors for years, the changes have become increasingly frustrating.
“This is my final straw,” Rodriguez told News 12.
She says she is now considering leaving Crystal Run altogether.
“All my doctors are new, so for me to look outside of Optum is no big deal,” Rodriguez said.
Another Crystal Run patient contacted News 12 with similar concerns. That patient says her physician also informed her about the practice’s reported plans to close its psychiatry department. According to the patient, her physician indicated that her last day would be in December.
The patient says staff members have been instructed to tell patients to contact their insurance companies to find new providers. She says she has not received any written notification from Optum about the reported changes.
The patient also raised concerns about pain management services, saying doctors have left the practice and that efforts to transfer care to other Crystal Run providers have been unsuccessful.
The latest complaints follow previous changes at the medical group.
In June, Optum confirmed it was in discussions with several large New York health systems about potentially selling certain specialty services, including orthopedics, general surgery and urology. The company said at the time that it hoped to reach agreements by the end of 2026. A potential sale, however, does not necessarily mean those services would close.
In 2024, Optum also transferred Crystal Run’s laboratory testing services to Quest Diagnostics. The change resulted in employee layoffs.
Crystal Run Healthcare operates approximately a dozen locations across Orange, Rockland and Sullivan counties and has more than 375 physicians and advanced practice clinicians across more than 50 specialties, according to its website.
Optum is part of UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation’s largest health care companies. Its reach extends far beyond the Hudson Valley, with medical practices and affiliated physician groups across approximately 20 states, including California, Florida, Texas, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Washington.
The company has faced increasing scrutiny over its acquisition of medical practices and concerns about patient care.
In February 2025, Rep. Pat Ryan launched a community inquiry into Optum-owned medical practices after hearing complaints from Hudson Valley patients and health care workers. That inquiry received more than 1,800 responses, with patients reporting concerns about access to doctors, quality of care, billing problems and customer service.
Ryan’s office submitted the findings to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Trade Commission for further investigation. He has since continued calling for greater scrutiny of Optum and UnitedHealth Group’s growing control of medical practices.
News 12 reached out to Ryan’s office Wednesday for an update on those efforts and to ask whether the congressman is aware of the latest patient complaints involving Crystal Run and is awaiting a response.
News 12 also contacted Optum seeking clarification about the reported psychiatry closure, possible changes to orthopedic services and concerns about continuity of patient care. In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson said patients can expect familiar and personalized care and that Optum communicates directly with patients when changes affect their treatment.
“If changes ever impact patient care or services, we communicate directly with patients and provide the support and information they need to continue their care in their community,” the spokesperson said.
The company did not directly answer News 12’s questions about whether the psychiatry department is closing, what changes are planned for orthopedics or how affected patients would be transitioned to other providers.
For Rodriguez, the continued departures have left her questioning whether she wants to remain a patient.
“It’s not about patient care anymore. It’s about the money. And that’s sad,” Rodriguez said.
