NATIONAL HARBOR, MD / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 / The new year is shaping up to be an active one around the nation’s capital as shifting patient preferences, favorable economics for outpatient care, and changing policy dynamics, the firm forecasts robust demand, rising valuations, and accelerated redevelopment of suburban and infill assets for medical uses.
“As healthcare delivery shifts toward convenience, prevention and experience, medical office real estate is becoming one of the most resilient and attractive property types in the market,” said Peter G. Papantoniou, Principal at Gittleson Zuppas Medical Realty, the leasing broker for Medical Pavilion I & II at National Harbor. “Healthcare systems and medical practices who position clinics, outpatient surgical centers and wellness offerings inside mixed-use, transit-connected settings will capture outsized returns and stronger patient loyalty.”
A premier medical office on the mixed-use waterfront outside Washington, D.C., Medical Pavilion I & II offers flexible, tech-enabled spaces that accommodate, both, ambulatory and non-ambulatory services for a variety of specialties while providing patients with seamless access to comprehensive care.
Key trends & predictions for 2026
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‘Live, Work, Play, Health’ is the new locational formula. Patients increasingly seek healthcare in convenient, integrated settings. Practices that embed primary care, specialty clinics, diagnostics and wellness services within mixed-use developments will benefit from walkable foot traffic, longer dwell times and cross-referral opportunities with retail, F&B and residential components.
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Outpatient surgical centers (ASCs) will grow faster than traditional inpatient volume. With advances in minimally invasive procedures, favorable payer economics and lower capital intensity compared with hospital expansions, ASCs are delivering higher return on invested capital and shorter development timelines for owners and operators.
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Location remains king – but the definition is evolving. The most investible MOB assets will be those with: proximity to reliable public and regional transportation; located in or near population growth corridors or communities with aging demographics; and close to hospitals, imaging centers and specialty providers that can refer cases. Accessibility and visibility are as important as clinical adjacency.
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Policy headwinds for telehealth will re-shape demand. As temporary telehealth reimbursement flexibilities sunset and payers recalibrate reimbursement, in-person services – particularly for diagnostics, procedures and complex chronic care management – will regain prominence. This policy normalization will increase the value of high-quality brick-and-mortar clinical space.
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Adaptive reuse and retrofit are mainstream strategies. With a constrained new-development pipeline in many MSAs, converting underutilized retail, office and even light industrial space into contemporary MOBs will be a cost-effective way to rapidly capture demand while mitigating entitlement timelines.
Design & investment implications
Rethink Healthcare Real Estate, which owns Medical Pavillion I & II at National Harbor, maintains a strong position in the market going into the new year.
“Healthcare real estate is projected to be a top asset class over the near- and long-terms, especially in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area, which is seeing its population grow – and age – more rapidly than most big cities,” said Malika Basheer, Senior Vice President, Director of Asset Management for Rethink. “The investment community has taken note of these trends and made some major moves in the region, while National Harbor has its own economic drivers.”
Last month, Prince George’s County Planning Board advanced a $720M plan to build 1,010 market-rate multifamily units and 485 affordable senior apartments along with 33,698 square feet of retail space and 1,350 square feet of office space near the Medical Pavillion.
According to Papantoniou, the development could further spur the need for premium medical space in the area. Taking a site-first, patient-centric approach, new or expanding medical practices will be attracted to certain strategies, he added, including:
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Flexible designs: modular clinic footprints, standardized surgical shells, and plug-and-play diagnostic suites reduce downtime between leases and allow tenant mix to evolve.
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Patient experience: easy wayfinding, integrated digital check-in, on-site wellness amenities and campus-wide wayfinding increase retention and referral potential.
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Potential partnerships: shared imaging, lab services and centralized sterile processing can lower operating costs for multiple tenants and create economies of scale.
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Optimal accessibility: clear pedestrian routes, bicycle access, and transit connections increase catchment and staff recruitment success.
“Medical office product that delivers convenience, integrated services and superior patient experience will be sought after throughout the Washington, D.C, Metro Area,” Papantoniou said. “Assets that are transit-ready, located near referral networks, and designed to support ASCs and high-margin outpatient specialties will likely produce the lowest vacancies.”
For more information or to schedule a walk-through, contact Papantoniou at peter@gzrealty.net or Winston Williams at winston@gzrealty.net.
About Medical Pavilion I & II at National Harbor:
Located on the iconic waterfront of Maryland, Medical Pavilion I & II at National Harbor is a class-A 190,000-square-foot outpatient medical campus situated in a premier mixed-use location just eight miles from downtown Washington, D.C. It includes the University of Maryland Medical System and Adventist HealthCare, offering an unrivaled platform for healthcare providers to grow their practice and the highest quality patient experience anywhere in Prince George’s County.
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SOURCE: Rethink Healthcare Real Estate
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
