How Much Space Do You Need for Renting a Property for Your Medical Practice?

Medical practices are rapidly changing. However, the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) has caused some severe changes in the space requirement. But how does that affect the medical practices space and design requirements?

Here, find out how much space you need to rent medical office space and what you should consider.

Space Requirement for Medical Practice

There are two sides you need to think about when looking to rent a medical office space. One side is the business, and the other is the technical, patient health, and safety.

Due to the nature of the medical practices and the higher expenses of tenant improvements, many medical professionals don’t usually prefer new buildings. Instead, they look for well-established locations. As a result, they tend to sign longer leases than usual office tenants.

A Rule Of Thumb

As a rule of thumb, the practice facility of the first physician should ideally be 1200 to 1500 square feet and 1000 to 1200 square feet for the extra physician of a maximum of 4 to 5. Of course, if you’re a psychiatrist, you will need less space, but other practices might need extra space for equipment like imaging equipment, etc.

When it comes to how many exam rooms you should keep in your medical office space, think about the types of visits you’ll have and the procedures you’ll have to perform.

If you have less space, it can create issues in efficiently handling patient flow, and many rooms can result in wastage. Thus, you should understand your requirement first to understand the space better.

Generally, a family physician will require three exam rooms and one procedure room. However, this can differ greatly based on the multi-physician and multi-specialty practices.

3 Space Factors to Consider For Medical Office Space

Here are three fundamental factors to consider when you rent medical office space.

Affordability

Based on your financial situation, you have to make a decision. Then, once your practice grows, you can think about renting out extra space. First, however, you should think only about the below requirements:

• Doctor’s space
• Two treatment rooms
• Reception Area
• Front office
• Small Restroom

When you think about space affordability, consider both the space requirement and location.

Operational Needs

The size of your medical practice space relies upon the types of operations you’ll perform, the number of administrative staff, the number of patient visits, the number of medical-surgical staff, and the size of frequently used medical and diagnostic equipment. Choose a space that fits your requirements.

Additionally, the space should be large enough to set up equipment, perform administrative and operational activities, and efficiently handle traffic flow.

The biggest space is not always the right option. Some unused spaces will attract unwanted storage items and supplies. Consider getting a blueprint of medical spaces that can help in determining sustainability and efficiency.

Accessibility and Traffic Flow

Ideal medical office space is designed in a circular way to move from the waiting room to receptions to exam rooms. This can create a linear, logical traffic flow. Just make sure the space you choose gives your patient a smooth and end-to-end experience during their visit.

If this all sounds too complicated or overwhelming for you, you should consider hiring an experienced real estate professional who can help you with the whole process.