Millennials Reshape the Medical Office Building

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CHICAGO—Millennials have already reshaped US office design, and due to a penchant for online shopping, they have also helped transfigure the nation’s product distribution network. But the influence of this new generation is felt throughout commercial real estate, and developers in other sectors must respond. Even the builders and managers of medical office buildings, which older patients use far more often, have to consider their needs and desires.

“The millennials are treating their healthcare needs differently,” John Wilson, president of Chicago-based HSA PrimeCare, a division of HSA Commercial Real Estate, tells GlobeSt.com. They are far more interested in preventive healthcare and wellness, for example, and place a lot of emphasis on convenience and the use of technology.

As a result, more medical office buildings are including wellness and fitness centers, he says. Cardiology groups especially have tied checkups and recommended workouts together, allowing patients to do both activities in a single visit. And to cut down on the number of trips patients make, many operators now realize they should house an array of specialists.

“In the past, you really didn’t see dental care in medical office buildings,” Wilson says. “Now it’s a desired occupant.” Ophthalmologists as well are also increasingly popular, partly so frazzled young parents can schedule children’s eye check-ups, dental check-ups, and their own appointments at the same times.

Last year, HSA PrimeCare completed Drexel Town Square Health Center in Oak Creek, WI, a 109,000-square-foot center that offers a wide array of such services to patients in suburban Milwaukee. That includes primary care, urgent care, outpatient surgery, a retail pharmacy, virtual consults, and many specialties. Furthermore, the center is also connected to a walking path, an important consideration as HSA went through the site selection process.

Wilson adds that telemedicine technology is also becoming essential. Such facilities allow instant consultations with specialists who may be located 30 miles away at the main hospital, eliminating the need for much extra travel. He estimates that about 75% of hospitals already have some sort of telemedicine capabilities, and between 30% and 50% of physicians’ groups do as well. “It’s an ever-changing field and moving fast.”

Healthcare professionals may find it tricky to serve both baby boomers and millennials. Setting up kiosks with interactive display screens that provide information to patients as they walk in works great with young people accustomed to using such technology, Wilson says. But when those in their 70s or older approach the same kiosks, “you can see the uncertainty and angst. They’re going to need someone to talk to.”

Wilson says many providers have decided to use both kiosks and greeters, much like grocery stores that assign an employee to help monitor several automated checkout lanes.

Such close observations, and subsequent adjustments, are the key to successful design. “The adage we always use is, approach the brick-and-mortar as if you were a patient.”