Olmstead: As the population requiring healthcare services rises, we expect medical office buildings to continue to perform well. In 2016, the number of people in the US age 65 and older totaled 49 million, up from 35 million in 2000, and the insured coverage rate reached 91%, up from 84% in 2010.

Medical office inventory is already strained nationwide. That has led some outpatient healthcare providers to seek out development partners for new MOBs, but also alternative spaces such as retail or shopping centers which would allow the providers access to the patients in their neighborhood settings and oftentimes more cost effectively than new construction.

GlobeSt.com: How did the MOB sector in Atlanta perform in 2017?

Olmstead: In the third quarter, vacancy decreased from 14% in the third quarter of 2016 to 12.5% in the third quarter of 2017. That's below the city's historical average.

However, this rate should slow or stabilize during the next 24 months as newly delivered MOBs are absorbed. As of 3Q 2017, the Cushman & Wakefield Healthcare Practice Group is tracking 290,000 square feet of under-construction MOB space, while over 310,000 square feet has already delivered this year metro-wide.

Is Atlanta set up for a medical office boom? Get one take. And if you are looking for this type of office space in the region, you might not like this news.