The year 2020 has generated a great deal of economic instability. Healthcare properties have had an especially interesting year, though improving and cutting back in some ways at the same time. But we will start seeing the future of medical property for 2021 due to several predictions and projections.

In 2021, GDP is forecasted to rise by 3.6% in 2021 and 3.2 percent in 2022 in the United States, says a new report by Urban Land Institute. Investments could amount to 400 billion dollars in 2021, and $500 billion in 2022, according to survey respondents. It also predicts employment growth by 3.5 and 3 million, respectively, in 2021 and 2022.

• 52% of respondents registered a rise in the repurposing of empty malls in the National Association of Realtors poll. The most frequent new proposals for these unoccupied shopping centres are healthcare centres or hospitals.
• 70% of GPs in the UK felt that their premises were too small to extend services, 60% too small to train and teach, and 52% had little investment in the 10 years preceding it says the survey done by The British Medical Association.
• The overall number of beds within the EU is estimated by Eurostat to be approximately 3.8 million. The public sector pays for 70 to 80 % of General Hospital Beds and 60 to 80% of Medicalised Caregiving Beds.

Telehealth Rise

Advances of telehealth would complement on-site treatment, not substitute it. Telehealth use has increased since the start of the pandemic crisis and is expected to stay strong for the next year, according to the Department of Health & Human Services. More recently, in-person visits have risen and as a result, telehealth visits have decreased because of the reopening of the state. This is why some critics posit that this trend may not continue. That can’t be farther from the reality, though.

According to figures from FAIR Health’s private insurance accounts, only 0.17% or less than one-fifth of 1% were covered by telehealth during the first quarter of 2019. In 2020, demand in the first quarter leapt to about 7.5%, with estimates for the second quarter already pending expected to be higher. The new significance of telehealth and its secondary function in the procurement of care facilities was shown by the rise.

Use of Technology

In the aftermath of the pandemic, several health centres have taken on new technology. Many health systems now provide technology to restrict interaction with visitors. In one example the Medical Center of Vanderbilt University has mounted infrared cameras that read the temperature of each person when entering or exiting the facility. Technologies like this along with some of the other, more recent technological advances will continue to shape the world of healthcare and the use of the medical real estate. More recently, internet access may potentially influence land valuation because of the growing use of the Internet.

Property maintenance and sanitation for pandemic precautions

Soon for all commercial properties, but especially in the healthcare domain, property management is at the top of the priority list. The floors, counters, and interior furnishings are expected by employees, patients, and others to be spotless. According to Forbes, this is a domain in which landowners in healthcare can expect to invest. Bilateral operations could be continued for some time, even after a more natural return, and health care property may have to cope with this precaution, particularly with restructuring, and other such steps at all sites.

To clarify the long-term function of telehealth, healthcare institutions should consider the effect of telehealth on immobilization in four different areas:

Develop suites for telehealth services

Although patients receive telemedical or remote supervision at home, clinicians may also require space for telephones or electronic communications, as well as remote surveillance and diagnostic equipment. Medical office buildings could include suites for technicians and nurses for ICU management, digitally fitted with internet redundancy, adequate lamps, screens, and acoustics for home care patients and emergencies.  

Draft repurposing strategies for available space

In the US 52% of respondents registered a rise in the repurposing of empty malls in the National Association of Realtors poll. The most frequent new proposals for these unoccupied shopping centres are healthcare centres or hospitals.

Rooms inside existing facilities may be recaptured for funding for telehealth, redevelopment, and new retrofits. The emphasis on physical room requirements would be on high-quality imagery, diagnostics, injectable products, wound rehabilitation, modern and acute therapies, obstetrics, and lab requirements. 

Public spaces reconfiguration

While basic diagnosis and supervision can be transitioned electronically, patients may need to visit the office when they require specialized treatment as well as more physical assessment that uses advanced medical instruments (some of which are highly restricted by the certificates of need). A common use of online patient identification could eliminate the need for waiting rooms. An on-site kiosk may also manage all documenting and downstream treatments from simulated visits (e.g., measures of blood pressure, prothesis, vaccinations, and other blood checks, cultures, and cultures).

Reimagine the live practice potential.

While there is a core community of disadvantaged and less mobile patients who benefit substantially from the provision of telehealth, there’s also a substantial part of the population for whom practitioners must retain and reconsider the opportunities for on-site visits. The value of in-person visits must be maintained and thought of, even though the movement towards telehealth grows. 70% of GPs in the UK felt that their premises were too small to extend services, 60% too small to train and teach, and 52% had little investment in the 10 years preceding it says the survey done by The British Medical Association.

This statistical analysis illustrates the consistency of the vital aspect of personal interaction with a patient. Providers should consider closely how their property can take appointments easily based on the speciality, as well as the convenience and applicability of Remote Treatment, and how they can coordinate security precautions to patients.

A strong example is mental wellness practitioners. While they can see patients virtually easily, many professionals in this field oppose this because they are caught in nonverbal hints with many of their diagnostic protocols.

Looking to the future

After the unprecedented chaos that has taken place since March last year, we have had to negotiate our way through and the implementation of the vaccine programme, a gleam of light is being brought out for everyone in the industry and beyond.

New buyers are now focused and the levels of acquisitions and disposals, site development, and operator relationships are certainly on the rise. Moreover, operators who had to suspend their expected development in the last 12 months should now consider restarting their refinancing and expansion strategies.