KANSAS CITY—Midwest Vision Partners, LLC, a managed service organization backed by The Firmament Group which provides non-medical services to its network of eyecare professionals in Kansas, Missouri and Ohio, announced this week the acquisition of Discover Vision Centers (DVC) , based here. The acquisition reinforces the two entities' market position in the region, adding DVC's 32 providers across nine full-service ophthalmology practice locations, three ambulatory surgical centers , and two refractive centers in the greater Kansas City area, the announcement said.

DVC's footprint will bolster Midwest Vision Partners' existing footprint of six ophthalmic practices and four ambulatory surgery centers  located in St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio.
 
"We are very fortunate to partner with the DVC team. They are a leader in providing full-service eyecare services across the Kansas City region with a strong management team. We look forward to leveraging this relationship to grow our platform in the market," said James C. Wachtman, operating partner with Firmament.
 
DVC is a recognized leader in custom vision correction with more than 25 years of conducting FDA clinical research studies in refractive surgery, cataract intraocular lens technology, glaucoma and retina. Midwest Vision Partners will supply its non-medical management services to support practice growth and market expansion, allowing DVC physician-partners to focus on its excellent delivery of care and service experience to patients, the companies said.
 
"Today's announcement celebrates our nearly 50-year-old history with an accelerated vision for continued future growth," said John F. Doane, MD, FACS, leader of DVC's refractive services team. "With the support of Midwest Vision Partners, we will have access to strategic services to solidify and expand our position at the forefront of eyecare in the region. Our combined goal is to continue and enhance our ability to provide the best care for our patients."
 
Dr. Doane also will join Midwest Vision Partners' board of directors. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
 
The partnership with DVC demonstrates Firmament's continued commitment in the ophthalmology sector and builds on its strategy of partnering with premier physician groups in the Midwest, the announcement noted. Firmament's ophthalmology efforts include and started with Vision Integrated Partners, which primarily partners with ophthalmic practices in the Southeast and West Coast. Parris Boyd of Firmament added, "We are excited to partner with the world class physicians at DVC and look forward to supporting their continued growth."
 
Discover Vision Centers was founded in 1973 and is the largest provider of eyecare services in the Kansas City market. DVC serves patients with diverse eye and vision care needs with access to the most advanced technologies in the hands of skilled specialists. Discover provides full-service routine, medical and surgical eyecare services across its nine practice locations, three ambulatory surgery centers and two laser vision correction centers in Kansas and Missouri.
 
Headquartered in Chesterfield, Mo., Midwest Vision Partners, LLC is a managed service organization  providing non-medical services to its network of eyecare professionals in Kansas, Missouri and Ohio and is backed by The Firmament Group. Firmament provides tailored capital solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises and concentrates on software and services businesses with significant scaling potential in the health care, logistics, wellness and environmental sectors. With offices across the U.S. and in the U.K.