Healthcare Real Estate: What’s Changed in the Last Five Years and What’s Next
Healthcare real estate development has undergone a quiet but profound shift in recent years. The days of thinking exclusively in terms of large, single-site hospitals are behind us as health systems increasingly embrace decentralized, community-based outpatient facilities like urgent cares, freestanding emergency departments and multispecialty medical office buildings. The key driver behind this shift is clear: access. Patients want healthcare that is closer to home and better aligned with their expectations for convenience and service. But healthcare providers should proceed with caution. With the right strategy, they can meet community needs while also creating a natural gateway into their broader network of care for the more profitable higher acuity services and procedures. Another defining change has been flexibility. Five years ago, most projects were designed with a specific purpose in mind. Now, clients are seeking to build adaptable spaces that can shift with community growth/demand as well as technology. A building that serves one function today may need to look very different in 10 years. Designing with flexibility in mind allows new facilities to evolve with the changes in demand and care [...]








