Business Spotlight: 48-year dental practice grows with surgery group

It's amazing what it takes these days to make a doctor's visit go smoothly. Just ask Dr. Rex Witherspoon, DDS, who has been in practice since 1952.

Back then, Witherspoon kept his own records, met regularly with his CPA and spent most of his time worrying about his patients. But keeping the focus on medicine has become a lot harder and more complex.

Today Witherspoon practices in partnership with Thomas A. Collins Sr., DDS, MS; Steven Quinn, DDS; Thomas A. Collins Jr., DDS; and J. David Gipson, DDS, MD. The five doctors comprise the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Group, which has offices in Springfield and Branson.

The doctors in the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Group provide a wide variety of medical services. They remove impacted wisdom teeth, handle facial traumas such as fractured jaws, perform dento alveolar surgeries and treat patients with cleft palates. Doctors within the group also do reconstructive surgeries and provide mouth care for cancer patients who develop problems while undergoing radiation or chemotherapy.

Through the years, Witherspoon has learned a lot about what it takes to run a successful medical practice. He said he embraces change, isn't afraid to delegate and is very selective about who joins the practice.

"Giving patients and employees personal attention is the fuel for running a successful practice," Witherspoon said.

Witherspoon, who is 76, has seen tremendous changes take place in the medical field and in the health care delivery system since he began practicing 48 years ago.

Countless new drugs have been invented, laser and endoscopic surgeries have made many procedures less invasive, and the field of reconstructive surgery has changed dramatically. Materials used in dental implants have advanced, and the methods used to treat cancer patients also have improved significantly. Even the guidelines from Occupational Safety and Health Administration have changed, and more safeguards have been added to protect patients and physicians.

"I love learning new things," Witherspoon said. "This is an exciting time in medicine. Technology has changed the way many procedures are performed, and I'm doing things now I never would have believed were possible."

A believer in lifelong education, Witherspoon and his associates complete more than 50 credit hours of training each year to keep up with advances in the medical field. The state of Missouri now requires dentists to complete 75 credit hours of training every three years.

In addition to keeping up with changes in medicine, Witherspoon has kept pace with changes in business. In 1958, his practice expanded when he added his first partner.

In 1972, the practice was incorporated, and in the 1980s, the group began using computers to track patients' records.

The Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Group has relocated three times in its history, and now is located in the Fremont Medical Center on Springfield's Medical Mile. The thing that has affected the practice most, however, is change in the health care system.

"I'm amazed at how much of a business this is," said Gipson, the newest partner to join the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Group. "We have an office manager and 41 employees, many of whom do nothing but deal with insurance companies and file paperwork. They don't prepare you for this in medical school. Medicine is only part of what you do as a doctor."

The treatment each patient receives at the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Group goes beyond meeting their medical needs. These days, health care includes helping patients file insurance claims and determine the level of coverage provided under their individual health care plans.

This is no small task. A former patient may have switched jobs and health care plans since her last visit. Even if a patient has the same health plan, the services covered by the plan or the amount of coverage provided may have changed.

"I've long since given up on trying to keep track of the changes in various insurance plans," Witherspoon said. "All of that is done by the support staff, which is just fantastic. I still keep an eye on where we are and how the practice is doing, but the support staff and office manager do the majority of the work so I can focus on my patients."

Several members of the support staff have worked for the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Group for many years, and Witherspoon said he is very selective about who joins the group. Witherspoon said he knew all of his partners for many years, both professionally and personally, before they joined the practice, and there's a familial feeling among all of the people who work at the office.

Rex Witherspoon also is active in charity work. For the past four years, he has accompanied a team of doctors to small villages located in northern Nicaragua. The annual trip is sponsored by the East Grand Church of Christ and provides free medical and dental care.

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Group Ltd.

Year founded: 1952

Owner's name: The Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Group Ltd.

Address and phone number: 1965 S. Fremont Ave., Ste. 1000, 65804, 887-8800; and 101 Skaggs Road, Branson 65616, 337-5770.