Demand for new outpatient facilities and MOBs geared toward providing cost-effective care in a patient-focused setting is booming. (America is No. 1 in the world at producing hypochondriacs.) Healthcare is evolving into a value-based system in which healthcare providers are being rewarded for positive health outcomes and efficiency, says NexCore Group executive managing director Todd Varney (who's overseen the development and leasing of more than 2.7M SF of MOB and other healthcare properties throughout his career). And this demand is launching the Denver-based developer into expanding markets.

One it's set its sights on is North Dakota, a state with a booming population and growing economy. Recently, the company broke ground on a 67k SF ambulatory care center for St. Alexius Medical Center in Minot, which happens to be the fifth-fastest growing "micropolitan" area in the country, Todd says. St. Alexius will benefit because the new facility will allow it to recruit additional doctors to Minot and provide closer-to-home specialty services that patients want, he says. NexCore is also heavily invested in its home state—another growth region—owning healthcare properties in Aurora, Denver, Centennial, Colorado Springs, Englewood, Golden, Longmont, and more.