Summit Healthcare – Regional Ambulatory Campus

Project Summary

To expand its market position and better serve rural northeast Arizona, Summit Healthcare partnered with NexCore Group to develop a fully integrated ambulatory campus adjacent to its flagship Regional Medical Center in Show Low, AZ.

The development spans nearly 19 acres and includes:

• A 102,331 SF, three-story Outpatient Pavilion
  
• A 16,213 SF Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC)
  
• A 54,699 SF Administrative Building housing Summit’s back-office functions and community outreach spaces
  

The initiative consolidated 22 primary and specialty care clinics under one roof—dramatically improving patient experience, clinical efficiency, and provider engagement. NexCore led every aspect of the project: from strategic planning and capital structuring to development, leasing, and long-term asset management.

The Challenge

Despite being the area’s only full-service hospital, Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center (SHRMC) was seeing patients leave the region for care—traveling hours to Phoenix or Flagstaff. Market share was just 67%, and patient retention was hindered by fragmented services spread across multiple locations.

Summit faced a multi-dimensional challenge:

• Capture Outmigration: Retain patients seeking outpatient care in urban markets
  
• Centralize Services: Improve clinical access, coordination, and experience
  
• Support Financial Sustainability: Grow outpatient revenue and lower cost per encounter
  
• Accelerate Recruitment: Attract top physician talent and offer a full specialist mix
  
• Enhance Operational Efficiency: Create a unified care delivery model tailored to community needs
  

Summit lacked the internal development infrastructure to execute this transformation—calling for a partner with deep healthcare development expertise.

NexCore’s Solution

NexCore delivered a comprehensive ambulatory campus solution, built on strategic planning, data-driven design, and operational alignment. Key components included:

1. Evidence-Based Design

• Conducted national benchmarking of leading outpatient environments
  
• Led Lean Design workshops with providers and administrators
  
• Built full-scale 10,000 SF life-size mockups of exam rooms, pods, and workflows to test and refine every spatial decision
  
• Executed time-motion studies and patient check-in simulations to optimize throughput and staffing
  

2. Efficient Programming & Layout

• Consolidated 22 clinics into a universal pod platform, enabling shared staffing, improved scheduling, and reduced costs
  
• Designed to accommodate 14 additional providers with adjusted block scheduling
  
• Reduced overall footprint from initial estimates, improving capital efficiency while increasing capacity
  

3. Financial Strategy & Delivery

• Structured flexible, cost-effective leasing options
  
• Guaranteed project budget, tenant improvements, and terms of occupancy
  
• Delivered the project on time and within budget, opening in Summer 2019
  

4. Community-Centered Integration

• Engaged the public in design feedback, especially on landscaping and visual integration with the mountain setting
  
• Seamlessly connected the new East Campus to SHRMC via internal and external circulation planning
  

Results

The Regional Ambulatory Campus has had a transformative impact on the region:

• Market Share Growth: Jumped from 67% to 85%, reversing patient outmigration
  
• Patient Volume Surge: Outpatient visits increased from 180,000 in 2018 to over 240,000
  
• Recruitment Success: Provider count grew from 65 to 125—completing Summit’s 5-year recruitment plan during construction
  
• Cost & Efficiency Gains:
  
  • 14% improvement in MA utilization
    
    
  • 10% reduction in cost per encounter (per MGMA benchmarking)
    
    
• Staffing & Workflow: Shared staffing and a modular design improved training, efficiency, and scalability
  
• Patient Satisfaction: Self-rooming, on-site imaging, and pharmacy access significantly improved experience and speed of care
  

A Scalable, Sustainable Platform for Rural Care

The Summit Healthcare Ambulatory Campus showcases NexCore’s ability to deliver future-ready, integrated care environments that expand access, improve efficiency, and support long-term provider success.

In a rural market where distance often determines care, this campus keeps high-quality healthcare close to home—while positioning Summit as a provider of choice for generations to come.