Healthcare's Shift to a More Distributed Real Estate Footprint

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PORTLAND — As with any other sector, healthcare providers are working through issues such as evolving patient expectations and tight operating margins. While addressing these challenges, many health care systems are expanding their access points to connect with more patients. This translates into a more distributed real estate footprint with the goal of bringing convenient access closer to patients.

Integrated Healthcare Assets

“We need more integrated assets across different service lines,” says Andrew Haslam, vice president of Real Estate Strategy for Providence St. Joseph Health. “The best case scenario is a setting populated with a medical office, a healthy grocery store, some affordable housing and even a smattering of seniors housing. Essentially, the health care center is in the middle of the community.”

Future reimbursement models will be based on quality. There will be a shift to focusing on health and wellness and not on sickness, he adds.

“Instead of providing a box or hospital where people are sick, we envision a patient deciding to go to the doctor, making that appointment on a mobile app, and instead of getting prescribed medications, the patient may get healthy food recommendations as well as a suggestion to stop by the gym which is located in the same vicinity. The continuum of care will be paramount,” explains Haslam.

Affordable Housing/Seniors Housing

Haslam also believes there will be more integration with senior housing and affordable living services.

“More wraparound services will be provided for seniors especially in their earlier mature stages,” Haslam says. “Some of those wraparound services includes home heath services, diagnostic care, hospice and physical therapy.”

For example, if you are in an assisted living facility, you have to go to 4 – 5 doctors to obtain services. However, in a home health model, those service providers can come to you.

“The cheapest hospital bed is the one in your home,” explains Haslam. “From a financial perspective, it is important to lower the length of a hospital stay. As a result, in the future, a lot of medical care will shift towards home health.”

Retailization of Healthcare

Part of the solution to providing convenient healthcare access points is that providers will be located in a more retail-oriented environment. These patients can schedule an appointment on their mobile app and drop in and out of a clinic within 20 minutes. These are all lower-cost alternatives when seeking community access points to healthcare, especially with millennials and even active seniors, Haslam tells GlobeSt.com.

One example is how Providence St. Joseph Health partnered with Walgreens and recently opened clinics within their stores staffed with a mixture of nursing practitioners, registered nurses or doctors.

“If you have an ear infection, for instance, you will drop by the pharmacy, get diagnosed and either be prescribed medication or told the aisle number for the best over-the-counter solution,” explains Haslam.

The Future of Hospitals

Big box hospitals will always be a part of the healthcare landscape and will continue to treat trauma and administer high acute care.

“Half of those services will be ambulatory and the other half will be streamlines and performed on an outpatient basis,” forecasts Haslam.

A lot of aging structures on hospital campuses will also be redeveloped and renovated.

“You will see more ongoing renovations to hospital buildings than brand new construction of massive hospital campuses,” concludes Haslam.