Healthcare Real Estate Week Ahead January 25, 2026

This coming week has 3 forces that can move healthcare real estate conversations fast, even if there are not a lot of property closings in the headlines. The Fed meets midweek. Medicare telehealth rules hit a major timing marker at the end of the week. And there is a Washington funding deadline that could inject noise into markets at the same time lenders and buyers are trying to get Q1 momentum fully set.

The Federal Reserve meeting on January 27 and January 28 is the big macro event. Most expectations point to no policy change, but the press conference and tone matter because lenders and buyers price risk off direction, not just the rate itself. If the message comes across as steady and patient, credit conversations usually loosen at the margins and deal math gets a little easier. If the message sounds more concerned about inflation, expect underwriting to stay tight and timelines to stretch. 

At the same time, the end of the week carries a healthcare specific deadline that operators are actively planning around. CMS has been clear that broad Medicare telehealth flexibility runs through January 30, 2026, with changes starting January 31 for many non behavioral services, including where the patient must be located for telehealth in many cases. That does not erase demand for real estate. It changes workflow. It changes scheduling density. It can also change whether some groups lean toward smaller access points versus fewer larger hubs. This week you will hear more operators and investors asking what this means for visit mix and space needs, especially in outpatient models that leaned heavily virtual. 

There is also a political deadline that markets are watching. Reporting on the week ahead flagged a Friday deadline tied to avoiding a federal shutdown. When those headlines heat up, they can temporarily rattle sentiment and distract decision makers, even if the long term impact on healthcare property fundamentals is limited. In practice, what matters is whether it slows lenders and committees for a few days at the exact moment many groups are trying to move deals from discussion into action. 

Finally, keep an eye on public market positioning as earnings season approaches. Welltower has already set its Q4 2025 earnings release for February 10, 2026, and Healthpeak has set its release for February 2, 2026. You will see more investor conversations and portfolio positioning in the background this week as people anticipate what guidance will look like. That can influence risk appetite and pricing tone across senior housing and outpatient heavy portfolios. 

The big picture for the healthcare real estate week ahead is that this is a tone setting week. If the Fed messaging is calm, shutdown noise fades, and operators feel ready for the telehealth shift, you usually see a cleaner push into tours, letters of intent, and financing conversations right after. If any of those gets noisy, activity does not stop, but it gets more selective.

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