Localized Care
For years, many Westfield residents needing specialized surgical care often found themselves driving outside the city for procedures, consultations and follow-up care. That is beginning to change with the arrival of the new Westfield Ambulatory Surgery Center, a facility designed to bring advanced outpatient surgical services closer to home while introducing procedures and technologies rarely found in a free-standing surgery center setting.
Healthcare consultant Nedra Moran, now administrator of the surgery center, has worked in healthcare operations, development and advocacy for many years. Moran stated that healthcare is facing great challenges in today’s society, and the developers and Westfield City Council recognized the need for this type of facility in the Westfield area. Moran initially presented details of the project to the Westfield City Council and has remained deeply involved in helping guide the center from concept to reality.
Moran’s experience exposed her to the complexity of healthcare regulations, operational challenges and the ever-changing demands healthcare administrators face daily. Through Healthcare 4 Tomorrow, Moran works to help organizations navigate those evolving regulations while also advocating for legislation that positively impacts healthcare operations.
The Westfield Ambulatory Surgery Center became especially meaningful because of what Moran observed throughout Hamilton County. In performing due diligence regarding the location of the surgery center, it became very clear from citizens of the Westfield community that they felt strongly improvement was needed and that it should take place in the community where they lived so they could remain in their community.
“I had been observing the healthcare available to the citizens in the Westfield, Noblesville and smaller communities in the area and felt that improvement was needed,” Moran says. “The improvement should be introduced in the community so the citizens have strong healthcare in their community and do not have to go to other areas.”
Their vision helped shape the Westfield Ambulatory Surgery Center’s mission — to create a modern, efficient outpatient environment where patients can receive advanced care without the lengthy hospital experience often associated with surgery and have it done in their community.
Unlike traditional hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers focus on outpatient procedures that allow patients to return home the same day. Moran says today’s surgical advances have dramatically changed how procedures are performed and how patients recover.
“The Westfield Ambulatory Surgery Center offers procedures in an appropriate facility, one that allows patients to complete their procedure within approximately two to three hours and return to their own home afterward,” Moran says. “We often chuckle that the patient is not sick when they are admitted, and they are not sick when they are discharged.”
This efficiency is made possible through advances in anesthesia, surgical equipment and streamlined staffing models. Patients spend less time waiting, less time recovering onsite and often experience lower overall costs compared to hospital-based procedures.
The center is expected to begin surgeries this June after completing required surveys and inspections. Once operational, the facility will offer a wide range of specialties, including general surgery, gynecology, podiatry, pain management, endoscopy, dental procedures and plastic surgery.
But what truly sets this facility apart is its ambition to offer procedures rarely seen in a free-standing surgery center environment.
According to Moran, the Westfield Ambulatory Surgery Center will become the first surgery center in Indiana to offer robotic surgeries, cardiac procedures, vascular procedures and stem cell procedures. Nationally, it will be only the second free-standing surgery center to provide cardiac and vascular procedures. The center has two Dexter robots that will be utilized for various gynecological procedures as well as general surgery. The robots offer physicians improved efficiencies, as well as improved efficiencies for their patients. The electrophysiology operating room will provide patients needing various cardiac procedures an alternative to the hospital. Patients are excited about this new alternative, and having it located in their community is an added plus for everyone.
The stem cell component represents another emerging area of medicine that Moran believes could significantly impact patients struggling with chronic pain and difficult conditions.
Beyond the medical capabilities, Moran says the center also fills another important need: attracting more independent physicians to the area.
“In addition to the items already mentioned, the center has already attracted new, independent physicians to the community. This allows more opportunities for the citizens to establish themselves with a local physician who is close to their residence.”
Local accessibility can have a major impact on growing communities like Westfield, where rapid population growth has increased demand for healthcare services. Easier scheduling, shorter drive times and quicker access to specialists all contribute to a more convenient patient experience.
Moran also believes ambulatory surgery centers create advantages that extend beyond convenience.
“The difference between the operation of a free-standing surgery center with independent physicians and a hospital is efficiency of time, lower cost and maintaining the patient as the focus of the center,” Moran says.
According to Moran, physicians and administrators are directly invested in the operation of the facility, and therefore there is a stronger emphasis on maintaining efficiency, improving service and ensuring patients feel informed and comfortable throughout the process.
“Physicians and administration have a vested involvement in ensuring the surgery center is operated in a manner that will continue to provide a service that is always efficient, lower in cost and maintains the patient as the focus of the center.”
Creating that patient-centered atmosphere became one of the driving philosophies behind the project.
“I hope all patients feel welcome when they walk through the doors,” Moran says. “I hope they will experience a feeling of calm and confidence, as well as an understanding that the only reason we are there is to provide them with quality care.”
While the Westfield Ambulatory Surgery Center now stands on the verge of opening, the road to completion was not without challenges.
“Our biggest struggle was that the decision to move forward with the development of the surgery center and the medical office facilities in the building was made when COVID-19 was discovered as a major issue.”
Like countless construction and healthcare projects launched during the pandemic era, supply chain disruptions created delays and difficulties in obtaining materials needed for construction. Many of those issues, Moran says, continue to affect projects nationwide even today.
Despite those obstacles, Moran says the City of Westfield and the Westfield City Council remained supportive throughout the approval process.
“Obtaining approvals from the city of Westfield and the City Council went extremely well, and they were cooperative and welcoming,” Moran says.
That support reflects Westfield’s continued investment in healthcare infrastructure as the city grows into one of central Indiana’s fastest-expanding communities.
The center’s impact is also expected to extend well beyond Westfield city limits. According to Moran, many physicians affiliated with the center already serve patients from Carmel, Noblesville, Fishers, Zionsville and Boone County.
“Our center offers new methods and procedures for all of these patients,” Moran says. “The ease of being able to have procedures scheduled promptly and having the patients served on time is one of the major advantages.”
Scheduling delays have become a growing frustration in healthcare systems nationwide, but Moran says the surgery center uses a different scheduling model that allows physicians to secure operating times more efficiently, reducing long waits for procedures. For patients, that can mean quicker access to care and less uncertainty surrounding surgery dates.
As opening day approaches, Moran says one of the most rewarding aspects has been seeing the public response to the facility itself.
“The most rewarding part of developing and witnessing the center come to life is seeing the positive excitement when people first see the center and realize the differences in being admitted to the center as opposed to other facilities,” Moran says.
Moran adds that patients quickly recognize the benefits, from lower costs and operational efficiency to the welcoming culture among physicians and staff.
“The staff recognizes that they are more like a family as opposed to just co-workers,” Moran says. “The physicians and staff work cohesively and enjoy their accomplishments every day.”
For Moran, the surgery center represents more than just a new building or business venture. It reflects a broader shift toward localized, patient-focused healthcare designed to meet the needs of rapidly growing communities.
And for Westfield residents, it signals something equally important: access to advanced healthcare services without leaving the community they call home.
