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DOCS Dermatology
DOCS Dermatology was founded by dermatologists including John Macke and Bill Butler, growing from a single practice in Southwest Ohio into one of the largest...
DOCS Dermatology
DOCS Dermatology was founded by dermatologists including John Macke and Bill Butler, growing from a single practice in Southwest Ohio into one of the largest dermatology platforms in the United States. The firm's retirement plan, Dermatologists Of Southwest Ohio Retirement Savings Plan, was established in 1979 as a defined contribution plan with a profit-sharing component, designed to serve the physicians and clinical staff across its expanding footprint. The plan operates from the firm's administrative base in Kettering, Ohio. In 2022, private equity firm SkyKnight Capital acquired a majority interest in DOCS Dermatology, providing capital for the group to accelerate its acquisition of independent dermatology practices. Prior to SkyKnight, the platform was backed by Sheridan Capital Partners. The operating entity, Central States Dermatology Services, LLC, now manages clinics across more than ten states, including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana. The retirement plan invests alongside this growth, with assets reported internally at approximately $79 million (Altss estimate). Chad Lanning serves as President and CFO of the management services organization, overseeing financial operations for the clinic network and its affiliated retirement plan. The firm's flagship commercial property is located in Blue Ash, Ohio, with additional owned real estate in Avon, Ohio. The organization supports several charitable entities, including Children First and the Melanoma Research Foundation. The retirement plan's investment posture is structured as a traditional pension vehicle serving a concentrated base of medical professionals. The plan is structurally distinct from the typical single-family office or endowment — it is a true pension fund attached to a physician practice management company, giving it a dual identity as both an employee benefit vehicle and a potential co-investment participant alongside the PE-backed parent's expansion strategy. This positions the plan's fiduciaries to evaluate investment opportunities that align with the clinic network's own real estate and healthcare-services growth.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1979
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Kettering
Corporate office
Kettering, OH, United States
Principals
Bill Butler
Chief Executive Officer
John Macke
Vice-Chairman
Chad Lanning
President and Chief Financial Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions for the Dermatologists Of Southwest Ohio Retirement Savings Plan?
The plan is overseen by fiduciaries within the DOCS Dermatology management structure. Chad Lanning, as President and CFO of the parent organization Central States Dermatology Services, holds a senior financial role, though specific investment committee membership has not been publicly disclosed. The plan operates as a standard ERISA-governed defined contribution vehicle with profit-sharing features.
How is DOCS Dermatology structured in relation to its private equity backers?
SkyKnight Capital acquired a majority stake in DOCS Dermatology in 2022, succeeding Sheridan Capital Partners as the primary financial sponsor. The operating entity is Central States Dermatology Services, LLC, which manages the clinic network while the retirement plan remains a separate ERISA-governed entity serving plan participants. The PE relationship provides growth capital for practice acquisitions but does not directly commingle with retirement plan assets.
What is the underlying investment mandate of the plan?
As a defined contribution plan with a profit-sharing component, the Dermatologists Of Southwest Ohio Retirement Savings Plan offers participant-directed investment options typical of 401(k)-style vehicles. The plan's assets, estimated at roughly $79 million (Altss estimate), are allocated across standard retirement-plan investment menus rather than the direct-deal or alternatives-heavy portfolios seen at single-family offices.
What is the relationship between the retirement plan and DOCS Dermatology's real estate holdings?
DOCS Dermatology owns commercial real estate including its flagship clinic in Blue Ash, Ohio, and a medical condominium in Avon, Ohio, but these properties are corporate operating assets of the practice management company, not plan investments. The retirement plan is a separate legal entity and does not hold direct interests in the firm's clinic properties.
Does DOCS Dermatology's retirement plan participate in co-investments alongside SkyKnight Capital?
There is no public evidence that the Dermatologists Of Southwest Ohio Retirement Savings Plan participates in co-investments or direct deals alongside SkyKnight Capital. As an ERISA-governed pension plan, any such co-investment activity would face significant fiduciary scrutiny and would typically require disclosure in regulatory filings.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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