Article by Patrick Brinker and Felix Rotaru
Hauck Aufhäuser Lamp
The importance of outpatient healthcare real estate will continue to increase. Their diverse uses and possible synergy effects show that they play a central role in the modern healthcare landscape and help shape the future of outpatient care. It will always require a place of service delivery to work with and on the patient. Especially in the case of invasive and imaging procedures, physicians and other service providers must interact with the patient. The integration of telemedicine and digital health services will further optimize the use of these properties and lead to more effective but also more efficient processes. This will provide patients with even more comprehensive care and relieve the burden on service providers. Overall, outpatient healthcare properties will continue to contribute to making healthcare more accessible and patient-oriented in the future. The current reform projects also strengthen outpatient care.
Hospital landscape will continue to shrink
Due to the upcoming hospital reform and the progressive outpatient care, further services will be shifted to the outpatient sector or cross-sectoral work on patients will take place. The abolition of the quantity-based flat rates per case and the introduction of retention lump sums are intended to provide hospitals with a better financing basis. Nevertheless, experts assume that the hospital landscape will continue to shrink in the coming years. The discussion about outpatient versus inpatient healthcare properties is increasingly moving in the direction of an integrative approach. The sensible coordination and integration of both models could optimize health care. The use of technologies such as telehealth can make the transition between outpatient and inpatient services more seamless and promote patient-centered care.
In order to ensure care close to home and also to give smaller hospitals a perspective, the concept of so-called “Level 1i hospitals” is to be introduced as cross-sectoral care. In these outpatient-inpatient mixed properties, interdisciplinary and interprofessional services are to be bundled. They are to develop through the conversion of previous small hospitals. Level 1i hospitals would then only offer inpatient services of interdisciplinary primary care and would be supplemented with outpatient specialist and general practitioner services. In addition, close cooperation with other outpatient health-related professional groups could take place by settling them in such properties. Outpatient or semi-inpatient on-site nursing care is also conceivable. This is intended to make Level 1i hospitals a bridge between outpatient and inpatient care.
Digitization and AI hold great potential
The ongoing digitalization in the healthcare sector and also in outpatient healthcare real estate extends across the entire value chain. Appointments, remote patient monitoring, and telehealth offer flexible solutions that can improve access to healthcare. The use of new telecommunication technologies also enables effective communication between doctors, nurses and patients. Overall, the increasing linking of electronic patient records, artificial intelligence and digitization in outpatient healthcare properties will help to increase the quality of patient care, optimize costs and make the healthcare sector more efficient overall.
The introduction of the electronic patient record (ePA) is associated with several hopes and goals. As a core element of the Digital Act from 2025, it is primarily intended to facilitate the exchange of medical information between different healthcare facilities, which will lead to more efficient and faster patient care. Patients can also access their own health data more easily. This promotes understanding of one’s own health and supports more active participation in one’s own treatment. Electronic documentation minimizes the risk of errors due to illegible handwriting or lost papers. This also increases the security of health care. The electronic availability of comprehensive health data also enables improved research and analysis of health trends, which in turn can lead to better preventive measures and therapies.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will also have a profound impact on medicine and healthcare. A significant impact is expected in diagnostic support. For example, AI algorithms can analyze X-rays or MRI scans and recognize patterns in them, helping doctors diagnose diseases faster and more accurately. By analyzing large amounts of genetic and clinical data, AI enables personalized medicine, which can be particularly beneficial in cancer therapies. The development of new drugs could also be accelerated by AI. And last but not least, AI-driven virtual assistants and voice-based systems can help doctors with documentation, scheduling and sharing information, reducing workloads. Such efficiency increases can also counteract a shortage of skilled workers in the healthcare sector.
Thus, a promising future for outpatient healthcare real estate is emerging. The increasing demand for flexible, decentralised healthcare services is accelerating innovative concepts. The integration of modern technologies enables efficient patient care, while architectural design optimizes the patient experience. The increasing networking of medical professionals and the promotion of preventive measures give hope for comprehensive, patient-centered care. Overall, the outlook suggests that outpatient healthcare real estate will make a significant contribution to future healthcare.
Here you can find the first article in this series: "The market for outpatient healthcare real estate is becoming more professional"
