The medical real estate industry recently gathered in Nashville, Tennessee, for BOMA International’s 2022 Medical Office Buildings + Healthcare Real Estate Conference to discuss where the healthcare industry is going and what opportunities it creates for the asset class. It was by far the largest attendance DOCPROPERTIES Managing Principal Trisha Talbot has seen in her career, and she brought back several key takeaways.
The event kicked off with a keynote address from Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation. Educating the audience about the history of the Ukraine/Russia conflict, his engaging speech highlighted the opportunities there will be for rebuilding hospitals, medical offices and clinics once the conflict is resolved.
Another keynote speaker, author and technology innovation expert Thomas Koulopoulos, touched on the history of computers and technology in the United States and how it relates to patient care. His most recent book, “Reimaging Healthcare,” presents a practical look at where healthcare is heading. One trend he discussed is hospitals building “command centers” where nurses monitor several screens of patient vitals and tend to patients as their vitals change. Innovations like this are what he says the U.S. healthcare system needs improve patient care, diagnosis and outcomes. If outcomes and technology innovations are the focus, healthcare can be reengineered and patients will continue to travel to the U.S. from all over the globe for healthcare services.
Other takeaways from the conference for service providers, capital providers and owners that stood out to Trisha:
- U.S. demographics show the population is growing and living longer. There will be more co-morbidities because of increase lifespan. As a result, more people stay in the workforce longer, causing GDP to continue to increase along with healthcare costs.
- Solving cost issues in the healthcare industry is a problem with more questions than answers, but sharing successful treatments, complex diagnoses and patient case studies within the physician and patient community builds awareness that helps all of us be better informed patients and healthcare providers. Social media is a particularly effective way to educate and share information in a world of instant news.