United Digestive announces partnership with Gastroenterology Associates of Southwest Florida based in Fort Myers, Fla. This is the second Florida-based group to join the organization within the last two months and the fifth practice partnership this year.
Founded in 1990, Gastroenterology Associates of Southwest Florida is the oldest private GI practice in the region. The group is comprised of 22 providers and operates three clinics and an endoscopy center serving the communities of Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, and Fort Myers. In 2018, Definitive Healthcare named the group’s endoscopy center – Barkley Surgicenter – one of the busiest ASCs in the nation.
“Our group was pleased to partner with United Digestive because of their similar thinking in strategic expansion and establishment of high-quality GI services throughout the state,” said Nick Sharma, MD, founder of Gastroenterology Associates of Southwest Florida.
“We are honored to welcome the outstanding team of physicians and advanced practice providers from Gastroenterology Associates of Southwest Florida,” said Neal C. Patel, MD, Chief Strategy Officer of United Digestive.
Mark Gilreath, CEO of United Digestive, added, “This partnership exemplifies our disciplined approach to local market investment focusing on the benefits of regional scale for our physician partners.”
With the addition of Gastroenterology Associates of Southwest Florida and Associates in Digestive Health, United Digestive now has 29 GI providers in the Fort Myers market, seeing patients across five clinics and three endoscopy centers.
Today, United Digestive operates in four Southeastern states – Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina – representing more than 200 providers and 23 ASCs.