CHICAGO and ROCHESTER, Mich.—Midwest Vision Partners (MVP) said Monday that it has agreed to a management partnership with Balian Eye Center (BEC), which serves patients in southeast Michigan. This represents MVP’s 12th partnership in eyecare and broadens its network to 115 physicians, 52 locations and more than 1,200 staff across Michigan and Ohio, according to the Midwest Vision Partners’ announcement. This is the fourth partnership agreement that Midwest Vision Partners has announced in 2021, and it follows a partnership in Ohio that VMAIL reported last week.

Headquartered in Chicago, Midwest Vision Partners says it is a people-focused eyecare management services organization committed to partnering with leading ophthalmologists and optometrists throughout the Midwest. Alpine Investors, a San Francisco-based private equity firm focused primarily on software and services businesses, in the lead investor group backing MVP.

This year, Balian Eye Center celebrates its 50th anniversary, commemorating a legacy of premier patient care in Southeast Michigan. Balian Eye Center has pioneered the integrated eyecare model and introduced one of the first freestanding outpatient surgical facilities in the state of Michigan. BEC provides a full suite of eyecare services to patients, including optical, medical and surgical offerings, according to the announcement.

Dr. Mike Raphtis commented, “On June 1, Balian Eye Center will be celebrating 50 years of clinical service in Rochester, Mich. Dr. [John] Balian was a visionary recognizing the importance of ophthalmology and optometry working together to optimize delivery of eyecare for our patients. I am excited for our practice to celebrate this milestone with the announcement of our partnership with Midwest Vision Partners, the preeminent eyecare management services organization that shares the same values as us with their patient-first philosophy.”

He added, “The MVP team was a pleasure to work with throughout the process leading up to our partnership, and I look forward to our future together.”

“Dr. Raphtis and the team at Balian Eye Center have done an exceptional job serving patients in Southeast Michigan,” MVP president and chief executive officer Joseph Giles said in the announcement. “We are incredibly honored that Dr. Raphtis trusted MVP as his new partner, and we look forward to supporting their continued success in delivering superior outcomes for patients.”