The Prognosis of Healthcare Technology

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> > Online access to providers can help decrease the
time taken for administrative tasks. For example,
if patients fill out medical forms online, nurses,
physicians and physician assistants can access that
information, before the patient even steps into the
office.
> > Centralized clearing houses that share information
will eventually replace the current paper-process
of accreditation and medical education, according
to the Harvard Business Review. This could lead to
smaller staffs, as less time is spent on non-patient-
oriented tasks.
> > Companies such as Athenahealth and Castlight
Health are offering Software-As-Service (SaaS)
solutions. One such solution offers healthcare
providers easier access to data ranging from
physician quality, to specialization, to adherence to
evidence-based care. This can better match patients
with the proper providers, meaning less guesswork
and more efficiencies.
> > A reduction in administrative work means smaller
staffs and more collaboration. This, in turn, could
lead to better space efficiency when it comes to
treating patients.
Fast Changes, Flexible Real Estate
Health IT is attracting many players, from fast-growing
start-ups, to entrants from other industries and potential
partnerships of both. They will require certain types of real
estate for their purposes.
Fast-growing start-ups will likely require modular
workplaces that can easily be refitted to accommodate
new roles and workstyles. These companies will also require
more flexible lease terms from their landlords, due to fast
growth and evolving needs.
Some health-tech players are even going the extra mile to
create workplaces in which ideas can be developed more
quickly. SAP, for example, opened its AppHaus in Heidelberg,
where engineers develop products with client input.
Of the 38 Fortune 500 companies with a major stake in
healthcare, 24 are new entrants, many from the retail,
technology and communications sector. As more tech
companies enter into healthcare, their real estate needs will
focus on specialty spaces that allow for collaboration and
testing. And as retailers enter the market, they will have to
adapt their physical space to suit increasingly health and
tech savvy consumers.
Health IT and tech companies are helping to drive the
healthcare industry toward massive changes in areas such
as cost, quality, delivery and productivity. Though there will
always be a need for the professional medical buildings
located near hospitals, technology is mandating changes as
to how healthcare real estate will be used. As such, those
involved with commercial and medical real estate will need
to be nimble and flexible to better meet the needs of current
participants, as well as new players entering the field.
SOPHY MOFFAT
Associate Director,
Central London
Agency & Investment
CRAIGE COREN
Life Sciences Sector Lead,
Global Occupier Services
14 | Cushman &Wakefield