Private equity-backed Solis Mammography has inked a new joint venture deal with another hospital system, the two organizations announced Tuesday.
The “nation's largest independent provider of specialized breast health services” is teaming with Northwest Healthcare to expand imaging offerings in the Tucson region. Solis said the partnership will include existing mammography centers at three hospitals across and adjacent to Arizona’s second largest city.
They hope to establish additional locations in the future, seeking to “improve access to essential screening and diagnostic mammography services.”
“This strategic affiliation enables Northwest Healthcare to accelerate our efforts in mammography to expand breast imaging services throughout southern Arizona, aligning with our goal to enhance patient access leading to healthier communities,” Brian Sinotte, market CEO for the health system, said in an April 16 announcement. "Breast cancer is among the leading causes of death in women over 40; together with Solis Mammography, we are eager to further enhance our program to effectively serve more patients."
Mammography centers covered by the partnership are located at the 300-bed Northwest Medical Center and 52-bed Northwest Medical Center Houghton, both in Tucson. A third is at the 177-bed Oro Valley Hospital in Oro Valley, Arizona. Northwest Healthcare is an integrated healthcare provider that also operates emergency and urgent care centers, cardiology and primary care groups and a surgery center, according to its website.
Addison, Texas-based Solis Mammography was founded in 1986 and in 2018 sold a majority stake to private equity firm Madison Dearborn Capital Partners, which has rapidly expanded the imaging group since then. MDCP estimated Solis had 50 locations at the time of the buyout, with its center total more than doubling since, up to 120 across 16 major markets. Its affiliated brands include Washington Radiology and Progressive Radiology, which were acquired in a previous M&A deal.
Solis Mammography offers women a “boutique-style retail healthcare experience.” This includes a “high-touch, patient-centric approach” that engages women in their own breast health, “driving awareness, increasing compliance and improving early detection through an innovation-driven screening platform.”
“We know that when we redefine the way mammography is experienced and improve access, more patients will regularly get screened,” Grant Davies, president and CEO of Solis, said in the announcement.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.