If you’re looking for the best office space to house your medical practice, there are a lot of things to consider. Follow this checklist to know what to look for, important questions to ask, and what is reasonable to expect from your landlord.
Medical Office Space Checklist
- Total Cost: Obviously, your lease must fit within your monthly budget in order to be affordable. But, don’t forget to include other costs that may be incurred as well. Things like renovating the space to accommodate laboratory equipment or X-ray machines, for example.
- Patient Accessibility: These days, patients have a lot of choices for where they can seek medical attention. If your healthcare center isn’t easily accessible, they may choose to go elsewhere.
- Parking Spaces and Layout: It’s important to look for a medical office space with sufficient parking for both staff and patients. Ideally, there should also be a convenient place where people can be dropped off near the door.
- Biohazard Waste Disposal: Depending on the type of practice, there may be biohazard waste to dispose of on a regular basis. Does the space you’re looking at have an easy, safe, and responsible way of handling this? Also, don’t forget about adaptations that may need to be made for specialized equipment, such as X-ray machines, that could have inherent radiation risks.
- Hours of Operation: This varies between practices, but many clinics offer walk-in hours outside of ‘normal’ business hours. Make sure the location you choose is agreeable to hours other than the standard 8 am – 5 pm day if that’s what you need.
- Privacy: Current healthcare regulations are very strict in terms of patient privacy. If your landlord or cleaning personnel will be accessing your medical office space after hours, make sure that any privacy concerns can be adequately addressed to meet HIPAA requirements.
- Competing Practices: How would you feel if another chiropractor moved into the same plaza as your own existing chiropractic office? Before you sign your lease, ask about an ‘exclusive use’ clause which would prevent competing medical businesses from occupying the nearby space.
- Longevity: When you lease a medical office space, you’re likely to want to stay there for several years, often longer than the traditional office space lease. Make sure your lease terms support that and also ensure that the space itself will meet your projected needs for the future.
Get Professional Help Finding the Best Space
Finding the right medical office space for your practice can go a long way toward your ultimate success and patient satisfaction. Make the process easier by working with commercial real estate brokers who are well versed in the needs of the healthcare industry and have a variety of property options.
At TXRE Properties, we are committed to matching you with the location that will meet your needs. Simply contact one of our brokers today and they will be happy to find you the best medical office space to lease in the Dallas-Fort Worth area!
