Themes of rapid transition, excitement and new activity for the local Orange County healthcare real estate market filled the room at the latest Bisnow event at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, CA. More than 250 attendees made it out to network and learn about the changes. Two panels of experts shared their current experiences and future outlook on the market. Here's what they said:

Top trends include:

• Consolidation of hospitals and physician groups
• Obamacare changes
• An increased aging population

There are new opportunities out there in the healtchare market, but creativity is key. Healthcare systems are even more sensitive with dollars spent due to new reimbursement regulations. Every dollar counts, so it is up to us as A/E/C professionals to maximize the value we bring.

With that also comes new challenges. For example, there are not enough doctors, and the design impacts of new technology for infrastructure upgrades on older spaces are making it more appealing to do ground-up construction.

Ron Rendina, who leads DPR Construction's healthcare market in So Cal, shared his thoughts as a speaker on the panel. He emphasized how medical office building (MOB) design is undergoing major shifts. The new thinking integrates patient services organized by pods. Some designs do not even include hallways but feature more open space with centralization of physician practices, waiting rooms, and break rooms. He says that we are beginning to see common patient services that naturally complement each other in a one-swoop setting for patient convenience.

Photo Credit: Mark Bisnow

“Innovation and technology are the future, as we are beginning to see the benefits that could play in the outpatient, home healthcare environment, and in design and construction practices. BIM, prefabrication, and mobile technology are driving construction processes to produce more reliable outcomes for our healthcare clients,” says Rendina.

To learn more about the Future of Healthcare, read DPR's study here.