About Our Office

tanner_clinicDr. Bitner is a partner at the Tanner Clinic. Tanner is the largest multi-specialty clinic in Davis county and has over 80 physicians. The clinic was started in the early 1950′s when Noall Tanner, my grandfather Robert F. Bitner, and several other physicians decided to work together. The original clinic was on Gentile just north of Layton Elementary School. The clinic moved to it’s current location west of Davis Hospital on Antelope Drive. Over the years, it has continued to grow with the community. Dr. Bitner joined Tanner in July of 2009 as the first fellowship trained Facial Plastic Surgeon and Hair Restoration Surgeon. Dr. Bitner will occasionally take just insurance covered cases to Davis Hospital. Cosmetic cases are performed at the in-office surgical suite using either local anesthesia or general anesthesia. The in-office surgical suite is certified by the AAAASF (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities). This Association certifies outpatient surgical facilities for safety, sterility and quality. Click here for details of the benefits of having surgery in a AAAASF facility and information on the strict requirements for certification.

There are many benefits to having surgery performed in our in-office operating suite. First, both Dr. Bitner and Dr. Yates, his partner, have done everything to ensure that the operating room is equipped with the supplies and instruments necessary and specifically for cosmetic cases. So, it functions efficiently and safely. The risk of infection, especially those arising in a hospital setting, are minimized simply because the patients having surgery in the office are not sick. Some cases can be accomplished with local anesthesia and IV sedation using medications that make the patient comfortable and relaxed but still breathing on their own, able to protect their airway and not completely “under”. A combination of medications are used and most of the operation itself is not remembered. For cases where a deeper plane of anesthesia is necessary, our anesthetist, Glen Judd CRNA provides the sedation.  Glen has had tremendous experience working in many settings, hospital (OR and labor and delivery), outpatient dentist and cosmetic plastics offices and even combat, spending time providing anesthesia in Afghanistan working in a forward operating base.  Glen has worked now as the exclusive provider of anesthesia for both Drs. Bitner and Yates for 11 years, safely caring for thousands of patients including many of Dr. Bitner’s closest friends and family members.  On first meeting Glen, you will feel of his experience, skill and compassion to trust him with your safety while you are under surgical care.  Having a cosmetic surgical procedure performed in the clinic’s AAAAASF certified OR suite allows for convenience and privacy while maintaining the highest standards of safety.

Cases performed in the clinic operating suite are assessed a minimal charge for use of our facility, mainly covering disposable supplies used for the case. This helps keep ancillary costs of cosmetic cases to a minimum. Cost savings from use of our OR are passed directly on to you, the patient. Safety, convenience, privacy and cost savings are all reasons to have your cosmetic surgery procedure done in our surgical suite at the Tanner Clinic. Call or email questions you have about our facility. You may also come in and meet Dr. Bitner and his courteous staff. We would be happy take you on a tour around the clinic and let you see for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the costs associated with a procedure?

Whenever a procedure is performed, either insurance covered or cosmetic, there are three or four separate charges associated with the procedure. The first is the surgeons fee. This fee is used to pay for the physicians salary, office overhead, office nursing staff, secretaries, malpractice insurance, and other costs of running a practice. The second is the facility fee. This is used to pay for the cost of the surgical building, the equipment, disposable surgical equipment used with each case, the surgical nursing staff and liability insurance for the facility. Third, the anesthesia charge. This is used to pay the anesthesiologist salary, malpractice insurance and costs of running their practice, etc. Finally, if implanted material (i.e. breast implants, nasal or facial implants) are used the cost is passed on to the patient, often including a small shipping, handling and storage fee markup.

At Tanner Clinic, the ancillary costs for procedures performed at our in-office surgical suite are far less than what would be charged if the surgery were performed in a hospital or surgery center facility. The facility fee charged is kept very low. Further, when IV sedation is administered, the cost of anesthesia is that charged by the nurse or CRNA administering the anesthesia and varies depending on the time allocated to the procedure.

When you have a procedure done at a hospital or outpatient surgery center, you may get a bill following the operation with hidden or unexpected charges ($25 for a few tylenol or ibuprofen, anesthesia charges, etc….).  If your surgery is performed in our OR, your final cost as quoted is final.  You will never get a bill following the procedure.  This provides peace of mind so you can just recover and then enjoy your final surgical results.

What is the AAAASF?

The AAAASF stands for the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities. This association is strongly endorsed by both the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. The AAAASF’s goal is to provide a standard that ensures safety for the patient having surgery in the facility. The rigorous application process requires that we demonstrate appropriate equipment, policies, procedures and space for administration of anesthesia and performance of surgery in a manner that ensures patient safety. A certified facility inspector visits our surgical suite periodically and makes sure we are staying abreast of updates and changes. Once again, this process helps to ensure that surgery is performed under only the highest of safety standards. These standards either equal or exceed those required to perform surgery in a hospital setting.


Dr. Bitner is a member of the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery