The MedStar Health is shifting its focus from inpatient to ambulatory and establish a stronger outpatient presence in Baltimore and Washington, according to an article on the Modern Healthcare website.
The health system looks for 'Starbucks seal of approval' when picking outpatient sites, the article said.
MedStar focuses on finding established shopping plazas or strip malls where changing retail trends have led to empty storefronts. The typical conversion cost is about $750,000, which experts say can be half the cost of building on a greenfield site.
MedStar typically signs five-year leases, and the renovations take about four months. Vacant video stores were an early target.
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