During the 1970s, Dr. Nelson and Dr. Kendall began the Wichita Cleft Palate Clinic. In 1976, Dr. Bruce Ferris joined the practice and eventually took the Wichita Cleft Palate Clinic under his wing providing cleft care to hundreds of pediatric and adult patients. In 2017, Dr. Nataliya Biskup joined the practice with not only a focus on plastic surgery but also on pediatric and craniofacial plastic surgery. Dr. Biskup’s fellowship training in pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgery has allowed the clinic to flourish, providing both cleft AND craniofacial care.

Our multi-disciplinary team typically sees 150 patients a year from birth to 21 years of age. If your child has a cleft or craniofacial related condition, we highly recommend you visit with our team on an annual basis to monitor your child’s speech, development and other factors related to their condition. Our multidisciplinary team meets 6 times a year, on Saturday mornings. If you would like to inquire more information regarding a team clinic date, give our office a call at ***

Majority of the time your child’s procedure is covered by insurance since it is related to a congenital condition. However, if there are any expenses you acquire, that are not covered by insurance, you can pay with cash or credit card. In addition, there are several financing options available to help cover the cost of your child’s medical care.

You and your child will meet with one of our surgery schedulers to ensure your child’s surgery works for both your schedule and that of your surgeon.

Yes! Our team is certified by the American Cleft-Craniofacial Association. The ACPA is a non-profit organization that promotes team care and professional collaboration to ensure the highest quality resources are available to all with craniofacial differences throughout their healthcare journey. This certification assures that our team has the necessary disciplines and the requisite experience needed to care for children with cleft and craionfacial conditions thoroughly and adequately.

Yes. At Wesley Children’s Hospital, we work with a highly skilled team of fellowship trained, board certified pediatric anesthesiologists. Your anesthesia provider will meet with you and your child before surgery to answer any questions you may have.

If receiving local anesthesia, there are no restrictions on eating or drinking prior to surgery. If you are receiving sedation or general anesthesia, you should not eat or drink anything after midnight of the night before your surgery.

If your child develop a cold, persistent cough, fever or any other health-related problems before your surgery, or if you need to cancel your surgery, please notify your physician.

Yes. We love to meet with parents-to-be prior to your child’s arrival. We believe it is important to visit about your child’s diagnosis prior to delivery. This may alleviate some of the stress that is experienced after bringing your child home. During prenatal visits, we provide parents with education and review the treatment course related to your baby’s diagnosis. We also like to give parents educational materials, a specialty bottle and other goodies to help prepare for their arrival of their little one.

You will be provided with instructions regarding your child’s post-operative care. However, please call our office if you have any additional questions. If it is after our normal business hours, or over the weekend, we always have a physician on call. Please call if you have any problems or your child is experiencing unusual pain, bleeding, swelling, or bruising in operative area. Signs of infection include pus, redness, fever, chills or excessive drainage. Pain that the prescribed medication does not affect. Difficulty in breathing, persistent nausea or vomiting.