I'll be honest—when Dr. Meneghini told me he was leaving IU Health Saxony back in 2022, I wondered what would come next for this incredibly talented surgeon who had just replaced my hip. Would he take that prestigious hip and knee division head position at Mayo Clinic in Rochester? It seemed like the obvious move.

But Dr. Meneghini had other plans. He's a Hoosier through and through, and he wasn't about to leave Indiana. Instead, he decided to build something remarkable from the ground up.

Fast forward to October 2025, and I'm standing in the lobby of the Indiana Orthopedic Institute—a stunning, nearly 40,000-square-foot facility close to our Britton Falls community and ideal for safe, personalized joint care. Those signature fireplaces Dr. Meneghini insisted on are crackling away, and everywhere you look, there are subtle nods to Indiana—basketball motifs, cardinals, even barn scenes.

This facility opened in February 2025 after planning that began back in spring 2022. What started as a team of just six people—Dr. Meneghini, Dr. Conrad, an anesthesiologist, two nurses, and a physician assistant working out of Terre Haute and Fort Wayne—has grown into something extraordinary. Today, there are thirteen surgeons, eleven additional providers, and nearly 50 staff members. All in just three years.

Indiana Orthopedic Institute is an ambulatory surgery center—a specialized outpatient facility designed specifically for same-day surgical procedures. Unlike traditional hospitals, patients have surgery and go home the same day, recovering in the comfort of their own beds.

The first floor houses the surgery center itself, with four operating rooms and 14 post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) rooms. Here's the beautiful part—you get the same private room before and after your procedure. No shuffling around when you're already anxious.

The second floor features 20 exam rooms, X-ray facilities, a physical therapy gym, and a complete pre-operative care center with two anesthesiologists whose team handles all your medical clearances right there. No running around to different offices. Everything you need is under one roof.

There are real advantages to having your joint replacement in an ambulatory surgery center rather than a traditional hospital. Lower infection rates top the list. In a specialized surgical center with focused protocols, you're not exposed to all the complications you might encounter in a hospital setting where seriously ill patients are being treated.

The experienced staff here do nothing but orthopedics—they know joints inside and out. Every protocol, every procedure, every member of the care team is focused on one thing: successful orthopedic outcomes.

And Dr. Meneghini literally wrote the book on same-day discharge for joint replacements, pioneering the approach that makes ambulatory surgery centers the ideal setting for these procedures.

The team at Indiana Orthopedic Institute has refined and perfected the techniques and protocols for safe outpatient and same-day discharge after joint replacement surgery. It's now become the norm rather than the exception.

Shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee replacements can now be performed safely without an overnight hospital stay in most cases. Patients go home just a few hours after their replacement surgery.

How? Pain is minimized through nerve blocks and regional anesthesia—numbing in and around the joint. Modern surgical techniques cause minimal damage to the muscles around the joint, far less than in the past. And accelerated physical therapy protocols provide safe mobility and quicker recovery right from the start.

The benefits of going home the same day are significant: more comfortable recovery at home, faster return to typical activities, lower risk of blood clots and infection, and independence from hospital staff delivering medications around the clock. Your own bed, your own bathroom, your own kitchen, and the support of family.

One patient story stands out—a woman who'd heard the same advice from multiple doctors for years: just lose weight. That was supposed to solve her knee pain. Frustrated but hoping for a different answer, she decided to get another opinion from one of Indiana Orthopedic Institute's surgeons in Fort Wayne.

She came in expecting the same response. Instead, the surgeon told her she needed her knees replaced. After both surgeries, she has her mobility back—mobility she'd been denied for years.

It's this willingness to take on complicated cases that other surgeons might turn away that sets this institute apart.

The "Institute" designation isn't just marketing. This is about research, education, and innovation backed by real evidence. They hosted an educational conference in September that drew orthopedic surgeons from across the country. Italian fellows came over the summer to learn their techniques. Dr. Meneghini trains three fellows every year, and patients travel from across Indiana and beyond—some even internationally.

Everything done here is backed by research. The surgeons continuously review evidence and incorporate the latest findings into their practice, ensuring patients receive care based on the most current science.

The ten surgeons focusing on hips and knees are joined by specialists in shoulders, hand-to-elbow procedures, and traumaplasty. Many left larger health systems to join this team, drawn by the autonomy to put patients first without bureaucratic constraints.

The "My Recovery" application guides patients through preparation and recovery with educational content and prompts. But technology doesn't replace human connection here.

A real person from the surgery team calls every patient the day after surgery. The surgeon's team checks in a week later. And if you're worried at 2 a.m.? The surgeons take their own after-hours calls. Patients are encouraged to call whenever they're concerned about something—real people are always available to answer questions.

Dr. Meneghini still drives to Terre Haute once a month to care for his hometown patients. The basketball hoops, the cardinals, those fireplaces—they're all reminders that he chose to stay in Indiana when he could have gone anywhere.

He had the opportunity to run the hip and knee division at Mayo Clinic. But he wanted to stay here and build something new. Turns out he has quite the entrepreneurial spirit.

For those of us dealing with joint pain, knowing world-class orthopedic care is this close to home? That's everything.

For more information, visit IndianaOrtho.com