SOUTHLAKE, Texas—Retina Consultants of America (RCA), a comprehensive physician management services organization, has added Colorado Retina Associates (CRA) to its national consortium. With the addition of Colorado Retina, RCA adds a key partner in the Rocky Mountain Region and expands its footprint into a new territory, according to an announcement Wednesday.  CRA was founded in 2006 through the merger of three independent practices and has grown to include 13 board-certified and fellowship-trained ophthalmologists in the greater Denver-Boulder metropolitan area.

The practice comprises 180 employees across eight locations who care for more than 71,000 patients annually, the announcement noted. In addition, CRA has participated in more than 115 clinical trials and is currently participating in 30 clinical trials for AMD, inherited retinal disease, retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic retinopathy and uveitis.
 
Recently, CRA opened its new, state-of-the-art flagship location in Lakewood, Colo., which includes a combination of both clinical exam rooms and research facilities to further optimize patient care.
 
“The physicians of Colorado Retina are excited to join our colleagues in Retina Consultants of America,” said Dr. Alan Kimura, president of Colorado Retina. “This thoughtful integration of retina practices will raise the bar of quality even higher by disseminating best practices across the retina ecosystem.”
 
He added, “Colorado Retina and RCA are fully aligned in providing the highest quality patient-centric care. We share a mindset of continuous improvement that seeks to improve patient care in clinic, surgery and clinical trials.” 
 
Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD, of the group’s Retina Consultants of Texas practice, noted that advancing the field of retina through the development of next-generation pharmacotherapies and devices as well as the refinement of management strategies through prospective clinical trial endeavors is foundational to RCA’s mission. “CRA brings tremendous knowledge and expertise to our dedicated national clinical research team, and we look forward to a productive partnership,” he added.
 
RCA includes practices in New York, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota and California, and the addition of CRA furthers RCA’s goal of providing the highest quality retinal care to patients across the U.S., the announcement noted.  
 
The organization was formed by Webster Equity Partners is working toward partnering with leading retina specialists who seek a strategic partner with the capital resources and expertise to invest in their practice infrastructure. RCA is unique in offering the first horizontal alliance in the eyecare field focused solely on retinal care, according to the company.  
 
According to the announcement, CRA is at the forefront of clinical trials and is the only community-based IRD (Inherited Retinal Diseases) Consortium Clinical Research site among 40 sites globally, most of which are within academic institutions. Additionally, CRA is the only private practice participating in ADJUST, a pediatric Uveitis Phase III clinical trial, the announcement noted.