Edward Aldag, Jr., chairman, president and CEO of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPW), joined Nareit for a video interview at Nareit’s CEO Forum & Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.
During 2017, acquisitions contributed to 33 percent growth in assets year-over-year for Medical Properties Trust.
Aldag explained that the REIT has had a similar pace of growth for the last five or six years, adding that “tremendous opportunities” continue to exist in the United States and Europe.
Looking ahead, Aldag said 2018 will be somewhat different due to capital market disruptions.
“When we pull in some additional joint venture money and recycle some assets, we’ll probably do as much from an acquisitions standpoint as we’ve done in the previous years, but on a net basis it won’t be quite the amount of growth that we’ve had,” Aldag said.
Aldag also commented on the role of hospitals in the U.S. health care system’s transition to value-based care. “Going forward, hospitals will be at the forefront of value-based (care), it’s always been their mindset,” he said.
Meanwhile, this year’s flu season has led to an increased number of hospital admissions, Aldag said. He added that it should lead to an increase in revenue and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).