WARSAW — OrthoWorx has appointed a community-based steering committee and undertaken a philanthropic funding study as next steps in determining the feasibility of a nonprofit orthopedic specialty hospital in Warsaw.

OrthoWorx launched a feasibility study in February 2012 for an orthopedic specialty hospital with a focus on research and education. The Orthopedic Capital Clinic project is a bold effort to enhance the broader community that depends on the continued growth of Kosciusko County’s $11 billion orthopedic device industry.

A nine-member steering committee has been appointed to help complete the feasibility study. The committee represents a broad local interest group and includes representatives from the business community, professional services industries, local government and the state’s medical school. The committee is charged with guiding OrthoWorx and its consultants, NeuStrategy and Johnson Grossnickle and Associates (JGA), in further defining the business care, creating a funding strategy and determining partnership opportunities for the proposed specialty hospital’s construction, operation and maintenance, and medical education and research components.

“The commitment we have from the steering committee members to help us complete the feasibility study with a 360-degree view representing varied viewpoints and interests is vital to fully examining the proposed hospital in the context of a centerpiece project to support and grow our community, in which the orthopedic industry is so critically important,” said David Floyd, Chief Executive Officer of OrthoWorx. “OrthoWorx is a collaborative effort among multiple community stakeholders, and we look at all projects through that lens.”

In addition to the committee appointment, OrthoWorx has launched a philanthropic funding study under the guidance of JGA. This study will determine philanthropic outreach strategies and measure funding capacity for the research and education components of the specialty hospital. Research and education will be cornerstone initiatives of the hospital, bringing together the state’s existing assets and encouraging partnerships between the state’s research universities, industry and healthcare providers to foster in-state orthopedic innovation.

“While the Orthopedic Capital Clinic is focused on helping to define and advance orthopedic care for patients worldwide, closer to home its goal is to stoke innovation and leverage and grow our community’s reputation as the Orthopedic Capital of the World,” said Floyd.

OrthoWorx and its steering committee also are working with NeuStrategy, a well-known healthcare strategy consulting firm focused on specialty surgical care, to develop the final Orthopedic Capital Clinic business plan. The business plan, as well as the funding strategy and identification of third-party partners, is expected to be completed later this year.

“We are encouraged by the positive public feedback and interest in the Orthopedic Capital Clinic we have received over the past several months,” Floyd said. “We have built a strong team of community leaders and a stable of healthcare and business experts to guide our efforts and report back to the community details of our findings and next steps.”