Oklahoma Pain Management represents what happens when entrepreneurial physicians refuse to accept healthcare's status quo. Founded in 2013 by Dr. Justin Porter and colleagues, this physician-owned practice has evolved from a single clinic into central Oklahoma’s dominant interventional pain management force, operating five strategically located facilities and a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center. This isn’t a hospital system acquisition story or a private equity rollup – it’s an organic growth phenomenon driven by two physicians who discovered how to deliver impossible volumes while maintaining exceptional quality, all while retaining complete clinical and operational autonomy.
The flagship Oklahoma City location at 3601 NW 138th Street encompasses 7,500 square feet of meticulously designed clinical space that has undergone two major renovations in its 18-year history. What started as four exam rooms has expanded into eight examination spaces, two fully equipped procedure rooms with C-arm fluoroscopy, overflow procedure capacity, and sophisticated triage areas where medical assistants perform near-physician-level evaluations. Every square foot reflects intentional design – from the dual nurse stations managing patient flow to the procedure rooms where sterile setups await before physicians enter.
The Norman facility, opened in 2020 directly across from Norman Regional Hospital, represents Dr. Wright’s vision realized in 3,800 square feet of purpose-built space. He personally drew the floor plans, creating an environment where two mid-level providers can run simultaneous full schedules while physicians float between procedure rooms. This location pioneered the practice’s current operational model, proving that traditional space requirements dramatically overestimate what’s needed when workflow achieves optimal efficiency.
Shawnee’s location, transformed from a former retail space in 2019, demonstrates the practice’s ability to maximize limited footprints. Currently expanding into adjacent space to exceed 3,000 square feet, this clinic went from one-day-per-week operation to full-time in response to demand. The Yukon clinic, opened in June 2025 in space subleased from Integris, represents the newest frontier – currently a temporary three-exam-room arrangement that will soon transition to permanent facilities as volume justifies expansion.
The practice’s partial ownership in the ambulatory surgery center at 13313 North Meridian Avenue provides crucial procedural capacity beyond office capabilities. This isn’t just access – Dr. Wright and Dr. Porter are two of five physician-owners, giving them direct influence over operations and scheduling. With two operating rooms, four pre-operative bays, and three recovery positions, the facility runs with the same systematic efficiency as the clinics. Terra Pappa, the administrator employed by Dr. Wright’s DG Medical company, ensures seamless coordination between clinic and surgery center operations.
The ASC operates Thursdays and Fridays, with the practice’s physicians performing 15–20 spinal cord stimulator implants per day – volumes that would occupy entire weeks at hospital facilities. A dedicated CRNA team provides anesthesia support, eliminating the scheduling conflicts and delays common in hospital settings. The surgery center maintains its own billing, scheduling, and nursing staff trained specifically in the rapid-turnover model the practice has perfected. Board meetings occur quarterly, providing regular oversight while avoiding the bureaucratic paralysis of hospital committees.
eClinical Works, implemented in 2015 after transitioning from paper charts, serves as the digital backbone supporting the practice’s unprecedented efficiency. But this isn’t off-the-shelf EMR – over a decade of customization has created procedure-specific templates, automated coding algorithms, and point-and-click documentation that eliminates physician data entry entirely. The system generates real-time RVU reports, tracks referral patterns, and manages the complex scheduling required to coordinate 800+ weekly patient encounters across multiple locations.
The technology extends to state-of-the-art fluoroscopy equipment in every procedure room, allowing same-day diagnostic and therapeutic interventions without equipment availability delays. Digital integration between facilities ensures full access to patient records, while the surgery center’s systems maintain procedural continuity with precision.
The 2025 partnership designating Oklahoma Pain Management as the exclusive pain provider for Integris Health System represents a watershed moment in the practice’s evolution. Integris, Oklahoma’s largest healthcare network, didn’t just select the practice – they terminated contracts with two employed pain physicians to create this exclusive relationship. The partnership guarantees a steady flow of referrals from seven spine surgeons and dozens of primary care providers, with the practice committed to seeing patients within two weeks of referral.
This arrangement, negotiated directly with Integris’s new CEO who previously built Texas Spine Clinics, recognizes that private practice efficiency surpasses hospital-employed models. Dr. Wright holds the title of Medical Director for Acute and Chronic Pain across the Integris system, providing strategic leadership while maintaining complete practice independence. The health system benefits from rapid patient access and excellent outcomes; the practice gains preferential referral status without sacrificing autonomy.
As a physician-owned private practice in an era of corporate consolidation, Oklahoma Pain Management maintains full control over clinical protocols, operational decisions, and growth strategy. The ownership structure – currently held by the founding physicians – has attracted interest from multiple investors, but the practice remains selective, prioritizing cultural fit over capital. Dr. Wright’s vision includes additional ASC development, expansion throughout Oklahoma, and potential multi-state growth.
DG Medical, Dr. Wright’s management company, provides administrative infrastructure while preserving clinical independence. This structure allows for creative compensation models, rapid decision-making, and flexibility to pursue opportunities like the Norman Regional emergency department partnership established in 2025. Unlike hospital employment with its committees and bureaucracy, decisions here happen in real time based on clinical logic.
While the practice doesn’t pursue unnecessary accreditations that slow operations, the metrics that matter speak volumes: wait times under 30 minutes despite seeing 100+ patients per location daily; same-day treatment for most procedures; a 0.2% infection rate for spinal cord stimulator implants performed in under 30 minutes compared to the national one-hour average. These aren’t marketing claims – they’re auditable, validated outcomes recognized by referring physicians and patients alike.
The practice maintains full Medicare certification and contracts with all major insurers. A payer mix of 60% Medicare demonstrates mastery of documentation and compliance. Growth from 450 to 700+ monthly referrals occurred entirely through execution excellence, not marketing or mandates.
Patients entering any Oklahoma Pain Management facility encounter an environment designed for efficiency without excess. Waiting areas remain modest – patients don’t spend long there. Investment focuses on what matters: procedure rooms with advanced imaging, exam spaces optimized for immediate intervention, and recovery zones that ensure rapid, safe turnover. Every facility embodies the practice’s philosophy: substance over style, function over form, results over rhetoric.
The practice sits at an inflection point where demand dramatically exceeds capacity despite already incredible volumes. Current infrastructure supports 1,200 weekly patients while seeing 800, providing room for incoming physicians to grow immediately. Yet Dr. Wright envisions even more – new locations in underserved areas, additional ASCs, and national replication of a model that’s redefining interventional pain management.
The hiring of a dedicated professional to redirect overflow referrals – an unprecedented move – underscores that expansion is not aspiration but necessity. With investor and private equity interest increasing, the practice remains proudly physician-owned, pursuing only partnerships that accelerate growth without diluting its culture of excellence.
This facility represents far more than buildings and equipment – it’s the physical manifestation of a revolutionary approach to pain management that proves private practice can outperform corporate medicine when physicians are empowered to focus purely on patient care.
