NEW YORK—Vision Integrated Partners (VIP), a managed services organization backed by Firmament that provides non-medical services to its network of eyecare professionals, announced new partnerships with Heart of America Eye Care located in Overland Park, Kans., and Mid-America Eye Center and Physician’s Surgery Center (PSC), both located in Prairie Village, Kans. The partnerships expand VIP’s position in the greater Kansas City market, which now includes 48 physicians, 19 locations and five ambulatory surgery centers, according to the announcement.

VIP first entered Kansas City in November 2021 through its partnership with Discover Vision Centers, the company said. “We are very fortunate to have the chance to partner with such high-quality physician groups. Each practice has an exceptional brand name that we will continue to leverage for future growth” said James Wachtman, CEO of Vision Integrated Partners.
 
Dr. Brad Kwapiszeski, a partner at Heart of America and Physician's Surgery Center, commented, “We are very excited to partner with VIP. They have an excellent track record of empowering their partner physicians to focus on patient care. They will help us on the administrative functions while collaborating on new growth initiatives.”
 
Dr. Joseph Parelman, a partner at Mid-America Eye Center and PSC, added, “We were looking for a partner to help us develop a long-term succession plan that shared our values around patient care. VIP is an excellent fit that has already shown their long-term commitment to the greater Kansas City market.”
 
The partnerships demonstrate Firmament’s continued commitment to the ophthalmology sector, and builds on its strategy of partnering with premier physician groups in the Midwest, Southeast and West Coast, said VIP's announcement.
 
Parris Boyd, partner at Firmament stated, “The VIP management team continues to do an outstanding job of building the company into a leading provider of high-quality ophthalmology services. We’re proud of the strategic, focused growth they’ve achieved in each of their target geographies.”
 
Headquartered in Chesterfield, Mo., Vision Integrated Partners provides non-medical services to its network of 130+ eyecare professionals across 23 practices, comprising 56 locations in addition to 12 ambulatory surgery centers in Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Florida and California. With a focus on ophthalmic and integrated eyecare, Vision Integrated Partners works with the world’s leading ophthalmologists.
 
Firmament  provides structured equity capital solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises.