Hospitals are working hard to address the new healthcare demands in an era of declining reimbursements, aging facilities, a staggered economy and competition from a new cadre of for-profit providers. In addition, hospitals are experiencing physician shortages with a gap of 130,000 specialists and 60,000 primary care physicians by 2020. The growing level of chronic diseases will increase the demand for medical subspecialties like endocrinology, cardiology, sports medicine and geriatrics. Hospitals need an effective strategy to promote outpatient care that relieves the pressures on hospital services and addresses the key issues of geographical outreach, patient capacity, expanding clinical programming, technology and sustainability.

Eight years of school, four years of residency and still the road ahead can be steep. For physicians, higher operating costs, declining reimbursements, higher liability insurance premiums and the quick step of new technology have dwindled their resources. Their core mission has also been stymied by the lack of capacity of affiliated hospital services which have left patients feeling stranded. Some physicians have created partnerships with the hospitals to capture some of the technical revenue or have become equity players new physician-owned specialty hospitals. Some have opted out, leaving chronic shortages in specialties like cardiology, orthopedics and general surgery.

Hospitals are working hard to address the new healthcare demands in an era of declining reimbursements, aging facilities, a staggered economy and competition from a new cadre of for-profit providers. In addition, hospitals are experiencing physician shortages with a gap of 130,000 specialists and 60,000 primary care physicians by 2020. The growing level of chronic diseases will increase the demand for medical subspecialties like endocrinology, cardiology, sports medicine and geriatrics. Hospitals need an effective strategy to promote outpatient care that relives the pressures on hospital services and addresses the key issues of geographical outreach, patient capacity, expanding clinical programming, technology and sustainability.

The phrase life is short keeps changing. In 100 years, life expectancy has gone from 47 years to 77 years old. As people live more, they will also live with more chronic conditions: a quarter will have diabetes; half will have arthritis; eight times more people will have knee replacements; and a third will be obese. As they spend more out of pocket than ever before on maintaining their health, the aging population will demand better healthcare – not just treatment but the entire gamut of care from wellness to surgery to physical therapy to diagnostics. All in a single location, with the experience of a world-class retail environment.