When you take into account construction across North Texas, at places like Baylor Health Care System, Texas Health Resources, John Peter Smith and Cook Children’s — the billions begin to add up fast, according to an article on the Kera News website.

The healthcare building trend is national, but spending in Texas stands out. The population boom and aging baby boomers, combined with low building costs and competition are credited with the activity.

All the healthcare players are trying to capture the flag in new territories, according to Richard Kurz, dean of the School of Public Health at UNT’s Health Science Center.

“The hospital systems have figured out that you’ve got to be first in the market,” he said.

“As a result of the Affordable Care Act, there’s a lot more emphasis on linking payment to providers to measures of patient safety and patient satisfaction,” said analyst Alan Baumgarten. Hence the single rooms that look like spas, and latest cleaning technology.

Read the article.