MILWAUKEE-These days, there seems to be differing thoughts on whether health systems should own the healthcare real estate housing their physicians or have third-party firms own and manage them.

During the last decade or so, one large Wisconsin health system has been bullish on the practice of selling MOBs to third-party investors, or having third-party firms develop and own MOBs housing its doctors. In fact, Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care, the state's largest private employer and the operator of 15 hospitals and 145 clinic locations, has engaged in 16 transactions involving 52 individual medical properties in since 2002.

During a panel discussion concerning provider monetizations at a recent healthcare real estate conference, Larry Wiemer, senior director of finance for Aurora, explained why the system has embarked on such a course of action.