- What is the difference between healthcare real estate and a medical office building?
- Medical Office Building (MOB) is a sub-category of healthcare real estate — multi-tenant outpatient buildings often near hospital campuses. Broader healthcare real estate includes ASCs (ambulatory surgery centers), urgent care, dialysis centers, behavioral health, telemedicine sites, and specialty diagnostic facilities. Senior living is typically tracked separately under VTR + WELL portfolios. Hospitals + inpatient facilities are again separate (MPW concentration). Healthcare Realty Trust (HR) is the only pure-play MOB REIT; DOC, VTR, WELL hold blended exposure.
- What is Stark Law and why does it matter for healthcare leases?
- Stark Law (Section 1877 of the Social Security Act) prohibits a physician from referring Medicare patients for designated health services to an entity with which the physician (or immediate family) has a financial relationship — including a real-estate lease. Healthcare leases must qualify under a Stark exception: written, signed, fixed-term ≥1 year, fair-market-value rent, commercial reasonable. Failure invalidates the lease + triggers triple damages + False Claims Act exposure. Ilora.ai flags every healthcare lease for Stark exception compliance documentation.
- Which REITs own healthcare real estate?
- The dominant public healthcare REITs: Healthpeak Properties (DOC, ~700 properties post-Physicians Realty merger), Healthcare Realty Trust (HR, ~700 MOB-focused), Ventas (VTR, diversified senior + MOB + life science), Welltower (WELL, senior housing + outpatient medical), Medical Properties Trust (MPW, hospital sale-leasebacks — currently distressed). Smaller pure-play: Global Medical REIT (GMRE). Alexandria Real Estate (ARE) is adjacent via life science. Sabra (SBRA) + Omega Healthcare (OHI) + CareTrust (CTRE) focus on skilled nursing + senior, not outpatient.