Real estate value in the mental healthcare sector

Recent legislative changes have created for healthcare providers the freedom and the associated opportunities and risks across their portfolio. These changes transformed real estate into a strategic asset for healthcare providers, including in the mental healthcare sector (GGZ).

What is the current situation regarding real estate within the Dutch mental healthcare? How substantial are the interests and are they identified and utilized fully? Answers to these questions can be found in the research entitledSturen op toegevoegde waarde in Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg (GGZ) (in Dutch) by Merijn Wetzels (MRE). Dirk Brounen (TIAS) discusses the main findings in a brief video interview.             

Real estate is an immovable asset with long maturities and often represents a high value on the balance sheet. In addition, it is often the second highest expense of an organization. Real estate thus has a high impact on the economic performance of an organization and needs to be, if only for these reasons, adequately addressed in the strategic management process. Real estate can, as a strategic asset, provide a significant boost to the profitability, productivity and the distinctive character of an organization.

Managing the added value of real estate as a strategic asset is part of Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM). However, very little is known about how mental healthcare institutions are managing their real estate as an asset following the introduction of the Care Institutions (Accreditation) Act. The objective of this study is to research how mental healthcare institutions are managing the added value of their real estate as a strategic asset and, where possible, to generate improvement proposals for the professionalization of CREM in the mental healthcare sector.

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Sturen op toegevoegde waarde in Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg (GGZ), Merijn Wetzels (2015, in Dutch)