Dive Brief:
- Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States paid $14.1 million for a 60,000-square-foot building in Ashburn, Va., expanding its footprint in populous Northern Virginia region just outside of Washington, D.C., the Washington Business Journal reported.
- The plan is to expand an existing medical facility that occupied half of the building, increasing access to more patients. Details of Kaiser’s plans for the space were not disclosed.
- The purchase follows other expansions in the region this year. In January, Kaiser announced the lease of a 40,000-square-foot space in Arlington near Reagan National Airport. The company also announced plans to open a 176,000-square-foot administrative and IT center in New Carrollton, Md.
Dive Insight:
Northern Virginia has a very competitive healthcare market, and the Ashburn expansion should boost its game in the region. Fairfax, Va-.based Inova Health System, another heavyweight in the region, opened a new facility in Ashburn in 2015 with ambulatory care, diagnostic services and an emergency room. And it is spending $275 million to expand the 183-bed Inova Loudon Hospital.
Kaiser is affiliated with 11 hospitals in the Washington metropolitan area, three of them in Northern Virginia.
Gains in insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act have helped to spur job growth in healthcare, though uncertainties about House and Senate ACA replacement bills — both of which could cause millions to lose their health insurance — could dampen that growth if uncompensated care rises.
Parent Kaiser Permanente racked up $18.1 billion in revenue in the 2017 first quarter, giving the Oakland, Calif.-based health system a $1 billion operating gain.