[ad_1]
The Mall of America concept is part of a modest but growing trend of shopping center owners using health care providers to help reinvigorate their malls.
While shopping center leases for clothing retailers have declined by more than 10% since 2017, medical clinics in shopping malls have increased by almost 60% over the same period, according to Drew Myers, a real estate analyst at CoStar Group. The growth of medical clinic rentals in shopping centers has been "the strongest of all major retail sectors in the last five years," he said.
For service providers and health insurers, shopping centers offer businesses convenient locations to set up outpatient and preventive care centers for patients. Providers are increasingly using these less expensive clinics to help patients avoid costly emergency room travel.
"It's a beautiful symbiotic relationship," said Todd Caruso, general manager of the CBRE Real Estate Company. "It suits both the hospital system and the owner."
Caruso said it was unlikely that shopping centers would set up medical clinics "between Lululemon and the Apple store" because they do not entice a stream of customers. But clinics could help homeowners replace parts of closed department stores.
"What class mall" B "or" C "did not have dark wing or a little sleepy?" he said.
Growth & # 39; Medtail & # 39;
Health clinics in shopping centers are an evolution of "medtail" – the mix between retail and medical services.
Today, shopping center clinics offer eye care, vaccines and flu vaccines, routine medical examinations and treatments for less serious diseases such as sore throats and fevers. But shopping centers will expand to primary care, specialty care and chronic disease management, such as diabetes, predicted JLL analysts.
Like shopping malls, physical retailers are also turning to the health sector for growth.
Health care "will be a bigger part of what we do at Walmart," Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs said in March.
– Tami Luhby from CNN Business contributed to this article.
