| Partnerships are a powerful tool in modern healthcare
In today’s evolving healthcare environment, strong partnerships are more essential than ever. Health systems are expected to increase access, improve outcomes and remain financially stable, all while navigating rising costs, lower reimbursement rates, staffing challenges and shifting patient expectations.
Meeting these demands alone is increasingly challenging. That’s where healthcare real estate partnerships can add significant value. When healthcare real estate developers collaborate with health systems across the country, the result is outpatient facilities that align with long-term strategic goals and bring world-class care closer to home.
One example of a successful partnership is illustrated by the recent opening of the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at Norman Regional, a 48,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that will deliver comprehensive cancer care to patients throughout southern Oklahoma. This project, a collaboration between Bremner Healthcare Real Estate, the Norman Regional Health System and OU Health, represents a shared commitment to advancing care and access in that region.
While Norman Regional could have pursued this project on its own, partnering with Bremner brought in specialized expertise in healthcare real estate development that elevated the outcome. The result is more than just a new building – it’s a thoughtfully designed space that integrates medical and radiation oncology, infusion therapy and diagnostic imaging under one roof. Bremner’s guidance helped ensure the center prioritized both patient comfort and operational efficiency.
The ability to lean on third-party experts is crucial as more care shifts outside hospital campuses. Whether it’s a new free-standing emergency department, ambulatory surgery center or behavioral health facility, these developments are crucial to long-term growth and essential for health systems to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.
We’re seeing it in fast-growing markets like suburban Indianapolis, where health systems are expanding with the communities they serve. Take Hendricks Regional Health’s new outpatient facility in Brownsburg, IN, which will bring vital services closer to areas that are experiencing significant population growth. The project marks an expansion of the Hendricks Regional Health Brownsburg hospital campus, strategically positioned at the intersection of I-74 and Ronald Reagan Parkway, a new north/south artery that will connect Brownsburg to Indianapolis’ northwest side.
Both are powerful examples of how thoughtful development and collaborative partnerships can enhance access, improve lives and strengthen communities without overburdening the health systems that serve them.
But it’s not just about geography and population growth. Some health systems have hired internal real estate teams to keep pace with their real estate needs. These groups bring deep institutional knowledge and operational know-how but can often be bogged down with the operation of existing facilities or large billion-dollar hospital expansion projects.
Even large systems with robust internal resources and strong balance sheets are choosing to work with outside developers as they strategically think through highest and best use of their cash on hand. They could, in theory, handle it all in-house, but the development of outpatient care centers – especially new, ground-up projects – can be held up by internal bureaucracy, lengthy decision-making processes and prioritization of larger projects.
Independent third-party developers can help accelerate timelines and bring both national and market-specific insights to help manage the complexities of a project from start to finish. They also apply a broader lens, one that’s focused on risk-mitigation, long-term value and flexibility for future growth.
Healthcare is too important, too urgent and too complex for any one group to go it alone. Whether through internal teams or external partnerships, real estate must support and enhance – not distract from – the core mission of care.
A commercial real estate veteran with over 20 years of experience, Matt has an extensive track record for completing complex real estate transactions and developments across different product types in markets throughout the US. He is responsible for overseeing the operations, capital partnerships and all legal documentation for the Bremner Healthcare Real Estate team. Matt graduated from Vanderbilt University, received his MBA from Purdue University and a Master of Real Estate Finance from Georgetown University. |
