HAMILTON COUNTY

Riverview Health acquires Stryker Mako robot, expands local orthopedic services in Noblesville

Riverview Health has acquired a Stryker Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery system and installed the shoulder platform, the county-owned hospital told Current Publishing on Oct. 6, 2026. The system uses CT-based 3D modeling to plan and guide knee, hip and shoulder joint replacements; Riverview officials said it will enable robotic-assisted shoulder replacement in central Indiana.

BUSINESSINDY BRIEFBy BusinessIndy Editorial StaffCommentsPublished October 6, 2026 at 12:03 PM EDT

AI-generated illustration of the topic: Riverview Health acquires Stryker Mako robot, expands local orthopedic services in Noblesville — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

This brief is based on a Current Publishing report published Oct. 6, 2026. Riverview Health, the county-owned hospital at 395 Westfield Rd. in Noblesville, recently acquired a Stryker Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery system and said it is the first hospital in central Indiana with the Mako system equipped with the shoulder platform. Riverview officials said the platform supports knee, hip and shoulder joint replacements and uses CT-based 3D modeling to assist preoperative planning and precision-guided bone preparation.

Riverview representatives told Current Publishing that Stryker provided the Mako without a large up-front capital investment and that the hospital has monthly procedure thresholds to meet under its contract. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Jacobsen said the robot allows removal of only the bone planned and called its precision unlike anything before; he is scheduled to perform his first procedure with the Mako in October 2026. Hospital leaders and a county official also said they expect faster recovery for some patients and local convenience, and Riverview said it is exploring additional robotic systems and another DaVinci unit.

WHY IT MATTERS

What changed and who this affects: A county-owned hospital in Noblesville has added a commercial robotic system—the Stryker Mako—for joint-replacement surgery. The device is intended to give surgeons a computerized plan derived from CT scans and a robotic arm that guides bone preparation during knee, hip and shoulder replacements. That matters to patients who would otherwise travel farther for similar technology, and to the hospital because its contract with the vendor includes minimum monthly procedure thresholds the hospital must meet.

How the technology works, simply: The Mako system uses CT-based 3D models—three-dimensional images built from CT scans—to map a patient’s joint before surgery. Surgeons create a plan on that model, and the robotic arm helps keep bone removal within the planned boundaries during the operation. For example: imagine drawing precise cutting lines on a clay model of a joint, then using a tool that physically limits cutting beyond those lines—Mako is described as providing that kind of guidance.

What to watch next: Riverview said Dr. Stephen Jacobsen will perform his first Mako-assisted case in October 2026 and the hospital noted contractual monthly procedure thresholds with the vendor. The community and local health-care buyers can watch whether Riverview meets those thresholds, whether planned robotic shoulder replacements proceed, and whether the hospital follows up with additional robotic purchases described in the report.

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