As the healthcare industry, and those that serve it, deal with a steady diet of challenges, Illinois Real Estate Journal is preparing to host its annual healthcare real estate conference focusing on strategies in medical office buildings. This year’s conference will be held from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 11 at the University Club of Chicago.
According to event organizers, the conference will feature three panels and take a closer look at some of the issues facing those involved in the healthcare and real estate industries.
“The impact of sequestration that started earlier this month provides further credence to the belief that hospital and healthcare system executives must work diligently and decisively on rely on their own agenda to enhance their financial position while advancing the quality of care they provide,” said Mark Menzies, Group Publisher, Real Estate Publishing Group.
The landscape for hospitals and healthcare systems remains largely the same as it did without the attention and focus placed on healthcare reform, the Supreme Court ruling, the fiscal cliff and sequestration:
- hospitals are challenged by continued decreases in revenue per procedure figures, lower government reimbursements, and average bad debt expenses that exceed 10 percent
- most hospitals and healthcare systems operate at profit margins ranging from 1-3 percent.
- real estate is as much as 40 to 50 percent of a hospital system’s assets and is the third largest expense item
Following introductory comments on the state of the industry by Murray Wolf, Publisher, Healthcare Real Estate Insights, three panels will be featured:
New Strategies in Healthcare—The State of the Market: Healthcare reform, and other critical factors, continues to dictate the evolution of service and delivery strategies in the industry. It’s not just about the hospital; it’s about serving the community. This panel looks at the many sources influencing healthcare organizations and how that translates to the real estate industry.
Strategies in Medical Office Space: Whether it is leasing space in a traditional office building, developing a specialized medical office building or repurposing space (office, retail or other), this isn’t your parent’s medical office space. The options for where to locate and the co-branding opportunities have increased significantly. A panel of experts talks about the evolving marketplace.
Capital Care: The ongoing evolution of the healthcare industry, the changing demographic profile and healthcare reform along with the basic fundamentals of investing make medical office and related buildings an almost can’t miss product category. A panel of experts, those arranging and financing the investment activity, discuss the state of the market and the long-term outlook for this product type.
Confirmed speakers for the conference include: Murray Wolf, Healthcare Real Estate Insights; Keith Konkoli, Duke Realty; Scott Becker, McGuire Woods; Shawn Janus, Jones Lang LaSalle; Todd Lillibridge, Lillibridge/Ventas; Lucy Zielinski, Health Directions LLC; Werner Brisske, Partners in Design Architects; Michael A. Noto, Healthcare REIT; Brian Edgerton, NAI Hiffman; Brad Wilson, Bluestone Healthcare; and W. Michael Bennett, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.
Registration for the conference is $79 and can be completed online at www.rejournals.comconferences or by calling Debbie DeWolf at 312-644-7800.
