Medical Maneuvers

Merger of Tri-State Orthopaedics, two other practices will create OrthoIndiana

Tri-State Orthopaedics now has two in-state partner companies, forming one of the 10 largest independent orthopedic practices in the U.S.

A mid-2025 merger of the 75-year-old Evansville-based physician group, OrthoIndy in Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne Orthopedics will create OrthoIndiana. It will operate across 39 locations statewide, with 160 physicians and more than 1,800 staff members.

โ€œWhen you have something of this magnitude, it helps us do things well and be better,โ€ says Dr. Paul Perry, president of Tri-State Orthopaedics.

No name changes are on the horizon. The three practices will keep their branding, and all will retain their respective boards while also participating in a new, shared board of directors.

Patients should expect no immediate changes to scheduling, physician availability, or insurance processes as the merger progresses, according to a Jan. 9 press release from the three practices.

They say the โ€œintegration will occur gradually to ensure a seamless transition that prioritizes uninterrupted patient care.โ€

Physicians at the three locations will work jointly on technology infrastructure, including AI, and other strategies to improve patient care and control costs.

Perry says one priority the three practices share is an emphasis on outpatient care and sparing as many patients as possible the high cost of hospital stays.

Photo provided by Tri-State Orthophaedics

The Evansville practice โ€” which was formed in 1949 by Drs. John H. Sterne and Henry Leibundguth โ€” already had a less formal relationship with OrthoIndy. Both belong to a nationwide consortium of physicians called The OrthoForum, which shares information about clinical and business matters in the independent practice of medicine.

OrthoIndy, Perry explains, approached Tri-State Orthopaedics two years ago to ask what a collaboration would look like.

โ€œWe wanted to look at Indiana as a state, and we brought in the group from Fort Wayne,โ€ Perry says. โ€œWe stopped at the three groups to not complicate the conversation or make it more difficult. โ€ฆ Physicians are fiercely independent, and we want to be physician-led. At the end of the day, this needs to be something the surgeons run and lead.โ€

The three practices will retain their employment forces under the merger, Perry says.

Physicians with the Indianapolis and Fort Wayne practices say the alliance will benefit the three practices and their patients.

โ€œWe are grateful for the opportunity to embark on this journey alongside Tri-State Orthopaedics and Fort Wayne Orthopedicsโ€”two outstanding orthopedic practices that share our vision for patient-centered care and independence,โ€ Dr. Ed Hellman, president of OrthoIndy said in the Jan. 9 press release.

Dr. Jerald Cooper, president of Fort Wayne Orthopedics, added, โ€œThis merger aims to amplify our commitment to the patients we serve through the practicesโ€™ ability to share technology, clinical data, best practices and administrative expertise.โ€

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