SOUTHLAKE, Texas—Retina Consultants of America (RCA), a comprehensive physician management services organization, said it has added Brown Retina Institute (BRI), a premier practice in the San Antonio, Texas, metropolitan area, and South Carolina’s Retina Consultants of Charleston to its eyecare management organization. The terms of the new partnership additions were not disclosed in the recent RCA announcements. The addition of South Carolina’s RCC group bolsters Retina Consultants of America’s presence within the southeastern U.S. and the Carolinas. RCC represents the 21st practice to join RCA since the company’s founding in January 2020, according to the announcement of the new partnership on Monday.
 
Founded in 1999 by Dr. Virgil Alfaro III, the practice has eight locations within South Carolina, including four in the Charleston metropolitan area. The physicians at RCC are board-certified and have collectively completed training at several prestigious institutions. Dr. Alfaro is accompanied by his partners Dr. Eric Jablon, Dr. Michael Johnson and Dr. John Kerrison.
 
"Retina Consultants of Charleston has a 20-year history of dedication to retina clinical and surgical excellence and academic endeavors,” Dr. Alfaro said. “Collectively the partners have published 10 textbooks, over 10 book chapters on retinal disease, and trained surgeons from around the world. We look forward to joining RCA to provide an expanded level of clinical care and research opportunities for our patients and the eyecare community in Charleston and beyond."
 
In addition, RCC currently has two clinical trial centers, located in Charleston and Beaufort, S.C.,. and its extensive research efforts help the practice fulfill its mission to provide excellence in patient care for eye disease, as well as educate eyecare providers and patients.
 
“We are thrilled for Retina Consultants of Charleston to join Retina Consultants of America,” said Dr. Lloyd Clark of RCA’s Palmetto Retina Center. “Retina Consultants of Charleston have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to the highest quality of clinical care and the advancement of our field through clinical research. Those core principles align perfectly with the mission of our growing network of outstanding physicians and practices.”
 
In a separate deal in Texas announced late last week, the RCA organization added BRI, an additional key partner that will expand Retina Consultants of Texas’ (RCTX) San Antonio presence and further enhances patient care through collaboration with Dr. Mein and his partners who currently serve across the Alamo city.
 
Dr. Jeremiah Brown Jr., a board-certified ophthalmologist, founded BRI in 2010 and currently serves as a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and as president of the San Antonio Society of Ophthalmology.
 
“The Brown Retina Institute delivers state-of-the-art retina care to the San Antonio and Schertz metropolitan area,” said Dr. Brown. “We are passionate about participating in research to help develop new therapies for our patients by providing the best retinal care in a compassionate environment.”
 
With BRI’s two locations spanning from San Antonio to Schertz, RCA physicians will now provide patient care at 10 locations across the region, the announcement noted.   
 
“Increasing the collaboration between Retina Consultants of Texas and internationally known retina surgeon Dr. Jeremiah Brown will be a tremendous advance for both patient care and for retina clinical research in central Texas,” said Dr. David Brown of RCA’s RCTX group. “The combined RCTX research centers continue to expand as the largest retina research group in North America.”
 
With the completion of the two new partnerships, RCA includes practices in California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington. The addition of RCC furthers RCA’s goal of providing the highest quality retinal care to patients across the U.S. RCA now has a total of more than 170 physicians across the U.S.
 
Formed by Webster Equity Partners and based in Southlake, Texas, RCA is partnering with leading retina specialists who seek a strategic partner with the capital resources and expertise to invest in their practice infrastructure and position them for continued growth in their markets. RCA is unique in offering the first horizontal alliance in the eyecare field focused solely on retinal care.