Start It Up: Space & Equipment — The Right Stuff[CME Article]
Tips for laying out your new practice and outfitting it with the best gear
By Laurie Hyland Robertson
EARN CME CREDITS!
Reading this and the three other CME-accredited articles in the May 2008 issue of Physicians Practice can earn you valuable CME credits — free! Look at our Table of Contents to locate this month’s four CME-accredited stories. After reading them, please go to CME LLC no later than May 31, 2009 to complete a quiz on the content matter of the four articles. Click on Log In (or, for first-time visitors, Register), and then click on Physicians Practice - May 2008. (Note: This link will take you out of PhysiciansPractice.com to a non-commercial Web site.)
Learning Objectives
After completing this article, readers will be able to:
Determine key factors in the decision to lease or buy office space.
Apply space-utilization paradigms to their medical office design for improved productivity.
Develop an efficient and cost-effective plan for ordering and stocking office supplies.
About This Series Have you been pondering striking out on your own, making the leap from employed associate to practice owner? Or are you just starting out in practice, and wondering if it’s worth going even deeper into debt to start your own venture rather than getting “a job”?
Whatever your situation, Physicians Practice is here to help with our comprehensive six-part guide to starting a medical practice. In addition to the pre-opening day planning advice you may have seen in other such guides, we’ll delve deeper into the key milestones you’ll need to meet for success long after you cut the ribbon.
Keeping overhead expenses in check is a must for all practices. But for startups, securing a space and stocking even the bare minimum of equipment is expensive. Let’s discuss how to plan for that big outlay.
First, understand that we’re not talking about your grandfather’s medical office. Modern practices must go well beyond the old model when planning space — no dim waiting rooms with old issues of Highlights scattered around, no cracked vinyl exam tables leaking stuffing, and definitely no hospital-green paint.
“I think it’s important — whether you’re in a new building or rehabbing an existing building — that you convey more of a hospitality presence rather than a medical presence,” says Todd Harshman, an architect with Noelker and Hull Associates, Inc., in Chambersburg, Pa. “You want an environment that’s not sterile, but warm and welcoming. People are looking for more of an experience,” he says, noting that patients now want “a full-service medical environment.”
Creating a space that exudes warmth — that shows you care — may be more important to patients than the perfect location or even your years of experience, Harshman argues. He says this feeling can often be accomplished through smart choices when it comes to color, materials, and lighting. “And it doesn’t have to be high-end teaks or mahoganies; it could be with average materials done in a unique, cost-effective way.” Continued...
