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Navigating the Tension Between Medicine, Real Estate And the People Who Pay For It All

In what has been a transformative year for healthcare, more than 250 national leaders in the sector just came together in person at the GlobeSt. Healthcare Real Estate conference in Scottsdale, AZ.

And while many of the sessions drilled down into the opportunities to be had in this asset class, at least one discussed the tensions that can exist between the practice of medicine and the realities of paying for it.

According to Angie Weber, a first VP at CBRE, healthcare has two speeds… Slow and slowest. “Covid added a new one…slowest. You have the physicians who want what they want and you have the finance folks where a plan needs to be in place before anything gets done. Who will come out on top depends on the system and the state.”

Jon Boyajian, a principal at Echo Real Estate Capital, says there is also an arm wrestle in the hospital between the operations group and the finance group. “Their capital and expansion plans really got turned on its head during Covid,” he said. “The finance folks want to move all the family practice and provider groups into buildings they already own, and the operations people are saying, ‘no wait, those buildings are well located and are great amenities etc….why would you move these practices.’”

As for what the future holds for these spaces, Weber said that she believes the systems will start to utilize their space within the four walls of their hospital differently than they have been.

“What Covid showed is that they cannot afford to not do surgeries because of other patients being too ill, said Weber. “I think we will start to see that over the next five to 10 years, they will take things out of the mother ship and put it nearby. You will see different utilization for space within the walls of the hospital because they don’t have a choice. They do have to make money and oftentimes, elective surgeries is how they do that. The behavioral health side is also going to be more of a trend in a big way for sure.”

Switching gears, when discussing flexibility of healthcare space, Boyajian said that every doctor his company has spoken with would prefer larger exam rooms for people to spread out. They also said they would want larger or multiple break rooms for provider and staff and admins to spread out.

“The footprint will increase in the future because they want and need to spread out,” said Boyajian.

Weber added: “You have two things right now…you have the physicians and the ones who own them.  There has been a real tug over the last years over what physicians want and the reality. I think Covid will increase the size of a lot of space, but I also think it will be a reevaluation of how they do things. All of these changes and even putting as many flags in as many places as possible takes resources and dollars and it isn’t just systems. There is a lot of VC money that has come into healthcare. They are going big and all over whether it is 3,000 square feet of space or 15,000 square feet of space and they are planting flags in spots like fertility groups, oncology groups and more. On the systems side, some have more financial wherewithal than others.”

Boyajian added that private equity companies don’t just make an investment and sit on it.

“They make an investment and want to see growth, said Boyajian. “The good part about it is private equity groups when they can partner with nimble development groups, they can roll out more quickly and then the landscape and network is there.”

 

Source: GlobeSt.

IVX Health, National Provider Of Outpatient Infusion Centers, Secures $100 Million Growth Investment To Accelerate New Market Expansion

IVX Health, a national provider of outpatient infusion centers, announcedt the completion of a $100 million Series F minority investment from Great Hill Partners, a private equity firm that invests in high-growth, disruptive companies.

Great Hill joins IVX Health’s existing investors including Linden Structured Capital, McKesson Ventures, Health Velocity Capital, and Nueterra Capital.

IVX Health offers an alternative to hospital-based infusion and injection services, transforming the patient experience by providing a superior level of service in a cost-effective, convenient site of care. Its local centers offer guaranteed private suites, large flat screen TVs, high-speed Wi-Fi, leather recliners with chairs for guests, and flexible, on-demand scheduling, including evening and weekend appointments.

Operating over 50 infusion centers across 16 markets, IVX Health will immediately utilize the funding to accelerate entry into new markets in 2022 and beyond as it seeks to fulfill its vision of becoming the nation’s preferred destination of pharmaceutical care for patients with complex chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, among others.

“Our primary goal has always been to provide world-class service and clinical excellence to the patients we serve,” said Doug Ghertner, CEO of IVX Health. “IVX and Great Hill both see an inflection point in infusion therapy, as the growth in diagnosed autoimmune conditions and trends toward patient choice have aligned with an uptick in innovative new therapies. Many patients are unfortunately still left with few options for receiving this life-changing care, often within a crowded infusion room of a hospital – and that’s where we come in. We are confident that Great Hill’s investment and deep domain expertise will help us address this shortage of care options by enabling IVX to bring our unique clinical model and patient-centered amenities to an even broader universe of patients.”

“IVX Health is disrupting a distinct and rapidly growing healthcare vertical – biologic infusion and injection therapy – in unique ways that are driving tangible efficiencies for the U.S. healthcare system as a whole,” said Mark Taber, a Managing Director at Great Hill Partners. “We are excited to play a strategic, supporting role in fueling IVX Health’s next phase of growth as it enters new markets and collaborates with other providers in the healthcare ecosystem to drive value while continuing to redefine the care experience for its patients and referring providers.”

In connection with the investment, Taber will join IVX Health’s Board of Directors. Taber brings decades of executive healthcare experience from his time as Managing Director at Great Hill and as a board member of various portfolio companies.

In addition to IVX Health, Great Hill’s portfolio of healthcare companies includes: RxBenefits, Quantum Health, Labor First, ParetoHealth, and Vatica Health. The announcement deepens Great Hill’s experience partnering with innovative healthcare companies to help them pursue their full potential, which includes the recently-sold company, PartsSource, a leading provider of medical parts and supplies procurement solutions for hospitals, outpatient clinics, and physician offices.

IVX Health’s capital raise builds on what has already been a banner year for the company, as it has achieved record milestones for opening new centers, caring for new patients, and entering new states. IVX Health was also named to the prestigious Modern Healthcare Best Places to Work list for a third consecutive year. The organization continues to maintain an industry-leading 97 Net Promoter Score from its patient population.

Evercore served as financial advisor to IVX Health and TripleTree, LLC served as financial advisor to Great Hill.

About IVX Health

IVX Health is a national provider of infusion and injection therapy for those with complex chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and other conditions.

IVX Health’s national footprint of outpatient infusion centers are conveniently located in the communities where patients live and work. IVX Health’s experience-first model includes amenities such as flexible appointment scheduling with evening and weekend availability, guaranteed private suites, high-speed Wi-Fi, flat screen TVs with streaming TV and movies, and comfortable recliners with room for guests. For more information on IVX Health and its existing locations, visit www.ivxhealth.com.

About Great Hill Partners

Great Hill Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm targeting investments of $25 million to $500 million in high-growth companies across the software, digital commerce, financial technology, healthcare, and digital infrastructure sectors. Over the past two decades, Great Hill has raised nearly $8 billion of commitments and invested in more than 75 companies, establishing an extensive track record of building long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs and providing flexible resources to help middle-market companies scale. For more information, including a list of all Great Hill investments, visit www.greathillpartners.com.

 

Source: businesswire