{"id":68001,"date":"2025-12-05T21:52:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T03:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coydavidson.com\/?p=68001"},"modified":"2026-04-19T02:52:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T07:52:47","slug":"the-2026-healthcare-real-estate-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coydavidson.com\/coydavidson\/the-2026-healthcare-real-estate-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2026 Healthcare Real Estate Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Why Your Location Strategy is Your New Clinical Strategy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The healthcare landscape has moved beyond a simple “shift.” We are now in a full-scale migration.<\/span><\/div>
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For years, we discussed the gradual movement from inpatient to outpatient<\/a> care. But as we move into 2026, that gradual slope has become a steep trajectory. Faced with softening admissions, thin operating margins, and a consumer base that demands the convenience of Amazon-style service, health systems are no longer just looking for more space, they are looking for smarter space.<\/span><\/div>
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Real estate is no longer a passive line item on the balance sheet. It is a clinical tool, a recruitment asset, and the primary vehicle for financial success.<\/span><\/div>
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Outpatient is No Longer Optional<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
In 2017, cost transformation was a goal. In 2026, it is a requirement.<\/span><\/div>
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In 2025, approximately 80% of surgeries in the United States are performed in outpatient settings, according to data from the ASC Data Group. Projections for the next five years (through 2030) suggest continued growth in the outpatient surgery share, potentially reaching 85-90% while inpatient volumes remain flat or decline.<\/span><\/div>
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This isn’t just a clinical preference; it\u2019s an economic necessity. Care delivered in outpatient settings is typically 30% to 60% less expensive than the same care delivered within the four walls of a hospital.<\/span><\/div>
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With downward pressure on hospital operating margins for many systems, the strategy is clear: migrate routine care, diagnostics, and even complex surgeries out of the expensive “hub” and into the cost-efficient “spokes.”<\/span><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The “Retailization” Has Matured<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
We used to talk about healthcare “learning from retail.” Today, healthcare is retail.<\/span><\/div>
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The “Consumer-Patient” of today does not tolerate friction. They expect a “digital front door” that opens seamlessly into a physical location. If they can book a dinner reservation on their phone in 30 seconds, they expect to book an MRI with the same ease and they expect the facility to be just as accessible.<\/span><\/div>
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This has driven a massive surge in <\/span>“Medtail”<\/span> with medical tenants taking over former retail <\/span><\/a><\/span>spaces. These high-visibility, high-access locations are not just about convenience; they are about market share protection. If you aren’t on the corner of Main and Main, your competitor will be.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The ASC Boom: Higher Acuity, Lower Cost<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
The most significant real estate trend in 2025 was the explosion of the <\/span>Ambulatory Surgery Cente<\/a>r <\/span>(ASC).<\/span><\/div>
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We are witnessing a “acuity shift.” Total joint replacements, cardiac procedures, and advanced spine surgeries are migrating to ASCs at a record pace.<\/span><\/div>
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For real estate, this means the technical requirements for outpatient buildings have skyrocketed. We aren’t just looking for exam rooms; we are looking for slab-to-slab heights that can accommodate surgical lights, floors that can support robotic surgery units, and power grids that ensure 100% redundancy.<\/span><\/div>
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Data-Driven Site Selection: Beyond “Dots on a Map”<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
In this high-stakes environment, “gut feeling” <\/span>site selection <\/span><\/a>is a seven-figure mistake waiting to happen. <\/span>The process has evolved from simple demographics to complex psychographics. We are no longer just asking, “Where do the patients live?”<\/span><\/div><\/div>
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We are asking:<\/span><\/div><\/div>