On September 11, 2025, Colliers kicked off its National Healthcare Conference in New Orleans. The two-day event covered a wide range of topics, from current economic pressures and evolving patient-care models to investor activity and healthcare real estate trends. Here are 10 key takeaways and observations:

• Job growth in the first eight months of 2025 was mainly driven by the healthcare sector, which accounted for 86% of all new jobs.
• Inflation, high construction costs, and interest rate volatility are pushing hospital systems to prioritize speed to market and cost control.
• Virtual therapy, especially in the behavioral health space, emerged as one of the few successes from the pandemic-era shift to remote care.
• Investors are actively seeking deals, but supply remains limited, creating competition for quality assets. Sellers are becoming more realistic about pricing, helping bridge the gap between buyer and seller expectations.
• Hospital systems are increasingly exercising rights of first refusal to regain control of key properties, signaling a reversal from traditional monetization trends. They’re becoming more active buyers and negotiating purchase options in leases to retain flexibility.
• Medical outpatient building (MOB) market fundamentals are strong, but development is lagging.
• Interest rate stability is fueling renewed investment confidence. Stability in debt markets has improved underwriting clarity and boosted investor sentiment.
• Hospitals and insurers are using AI to fight, deny, and approve claims, now the fastest-growing use of the technology in the industry. Over the next 5–10 years, AI and digital tools are expected to play a larger role in hospital system portfolio planning and patient experience.
• More than 14% of all rural hospitals are in danger of closing. Half of these facilities do not have obstetrics or oncology facilities, requiring patients to travel closer to city centers for treatment.
• Outpatient care is growing rapidly, with systems investing in large medical complexes that co-locate services for patient convenience and operational efficiency.