DALLAS—Eyecare Services Partners Management (ESP), the leading national provider of integrated eyecare services, has entered into a “strategic partnership” with Eye Surgery Associates (ESA), one of the leading comprehensive eyecare providers in South Florida, according to an announcement earlier this week. The terms of the deal, which was effective July 15, were not disclosed. This is ESP's second such transaction in the past 60 days, the firm said, noting that it “continues to build on its leadership in comprehensive eyecare services.” ESA shareholders will continue to be invested in the business following the deal’s closing, the announcement noted. (In May, Delray Eye Associates of South Florida entered into a strategic partnership with ESP, as VMAIL reported. 

Eye Surgery Associates is one of the largest multi-subspecialty ophthalmology practices in Florida’s Broward County, with offices in Hollywood, Weston, Pembroke Pines and Miami, and has been serving these communities for more than 30 years. The practice includes 11 ophthalmologists and an optometrist.

As part of ESP, ESA will continue to be led by its senior managing partner, Dr. Mark S. Dorfman, MD, a board-certified pediatric ophthalmologist who has served a term as the president of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology and, since 1998, served as chief of pediatric ophthalmology at Joe DiMaggio Pediatric Hospital.

“We are very pleased to join the growing ESP family of eyecare practices in South Florida,” Dorfman said in the announcement. “ESP is a clear leader, having entered into partnerships with some of the country’s leading ophthalmology practices. The combination of ESA’s clinical reputation and ESP’s management and capital resources will ensure that the combined organization will continue to lead the market from both a growth and quality of care perspective.”

Daniel D. Crowley, executive chairman of ESP, said the firm continues to its comprehensive eyecare platform in Florida and other key markets. The addition of ESA increases the firm’s footprint in Florida to 17 office locations, including offices associated with Delray Eye Associates, Florida Vision Institute, Katzen Eye Care and Laser Center, and Mid Florida Eye Center.

Provident Healthcare Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to ESA.

In 2017, Harvest Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, and Varsity Healthcare Partners announced that they completed a recapitalization of ESP, with Harvest acquiring Varsity’s majority ownership interest, as VMAIL reported at the time.