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SAN RAMON, CA—Meridian has been focused on healthcare development since early 2000. Its next projects in Modesto, Oakland and Castro Valley are close to major healthcare providers such as Kaiser facilities and Sutter Eden Medical Center hospital. John Pollock, CEO of San Ramon-based Meridian, recently discussed trends and elder care in the second of a two-part exclusive.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of the healthcare development trends you are seeing throughout the Bay Area?

Pollock: It is an exciting time in healthcare. We have healthcare systems vying for market share while trying to manage the health of their members. We have a legislative environment that keeps us guessing, and there are major employers here in the Bay Area trying to disrupt the marketplace. There is also a continued pressure on reimbursement rates, and the need for systems and providers to drive cost out of the system. These macro trends are more acute in the Bay Area as a result of the scarcity of both land and available buildings as well as rising costs. The systems/providers demand the most efficient and flexible space possible to maximize the number of patients that they can see to combat the lower reimbursements, and to be designed in a way that can accommodate future technological advancements. New space that is more efficient, smaller, more visible and easier for patients to access will help to build the case for a new space or the adaptive re-use of an existing building.