MEDICAL PROPERTIES TRUST INC - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

or

☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission file number 001-32559

Commission file number 333-177186

Medical Properties Trust, Inc.

MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(205) 969-3755

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Medical Properties Trust, Inc.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐                MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Medical Properties Trust, Inc.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒                MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Medical Properties Trust, Inc.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐                 MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Medical Properties Trust, Inc.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐                MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Medical Properties Trust, Inc.

MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbans-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.   ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in 12b-2 of the Act).

Medical Properties Trust, Inc.    Yes  ☐        No  ☒                MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the 523.8 million shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), held by non-affiliates of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. was $9.8 billion based upon the last reported sale price of $18.80 on the New York Stock Exchange on that date. For purposes of the foregoing calculation only, all directors and executive officers of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. have been deemed affiliates.

As of February 19, 2021, 580.0 million shares of Common Stock were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 26, 2021 are incorporated by reference into Items 10 through 14 of Part III, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This report combines the Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, of Medical Properties Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation, and MPT Operating Partnership, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, through which Medical Properties Trust, Inc. conducts substantially all of its operations. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this report to “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company,” “Medical Properties,” “MPT,” or the “company” refer to Medical Properties Trust, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries, including MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references to “operating partnership” or “the operating partnership” refer to MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. together with its consolidated subsidiaries.

On November 19, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted amendments to Regulation S-K Items 301, 302, and 303, which became effective on February 10, 2021. Although mandatory compliance is not required until our fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, early adoption is permitted, and we have elected to early adopt amended Regulation S-K Items 301, 302, and 303 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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A WARNING ABOUT FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

We make forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans, and objectives. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, are forward-looking by their nature:

Forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of our future performance, taking into account information currently available to us. These beliefs, assumptions, and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider these risks before you make an investment decision with respect to our common stock and other securities, along with, among others, the following factors that could cause actual results to vary from our forward-looking statements:

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When we use the words “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “potential,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “will,” “could,” “intend,” or similar expressions, we are identifying forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we disclaim any obligation to update such statements or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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PART I

Overview

We are a self-advised real estate investment trust (“REIT”) formed in 2003 to acquire and develop net-leased healthcare facilities. We currently have investments in approximately 430 facilities and approximately 43,000 licensed beds in 33 states in the U.S., in six countries in Europe, across Australia, and in Colombia in South America. We have operated as a REIT since April 6, 2004, and accordingly, elected REIT status upon the filing of our calendar year 2004 federal income tax return. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. was incorporated under Maryland law on August 27, 2003, and MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. was formed under Delaware law on September 10, 2003. We conduct substantially all of our business through MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.

We acquire and develop healthcare facilities and lease the facilities to healthcare operating companies under long-term net leases, which require the tenant to bear most of the costs associated with the property. We also make mortgage loans to healthcare operators collateralized by their real estate assets. In addition, we selectively make loans to certain of our operators through our taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”), the proceeds of which are typically used for acquisition and working capital. Finally, from time-to-time, we acquire a profits or other equity interest in our tenants that gives us a right to share in such tenant’s profits and losses. Our business model facilitates acquisitions and recapitalization, and allows operators of healthcare facilities to unlock the value of their real estate assets to fund facility improvements, technology upgrades, and other investments in operations.

Our investments in healthcare real estate, other loans, and any equity investments in our tenants are considered a single reportable segment as further discussed in Note 1 of Item 8 in Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

At December 31, 2020 and 2019, our total assets were made up of the following (dollars in thousands):

Revenues

The following is a breakdown of our revenue for the years ended December 31 (dollars in thousands):

See “Overview” in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of transaction activity for 2020, 2019, and 2018. More information is available at www.medicalpropertiestrust.com.

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Portfolio of Properties

As of February 19, 2021, our portfolio consisted of 430 properties: 404 facilities are leased to 47 tenants, two are under development, five are in the form of mortgage loans to three operators, and 19 properties, representing less than 1% of total pro forma gross assets, are not currently leased to a tenant, as discussed in Note 3 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Of our portfolio of properties, 99 facilities are owned by way of our five unconsolidated real estate joint venture arrangements in which we share control with our joint venture partners. Our facilities consist of 202 general acute care hospitals, 112 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals (“IRFs”), 20 long-term acute care hospitals (“LTACHs”), 51 freestanding ER/urgent care facilities (“FSERs”), and 45 behavioral health facilities.

Outlook and Strategy

Our strategy is to lease the facilities that we acquire or develop to experienced healthcare operators pursuant to long-term net leases. Alternatively, we have selectively structured certain of our investments as long-term, interest-only mortgage loans to healthcare operators. Our mortgage loans are structured such that we obtain annual cash returns similar to our net leases. In addition, we have obtained and may continue to obtain profits or other interests in certain of our tenants’ operations in order to enhance our overall return.

The market for healthcare real estate is extensive and includes real estate owned by a variety of healthcare operators. For example, there are 5,198 community hospitals (according to the American Hospital Association) and an estimated $500-$750 billion of operator-owned hospital real estate in the U.S. alone. We focus on acquiring and developing those net-leased facilities that are specifically designed to reflect the latest trends in healthcare delivery methods and that focus on the most critical components of healthcare. We typically invest in facilities that have the highest intensity of care including:

On a property type basis, our total pro forma gross assets at December 31, 2020 and total adjusted revenues for the 2020 year are as follows:

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Diversification

A fundamental component of our business plan is the continued diversification of our portfolio. We monitor diversification in several ways, including concentration in any one facility, our tenant relationships, the types of hospitals we own, and the geographic areas in which we invest.

At December 31, 2020, no single property accounted for more than 4% of our total assets (or 3% of our total pro forma gross assets), similar to the prior year. From a tenant relationship perspective, see section titled “Significant Tenants” below for detail. See sections titled “Portfolio of Properties” and “Outlook and Strategy” above for information on the diversification of our hospital types. From a geographical perspective, we have investments across the U.S., and in Europe, Australia, and South America. See below for investment and revenue concentration in the U.S. and our global concentration at December 31, 2020:

Underwriting/Asset Management

Our revenue is derived from rents we earn pursuant to the lease agreements with our tenants, from interest income from loans to our tenants and other facility owners, and from profits or equity interests in certain of our tenants’ operations. Our tenants operate in the healthcare industry, generally providing medical, surgical, rehabilitative, and behavioral health care to patients. The capacity of our tenants to pay our rents and interest is dependent upon their ability to conduct their operations at profitable levels. We believe that the business environment of the industry segments in which our tenants operate is generally positive for efficient operators. However, our tenants’ operations are subject to economic, regulatory, healthcare, and market conditions that may affect their profitability, which could impact our results. Accordingly, we monitor certain key performance indicators that we believe provides us with early indications of conditions that could affect the level of risk in our portfolio.

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Key factors that we consider in underwriting prospective tenants and in our ongoing monitoring of our tenants’ (and guarantors’) performance include the following:

In addition to the key factors above, we analyze the physician relationships with the hospital and study admissions to understand how broad such referrals are to the hospital. Finally, we always address two primary questions when underwriting an investment – 1) is this hospital truly needed in the market and 2) would the community suffer were the hospital not there. We believe answers to these two questions provide significant insight on whether or not to move forward with a particular investment.

Healthcare Industry

The delivery of healthcare services, whether in the U.S. or elsewhere, requires real estate. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has further validated this, as hospitals during the pandemic have proven invaluable. As a consequence, healthcare providers depend on real estate to maintain and grow their businesses. We believe that the healthcare real estate market provides investment opportunities due to the:

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As noted previously, we have investments in nine different countries around the world and across four continents. Although there are regulatory, cultural, and other differences between these countries, the importance of healthcare and its impact on the economy is a consistent theme. See below for details of the healthcare industry in each of the countries in which we do business:

United States

United Kingdom

Germany

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Switzerland

Australia

Spain

Italy

Portugal

Colombia

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Our Leases and Loans

The leases for our facilities are generally “net” leases with terms requiring the tenant to pay all ongoing operating and maintenance expenses of the facility, including property, casualty, general liability, and other insurance coverages, utilities, and other charges incurred in the operation of the facilities, as well as real estate and certain other taxes, ground lease rent (if any), and the costs of capital expenditures, repairs, and maintenance (including any repairs mandated by regulatory requirements). Similarly, borrowers under our mortgage loan arrangements retain the responsibilities of ownership, including physical maintenance and improvements and all costs and expenses. Our leases and loans typically require our tenants to indemnify us for any past or future environmental liabilities. Our current leases and loans have a weighted-average remaining initial term of 15.5 years (see Item 2 for more information on remaining lease and loan terms) and most include renewal options at the election of our tenants. Based on current monthly revenue, approximately 99% of our leases and mortgage loans provide for some type of inflation-protected annual rent or interest escalations based on increases in the consumer price index (“CPI”), or similar indexes for properties outside the U.S., and/or fixed minimum annual rent or interest escalations ranging from 0.5% to 3.0%.

RIDEA and Similar Investments

We have made, and may make in the future, investments in certain of our tenants in the form of equity investments, loans (with equity like returns), or profit interests. Some of these investments fall under a structure permitted by the REIT Investment Diversification and Empowerment Act of 2007 (“RIDEA”), which was signed into law under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Under the provisions of RIDEA, a REIT may lease “qualified health care properties” on an arm’s length basis to a TRS if the property is operated by an entity who qualifies as an “eligible independent contractor.” We view RIDEA as a structure primarily to be used on properties that present attractive valuation entry points. At December 31, 2020, our RIDEA and similarly structured investments totaled approximately $171.4 million.

Significant Tenants

On a total pro forma gross asset basis, as more fully described in the section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our top five tenants were as follows (dollars in thousands):

Total Pro Forma Gross Assets by Operator

Steward

Affiliates of Steward Health Care System LLC (collectively, “Steward”) lease 36 facilities pursuant to one master lease agreement, which had an initial 15-year term (ending in October 2031) with three five-year extension options, plus annual inflation-based escalators. At December 31, 2020, these facilities had an average remaining initial lease term of 10.8 years. The master lease agreement includes extension options that must include all or none of the master leased properties and a right of first refusal for the repurchase of the leased properties. In addition to the master lease, we hold a promissory note which consists of three tranches with varying terms and a 9.9% equity investment in Steward.

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Circle

Affiliates of Circle Health Ltd. (collectively, “Circle”) lease 36 facilities pursuant to separate lease agreements. Of these leases, 30 are cross-defaulted individual leases guaranteed by Circle and have initial fixed terms ending in 2050, with two five-year extension options plus annual inflation-based escalators. The remaining six facilities are leased pursuant to five separate leases with a weighted-average remaining lease life of 13.9 years along with annual inflation-based escalators and extension options.

Prospect

Affiliates of Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc. (collectively, “Prospect”) lease 13 facilities pursuant to two master lease agreements. Both master leases had initial fixed terms of 15 years (ending in August 2034) and contain three extension options plus annual inflation-based escalators. In addition to these master leases, we hold a mortgage loan secured by a first mortgage on an acute care hospital and a term loan, which we expect will be converted into the acquisition of two additional acute care hospitals upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. The master leases, mortgage loan, and term loan are all cross-defaulted and cross-collateralized.

Priory

On December 30, 2020, we entered into definitive agreements to acquire 35 to 40 behavioral health facilities owned and operated by Priory Group (“Priory”) for approximately £800 million, as more fully described in Note 8 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The facilities we acquire will be subject to a master lease type structure with an initial term of 25 years and two 10-year extension options, with annual inflation-based escalators.

MEDIAN

Affiliates of Median Kliniken S.á.r.l. (“MEDIAN”) lease 78 facilities (70 of which are owned by a joint venture arrangement – see Note 3 of Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information) pursuant to four master lease agreements and one stand-alone lease. None of the master lease agreements have renewal or repurchase options. The master leases provide for inflation-based escalators. The lease term for all the master leases ends in 2040 or later.

No other tenant accounted for more than 6% of our total pro forma gross assets at December 31, 2020.

Environmental Matters

Under various U.S. federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations and similar international laws, a current or previous owner, operator, or tenant of real estate may be required to remediate hazardous or toxic substance releases or threats of releases. There may also be certain obligations and liabilities on property owners with respect to asbestos containing materials. Investigation, remediation, and monitoring costs may be substantial. The confirmed presence of contamination or the failure to properly remediate contamination on a property may adversely affect our ability to sell or rent that property or to borrow funds using such property as collateral and may adversely impact our investment in that property. Generally, prior to completing any acquisition or closing any mortgage loan, we obtain Phase I environmental assessments (or similar studies outside the U.S.) in order to attempt to identify potential environmental concerns at the facilities. These assessments are carried out in accordance with an appropriate level of due diligence and generally include a physical site inspection, a review of relevant environmental and health agency database records, one or more interviews with appropriate site-related personnel, review of the property’s chain of title, and review of historic aerial photographs and other information on past uses of the property. We may also conduct limited subsurface investigations and test for substances of concern where the results of the Phase I environmental assessments or other information indicates possible contamination or where our consultants recommend such procedures. Upon closing and for the remainder of the lease or loan term, our transaction documents require our tenants to repair and remediate environmental issues at the applicable facility, and to comply in full with all environmental laws and regulations.

Seismic Standards

California Seismic Standards

The Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983 (“Alquist Act”), establishes, under the jurisdiction of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (“OSHPD”), a program of seismic safety building standards for certain hospitals constructed on and after March 7, 1973. The law requires the California Building Standards Commission to adopt earthquake performance categories, seismic evaluation procedures, standards and timeframes for upgrading certain facilities, and seismic retrofit building standards. This legislation was adopted to avoid the loss of life and the disruption of operations and the provision of emergency medical services that may result from structural damage sustained to hospitals resulting from an earthquake. A violation of any provision of the act is a misdemeanor.

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Under the Alquist Act and related rules and regulations, all general acute care hospital buildings in California are assigned a structural performance category (“SPC”). SPC ratings range from 1 to 5 with SPC-1 assigned to buildings that may be at risk of collapse during a strong earthquake and SPC 5 assigned to buildings reasonably capable of providing services to the public following a strong earthquake. Pursuant to the Alquist Act, state law initially required all SPC-1 buildings to be removed from providing general acute care services by 2020 and all SPC-2 buildings to be removed from providing general acute care services by 2030. However, in 2017, OSHPD adopted a new performance category that allowed hospitals to explore the possibilities of upgrading nonconforming buildings to a new performance level that is not as rigorous. Under SPC-4D, buildings undergoing a retrofit to this level can continue functioning indefinitely beyond 2030. In addition, California AB 2190 bill required OSHPD to grant an additional extension of time to an owner who was subject to the January 1, 2020, deadline if specified conditions were met. The bill authorized the additional extension to be until July 1, 2022, if the compliance plan was based upon replacement or retrofit or up to five years if the compliance plan was for a rebuild.

As of December 31, 2020, we have 23 licensed hospitals in California totaling investments of approximately $1.4 billion. Exclusive of one hospital granted an OSHPD extension to 2022 (representing less than 0.7% of our total assets), under California AB 2190, all of our California hospitals are seismically compliant through 2030 as determined by OSHPD. We expect full compliance by 2022 for the one remaining hospital.

Colombia Seismic Standards

Similar to California, the design, construction, and technical supervision of buildings in Colombia must meet certain minimum seismic standards. Such standards divide the country into seismic hazard zones: low threat, intermediate threat, and high threat. Two of our facilities are located in Bogotá, an intermediate threat zone, and one is located in Pereira, a high threat zone.

In addition, all buildings are classified into use groups. Clinical hospitals and health centers fall into Group IV, which are deemed indispensable buildings and are held to a higher standard of earthquake resistant construction. Buildings in Group IV are considered essential for the recovery of the community after the occurrence of an emergency, including an earthquake, and the additional structural requirements are in place to ensure that they can remain operational.

As of December 31, 2020, we estimate that our three facilities need approximately $7 million of seismic upgrades to become compliant under Colombian law. The deadline for making such upgrades is December 2021, which we fully expect to meet.

Under our current lease and loan agreements, our tenants (or borrowers) are responsible for capital expenditures in connection with seismic laws. We do not expect California or Colombia seismic standards to have a negative impact on our financial condition or cash flows. We also do not expect compliance with seismic standards to materially impact the financial condition of our tenants.

Competition

We compete in acquiring and developing facilities with financial institutions, other lenders, real estate developers, healthcare operators, other REITs, other public and private real estate companies, and private real estate investors. Among the factors that may adversely affect our ability to compete are the following:

To the extent that we experience vacancies in our facilities, we will also face competition in leasing those facilities to prospective tenants. The actual competition for tenants varies depending on the characteristics of each local market. Virtually all of our facilities operate in highly competitive environments, and patients and referral sources, including physicians, may change their preferences for healthcare facilities from time-to-time. The operators of our properties compete on a local and regional basis with operators of properties that provide comparable services. Operators compete for patients based on a number of factors including quality of care, reputation, physical appearance of a facility, location, services offered, physicians, staff, and price. We also face competition from other healthcare facilities for tenants, such as physicians and other healthcare providers that provide comparable facilities and services.

For additional information, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Insurance

Our leases and mortgage loans require our tenants to maintain several types of insurance, including but not limited to property, business interruption, general liability and professional liability insurance.  In addition, we have a comprehensive insurance program to further protect our interests. At December 31, 2020, we believe that the policy specifications and insured limits are appropriate given the relative risk of loss, the cost of the coverage, and standard industry practice.

Healthcare Regulatory Matters

The following discussion describes certain material federal healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our operations and those of our tenants. The discussion, however, does not address all applicable federal healthcare laws, and does not address state healthcare laws and regulations, except as otherwise indicated. These state laws and regulations, like the federal healthcare laws and regulations, could affect the operations of our tenants and, accordingly, our operations. In addition, in some instances we own a minority interest in our tenants’ operations and, in addition to the effect on our tenant’s ability to meet its financial obligations to us, our ownership and investment returns may also be negatively impacted by such laws and regulations. Moreover, the discussion relating to reimbursement for healthcare services addresses matters that are subject to frequent review and revision by Congress and the agencies responsible for administering federal payment programs. Consequently, predicting future reimbursement trends or changes, along with the potential impact to us, is inherently difficult and imprecise. Finally, though we have not included a comprehensive discussion of applicable foreign laws or regulations, our tenants in Europe, Australia, and South America are subject to similar laws and regulations governing the ownership or operation of healthcare facilities including, without limitation, laws governing patient care and safety, reimbursement, licensure, and data protection.

Ownership and operation of hospitals and other healthcare facilities are subject, directly and indirectly, to substantial U.S. federal, state, and local government healthcare laws, rules, and regulations. Our tenants’ failure to comply with these laws and regulations could adversely affect their ability to meet their obligations to us. Physician investment in our facilities or in real estate joint ventures also will be subject to such laws and regulations. Although we are not a healthcare provider or in a position to influence the referral of patients or ordering of items and services reimbursable by the federal government, to the extent that a healthcare provider engages in transactions with our tenants, such as sublease or other financial arrangements, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law (both discussed in this section), and any state counterparts thereto, could be implicated. Our leases and mortgage loans require our tenants to comply with all applicable laws, including healthcare laws. We intend for all of our business activities and operations to conform in all material respects with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including healthcare laws, rules, and regulations.

As in the U.S. under HIPAA, our tenants in foreign jurisdictions are typically subject to strict laws and regulations governing data protection, generally, and the protection of a patient’s personal health information, specifically. Tenants may also be subject to laws and regulations addressing billing and reimbursement for healthcare items and services. Furthermore, in certain cases, as with certificate of need laws in the U.S., government approval may also be required prior to the transfer of a healthcare facility or prior to the establishment of new or replacement facilities, the addition of beds, the addition or expansion of services, and certain capital expenditures. Our leases and loan documents require our tenants, both domestic and foreign, to comply with all applicable laws, including healthcare laws, and we intend for all our business activities and operations in such jurisdictions to conform in all material respects with all applicable healthcare laws, rules, and regulations.

Applicable Laws (not intended to be a complete list)

Anti-Kickback Statute.  The federal Anti-Kickback Statute (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)) prohibits, among other things, the offer, payment, solicitation, or acceptance of remuneration, directly or indirectly, in return for referring an individual to a provider of items or services for which payment may be made in whole, or in part, under a federal healthcare program, including the Medicare or Medicaid programs. Violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute is a crime, punishable by fines of up to $100,000 per violation, ten years imprisonment, or both. Violations may also result in civil sanctions, including civil monetary penalties of up to $50,000 per violation, exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, and additional monetary penalties in amounts treble to the underlying remuneration. The Anti-Kickback Statute is an intent based statute, and has been broadly interpreted. As an example, courts have held that there is a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute if just one purpose of an arrangement is to generate referrals despite the fact that there may be one or more other lawful purposes to the arrangement at issue.

The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (“OIG”) has issued “Safe Harbor Regulations” that describe practices that will not be considered violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Nonetheless, the fact that a particular arrangement does not meet safe harbor requirements does not also mean that the arrangement violates the Anti-Kickback Statute. Rather, the safe harbor regulations simply provide a guaranty that qualifying arrangements will not be prosecuted under the Anti-Kickback Statute. The OIG recently issued revisions to the Safe Harbor Regulations aimed at reducing barriers to care coordination and allowing for greater flexibility in pursuing value-based care arrangements. Among other things, the revisions include new safe harbor protection for certain arrangements involving value-based care, patient engagement and support, cybersecurity technology and services, and outcomes-based payments. We intend to use commercially reasonable efforts to structure our

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arrangements so as to satisfy, or meet as closely as possible, all safe harbor conditions. We cannot assure you, however, that we will meet all the conditions for an applicable safe harbor.

Physician Self-Referral Statute (“Stark Law”). Unless subject to an exception, the Ethics in Patient Referrals Act of 1989, or the Stark Law (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1395nn) prohibits a physician from making a referral to an “entity” furnishing “designated health services” (which would include, without limitation, certain inpatient and outpatient hospital services) paid by Medicare or Medicaid if the physician or a member of his immediate family has a “financial relationship” with that entity. A reciprocal prohibition bars the entity from billing Medicare or Medicaid for any services furnished pursuant to a prohibited referral. Sanctions for violating the Stark Law include denial of payment, refunding amounts received for services provided pursuant to prohibited referrals, civil monetary penalties of up to $15,000 per prohibited service provided, and exclusion from the participation in federal healthcare programs. The statute also provides for a penalty of up to $100,000 for a circumvention scheme.

There are exceptions to the self-referral prohibition for many of the customary financial arrangements between physicians and providers, including, without limitation, employment contracts, rental of office space or equipment, personal services agreements and recruitment agreements. Unlike safe harbors under the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law imposes strict liability on the parties to an arrangement, and an arrangement must comply with every requirement of a Stark Law exception or the arrangement is in violation of the Stark Law.

CMS has issued multiple phases of final regulations implementing the Stark Law and continues to make changes to these regulations. For example, consistent with the OIG’s safe harbor revisions noted above, CMS recently adopted new exceptions for value-based arrangements and finalized protection for certain non-abusive arrangements, such as donations of cybersecurity technology.  These and other proposals continue to focus on lowering barriers to care coordination and management to make it easier for providers to enter into value-based arrangements without running afoul of self-referral (and kickback) laws. Although our lease and loan agreements require lessees and borrowers to comply with the Stark Law and we intend for our tenants to comply with the Stark Law, we cannot offer assurance that the arrangements entered into by us and our facilities will be found to be in compliance with the Stark Law, as it ultimately may be implemented or interpreted. In addition, changes to the Stark Law could require our tenants to restructure certain arrangements with physicians, which could impact the business of our tenants.

False Claims Act.  The federal False Claims Act prohibits the making or presenting of any false claim for payment to the federal government. It is the civil equivalent to federal criminal provisions prohibiting the submission of false claims to federally funded programs. Additionally, qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the federal False Claims Act allow private individuals to bring actions on behalf of the federal government alleging that the defendant has defrauded the federal government. Whistleblowers may collect a portion of the federal government’s recovery — an incentive for private parties to bring such actions. A successful federal False Claims Act case may result in a penalty of three times the actual damages, plus additional civil penalties payable to the government, plus reimbursement of the fees of counsel for the whistleblower. Many states have enacted similar statutes preventing the presentation of a false claim to a state government.

The Civil Monetary Penalties Law.  The Civil Monetary Penalties Law (“CMPL”) is a comprehensive statute that covers an array of fraudulent and abusive activities and is very similar to the False Claims Act. Among other things, the CMPL prohibits the knowing presentation of a claim for certain healthcare services that is false or fraudulent, the presentation of false or misleading information in connection with claims for payment, and other acts involving fraudulent conduct. Violation of the CMPL may result in penalties ranging from $20,000 to in excess of $100,000 (penalties are periodically adjusted). Notably, such penalties apply to each instance of prohibited conduct, including, for example, each item or service not provided as claimed, and each provision of false information or each false record.  In addition, violators of the CMPL may be penalized up to three times the amount unlawfully claimed and may be excluded from participation in federal healthcare programs.

Licensure. Our tenants are subject to extensive federal, state, and local licensure, certification, and inspection laws and regulations including, in some cases, certificate of need laws. Further, various licenses and permits are required to dispense narcotics, operate pharmacies, handle radioactive materials, and operate equipment. Failure to comply with any of these laws could result in loss of licensure, certification, or accreditation, denial of reimbursement, imposition of fines, and suspension or decertification from federal and state healthcare programs.

EMTALA. Our tenants that provide emergency care in the U.S. are subject to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (“EMTALA”). Regardless of an individual’s ability to pay, this federal law requires such healthcare facilities to conduct an appropriate medical screening examination of every individual who presents to the hospital’s emergency room for treatment and, if the individual is suffering from an emergency medical condition, to either stabilize the condition or make an appropriate transfer of the individual to a facility able to handle the condition.  Liability for violations of EMTALA are severe and include, among other things, civil monetary penalties and exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs. Our lease and mortgage loan agreements require our tenants to comply with EMTALA, and we believe our tenants conduct business in substantial compliance with EMTALA.

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Reimbursement Pressures. Healthcare facility operating margins have faced significant pressure due to the deterioration in pricing flexibility and payor mix, a continued shift toward alternative payment models, increases in operating expenses that exceed increases in payments under the Medicare program, reductions in levels of Medicaid funding due to state budget shortfalls, and other similar cost pressures on our tenants. More specifically, certain facilities and departments such as IRFs, LTACHs, and Hospital Outpatient Departments (“HOPDs”) face reimbursement pressures because of legislative and regulatory restrictions and limitations on reimbursement. We cannot predict how and to what extent these or other initiatives will impact the business of our tenants or whether our business will be adversely impacted.

Healthcare Reform. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “ACA”) has expanded health insurance coverage through tax subsidies and federal health insurance programs, individual and employer mandates for health insurance coverage, and health insurance exchanges. A number of reforms stem from the ACA and federal agencies, including CMS, continue to propose and implement policies founded in the ACA.  These include various cost containment initiatives, quality improvement efforts, pay-for-performance criteria, and value-based purchasing programs, among others. Health information technology standards for healthcare providers also continue to be implemented as a means of improving quality and reducing costs. The new presidential administration has indicated that it will maintain and build upon the ACA and has suggested proposals that would include the adoption of a public health insurance option, increasing the value of current tax credits related to insurance premiums, and expanding coverage to low-income individuals. We cannot predict the impact of the new presidential administration’s proposals, if adopted, on our business, as some aspects may benefit the operations of our tenants, while other aspects may present challenges.

COVID-19 Pandemic. The global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, including in countries where we own and lease facilities, has further validated our business model, which focuses on hospitals as the centerpiece of healthcare delivery across the world. Countries have sought to ensure that their populations have access to hospitals during this time and we, along with our operators, have executed on several accretive growth initiatives during 2020 and early 2021 despite the environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, we invested approximately $3.6 billion in hospital real estate, and we have invested another $1.1 billion in 2021. Despite the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many of our tenants to have temporary disruption in their business to save beds for potential COVID-19 patients, we have collected approximately 98% of our expected rent and interest payments for 2020, and we have agreements in place to collect the remaining deferred portions with interest. Since October 1, 2020, we have received all of our rent and interest as expected. Additionally, we have maintained liquidity during the COVID-19 pandemic by raising more than $1.1 billion in proceeds through sales of our common stock in our at-the-market program during 2020 and an underwritten public offering in January 2021, receiving more than $500.0 million from payoffs on our loan portfolio and divestitures, and completing a $1.3 billion, 3.50% senior unsecured notes offering, of which approximately $833 million was used to refinance higher interest-rate debt.

Human Capital

Our employees are our most valuable asset. Led by our three founding executives, we have a total of 106 high-performing employees as of February 19, 2021, located in the U.S., Luxembourg, and Australia. As we continue to grow, we expect our head count to increase as well. However, we do not believe that any year-over-year adjustments to the number of employees will have a material effect on our operations or to general and administrative expense as a percent of revenues. None of our employees are members of any union.

We believe that our relations with our employees are good, and we are committed to providing a dynamic and supportive workplace for our employees that encourages both personal and professional growth through significant training and continuing education opportunities. We offer employees the opportunity to attend continuing education courses in order to maintain their professional certifications, participate in seminars and workshops on topics related to their job responsibilities, and build upon their leadership abilities through management development programs. In addition, we provide regular training for all employees on topics such as personal safety, cybersecurity, and data security awareness, and we have established company-wide human rights, and health and safety policies.

We offer a competitive benefits package including annual performance-based bonuses and stock compensation, a 401(k) plan, leading healthcare and insurance benefits, paid time off, health and wellness reimbursement programs, etc. designed to help recruit and retain high-quality, motivated employees, and to ensure their health and security. We routinely evaluate and benchmark the competitiveness of our compensation and benefit programs to ensure that we are rewarding our employees and supporting their needs. During the majority of 2020, most of our employees worked remotely and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future in order to protect their health and that of their families. For those employees who needed to work in the office from time-to-time, we monitored their symptoms, provided access to personal protective equipment, and established proper social distancing and sanitary procedures.

Given the value placed on our employees and their interests, we believe it is important to improve the communities in which they live. We do this by providing financial support for private and public non-profit programs aimed at improving community public

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health and supporting the diverse interests of our employees. In addition, we encourage each of our employees to get involved in their communities to make a positive difference, and we provide time off to do so.

We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. We forbid discrimination against any person or harassment, intimidation, or hostility of any kind, including on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, sexual or gender identity, age, disability, national origin, military or veteran status, retaliation or any other characteristic or conduct that may be protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. Our hiring process includes a robust search for the best available candidate and having each candidate interview with numerous MPT employees in order to thoroughly vet him or her. The company also retains the services of an experienced independent industrial psychologist to ensure a strong fit exists between the company and the candidate and that the candidate meets the standards for the specific job and the needs of the company. We provide regular training on anti-harassment policies. Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace is demonstrated by the following:

Available Information

Our website address is www.medicalpropertiestrust.com and provides access in the “Investor Relations” section, free of charge, to our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, including exhibits, and all amendments to these reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. We use, and intend to continue to use, the “Investor Relations” section of our website as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and of complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD, including, without limitation, through the posting of investor presentations that may include material nonpublic information. Accordingly, investors should monitor the “Investor Relations” section, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations, and webcasts. Also available on our website, free of charge, are our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the charters of our Ethics, Nominating, and Corporate Governance, Audit and Compensation Committees and our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct. If you are not able to access our website, the information is available in print free of charge to any stockholder who should request the information directly from us at (205) 969-3755. Information on or connected to our website is neither part of nor incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other SEC filings.

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The risks and uncertainties described herein are not the only ones facing us and there may be additional risks that we do not presently know of or that we currently consider not likely to have a significant impact on us. All of these risks could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and our ability to service our debt and make distributions to our stockholders. Some statements in this report including statements in the following risk factors constitute forward-looking statements. Please refer to the section entitled “Cautionary Language Regarding Forward Looking Statements” at the beginning of this Annual Report.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND GROWTH STRATEGY

The ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

The spread of the COVID-19 virus during 2020 and beyond has negatively affected economies around the globe and the healthcare industry has experienced significant volatility, which has adversely affected our tenants’ respective businesses, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. We own hospitals throughout the U.S., as well as in some of the hardest hit countries in Europe, including Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. As the pandemic evolved in 2020, many countries reacted by instituting quarantines and restrictions on travel, closing financial markets and/or restricting trade, including requiring non-critical surgeries and treatments be deferred at hospitals to make beds available for COVID-19 patients. Deferring these treatments resulted in reductions in revenue for our tenant operators, while funding continued for the physicians, nurses, equipment, drugs, and supplies that this particular illness required. Accordingly, many operators in the hospital industry, including our tenants, looked to their cash reserves and/or government support to bridge the disruption in their cash flows.

Although most hospitals are back accepting patients and performing medically necessary elective procedures, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, and the extent of its effect will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration, scope and severity of the pandemic, the actions taken to contain or mitigate its impact (including vaccines), and the direct and indirect economic effects of the pandemic and related containment measures, among others. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present material uncertainty and risk with respect to the performance, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows of our tenant operators, and thus on their continued ability to pay us rent and interest in a timely manner or at all. If our tenant operators are unable to meet their payment obligations to us, our performance, financial condition, and cash flows could be materially adversely effected, along with our ability to grow our portfolio through new investments, service our debt in accordance with our debt agreements, and make quarterly distributions to our shareholders (whether at reduced levels or at all).

Adverse U.S. and global market, economic and political conditions, health crises and other events beyond our control could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Another economic or financial crisis, significant concerns over energy costs, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, or a declining real estate market in the U.S. or abroad can contribute to increased volatility, diminished expectations for the economy and the markets, and high levels of structural unemployment by historical standards. As was the case from 2008 through 2010, these factors, combined with volatile oil prices and fluctuating business and consumer confidence, can precipitate a steep economic decline.

Adverse U.S. and global market, economic and political conditions, including dislocations and volatility in the credit markets and general global economic uncertainty, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition as a result of the following potential consequences, among others:

Public health crises, pandemics and epidemics, such as those caused by new strains of viruses such as H5N1 (avian flu), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and, most recently, COVID-19, could adversely impact our and our tenants’ business by disrupting supply chains and transactional activities, and negatively impacting local, national, or global economies.

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Our revenues are dependent upon our relationships with and success of our tenants, particularly our largest tenants, like Steward, Circle, Prospect, Priory, and MEDIAN.

Our relationships with tenants and their financial performance and resulting ability to satisfy their lease and loan obligations to us are material to our financial results and our ability to service our debt and make distributions to our stockholders. We are dependent upon the ability of these tenants to make rent and loan payments to us, and any failure to meet these obligations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

As of December 31, 2020, our largest tenants – Steward, Circle, Prospect, Priory, and MEDIAN – represented 22.0%, 12.3%, 7.8%, 7.7%, and 6.2%, respectively, of our total pro forma gross assets (which consists primarily of real estate leases and loans).

Our tenants operate in the healthcare industry, which is highly regulated by U.S. federal, state, and local laws along with laws in Europe, Australia, and South America and changes in regulations may temporarily impact our tenants’ operations until they are able to make the appropriate adjustments to their business. From time-to-time, our tenants are subject to various federal and state inquiries, investigations, and other proceedings and would expect such government compliance and enforcement activities to be ongoing at any given time with respect to one or more of our tenants, either on a confidential or public basis. Other large acute hospital operators have defended similar allegations in the past, sometimes resulting in financial settlements and agreements with regulators to modify admission policies, resulting in lower reimbursements for those patients.

In addition, our tenants experience operational challenges from time-to-time, and this can be even more of a risk for those tenants that grow (or have grown) via acquisitions in a short time frame, like Steward, Circle, and others. The ability of our tenants and operators to integrate newly acquired businesses into their existing operational, financial reporting, and collection systems is critical towards ensuring their continued success. If such integration is not successfully implemented in a timely manner, operators can be negatively impacted in the form of write-offs of uncollectible accounts receivable, higher expenses, or even insolvency in certain extreme cases.

Any adverse result to our tenants (particularly Steward, Circle, Prospect, Priory, or MEDIAN) in regulatory proceedings or financial or operational setbacks may have a material adverse effect on the relevant tenant’s operations and on its ability to make required lease and loan payments to us. If any one of these tenants were to file for bankruptcy protection, we may not be able to collect any pre-filing amounts owed to us by such tenant. In a bankruptcy proceeding, such tenant may terminate our lease(s), in which case we would have a general unsecured claim that would likely be for less than the full amount owed to us. Any secured claims we have against such tenant may only be paid to the extent of the value of the collateral, which may not cover all or any of our losses. The protections that we have in our leases, which can include letters of credit, cross default provisions, parent guarantees, repair reserves, and the right to exercise remedies including the termination of the lease and replacement of the operator, may prove to be insufficient, in whole or in part, or may entail further delays. In instances where we have an equity investment in our tenant’s operations, in addition to the effect on these tenants’ ability to meet their financial obligation to us, our ownership and investment interests may also be negatively impacted.

We have experienced rapid growth, and our failure to effectively manage our growth may adversely impact our financial condition and cash flows, which could negatively affect our ability to service our debt and make distributions.

We have experienced rapid growth through investments in healthcare properties. Year-over-year, our total assets grew by more than 16%, and we have expanded our presence to nine countries. In addition, we continually evaluate property acquisition and development opportunities as they arise, and we typically have a number of potential acquisition and development transactions under active consideration.

There is no assurance that we will be able to adapt our management, administrative, accounting, and operational systems, or hire and retain sufficient operational staff, to manage the facilities we have acquired and those that we may acquire or develop in the future. Additionally, investing in real estate located in foreign countries creates risks associated with the uncertainty of foreign laws, economies, and markets, and exposes us to local economic downturns and adverse market developments.

Our failure to manage such growth effectively may adversely impact our financial condition and cash flows, which could negatively affect our ability to service our debt and make distributions to our stockholders. Our rapid growth could also increase our capital requirements, which may require us to issue potentially dilutive equity securities and/or incur additional debt.

It may be costly to replace defaulting tenants and we may not find suitable replacements on suitable terms.

Failure on the part of a tenant to comply materially with the terms of a lease could give us the right to terminate the lease, repossess the facility, cross default certain other leases and loans with that tenant, and enforce the payment obligations under the lease. The process of terminating a lease with a defaulting tenant and repossessing the applicable facility may be costly and require a disproportionate amount of management’s attention. In addition, defaulting tenants may initiate litigation in connection with a lease termination or repossession against us. If a tenant-operator defaults and we choose to terminate the lease, we would then be required to find another tenant-operator or to sell the facility. The transfer of most types of healthcare facilities is highly regulated, which may

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result in delays and increased costs in locating a suitable replacement tenant. The lease of these properties to entities other than healthcare operators may be difficult due to the added cost and time of refitting the properties. If we are unable to re-let the properties, we may be forced to sell the properties at a loss. Alternatively, we may be required to spend substantial amounts to adapt the facility to other uses. There can be no assurance that we would be able to find another tenant in a timely fashion, or at all, or that, if another tenant were found, we would be able to enter into a new lease on favorable terms. Defaults by our tenants under our leases may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. Defaults by our significant tenants under master leases (like Steward, Circle, Prospect, Priory, and MEDIAN) will have an even greater effect.

It may be costly to find new tenants when lease terms end and we may not be able to replace such tenants with suitable replacements on suitable terms.

Failure on the part of a tenant to renew or extend the lease at the end of its fixed term could result in us having to search for, negotiate with, and execute new lease agreements. The process of finding and negotiating with a new tenant along with costs (such as maintenance, property taxes, utilities, ground lease expenses, etc.) that we will incur while the facility is untenanted may be costly and require a disproportionate amount of our management’s attention. There can be no assurance that we would be able to find another tenant in a timely fashion, or at all, or that, if another tenant were found, we would be able to enter into a new lease on favorable terms. If we are unable to re-let the properties to healthcare operators, we may be forced to sell the properties at a loss due to the repositioning expenses likely to be incurred by non-healthcare purchasers. Alternatively, we may be required to spend substantial amounts to adapt the facility to other uses. Thus, the non-renewal or extension of leases may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. This risk is even greater for those properties under master leases (like Steward, Circle, Prospect, Priory, and MEDIAN) because several properties have the same lease ending dates.

We have made investments in the operators of certain of our healthcare facilities and the cash flows (and related returns) from these investments are subject to more volatility than our properties with the traditional net leasing structure.

At December 31, 2020, we have approximately $171.4 million of investments in the operations of certain of our healthcare facilities by utilizing RIDEA or similar investments. These investments include profits interest and equity investments that generate returns dependent upon the operator’s performance. As a result, the cash flow and returns from these investments may be more volatile than that of our traditional triple-net leasing structure. Our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected if the related operators fail to successfully operate the facilities efficiently and in a manner that is in our best interest.

We have less experience with healthcare facilities located outside the U.S.

At December 31, 2020, we had approximately 43% of our total pro forma gross assets located outside the U.S. We have less experience investing in healthcare properties or other real estate-related assets located outside the U.S. Investing in real estate located in foreign countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Australia, and Colombia creates risks associated with the uncertainty of foreign laws and markets including, without limitation, laws respecting foreign ownership, the enforceability of loan and lease documents, and foreclosure laws. Foreign real estate and tax laws are complex and subject to change, and we cannot assure you we will always be in compliance with those laws or that compliance will not expose us to additional expense. The properties we have acquired internationally will face risks in connection with unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, political and economic instability, potential imposition of adverse or confiscatory taxes, possible challenges to the anticipated tax treatment of the structures that allow us to acquire and hold investments, possible currency transfer restrictions, the difficulty in enforcing obligations in other countries, the impact from Brexit and future developments in the European Union, and the burden of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws. In addition, to qualify as a REIT, we generally will be required to operate any non-U.S. investments in accordance with the rules applicable to U.S. REITs, which may be inconsistent with local practices. We may also be subject to fluctuations in local real estate values or markets or the economy as a whole, which may adversely affect our investments.

In addition, the rents under our leases of foreign assets and expenses incurred internationally are denominated in either euros, British pounds, Swiss francs, Australian dollars, or Colombian pesos, which could expose us to losses resulting from fluctuations in exchange rates to the extent we have not hedged our position, which in turn could adversely affect our revenues, operating margins, and dividends, and may also affect the book value of our assets and the amount of stockholders’ equity. While we may hedge some of our foreign currency risk, we may not be able to do so successfully and may incur losses on our investments as a result of exchange rate fluctuations. Furthermore, we are subject to laws and regulations, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar local anti-bribery laws, which generally prohibit companies and their employees, agents, and contractors from making improper payments to governmental officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Failure to comply with these laws could subject us to civil and criminal penalties that could materially adversely affect our results of operations, the value of our international investments, and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

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We have exposure to contingent rent escalators, which could hinder our growth and profitability.

We receive a significant portion of our revenues by leasing assets under long-term net leases that generally provide for fixed rental rates subject to annual escalations. These annual escalations may be contingent on changes in CPI (or a similar index internationally), typically with specified caps and floors.  If, as a result of weak economic conditions or other factors, the CPI does not increase, our growth and profitability may be hindered by these leases. In addition, if strong economic conditions result in significant increases in CPI, but the escalations under our leases are capped, our growth and profitability may be limited.

The bankruptcy or insolvency of our tenants or investees could harm our operating results and financial condition.

Some of our tenants may be newly organized, have limited or no operating history and may be dependent on loans from us to acquire the facility’s operations and for initial working capital. Any bankruptcy filings by one of our tenants could bar us from collecting pre-bankruptcy debts from that tenant or their property, unless we receive an order permitting us to do so from the bankruptcy court. A tenant bankruptcy can be expected to delay our efforts to collect past due balances under our leases and loans, and could ultimately preclude collection of these sums. If a lease is assumed by a tenant in bankruptcy, we expect that all pre-bankruptcy balances due under the lease would be paid to us in full. However, if a lease is rejected by a tenant in bankruptcy, we would have only a general unsecured claim for damages. Any secured claims we have against our tenants may only be paid to the extent of the value of the collateral, which may not cover any or all of our losses. Any unsecured claim (such as our equity interests in our tenants) we hold against a bankrupt entity may be paid only to the extent that funds are available and only in the same percentage as is paid to all other holders of unsecured claims. We may recover none or substantially less than the full value of any unsecured claims, which would harm our financial condition.

Our business is highly competitive and we may be unable to compete successfully.

We compete for development opportunities and opportunities to purchase healthcare facilities with, among others: private investors, including large private equity funds; healthcare providers, including physicians; other REITs; real estate developers; government-sponsored and/or not-for-profit agencies; financial institutions; and other lenders. Some of these competitors may have substantially greater financial resources than we have and may have better relationships with lenders and sellers. Competition for healthcare facilities from competitors may adversely affect our ability to acquire or develop healthcare facilities and the prices we pay for those facilities. If we are unable to acquire or develop facilities or if we pay too much for facilities, our revenue, earnings growth, and financial return could be materially adversely affected. Certain of our facilities, or facilities we may acquire or develop in the future will face competition from other nearby facilities that provide services comparable to those offered at our facilities. Some of those facilities are owned by governmental agencies and supported by tax revenues, and others are owned by tax-exempt corporations and may be supported to a large extent by endowments and charitable contributions. Those types of support are not generally available to our facilities. In addition, competing healthcare facilities located in the areas served by our facilities may provide healthcare services that are not available at our facilities. From time-to-time, referral sources, including physicians and managed care organizations, may change the healthcare facilities to which they refer patients, which could adversely affect our tenants and thus our rental revenues, interest income, and/or our earnings from equity investments.

Many of our tenants have an option to purchase the facilities we lease to them which could disrupt our operations.

Many of our tenants have the option to purchase the facilities we lease to them. There is no assurance that the formulas we have developed for setting the purchase price will yield a fair market value purchase price.

In the event our tenants decide to purchase the facilities at the end of the lease term, we may not be able to re-invest the capital on as favorable terms, or at all. Our inability to effectively manage the turnover of our facilities could materially adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan and our results of operations.

We have 128 leased properties that are subject to purchase options as of December 31, 2020. For 104 of these properties, the purchase option generally allows the lessee to purchase the real estate at the end of the lease term, assuming not currently in default, at a price equivalent to the greater of (i) fair market value or (ii) our original purchase price (increased, in some cases, by a certain annual rate of return from the lease commencement date). The lease agreements provide for an appraisal process to determine fair market value. For 17 of these properties, the purchase option generally allows the lessee to purchase the real estate at the end of the lease term, assuming not currently in default, at our purchase price (increased, in some cases, by a certain annual rate of return from lease commencement date). For the remaining 7 leases, the purchase options approximate fair value.

In certain circumstances, a prospective purchaser of our hospital real estate may be deemed to be subject to Anti-Kickback and Stark statutes, which are described in the “Healthcare Regulatory Matters” section in Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In such event, it may not be practicable for us to sell a property to such prospective purchaser at a price other than fair market value.

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Merger and acquisition activity or consolidation in the healthcare industry may result in a change of control of, or a competitor’s investment in, one or more of our tenants or operators, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

The healthcare industry continues to experience consolidation, including among owners of real estate and healthcare providers. We compete with other healthcare REITs, healthcare providers, healthcare lenders, real estate partnerships, banks, insurance companies, private equity firms, and other investors that pursue a variety of investments, which may include investments in our tenants. We have historically developed strong, long-term relationships with many of our tenants. A competitor’s investment in one of our tenants, any change of control of a tenant, or a change in the tenant’s management team could enable our competitor to influence or control that tenant’s business and strategy. This influence could have a material adverse effect on us by impairing our relationship with the tenant, negatively affecting our interest, or impacting the tenant’s financial and operational performance, including their ability to pay us rent or interest. Depending on our contractual agreements and the specific facts and circumstances, we may have consent rights, termination rights, remedies upon default, or other rights and remedies related to a competitor’s investment in, a change of control of, or other transactions impacting a tenant. In deciding whether to exercise our rights and remedies, including termination rights or remedies upon default, we assess numerous factors, including legal, contractual, regulatory, business, and other relevant considerations.

Our investments in joint ventures could be adversely affected by our lack of control, our partners’ failure to meet their obligations, and disputes with our partners.

We have entered into five real estate joint ventures with independent parties with a total investment of approximately $900 million at December 31, 2020. Joint venture arrangements involve risks including the possibility that the other party may refuse or not be able to make capital contributions when due, that our partner might have economic or other business interests that are inconsistent with the joint venture’s interests, or that we may become engaged in a dispute with our partner. If any of these events occur, we might need to provide additional funding to the joint ventures to meet its obligations, incur additional expenses to resolve disputes, or be forced to buy out the partner’s interest or to sell our interests at a time that is not advantageous to us. Any loss of income, cash flow, or disruption of management’s time could have a negative impact on the rest of our business.

RISKS RELATED TO FINANCING OUR BUSINESS

Limited access to capital may restrict our growth.

Our business plan contemplates growth through acquisitions and development of facilities. As a REIT, we are required to make cash distributions, which reduce our ability to fund acquisitions and developments with retained earnings. Thus, access to the capital markets, bank borrowings, and other financing vehicles are important to fund new opportunistic investments. Due to market or other conditions, we may not be able to obtain additional equity or debt capital or dispose of assets on favorable terms, if at all, at the time we need additional capital to acquire healthcare properties, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and may otherwise adversely impact our business operations and our ability to make distributions to stockholders.

As of February 19, 2021, we had approximately $10.2 billion of debt outstanding.

Our indebtedness could have significant effects on our business. For example, it could require us to use a substantial portion (or all) of our cash flow from operations to service our indebtedness, which would reduce the available cash flow to fund working capital, development projects, and other general corporate purposes and reduce cash for distributions; force us to dispose of one or more of our properties, possibly on disadvantageous terms, to make payments on our debt; increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate; restrict us from making strategic acquisitions or exploiting other business opportunities; and place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt.

Our future borrowings under our loan facilities may bear interest at variable rates in addition to the $1.6 billion in variable interest rate debt that we had outstanding as of February 19, 2021 (excluding the variable rate debt that we have fixed through interest rate swaps). If interest rates increase significantly, our operating results would decline along with the cash available for distributions to our stockholders.

In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority that regulates the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) announced that it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021, thereby discontinuing LIBOR after the end of 2021. While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until then, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that point. As of February 19, 2021, approximately $3.5 billion of our outstanding debt (along with our interest rate swaps) is indexed to LIBOR or other interbank offered rates. We are monitoring and evaluating any risks related to potential discontinuation of LIBOR, including transitioning to a new alternative rate and any resulting value transfer that may occur. If the

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methods of calculating the new index significantly change from their current form, interest rates on our indebtedness currently indexed to LIBOR may be adversely affected.

In addition, most of our current debt is, and we anticipate that much of our future debt will be, non-amortizing and payable in balloon payments. Therefore, we will likely need to refinance at least a portion of that debt as it matures. There is a risk that we may not be able to refinance debt maturing in future years or that the terms of any refinancing will not be as favorable as the terms of the then-existing debt. If principal payments due at maturity cannot be refinanced, extended, or repaid with proceeds from other sources, such as new equity capital, joint venture proceeds, or sales of facilities, our cash flow may not be sufficient to repay all maturing debt in years when significant balloon payments come due. See Item 7 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our current debt maturities.

Covenants in our debt instruments limit our operational flexibility, and a breach of these covenants could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The terms of our unsecured credit facility (“Credit Facility”) and the indentures governing our outstanding unsecured senior notes, and other debt instruments that we may enter into in the future are subject to customary financial and operational covenants. For example, our Credit Facility imposes certain restrictions on us, including restrictions on our ability to: incur debts; create or incur liens; provide guarantees in respect of obligations of any other entity; make redemptions and repurchases of our capital stock; prepay, redeem, or repurchase debt; engage in mergers or consolidations; enter into affiliated transactions; dispose of real estate; and change our business. In addition, the agreements governing our Credit Facility and the indentures governing our senior unsecured notes limit the amount of dividends we can pay. Finally, our senior unsecured notes require us to maintain total unencumbered assets (as defined in the related indenture) of not less than 150% of our unsecured indebtedness. From time-to-time, the lenders of our Credit Facility may adjust certain covenants to give us more flexibility to complete a transaction; however, such modified covenants are temporary, and we must be in a position to meet the lowered reset covenants in the future. Our continued ability to incur debt and operate our business is subject to compliance with the covenants in our debt instruments, which limit operational flexibility. Breaches of these covenants could result in defaults under applicable debt instruments and other debt instruments due to cross-default provisions, even if payment obligations are satisfied. Financial and other covenants that limit our operational flexibility, as well as defaults resulting from a breach of any of these covenants in our debt instruments, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes may adversely affect our results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

As of February 19, 2021, we had approximately $3.5 billion in variable interest rate debt along with €655 million in our joint venture arrangement with Primotop Holdings S.à.r.l. (“Primotop”). This variable rate debt subjects us to interest rate volatility. To manage this interest rate volatility, we have entered into interest rate swaps to fix the interest rate on all but $1.6 billion of this debt. However, even these hedging arrangements involve risk, including the risk that counterparties may fail to honor their obligations, that these arrangements may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes and that these arrangements may result in higher interest rates than we would otherwise have. Moreover, no hedging activity can completely insulate us from the risks associated with changes in interest rates. Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes may materially adversely affect our results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

The market price and trading volume of our common stock may be volatile.

The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile and be subject to wide fluctuations. In addition, the trading volume in our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to sell your shares at or above your purchase price.

We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common stock include:

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Future sales of common stock may have adverse effects on our stock price.

We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future sales of common stock on the market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of common stock, or the perception that these sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock. If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to sell your shares at or above your purchase price. In addition, such a share price decline could impair our ability to raise future capital through a sale of additional equity securities.

Downgrades in our credit ratings could have a material adverse effect on our cost and availability of capital.

As of February 19, 2021, our issue-level rating on our unsecured notes remained at BBB-, while our corporate credit rating from S&P remained at BB+ and our corporate family rating from Moody’s Investors Service was Ba1. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current credit ratings. Any downgrades in terms of ratings or outlook by any or all of the rating agencies could have a material adverse effect on our cost and availability of capital, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

An increase in market interest rates may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.

One of the factors that investors may consider in deciding whether to buy or sell our securities is our dividend rate as a percentage of our price per share of common stock, relative to market interest rates. If market interest rates increase, prospective investors may desire a higher distribution on our securities or seek securities paying higher distributions. The market price of our common stock likely will be based primarily on the earnings that we derive from rental and interest income with respect to our facilities and our related distributions to stockholders, and not from the underlying appraised value of the facilities themselves. As a result, interest rate fluctuations and capital market conditions can affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, rising interest rates would result in increased interest expense on our variable-rate debt, thereby adversely affecting cash flow and our ability to service our indebtedness and make distributions.

RISKS RELATING TO REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS

Our investments are and are expected to continue to be concentrated in a single industry segment, making us more vulnerable economically than if our investments were more diversified.

We acquire, develop, and make investments in healthcare real estate. In addition, we selectively make RIDEA investments (or similar investments) in healthcare operators. We are subject to risks inherent in concentrating investments in real estate. The risks resulting from a lack of diversification become even greater as a result of our business strategy to invest solely in healthcare facilities. A downturn in the real estate industry could materially adversely affect the value of our facilities. A downturn in the healthcare industry could negatively affect our tenants’ ability to make lease or loan payments to us as well as our return on our equity investments. Consequently, our ability to meet debt service obligations or make distributions to our stockholders is dependent on the real estate and healthcare industries.

Our facilities may not have efficient alternative uses, which could impede our ability to find replacement tenants in the event of termination or default under our leases.

Primarily all of the facilities in our current portfolio are net-leased healthcare facilities. If we, or our tenants, terminate the leases for these facilities, or if these tenants lose their regulatory authority to operate these facilities, we may not be able to locate suitable replacement tenants to lease the facilities for their specialized uses. Alternatively, we may be required to spend substantial amounts to adapt the facilities to other uses. Any loss of revenues or additional capital expenditures occurring as a result could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and could hinder our ability to meet debt service obligations or make distributions to our stockholders.

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Illiquidity of real estate investments could significantly impede our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our facilities and harm our financial condition.

Real estate investments are relatively illiquid. Additionally, the real estate market is affected by many factors beyond our control, including adverse changes in global, national, and local economic and market conditions and the availability, costs, and terms of financing. Our ability to quickly sell or exchange any of our facilities in response to changes in economic and other conditions will be limited. No assurances can be given that we will recognize full value for any facility that we are required to sell for liquidity reasons. Our inability to respond rapidly to changes in the performance of our investments could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Development and construction risks could adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

We have developed and constructed facilities in the past and are currently developing two facilities. Our development and related construction activities may subject us to the following risks: we may have to compete for suitable development sites; our ability to complete construction is dependent on there being no title, environmental, or other legal proceedings arising; we may be subject to delays due to weather conditions, strikes, and other contingencies beyond our control; we may be unable to obtain, or suffer delays in obtaining, necessary zoning, land-use, building, occupancy, and other required governmental permits, which could result in increased costs, delays, or our abandonment of these projects; and we may incur construction costs for a facility which exceed our original estimates due to increased costs for materials or labor or other costs that we did not anticipate.

We expect to fund our development projects over time. The time frame required for development and construction of these facilities means that we may have to wait for some time to earn significant cash returns. In addition, our tenants may not be able to obtain managed care provider contracts in a timely manner or at all. Risks associated with our development projects may reduce anticipated rental revenue which could affect the timing of, and our ability to make, distributions to our stockholders.

We may be subject to risks arising from future acquisitions of real estate.

We may be subject to risks in connection with our acquisition of healthcare real estate, including:

We cannot assure you that we will be able to manage the new properties without encountering difficulties or that any such difficulties will not have a material adverse effect on us.

Our facilities may not achieve expected results, which may harm our financial condition and operating results and our ability to make the distributions to our stockholders required to maintain our REIT status.

Acquisitions and developments entail risks that investments will fail to perform in accordance with expectations and that estimates of the costs of necessary improvements may prove inaccurate, as well as general investment risks associated with any new real estate investment. Newly-developed or newly-renovated facilities may not have operating histories that are helpful in making objective pricing decisions. The purchase prices of these facilities will be based in part upon projections by management as to the expected operating results of the facilities, subjecting us to risks that these facilities may not achieve anticipated operating results or may not achieve these results within anticipated time frames. If our facilities do not achieve expected results and generate ample cash flows from operations, amounts available for distribution to stockholders could be adversely affected and we could be required to reduce distributions, thereby jeopardizing our ability to maintain our status as a REIT.

We may suffer losses that are not covered by insurance or that are in excess of our insurance coverage limits.

Our leases and mortgage loans generally require our tenants/borrowers to carry property, general liability, professional liability, loss of earnings, all risk, and extended coverage insurance in amounts sufficient to permit the replacement of the facility in the event of a total loss, subject to applicable deductibles. We carry general liability insurance and loss of earnings coverage on all of our properties as a contingent measure in case our tenant’s coverage is not sufficient. However, there are certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and acts of terrorism, which may be uninsurable or not insurable at a

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price we or our tenants/borrowers can afford. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations, and other factors also might make it impracticable to use insurance proceeds to replace a facility after it has been damaged or destroyed. Under such circumstances, the insurance proceeds we receive might not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to the affected facility. If any of these or similar events occur, it may reduce our return from the facility and the value of our investment. We continually review the insurance maintained by our tenants/borrowers and believe the coverage provided to be adequate and customary for similarly situated companies in our industry. However, we cannot provide any assurances that such insurance will be available at a reasonable cost in the future. Also, we cannot assure you that material uninsured losses, or losses in excess of insurance proceeds, will not occur in the future.

Capital expenditures for facility renovation may be greater than anticipated and may adversely impact rent payments by our tenants and our ability to make distributions to stockholders.

Facilities, particularly those that consist of older structures, have an ongoing need for capital improvements, including periodic replacement of fixtures and fixed equipment. Although our leases generally require our tenants to be primarily responsible for the cost of such expenditures, renovation of facilities involves certain risks, including the possibility of environmental problems, regulatory requirements, construction cost overruns and delays, uncertainties as to market demand or deterioration in market demand after commencement of renovation, and the emergence of unanticipated competition from other facilities. All of these factors could adversely impact rent and loan payments by our tenants and returns on our equity investments, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

All of our healthcare facilities are subject to property taxes that may increase in the future and adversely affect our business.

Our facilities are subject to real and personal property taxes that may increase as property tax rates change and as the facilities are assessed or reassessed by taxing authorities. Our leases generally provide that the property taxes are charged to our tenants as an expense related to the facilities that they occupy. As the owner of the facilities, however, we are ultimately responsible for payment of the taxes to the government. If property taxes increase, our tenants may be unable to make the required tax payments, ultimately requiring us to pay the taxes. If we incur these tax liabilities, our ability to make expected distributions to our stockholders could be adversely affected. In addition, if such taxes increase on properties in which we have an equity investment in the tenant, our return on investment maybe negatively affected.

As the owner and lessor of real estate, we are subject to risks under environmental laws, the cost of compliance with which and any violation of which could materially adversely affect us.

Various environmental laws may impose liability on the current or prior owner or operator of real property for removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances. Current or prior owners or operators may also be liable for government fines and damages for injuries to persons, natural resources, and adjacent property. These environmental laws often impose liability whether or not the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence or disposal of the hazardous or toxic substances. The cost of complying with environmental laws could materially adversely affect amounts available for distribution to our stockholders and could exceed the value of all of our facilities. In addition, the presence of hazardous or toxic substances, or the failure of our tenants to properly manage, dispose of, or remediate such substances, including medical waste generated by other healthcare operators, may adversely affect our tenants or our ability to use, sell, or rent such property or to borrow using such property as collateral which, in turn, could reduce our revenue and our financing ability. We typically obtain Phase I environmental assessments (or similar studies) on facilities we acquire or develop or on which we make mortgage loans. However, even if the Phase I environmental assessment reports do not reveal any material environmental contamination, it is possible that material environmental contamination and liabilities may exist, of which we are unaware.

Although our leases and mortgage loans require our operators to comply with laws and regulations governing their operations, including the disposal of medical waste, and to indemnify us for environmental liabilities, the scope of their obligations may be limited. We cannot assure you that our tenants would be able to fulfill their indemnification obligations and, therefore, any material violation of environmental laws could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, environmental laws are constantly evolving, and changes in laws or regulations, or changes in interpretations of the foregoing, could create liabilities where none exist today.

Our interests in facilities through ground leases expose us to the loss of the facility upon breach or termination of the ground lease, may limit our use of the facility, and may result in additional expense to us if our tenants vacate our facility.

We have acquired interests in 29 facilities, at least in part, by acquiring leasehold interests in the land on which the facility is located rather than an ownership interest in the property. As lessee under ground leases, we are exposed to the possibility of losing the property upon termination, or an earlier breach by us, which could be a negative impact to our financial condition. Ground leases may also restrict our use of facilities, which may limit our flexibility in renting the facility and may impede our ability to sell the property. Finally, if our lease expires or is terminated for whatever reason resulting in the tenant vacating the facility, we would be responsible

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for the ground lease payments until we found a replacement tenant, which would negatively impact our cash flows and results of operations.

RISKS RELATING TO THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

The continued pressure on fee-for-service reimbursement from third-party payors and the shift towards alternative payment models, could adversely affect the profitability of our tenants and hinder their ability to make payments to us.

Sources of revenue for our tenants may include the Medicare and Medicaid programs, private insurance carriers, and health maintenance organizations, among others. In addition to ongoing efforts to reduce healthcare costs, the failure of any of our tenants to comply with various laws and regulations could jeopardize their ability to continue participating in Medicare, Medicaid, and other government-sponsored payment programs.

The shift in our tenants' payor mix away from fee-for-service payors results in an increase in the percentage of revenues attributable to alternative payment models implemented by private and government payors, which can lead to reductions in reimbursement for services provided by our tenants. There is continued focus on transitioning Medicare from its traditional fee-for-service model to models that employ one or more capitated, value-based, or bundled payment approaches, and private payors have implemented similar types of alternative payment models. Such efforts from private and government payors, in addition to general industry trends, continue to place pressures on our tenants to control healthcare costs. Furthermore, pressures to control healthcare costs and a shift away from traditional health insurance reimbursement have resulted in an increase in the number of patients whose healthcare coverage is provided under managed care plans, such as health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations. These shifts place further cost pressures on our tenants. We also continue to believe that, due to the aging of the population and the expansion of governmental payor programs, there will be a marked increase in the number of patients relying on healthcare coverage provided by governmental payors. In instances where we have an equity investment in our tenants’ operations, in addition to the effect on these tenants’ ability to meet their financial obligations to us, our ownership and investment interests may also be negatively impacted.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (“CMS”) regulatory restrictions on reimbursement for LTACHs and IRFs can lead to reduced reimbursement for our tenants that operate such facilities and departments. CMS continues to explore restrictions on LTACH and IRF reimbursement focused on more restrictive facility and patient level criteria.

The Reform Law enacted in 2010 represented a major shift in the U.S. healthcare industry by, among other things, allowing millions of formerly uninsured individuals to obtain health insurance coverage and by significantly expanding Medicaid. Though efforts to repeal and replace the Reform Law was the focus of the previous administration, with a new democratic party controlled government starting in 2021, such efforts are expected to stop. Regardless, we believe that certain trends, including, but not limited to, various quality and reimbursement initiatives discussed above, will continue.

We cannot predict with absolute precision how these changes will affect the long-term financial condition of our tenants. However, any significant negative impact to our tenants could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Significant regulation and loss of licensure or certification or failure to obtain licensure or certification could negatively impact our tenants' financial condition and results of operations and affect their ability to make payments to us.

The U.S. healthcare industry is highly regulated by federal, state, and local laws and is directly affected by federal conditions of participation, state licensing requirements, facility inspections, state and federal reimbursement policies, regulations concerning capital and other expenditures, certification requirements and other such laws, regulations, and rules. As with the U.S. healthcare industry, our tenants in Australia, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe are also subject in some instances to comparable types of laws, regulations, and rules that affect their ownership and operation of healthcare facilities. Although our lease and mortgage loan agreements require our tenants/borrowers to comply with applicable laws, and we intend for these facilities to comply with such laws, we do not actively monitor compliance. Therefore, we cannot offer any assurance that our tenants/borrowers will be found to be in compliance with such, as the same may ultimately be implemented or interpreted.  

From time-to-time, our tenants are subject to various federal and state inquiries, investigations, and other proceedings and would expect such governmental compliance and enforcement activities to be ongoing at any given time with respect to one or more of our tenants, either on a confidential or public basis. An adverse result to our tenant/borrower in one or more such governmental proceedings may have a material adverse effect on their operations and financial condition and on its ability to make required lease and/or loan payments to us. In instances where we have an equity investment in the operator, in addition to the effect on these tenants’/borrowers’ ability to meet their financial obligation to us, our ownership and investment interests may also be negatively impacted.

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In the U.S., licensed health care facilities must comply with minimum health and safety standards and are subject to survey and inspection by state and federal agencies and their agents or affiliates, including CMS, the Joint Commission, and state departments of health. CMS develops Conditions of Participation and Conditions for Coverage that health care organizations must meet in order to begin and continue participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and receive payment under such programs. These minimum health and safety standards are aimed at improving quality and protecting the health and safety of beneficiaries, and there are several common criteria that exist across health entities. The failure to comply with any of these standards could jeopardize a healthcare organization’s Medicare certification and, in turn, its right to receive payment under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Further, many hospitals and other institutional providers in the U.S. are accredited by accrediting organizations, such as the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission was created to accredit healthcare providers, including our tenants that meet its minimum health and safety standards. A national accrediting organization, such as the Joint Commission, enforces standards that meet or exceed such requirements. Surveyors for the Joint Commission, after achieving a minimum number of patients and approximately every three years thereafter, conduct on site surveys of facilities for compliance with a multitude of patient safety, treatment, and administrative requirements. Facilities may lose accreditation for failure to meet such requirements, which in turn may result in the loss of license or certification including under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Finally, healthcare facility reimbursement practices and quality of care issues may result in loss of license or certification- such as engaging in the practice of “upcoding,” whereby services are billed for higher procedure codes, or an event involving poor quality of care, which leads to the serious injury or death of a patient. The failure of any tenant/borrower to comply with such laws, requirements, and regulations resulting in a loss of its license would affect its ability to continue its operation of the facility and would adversely affect its ability to make lease and/or loan payments to us. This, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

In addition, establishment of healthcare facilities and transfers of operations of healthcare facilities in the U.S are typically subject to regulatory approvals, such as state certificate of need laws in the U.S. Restrictions and delays in transferring the operations of healthcare facilities, in obtaining new third-party payor contracts, including Medicare and Medicaid provider agreements, and in receiving licensure and certification approval from appropriate state and federal agencies by new tenants, may affect our ability to terminate lease agreements, remove tenants that violate lease terms, and replace existing tenants with new tenants. Furthermore, these matters may affect a new tenant’s/borrower’s ability to obtain reimbursement for services rendered, which could adversely affect its ability to make lease and/or loan payments to us. In instances where we have an equity investment in the operator, in addition to the effect on these tenants’/borrowers’ ability to meet their financial obligations to us, our ownership and investment interests may also be negatively impacted.

Our tenants are subject to fraud and abuse laws, the violation of which by a tenant may jeopardize the tenant’s ability to make payments to us and adversely affect their profitability.

As noted earlier, in the U.S., the federal government and numerous state governments have passed laws and regulations that attempt to eliminate healthcare fraud and abuse by prohibiting business arrangements that induce patient referrals or the ordering of specific ancillary services, or the submission of false claim for payment. The trend toward increased investigation and enforcement activity in the areas of fraud and abuse and patient self-referrals to detect and eliminate fraud and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs is likely to continue in future years. As described above, the penalties for violations of these laws can be substantial and may result in the imposition of criminal and civil penalties and possible exclusion from federal and state healthcare programs. Imposition of any of these penalties upon any of our tenants could jeopardize a tenant’s ability to operate a facility or to make lease and/or loan payments, thereby potentially adversely affecting us.

In the case of an acquisition of a provider’s operations, some of our tenants have accepted an assignment of the previous operator’s Medicare provider agreement. Such operators that take assignment of Medicare provider agreements might be subject to liability for federal or state regulatory, civil, and criminal investigations of the previous owner’s operations and claims submissions. These types of issues may not be discovered prior to purchase or after our tenants commence operations in our facilities. Adverse decisions, fines, or recoupments might negatively impact our tenants’ financial condition, and in turn their ability to make lease and/or loan payments to us.

Certain of our lease arrangements may be subject to laws related to fraud and abuse or physician self-referrals.

Physician investment in subsidiaries that lease our facilities could subject our leases to scrutiny under fraud and abuse and physician self-referral laws. Under the Stark Law, and its implementing regulations, if our leases do not satisfy the requirements of an applicable exception, the ability of our tenants to bill for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries pursuant to referrals from physician investors could be adversely impacted and subject our tenants to fines, which could impact our tenants’ ability to make lease and/or loan payments to us. In instances where we have an equity investment in our tenants’ operations, in addition to the effect on the tenants’ ability to meet their financial obligations to us, our ownership and investment interests may also be negatively impacted.  Therefore, in all cases, we intend to use our good faith efforts to structure our lease arrangements to comply with these laws.

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We may be required to incur substantial renovation costs to make our healthcare properties suitable for other tenants.

Healthcare facilities are typically highly customized and subject to healthcare-specific building code requirements. The improvements generally required to conform a property to healthcare use can be costly and at times tenant-specific. A new or replacement operator may require different features in a property, depending on that operator’s particular business. If a current operator is unable to pay rent and/or vacates a property, we may incur substantial expenditures to modify a property before we are able to secure another tenant. Also, if the property needs to be renovated to accommodate multiple tenants, or regulatory requirements, we may incur substantial expenditures before we are able to re-lease the space. These expenditures or renovations may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

State certificate of need laws may adversely affect our development of facilities and the operations of our tenants.

Certain healthcare facilities in which we invest may be subject to state laws in the U.S. which require regulatory approval in the form of a certificate of need prior to the transfer of a healthcare facility or prior to initiation of certain projects, including the establishment of new or replacement facilities, the addition of beds, the addition or expansion of services, and certain capital expenditures. State certificate of need laws are not uniform throughout the U.S., are subject to change, and may delay developments of facilities or acquisitions or certain other transfers of ownership of facilities. We cannot predict the impact of state certificate of need laws on any of the preceding activities or on the operations of our tenants. Certificate of need laws often materially impact the ability of competitors to enter into the marketplace of our facilities. As a result, a portion of the value of the facility may be related to the limitation on new competitors. In the event of a change in the certificate of need laws, this value may markedly change.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

We depend on key personnel, the loss of any one of whom may threaten our ability to operate our business successfully.

We depend on the services of our executive officers to carry out our business and investment strategy. If we were to lose any of these executive officers, it may be more difficult for us to locate attractive acquisition targets, complete our acquisitions, and manage the facilities that we have acquired or developed. Additionally, as we expand, we will continue to need to attract and retain additional qualified officers and employees. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers, or our inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Pursuant to Maryland law, our charter and bylaws contain provisions that may have the effect of deterring changes in management and third-party acquisition proposals, which in turn could depress the price of our common stock or cause dilution.

Our charter contains ownership limitations that may restrict business combination opportunities, inhibit change of control transactions, and reduce the value of our common stock. To qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, no more than 50% in value of our outstanding stock, after taking into account options to acquire stock, may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer persons during the last half of each taxable year. Our charter generally prohibits direct or indirect ownership by any person of more than 9.8% in value or in number, whichever is more restrictive, of outstanding shares of any class or series of our securities, including our common stock. Generally, our common stock owned by affiliated owners will be aggregated for purposes of the ownership limitation. The ownership limitation could have the effect of delaying, deterring, or preventing a change in control or other transaction in which holders of common stock might receive a premium for their common stock over the then-current market price or which such holders otherwise might believe to be in their best interests. The ownership limitation provisions also may make our common stock an unsuitable investment vehicle for any person seeking to obtain, either alone or with others as a group, ownership of more than 9.8% of either the value or number of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

Our charter and bylaws contain provisions that may impede third-party acquisition proposals. Our charter and bylaws also provide restrictions on replacing or removing directors. Directors may only be removed by the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds of our common stock. Additionally, stockholders are required to give us advance notice of director nominations. Special meetings of stockholders can only be called by our president, our board of directors, or the holders of at least 25% of stock entitled to vote at the meetings. These and other charter and bylaw provisions may delay or prevent a change of control or other transaction in which holders of our common stock might receive a premium for their common stock over the then-current market price or which such holders otherwise might believe to be in their best interests.

We rely on information technology in our operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption, or security failure of our technology (or that of our third-party vendors) could harm our business.

We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit, and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes, including financial transactions and records, and maintaining personal identifying information (in accordance with GDPR law in Europe and similar laws elsewhere) along with tenant and lease

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data. We purchase or license some of our information technology from vendors. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools, and monitoring to provide security for the processing, transmission, and storage of confidential data. Although we have taken steps to protect the security of our information systems and the data maintained in those systems, it is possible that our safety and security measures will not prevent the systems’ improper functioning or the improper access or disclosure of our or our tenant’s information such as in the event of cyber-attacks.

Even well-protected information systems remain potentially vulnerable because the techniques used in security breaches evolve and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, and in some cases are designed not to be detected and, in fact, may not be detected. Accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate security barriers or other preventative measures, and thus it is impossible for us to entirely mitigate this risk.

A security breach, including physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, attacks by hackers and similar breaches, or other significant disruption involving our IT networks and related systems (or that of our third-party vendors) could:

Any of the foregoing could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Unfavorable resolution of pending and future litigation matters could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

From time-to-time, we are involved in legal proceedings, lawsuits, and other claims. We also are named as defendants in lawsuits allegedly arising out of our actions or the actions of our tenants in which such tenants have agreed to indemnify, defend, and hold us harmless from and against various claims, litigation, and liabilities arising in connection with their respective businesses. An unfavorable resolution of pending or future litigation or legal proceedings may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Regardless of its outcome, litigation may result in substantial costs and expenses, significantly divert the attention of management, and could damage our reputation. We cannot guarantee losses incurred in connection with any current or future legal or regulatory proceedings or actions will not exceed any available insurance coverage.

Changes in accounting pronouncements could adversely affect us and the reported financial performance of our tenants.

Uncertainties posed by various initiatives of accounting standard-setting by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and the SEC, which create and interpret applicable accounting standards for U.S. companies, may change the financial accounting and reporting standards or their interpretation and application of these standards that govern the preparation of our financial statements.

These changes could have a material impact on our reported financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in potentially material restatements of prior period financial statements. Similarly, these changes could have a material impact on our tenants’/borrowers’ reported financial condition or results of operations or could affect our tenants’ preferences regarding leasing real estate.

TAX RISKS

Loss of our tax status as a REIT would have significant adverse consequences to us and the value of our common stock.

We believe that we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and have elected to be taxed as a REIT under the federal income tax laws commencing with our taxable year that began on April 6, 2004, and ended on December 31, 2004. In addition, we own a direct interest in a subsidiary REIT that has elected to be taxed as a REIT commencing with the 2019 tax year. The REIT qualification requirements are extremely complex, and interpretations of the federal income tax laws governing qualification as a REIT are limited. Accordingly, there is no assurance that we will be successful in operating so as to qualify as a REIT. At any time, new laws, regulations, interpretations, or court decisions may change the federal tax laws relating to, or the federal income tax consequences of, qualification as a REIT. It is possible that future economic, market, legal, tax, or other considerations may cause our board of directors to revoke the REIT election, which it may do without stockholder approval.

If we lose or revoke our REIT status, we will face serious tax consequences that will substantially reduce the funds available for distribution because we would not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income;

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therefore, we would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates, and we might need to borrow money or sell assets in order to pay any such tax. We also could be subject to increased state and local taxes, and unless we are entitled to relief under statutory provisions, we also would be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we ceased to qualify.

As a result of all these factors, a loss or revocation of our REIT status could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and would adversely affect the value of our common stock.

Failure to make required distributions as a REIT would subject us to tax.

In order to qualify as a REIT, each year we must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, excluding net capital gains. To the extent that we satisfy the distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our taxable income, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax on our undistributed income. In addition, we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which our distributions in any year are less than the sum of (1) 85% of our ordinary income for that year; (2) 95% of our capital gain net income for that year; and (3) 100% of our undistributed taxable income from prior years.

We may be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Differences in timing between the recognition of income and the related cash receipts or the effect of required debt amortization payments could require us to borrow money or sell assets to pay out enough of our taxable income to satisfy the distribution requirement and to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% excise tax in a particular year. In the future, we may borrow to pay distributions to our stockholders. Any funds that we borrow would subject us to interest rate and other market risks.

Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities.

To qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders, and the ownership of our stock. In order to meet these tests, we may be required to forego attractive business or investment opportunities. Currently, no more than 20% of the value of our assets may consist of securities of one or more TRS and no more than 25% of the value of our assets may consist of securities that are not qualifying assets under the test requiring that 75% of a REIT’s assets consist of real estate and other related assets. In addition, at least 75% of our gross income must be generated from either rents from real estate or interest on loans secured by real estate (i.e. mortgage loans). Further, a TRS may not directly or indirectly operate or manage a healthcare facility. Compliance with current and future changes to REIT requirements may limit our flexibility in executing our business plan.

If certain sale-leaseback transactions are not characterized by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or similar tax authorities internationally as “true leases,” we may be subject to adverse tax consequences.

We have purchased certain properties and leased them back to the sellers of such properties. We intend for any such sale-leaseback transaction to be structured in a manner that the lease will be characterized as a “true lease,” thereby allowing us to be treated as the owner of the property for income tax purposes. However, depending on the terms of any specific transaction, taxing authorities might take the position that the transaction is not a “true lease”. In the event any sale-leaseback transaction is challenged and successfully re-characterized, we might not be able to deduct depreciation expense on the real estate, resulting in potential higher income taxes.

Transactions with TRSs may be subject to excise tax.

We have historically entered into lease and other transactions with our TRS and its subsidiaries and expect to continue to do so in the future. Under applicable rules, transactions such as leases between our TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on a market terms basis may be subject to a 100% excise tax. While we believe that all of our transactions with our TRS are at arm’s length, imposition of a 100% excise tax could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Loans to our tenants could be characterized as equity, in which case our income from that tenant might not be qualifying income under the REIT rules and we could lose our REIT status.

Our TRS will make loans to tenants of our facilities to acquire operations or for working capital purposes. The IRS may take the position that certain loans to tenants should be treated as equity interests rather than debt, and that our interest income from such tenant should not be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. If the IRS were to successfully treat a loan to a particular tenant as equity interests, the tenant would be a “related party tenant” with respect to our company and the rent that we receive from the tenant would not be qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. As a result, we could be in jeopardy of failing the 75% income test discussed above, which if we did would cause us to lose our REIT status. In addition, if the IRS were to successfully treat a particular loan as interests held by our operating partnership rather than by our TRS, we could fail the 5% asset test, and if the IRS further successfully treated the loan as other than straight debt, we could fail the 10% asset test with

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respect to such interest. As a result of the failure of either test, we could lose our REIT status, which would subject us to corporate level income tax and adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Certain transfers may generate prohibited transaction income, resulting in a penalty tax on gain attributable to the transaction.

From time-to-time, we may transfer or otherwise dispose of some of our properties, including by contributing properties to our co-investment ventures. Under the Code, any gain resulting from transfers of properties we hold as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business is treated as income from a prohibited transaction subject to a 100% penalty tax. We do not believe that our transfers or disposals of property or our contributions of properties into our co-investment ventures are prohibited transactions. However, whether property is held for investment purposes is a question of fact that depends on all the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction. The IRS may contend that certain transfers or dispositions of properties by us or contributions of properties into our co-investment ventures are prohibited transactions. While we believe that the IRS would not prevail in any such dispute, if the IRS were to argue successfully that a transfer, disposition, or contribution of property constituted a prohibited transaction, we would be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on any gain allocable to us from the prohibited transaction. In addition, income from a prohibited transaction might adversely affect our ability to satisfy the income tests for qualification as a REIT.

Changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws, regulations, including changes to tax rates, may adversely affect our results of operations.

We are headquartered in the U.S. with subsidiaries and investments globally and are subject to income taxes in these jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes. Although we believe that we have adequately assessed and accounted for our potential tax liabilities, and that our tax estimates are reasonable, there can be no assurance that additional taxes will not be due upon audit of our tax returns or as a result of changes to applicable tax laws. The U.S. government as well as the governments of many of the locations in which we operate (such as Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Colombia, and Luxembourg, which is where most of our Europe entities are domiciled) are actively discussing changes to corporate taxation. Our future tax expense could be adversely affected by these changes in tax laws or their interpretation, both domestically and internationally. Potential tax reforms being considered by many countries include changes that could impact, among other things, global tax reporting, intercompany transfer pricing arrangements, the definition of taxable permanent establishments, and other legal or financial arrangements. The nature and timing of any changes to each jurisdiction’s tax laws and the impact on our future tax exposure both in the U.S. and abroad cannot be predicted with any accuracy but could materially and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.

Income from “qualified dividends” payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts, and estates are generally subject to tax at preferential rates. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the preferential tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income. Although these rules do not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, to the extent that the preferential rates continue to apply to regular corporate qualified dividends, investors who are individuals, trusts, and estates may perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could materially and adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including the per share trading price of our capital stock.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provides a deduction to non-corporate taxpayers (e.g., individuals, trusts, and estates) of 20% on dividends paid by a REIT that are not classified as capital gains. This provides closer parity between the treatment under the law of ordinary REIT dividends and qualified dividends. The law also provides for a maximum individual marginal tax rate on ordinary income, without regard to the effect of this deduction, of 37%. For non-corporate taxpayers, this would reduce the maximum marginal tax rate on ordinary REIT dividends to 33.4% (including the 3.8% Medicare tax that is applied before the 20% deduction). The tax law’s 20% deduction on dividends paid by a REIT to non-corporate taxpayers and the reduced individual tax rates are scheduled to sunset for tax years beginning after 2025, absent further legislation.

Loss of our tax status as a Managed Investment Trust for our Australia subsidiary would result in additional foreign tax liability.

We have structured our Australia investment through a Managed Investment Trust which provides certain tax benefits to us. In order to obtain these tax benefits, we must meet specific qualifying conditions on an annual basis. If these conditions are not met, we will be subject to higher foreign income taxes related to our Australian investment. We believe all qualifying conditions have been met; however, these qualifications can be subjective and could result in differing interpretations by the local tax authorities.

None.

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At December 31, 2020, our portfolio (including properties in our five real estate joint ventures) consisted of 392 properties: 364 facilities (of the 386 facilities that we owned) were in operation and leased to 45 operators, six assets were in the form of first mortgage loans to four operators, and two properties were under construction.

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A breakout of our facilities at December 31, 2020 based on property type is as follows:

The following table shows lease and loan expirations, assuming that none of the tenants/borrowers exercise any of their renewal options (dollars in thousands):

From time-to-time, there are various legal proceedings pending to which we are a party or to which some of our properties are subject to arising in the normal course of business. At this time, we do not believe that the ultimate resolution of these proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

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None.

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PART II

(a) Medical Properties’ common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “MPW.” The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices for the common stock for the periods indicated, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape, and the dividends per share declared by us with respect to each such period.

On February 19, 2021, the closing price for our common stock, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange, was $21.86 per share. As of February 19, 2021, there were 71 holders of record of our common stock. This figure does not reflect the beneficial ownership of shares held in nominee name.

To qualify as a REIT, we must distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, excluding net capital gain, as dividends to our stockholders. If dividends are declared in a quarter, those dividends will be paid during the subsequent quarter. We expect to continue the policy of distributing our taxable income through regular cash dividends on a quarterly basis, although there is no assurance as to future dividends because they depend on future earnings, capital requirements, and our financial condition. In addition, our Credit Facility limits the amounts of dividends we can pay — see Note 4 of Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information.

(b) Not applicable.

(c) None.

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The following graph provides comparison of cumulative total stockholder return for the period from December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2020, among us, the Russell 2000 Index, NAREIT All Equity REIT Index, and SNL US REIT Healthcare Index. The stock performance graph assumes an investment of $100 in us and the three indices, and the reinvestment of dividends. The historical information below is not indicative of future performance.

The graph and accompanying text shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating by reference this Annual Report on Form 10-K into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

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Unless otherwise indicated, references to “our,” “we,” and “us” in this management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations refer to Medical Properties Trust, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, including MPT Operating Partnership, L.P.

Overview

We were incorporated in Maryland on August 27, 2003, primarily for the purpose of investing in and owning net-leased healthcare facilities. We also make real estate mortgage loans and other loans to our tenants. We conduct our business operations in one segment. We currently have healthcare investments in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and South America. We have operated as a REIT since April 6, 2004, and accordingly, elected REIT status upon the filing of our calendar year 2004 U.S. federal income tax return. Our existing tenants are, and our prospective tenants will generally be, healthcare operating companies and other healthcare providers that use substantial real estate assets in their operations. We offer financing to these operators through 100% lease and mortgage financing and generally seek lease and loan terms on a long-term basis (typically 15 years) with a series of shorter renewal terms at the option of our tenants and borrowers. We also have included and intend to include in our lease and loan agreements annual contractual minimum rate increases. Our existing portfolio’s minimum escalators generally range from 0.5% to 3%. In addition, most of our leases and loans include rate increases based on the general rate of inflation if greater than the minimum contractual increases. Beyond rent or mortgage interest, our leases and loans typically require our tenants to pay all operating costs and expenses associated with the facility. Finally, we may acquire a profits or other equity interest in our tenants that gives us a right to share in the tenant’s income or loss.

We selectively make loans to certain of our operators through our TRSs, which the operators use for acquisitions and working capital. We consider our lending business an important element of our overall business strategy for two primary reasons: (1) it provides opportunities to make income-earning investments that yield attractive risk-adjusted returns in an industry in which our management has expertise, and (2) by making debt capital available to certain qualified operators, we believe we create for our company a competitive advantage over other buyers of, and financing sources for, healthcare facilities.

At December 31, 2020, our portfolio (including real estate assets in joint ventures) consisted of 392 properties leased or loaned to 49 operators, of which two were under development and six were in the form of mortgage loans.

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Selected Financial Data

The following sets forth selected consolidated financial and operating data. You should read the following selected financial data in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto of each of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. and MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. and their respective subsidiaries included in Item 8, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.