With improving access to ambulatory and outpatient settings being the No. 1 priority for many hospital CEOs, health systems are finding the empty space they need in a decidedly untraditional setting: shopping malls.
As mall retailers lose customers to online shopping, they leave behind plenty of vacant storefronts, and healthcare organizations are taking advantage. The Wall Street Journal reports their use of mall space can range from a single storefront to entire floors. This was the case with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which took over two whole floors of the former Atrium Mall in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The 140,000-square-foot space will be used for services like patient exams and support for adult cancer patients.
The use of available retail space in malls also corresponds to where consultants expect the most reliable growth over the next few years. As Sg2’s John Becker predicted at the 2017 meeting of the American Medical Association, “everything grows” across service lines in outpatient settings.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.