Healthcare's Future: Branding & Mergers
Hospital systems don’t have to grow by merging. Methodist Health System wanted its brand to be more recognizable nationally, so it affiliated with the legendary Mayo Clinic, Methodist COO Pamela Stoyanoff said at Bisnow’s Future of DFW Healthcare Real Estate event last week. Because of that partnership, Methodist’s physicians and medical staff gets consultations with Mayo physicians for free, says Pamela (here, chatting after the event). They've expanded their "touch" with one of the best deliverers of health in the world, she says, adding patients who have never worked with Methodist before come for second opinions now.
Texas Health Resources EVP Brett McClung says THR is innovating better ways to care for patients, such as a new electronic system to identify a patient and physician in the hospital. Instead of a dry-erase board outside a patient’s room, now the patient information is stored electronically and physicians can scan their ID badges to keep record of who is seeing the patient. It’s a system that Parkland has adopted, as well, in its new facility slated to open this summer. Brett also says to be on the lookout for more consolidation in the marketplace like Baylor and Scott & White.
Parkland Health & Hospital System EVP Kris Gaw says many hospitals are seeing fewer patients staying overnight, but demand is not a problem for the public hospital. Last year, about 225,000 patients visited Parkland’s emergency department. The challenge is trying to manage patient health outside of the acute setting of the hospital environment and keeping them healthy day to day.
Panel moderator Winstead shareholder Andy Dow (left, with Allegiance Title’s Tim Crisp) tells us his firm is one of the few left with a specialty in health systems and strategic use of real estate. One healthcare real estate issue he’s following closely is the shift from medical offices from on-campus to off-campus facilities and an emphasis on specialty uses. There’s also a big emphasis to move from treating sick patients to keeping people well, he says.
Forest Park Medical Center CEO Archie Drake (far left with the panelists) says the medical center and affiliated MOBs are designed with patients and healthcare consumers in mind. There’s close parking, good wayfinding and location with the facilities that allows patients to be cared for and have a short walk back to their vehicles. Forest Park doesn’t own its real estate, but has real estate partners (the Neal Richards Group) who take care of the bricks and sticks and allow them to focus on patient care.
Event sponsor Colleyville Economic Development director Marty Wieder discusses his community’s medical/workforce analysis with SmithGroup JRR’s Leslie Brennan and David Winfrey. Prepared for Colleyville by Catalyst Commercial, the study quantifies specialty physician demand in a number of categories—and helps Colleyville make its case for tailored new imaging, rehab and day surgery facilities.
Event sponsor SearchCommercial Healthcare and Office Real Estate Services’ Alecia Hernandez, Christine Teagle (from Navstar, in partnership with Search), Tim Ward and Dane Thomson. Tim tells us Search offers a wide range of services, including fee-based development, brokerage, the recently added property management, and a new equity fund launched for senior care and healthcare properties. A freestanding emergency department in Houston, which Search developed, opened last summer, too.
Event sponsor Lincoln Harris CSG’s Holt Martin, Banks Newton and Frank Wood. Lincoln Harris CSG is a full-service commercial real estate services company that specializes in healthcare facilities. The firm was recently awarded leasing and/or management of 36 MOBs in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Texas. The addition will grow the company’s healthcare portfolio by 1.3M SF. Among the assignments is the management of two new MOBs on Forest Park Medical Campuses in Southlake totaling 87k SF; and leasing of two MOBs for Methodist Health System in Richardson totaling 133k SF.
