Sweet says medical properties are a sound investment, especially in the current tumultuous economy, because the facilities are occupied by what he sees as a recession-proof industry. "This is as deep a recession as any of us have seen, but to date, healthcare has not been impacted to the extent that other industries have," Sweet tells GlobeSt.com. "We're an aging society and are going to demand higher levels of care. Medical as a whole industry is reasonably stable."

Sweet says third party investment in medical real estate has become increasingly desirable for hospitals and other users. "Historically, hospitals have had about 40% of assets tied up in brick and mortar," Sweet says. "We knew the hospitals were trying to cut back on the amount of capital they have tied up in buildings, and so selling properties as a means of monetizing and freeing up cash. Also, as healthcare has become more of an outpatient service, there has been the need for more outpatient buildings and for third parties like ourselves to build and own state-of-the-art facilities."

Ziegler's current portfolio resulting from its previous three funds consists of 21 properties across 12 states. The properties represent a total of 690,000 square feet and $164 million in value, the company said. Sweet says this fund's rank as the company's smallest yet is due in large part to the economy. "People have become more cautious about where they place their money," Sweet says. "The times have had an impact on everything, including capital raising."