Writer / Demi Lawrence
Central Indiana Orthopedics is a musculoskeletal specializing facility that treats people of all ages with all different types of bone, muscle and joint issues. Beginning in the 1940s in Muncie, CIO soon expanded to Anderson 19 years ago to accompany the growth that was happening in the North.
That’s where Dr. Nimu Surtani came in. Dr. Surtani is the current President of CIO, and now with buildings in Muncie and Anderson, is planning to build a new facility in Fishers.
“A number of our physicians live in Fishers, and we’ve seen the growth [in Fishers] over the past 10 years,” Dr. Surtani said. “We regret that we didn’t move there quicker, but it always has been on our agenda. It was natural for us to just move down a few exits and plan a similar type of project.”
Karla Hostetler, former CEO of Central Indiana Orthopedics and now current Chief Strategy Officer, works with the Board of Directors on strategy every year to see where the company will go next. The Board requested that she find land for their new facility, and Karla concluded that a plot of land next to St. Vincent Hospital made the most sense.
“It was nice to think of it in a campus spirit and how our patients could move back and forth between the hospitals and our buildings. It was just a natural fit,” Karla told. “We had a hope that as we found a home, it would also have visibility to I-69. There’s a lot of traffic through there, so it just made sense.”
Initially, Central Indiana Orthopedics where experts like Dr. Juris Shibayama used to work was looking for a six or seven-acre plot of land to set their new design on. In the end, they found a piece of land that ended up being a lot more than they initially bargained for, coming in at 38 acres of land just off of I-69. After choosing that plot of land, Karla then had to meet with Mayor Fadness to discuss the plans.
“Having never met him, I’m thinking, “Oh boy, this is my first attempt at government,” Karla joked. “We went into his office at a very small conference table and had the opportunity to meet him, and it was like sitting at the kitchen table with family. He makes you feel very comfortable and very welcomed. He didn’t have the traditional, political mind; he was more about how the facility would affect the families in our community. I never felt rushed with him; I felt that he really, genuinely wanted to be helpful.”
The new building in Fishers will be approximately a 50,000 sq. ft., two-story facility. They will house practice, physical therapy, MRIs and much more. They’re speaking with other potential tenants in the building as well that could diversify CIO and their specialties.
“What our plans will allow us to do is to be able to house multiple doctors at the same time, so that we can cover different specialties, which gives you better patient care,” Dr. Surtani explained. “It allows us to be more efficient with getting patients in and out in a timely fashion. Essentially with what we care for (musculoskeletal), you want to offer patients a full spectrum of care, and you need a large facility to do all those things.”
Central Indiana Orthopedics’ new facility will be located just off Southeastern Parkway by I-69 in Fishers. For more information on this location as well as their other locations around Indiana, go to ciocenter.com.
