About 500 jobs were impacted across Lifetime Health Medical Group’s Western New York primary care offices, as the Rochester-area locations transfer ownership to Rochester Regional Health and UR Medicine.

Lifetime Health, Rochester Regional Health and UR Medicine confirmed in the fall that a plan was in the works to take ownership of Lifetime’s Rochester area medical offices by Jan. 1, pending state Health Department approval. That was received in November, said Lifetime Health Communications Manager Stacy VanBlarcom via email.

Each of Lifetime’s nine locations — six in the Rochester area and three in Buffalo — are eliminating or transitioning positions by Dec. 31, with a few separations delayed until March or April 2018, according to state filings. About 300 total job eliminations were listed for Lifetime's Rochester area offices, but 200 of those people, mainly providers and clinical staff, were offered positions under the new owners, said VanBlarcom.

About 100 non-clinical staff were not included in the transition, and many of them have already found new jobs in the local health systems, said VanBlarcom. As these positions were non-clinical, their elimination will not affect patient care, she added.

About 200 total layoffs will occur at three Buffalo-area locations — Amherst Health Center, Hamburg Health Center and William E. Mosher Health Center — as all three will close on Dec. 31, according to a statement on the Lifetime website. Many of the Lifetime providers have begun establishing new practices in the Buffalo area, the statement continued, and some have found jobs in Rochester health systems, said VanBlarcom.

The Buffalo News reported that the practices will close after the medical group struggled with a shortage of primary care physicians in Western New York, which led to patient access issues and challenges with financial performance.

A statement on Lifetime Health’s website informs patients that the Greece, Perinton and Wilson practices (Wilson is in Irondequoit) are transferring ownership to RRH, and the Artemis, Westfall and Folsom practices, all in Brighton, are transferring ownership to UR Medicine. As the transition did not require the parties to go through a state Certificate of Need process, the associated documents are not listed on the state Department of Health website.

Folsom also provided eye-care services, which will now be available at UR Medicine's Flaum Eye Institute, which has four locations in the Rochester area, said Chip Partner of UR Medicine.

Patients have also received letters from all involved parties about continuing their care, he said.

Most providers will continue to see patients at the same locations, with the exception of Folsom Health Center physicians, who are moving to nearby UR Medicine locations, said VanBlarcom — Dr. Rosario Soriano-Turque will see patients at UR Medicine’s Medical Associates of Henrietta, and Dr. Brenda Davis will be at Panorama Internal Medicine in Penfield beginning Jan. 2.

All phone numbers will remain the same at offices transferring to RRH, said Dr. Bridget Wiefling, senior vice president of the Primary Care Institute. Primary and urgent care will continue uninterrupted, but some specialty practices may change and some adjustments may be made as pharmacies are relicensed under RRH, she said.

Lifetime Health Medical Group is part of the Lifetime Healthcare Cos., which also operates Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. Excellus and the medical group practices are run separately.

STADDEO@Gannett.com

Includes reporting by staff reporter Patti Singer.