Two Premier Minnesota Retina Practices Announce Merger
VitreoRetinal Surgery and Retina Center will form Retina Consultants of Minnesota — the leading provider of retinal care for residents in the Upper Midwest.
This summer, the two largest retina practices in Minnesota – VitreoRetinal Surgery (VRS) and Retina Center (RC) – will merge into one retina practice called Retina Consultants of Minnesota (RCM). The new unified practice will serve as the leading provider of patient-focused retina care in the state of Minnesota and its surrounding region.
VRS and RC operated independently in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin Cities metropolitan area for more than 30 years, but it was not until joining Retina Consultants of America (RCA), a national network of retina practices, that the two practices began to truly contemplate the possibility of a merger.
David Williams, MD, MBA of the former VRS, explained that in addition to overlapping
geographically, the two practices share many of the same referral sources and have used the same surgical facilities. “These characteristics created a situation in which a merger of our practices would allow us to rationalize our practice resources and capture synergies that would enable us to better serve our region and enhance our mutual success,” said Dr. Williams.
Collaborating to Achieve Greater Outcomes
The five physicians of RC will now be working alongside the 12 physicians of VRS and will serve as a leading provider of retinal care for residents of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. RCM has also created a new shared clinic, scheduled to open in St. Louis Park, MN on May 2, 2022.
As RCM has begun contemplating its future plans, they have been reminded of the invaluable relationships that both practices have with the local community of ophthalmologists and optometrists. “Our top priority is to continue to be a highly trusted partner, supporting our local MDs and ODs with the retinal care of their patients,” said Dr. Abdhish Bhavsar of the former
RC.
“Our merger will also provide expanded career opportunities for all of our employees, grow our geographic area of coverage, and improve our ability to serve patients for both routine and emergent care,” Dr. Bhavsar said.
Another important value that is shared by both VRS and RC is that of investing in clinical research. According to Dr. Williams, “The merging of practices to create Retina Consultants of Minnesota will also improve our ability to engage more patients in the important clinical trials and research that we are aggressively pursuing to improve the treatment and prevention of various retina and vitreous diseases. Our investments in retinal research will benefit countless numbers of patients today and for years to come.”
About Retina Consultants of America
Retina Consultants of America is a network of leading retina specialists with the mission of saving sight and improving patient lives through innovation and the highest quality care. Through RCA's physician-centered practice management model, physicians continue to drive clinical care and practice culture, while benefiting from the business expertise, resources, and shared best practices available through RCA. For additional information, visit retinaconsultantsofamerica.com.
About Retina Consultants of Minnesota
Retina Consultants of Minnesota specializes in the medical and surgical treatment of disorders involving the retina, macula, and vitreous. They provide expert care for a wide range of retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal detachments, and many others. The physicians of RCM have a combined experience that exceeds 200 years of practice. They have authored or co-authored over 350 scientific articles in their subspecialty and frequently hold leadership positions in local, national, and international ophthalmological and vitreoretinal professional societies. For more information, visit www.RetinaMN.com.