Healthcare real estate developer Joe Simone predicts that the urgent care center boom will continue in 2021.

“Urgent care centers and retail clinics continue to proliferate across the U.S. because patients are increasingly demanding convenience and affordability,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies, a leading developer of healthcare facilities. “I see many opportunities for healthcare real estate developers in dense downtowns and urban centers as patients increasingly value proximity.”

Between 2013 and 2019, the number of urgent care centers rose from about 6,100 to 9,616, according to the Urgent Care Association.

“Much of this increase is due to patients’ unwillingness to schedule appointments days or weeks away,” said Joseph Simone. “On-demand healthcare is becoming the norm and all health providers must adjust their business models to this evolving reality.”

For urgent care facilities, location is paramount. The demand for urgent care in suburban shopping centers or retail corridors has motivated many communities to change their land-use rules to include medical practices where they formerly were not allowed. Landlords whose retail or commercial properties have become outdated are finding new tenants in the urgent care sector.

“Simone Development has been a leader in repurposing outdated buildings for new medical uses. Our Boyce Thompson Center in Yonkers, N.Y. is a model for an adaptive reuse that incorporates medical, retail, personal services, wellness and dining to create a regional destination,” said Joseph Simone. “I foresee my company going into our region’s dense downtowns to create new medical spaces that are easily accessible by foot and mass transit.”

Joseph Simone of Simone Healthcare Development recently participated as a panelist in a virtual forum featuring healthcare leaders on the state of the healthcare sector.

Simone, whose company is a leading developer of healthcare facilities, described how a consumer push to lower medical costs is causing a proliferation in out-patient services and medical procedures. An exploding aging population is also driving profound change. “Today there are 50 million people in the United States over the age of 65,” said Joe Simone. “In the next 10 years alone, the over 65 population is going to grow by 20 million people. We have to become more efficient and effective in treating this aging population,” he added.
He also discussed the trend toward the “bedless” hospital, such as the one that Simone built for Montefiore in the Bronx where a patient comes in for a procedure in the morning and leave the same day. “The strides in technology and healthcare now require a lot less patient recovery time,” he noted.

Simone said that today’s most important technology trend is how Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to transform how healthcare is delivered. He said AI will help increase productivity and the efficiency of care delivery and allow healthcare systems to provide more and better care to more people.

He also said the huge growth under way in biotech and life sciences will also have tremendous impact on healthcare and how it is delivered. Outpatient and urgent care facilities will continue to grow and so will the use of telemedicine. “Today healthcare is technically sick care. It is not really healthcare because we are treating people who are ill. In the future we are going to have true healthcare which is preventive care and creating a plan for each individual patient’s needs,” he said.

The forum, which was held March 10, is part of series of State of the Economy programs presented by the Business Council of Westchester.

Joseph Simone of Simone Health Development recently participated as a panelist in a virtual forum featuring healthcare leaders discussing the state of the healthcare sector.

Simone, whose company is a leading developer of healthcare facilities, described how a consumer push to lower medical costs is causing a proliferation in out-patient services and medical procedures. An exploding aging population is also driving profound change. “Today there are 50 million people in the United States over the age of 65,” said Joe Simone. “In the next 10 years alone, the over 65 population is going to grow by 20 million people. We have to become more efficient and effective in treating this aging population,” he added.

He also discussed the trend toward the “bedless” hospital, such as the one that Simone Health built for Montefiore in the Bronx where a patient comes in for a procedure in the morning and leaves the same day. “The strides in technology and healthcare now require a lot less patient recovery time,” he noted.

Simone said that today’s most important technology trend is how Artificial intelligence (AI) will transform how healthcare is delivered. He said AI will help increase productivity and the efficiency of care delivery and allow healthcare systems to provide more and better care to more people.

Simone also said the huge growth under way in biotech and life sciences will have tremendous impact on healthcare. And he noted that outpatient and urgent care facilities will continue to grow and so will the use of telemedicine. “Today healthcare is technically sick care. It is not really healthcare because we are treating people who are ill. In the future we are going to have true healthcare which is preventive care and creating a plan for each individual patient’s needs,” he said.

The forum, which was held March 10, is part of series of State of the Economy programs presented by the Business Council of Westchester.