Doctor Office

When dealing with any professional, it is important to understand the needs of their particular field in order to efficiently assist them in locating space that ideally fits their necessities. Below is a list of the ten most important factors when choosing a location for a physician’s office.  Picking a location for a doctor’s office differs than picking a location for a restraint because of the difference in “services provided”.  It’s important to have patrons regardless of your business, the type of patron has a huge determination on attributes needed / desired.

Accessibility

Doctors are looking for access to major road arteries and highways so their patients can easily find them. If a doctor’s office is tucked away somewhere in the middle of “nowhere”,  their patients may have a more difficult time finding them and have to go through a maze of side streets to find their office. After exiting a highway, doctors expect their patients to make less than two turns to find their offices. What makes a patient’s blood pressure rise more than getting lost getting to the doctor’s office?

Mixed Use Development/Modern Architecture

Often, physicians are now looking for mixed use development featuring more modern architecture. They want buildings that are appealing and inviting. Unless it is a very small practice, the old one story stucco flat roof office building is becoming a thing of the past. New and current building architecture makes a patient feel that they are getting the most current state of the art care available to them.  It sounds crazy but true….the type of building a doctor occupies can help gain new clients.  This is why many physicians want upscale designs in modern office park environments. Employ the services of a property appraiser to do several property appraisals on established doctor offices that you would like to mimic or at least get ideas from.

Parking Ratio and Parking

Most professional office buildings have a parking ratio of two to three parking spaces per thousand square feet. With patients coming and going throughout the day, doctors need to have at least four to five parking spaces per thousand square feet to avoid overcrowding. Since parking can be tight in a downtown corridor, doctors often shy away from downtown medical space. Reserved parking is also a nice plus for key employees and physicians. Covered handicapped pick-up and drop-off areas are a real asset, especially if there are associated outpatient treatment facilities.

Proximity to Other Physicians

In a medical office building, doctors are often looking for proximity to other physicians who could inter-refer to each other. For example, a family medicine physician will frequently refer patients to other medical specialties such as cardiology or orthopedics. With the right synergy, all of the doctors are inter-referring and enhancing their practices.

Ancillary Services

The new buzz word with physicians is “Ancillary Services.” Traditionally, hospitals were the main benefactor of many of these services. Ancillary services include MRI’s, sleep labs, physical therapists, outpatient surgery centers, and imaging centers. Doctors are more recently looking for extra medical office space where they can install ancillary services and other diagnostic treatment areas.

Signage

Building monument or signage to distinguish your medical group or practice is an important feature. Local zoning laws often restrict the size and location of business signage in any given area, but often the developer can offer “top of building” signs for major anchor tenants.

Exclusivity

Willingness of a landlord to restrict leasing to other physicians of similar specialty in the same building is often requested. While many physicians view this as an important concession, it probably is not that important in the long run. After all, there is really nothing a physician group can do if a competitor wants to relocate across the street. This is probably more important in rural or less populated areas where a new hospital is being established.