Outpatient facilities continue to expand as healthcare systems refine business models

Healthcare systems are continuing to expand via outpatient facilities and that trend is expected to continue for several years at least, according to Colliers' Q2 healthcare services report.

Patients increasingly access care in outpatient settings as hospitals focus on more complex and higher-revenue services in inpatient settings. Since the Covid pandemic, outpatient facilities have become more integral to long-term healthcare system strategies.

The outpatient sector is expected to grow significantly over the next 10 years as an aging population needs more frequent and complex care. Outpatient facilities, particularly ambulatory surgical centers, offer growth opportunities for some national and regional health systems through partnerships and acquisitions.

Healthcare systems are likely to shift some high-revenue procedures, such as joint replacements, spinal fusion, and noncomplex percutaneous coronary intervention, to outpatient facilities, Colliers says.

Healthcare systems are also likely to continue to move into vacant retail spaces, the report says. These sites are convenient for patients and attractive spaces for renovating for healthcare purposes.