One of the burgeoning trends in real estate is healthcare providers setting up shop in storefronts that traditionally cater to retail establishments. For instance, a downtown hospital may open medical offices in suburban shopping centers alongside shoe stores, barbershops, restaurants, and convenience stores. Dubbed “medtail,” the goal behind the shift is to boost convenience and approachability by selecting locations where patients already shop, live, and spend their leisure time.

As the retail practice director and principal at Henderson Engineers, Jason Wollum is intimately familiar with this trend. The same goes for Mark Chrisman, the firm’s healthcare practice director and principal. In fact, Henderson has more than three decades of experience servicing some of the most notable retailers nationwide, including Walmart, Nike, and Tiffany & Co. This is in addition to more than 20 years of healthcare experience in all building types. The company is currently providing fire and life safety, plumbing, and other services to Spira Care clinics, arguably the most ambitious foray into medtail in the Kansas City area to date.

LoopNet, a leading online commercial real estate marketplace, recently interviewed Wollum and Chrisman about this growing convergence of medical care and retail.

Wollom noted the pandemic is a key driver behind medtail given the increased demand for convenient ways to access physical and psychological care.

“The reason you’re hearing so much about medtail right now is because people in this niche saw the pandemic as a perfect opportunity to move forward with some of these plans,” he said.

Added trust and brand loyalty are some of the key medtail benefits Chrisman touched on.

“If I’m already going to X clinic that’s in my neighborhood, I’m much more likely to then go to that same hospital and follow that same health system and follow my same set of doctors,” he said. “And all of my data that I have an online portal for is seamlessly shared with the hospital when I truly do need a procedure, and now I’m more loyal to that entire health system.”

Both interviewees spoke at length about what healthcare providers can learn from retailers, the upfront costs involved with establishing a medtail site, how to navigate lease agreements, the best approach for selecting a medtail location, and more.

To read the entire piece, visit https://www.loopnet.com/learn/medtail-a-remedy-for-retail-real-estate-vacancies-an-rx-for-better-branding-and-a-cure-for-inconvenience/917158006/.