The Baptist Medical Group-Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) Clinic – a collaboration between Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine (BUCOM), Baptist Medical Group (BMG) and Baptist Health Sciences University (BHSU) – is adding more doctors who specialize in Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (ONMM).
The BMG OMM Clinic, located in Southaven, Mississippi, is the only clinic of its kind in the metro Memphis area. Physicians at the clinic practice ONMM, incorporating osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) to help patients with pain management and other conditions.
OMT is a hands-on approach that helps correct structural imbalances in the body, relieve pain and improve circulation. It is practiced by Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, who are trained in comprehensive health care for the body, mind and spirit.
“We are bringing a new specialty, Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, to the Baptist system,” said Assistant Dean of OPP/OMM, Associate Professor of Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP) at BUCOM, Regina Fleming, DO.
The BMG OMM Clinic was started in January 2022 by Chair and Associate Professor of OPP/OMM at BUCOM, John Biery, Jr., DO, with the help of Vice President, Baptist Physician Enterprise and CEO of Baptist Medical Group, Mark Swanson, MD.
In 2025, the BMG OMM Clinic will be starting an ONMM residency program, hosting third- and fourth-year osteopathic medical students from the Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Physicians at the clinic are board-certified or board eligible in ONMM. This includes Dr. Biery, Dr. Fleming and Director of the Osteopathic Neuro Musculoskeletal Medicine Clinic and Assistant Professor of OPP/OMM at BUCOM, Amanda Robinson, DO. Additional ONMM physicians will be joining the clinic in the next six months.
While Dr. Biery has been the only physician treating patients at the BMG OMM Clinic one day a week since it opened, the addition of more doctors means that patients can be seen on more days.
Many of the patients treated at the clinic so far have been referred from Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto, but Dr. Biery said that the clinic is ready to see more patients referred from additional areas of the Baptist system. Patients may also make appointments at the clinic on their own without a referral. OMT is covered by medical insurance and has its own Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes.
Physicians at the BMG OMM Clinic are also credentialed to practice ONMM at Baptist DeSoto with inpatient privileges. There are no other hospitals with inpatient service for ONMM in West Tennessee, North Mississippi or Eastern Arkansas.
How OMT Helps Patients
Dr. Biery said, “I focus on the musculoskeletal or mechanical component of medical problems and use different osteopathic manipulative techniques to address asymmetries in the body to restore balance.”
Restoring balance can lessen pain for patients, as well as decrease the length of a stay in the hospital.
“Several studies have shown, for different disease processes, a decrease in length of stay in hospital patients having OMT performed on them,” said Dr. Fleming.
Referrals for OMT come from many different areas, including pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, sports medicine, orthopedics, nephrology, surgical specialties, cardiology, pulmonary and internal medicine.
OMT is especially helpful in treating pain for patients who aren’t suitable for orthopedic surgery, and it can also help with easing any pain that may persist after surgery. It’s beneficial for pregnant women who can’t take pain medication, and for newborns who have trouble with latch and feeding or plagiocephaly (flattened head) and torticollis. It can also ease breathing difficulties for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Sometimes patients are referred for OMT and find that it helps in additional areas. For example, Dr. Fleming noted that she had a patient who came to her for treatment of neck pain, but the treatment also ended up helping with the patient’s uncontrolled hypertension and headaches.
OMT is used in conjunction with treatment from referring physicians. Patients don’t stop seeing the physician who referred them, or stop other treatments, such as medications. Some studies have shown including OMT in the patient’s health management can lead to a decreased need of injections and medications for pain.
A benefit of OMT over other hands-on therapies, such as chiropractic care, is that those who perform it can evaluate the patient from a fully licensed physician’s perspective and communicate more smoothly with other medical professionals.
“I can easily and efficiently communicate with the rest of the medical team, while other specialties that deal with the musculoskeletal system tend to be a little on the periphery of the health care system,” said Dr. Biery.
Contact the BMG OMM Clinic
The BMG OMM Clinic is located in the Family Medicine Office, Southaven Family Medicine, at 7736 Airways Blvd., Southaven, Mississippi. Call 662-772-3700 to schedule an appointment.
For questions about OMT, contact Dr. Biery at John.Biery@BaptistU.edu or Dr. Fleming at Regina.Fleming@BaptistU.edu.
