Key Considerations Before Leasing a Retail Space for a Healthcare Clinic

Posted on February 27, 2024 by bafcorp20

Starting a healthcare clinic is more than just about offering the services needed; it’s about the environment in which those services operate. Choosing the space that your clinic will call home is crucial. It not only contributes to your clinic’s branding and patient experience but also plays a significant role in the day-to-day efficiency of your operations.

Whether you’re a medical professional venturing into private practice or an established clinic looking to expand, the process of finding and leasing a retail space warrants a strategic and meticulous approach. This guide is a compass to steer you through the nuances of leasing retail space for your healthcare clinic.

Call 317-253-0531 for Healthcare Clinic Space Planning and Remodeling in Indianapolis

Retail Space in the Healthcare Sector

Before the first patient walks through your door, your clinic’s location and layout should be prescribed for success. The significance of this decision is often underestimated, and missteps can lead to a host of operational challenges that could stymie your healthcare business. From selecting a location that’s accessible and demographically suitable to ensuring the space complies with healthcare regulations, every parameter requires a detailed evaluation.

The healthcare sector isn’t just about providing treatment; it’s an ecosystem of patient trust, community needs, and professional efficacy. Your retail space is the first chapter in your clinic’s narrative, and it must align with these values cohesively.

Choosing a Location

Navigating Demographics

Understanding the community you’ll be serving is pivotal. Analyzing the local population’s size, age, income level, and the healthcare needs that might be underserved will help you tailor your services. Interactive maps and demographic data can guide these decisions, ensuring that the location is a good fit for the type of clinic you envision.

The Competition Conundrum

Competition can be both a boon and a bane. While a location with more established healthcare facilities may suggest a high-traffic area, it could mean facing a battle for market share. Research what’s available, identify the white spaces, and position yourself strategically.

Accessibility and Foot Traffic

Proximity to public transportation, parking facilities, and even the layout of the space from a patient’s perspective matter. Accessibility compliance isn’t just a legal obligation; it’s about making your clinic welcoming and user-friendly to all patients, including those with mobility challenges.

Space Requirements

The Blueprint of Care

The layout of healthcare spaces is distinct. It needs to be efficient, with a clear division of patient areas, staff zones, and spaces for equipment and records. A well-designed space can streamline patient workflows and staff operations, leading to better outcomes and experiences.

Size Matters

Balancing the size of the clinic with your current needs and future ambitions is delicate. Overcrowding due to a space too small can be off-putting to patients, while underutilized, large spaces can be an unnecessary financial burden. Projecting your growth and ensuring the space can accommodate it is foresight that pays dividends.

Zoning and Healthcare Regulations

Healthcare facilities have specific zoning requirements and breaking the law (even unknowingly) can have severe repercussions. Ensure your intended space is zoned for healthcare use or if not, understand the steps required to change its designation.

Lease Terms and Negotiation

Deciphering Lease Agreements

Lease agreements can be cryptic with legal jargon, but understanding the terms is not negotiable. Be clear on your rent, what it includes, and any extras. Know your obligations and rights as a tenant, especially maintenance responsibilities related to the space.

Rent and Renewal Options

Budgeting for your lease should be comprehensive. Don’t just consider the monthly rent but also factor in annual increases, common area maintenance fees, and any utility costs. Negotiate renewal terms upfront to secure the space for the long term if it’s beneficial to your practice.

Lease Duration and Flexibility

While you may be keen on securing a long lease, flexibility is also crucial for unforeseen changes. Short-term leases with clear renewal clauses can provide the security you need without the commitment that could stifle adaptability.

Amenities and Infrastructure

The Necessities

From waiting rooms to examination areas, consultation rooms to restrooms, assess the non-negotiable elements your clinic space must have. This includes electricity, plumbing, and a safe and secure environment compliant with OSHA standards.

Parking and Accessibility

An adequate parking area or easy access to public transport can significantly alleviate patient stress and improve their experience. Remember, some of your patients may have mobility challenges, and thus, accessibility should extend beyond the entryway.

The Technology Ecosystem

Today’s clinics rely on technology for everything from patient management to equipment operation. The space should support a robust IT infrastructure, and it should be designed to accommodate future advancements without major disruptions.

Compliance and Regulations

Zoning Laws and Building Codes

Before you sign on the dotted line, ensure all zoning and building codes are met within the space. This may include specific regulations for healthcare facilities and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Permit Procurement

Leasing a healthcare space may require you to obtain various permits before you can operate. This could range from simple construction permits for renovation work to healthcare specific licenses. Know the process and timeline for securing these documents.

Foreseeability Cost Analysis

Retail Space Lease Cost

Looking at the cost of the lease only scratches the surface. Factor in the costs of any necessary renovations, equipment procurement, utilities, insurance, and any taxes or fees applicable to your occupancy of the space.

Renovations and Aesthetic Integrity

Renovations might be necessary to turn a retail space into a clinic. Consider cost-effective design choices that align with your branding and the need for a sterile, professional environment.

Ongoing Operational Expenses

Leasing isn’t just about rent; you’ll have ongoing utilities, maintenance, and possibly staffing costs associated with running the clinic. Make sure you have a solid understanding of all these expenses.

Marketing and Visibility

Location Marketing

Your clinic’s location should factor into your marketing strategy. Use the uniqueness of the space, its history, and its accessibility in your branding and promotional materials.

Signage and Curb Appeal

Your exterior façade should invite patients inside. Well-lit and professional signage, complemented by clear wayfinding, helps establish your clinic as a trusted healthcare provider before the first consultation.

Leveraging the Inherent Foot Traffic

If your space is in a bustling retail area, consider how you can convert the surrounding foot traffic into patient appointments through events, specials, or even just engaging storefront displays.

Conclusion

Before you sign a lease, conduct thorough due diligence. While the process may seem daunting, it’s a rewarding investment in your clinic’s future. Engage with local professionals, commercial real estate agents, and construction experts who understand the unique needs of healthcare spaces. A successful partnership with these entities can assure that every decision from the location of your clinic to the final design embodies your practice’s values and commitment to patient care.

Most importantly, take the time to tour the prospective space with the lens of a patient and a provider. Your retail space is more than your clinic’s address; it’s the first step in your patient’s health journey and the foundation of your practice’s legacy.

Are you looking for space planning and remodeling guidance for a new retail space or healthcare clinic here in Indiana? Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for help with everything from space planning and permitting to healthcare construction, tenant remodeling, and retail franchising in Indianapolis, Indiana. We serve clients all throughout the state.

Healthcare Facility Construction Considerations for 2022

Posted on December 23, 2021 by bafcorp20

As a real estate developer preparing for a healthcare facility construction project next year, it is wise to begin your preconstruction planning process with some innovative design and technology considerations. Continue below to review some of the top medical facility construction and design trends heading into 2022, plus which company to trust for superior commercial construction services in Central Indiana.

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Technology Applications for the Medical Facility Industry

Technology is the future of the medical facility and healthcare world. Innovation and scientific breakthroughs has made our society what it is today, and as a healthcare clinic or facility, it is your moral obligation to stay current with all the new innovations and technologies available today. Evolving with the changing world of healthcare and medical treatment will set your facility apart from all the rest, setting the bar for professionalism, quality, and service.

Here are some considerations to incorporate into your preconstruction planning process for medical facility construction:

Copper Surfaces

Anti-microbial is the way to go, especially considering the tragedies that have come out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the medical treatment industry, such protections are of the highest importance. After all, patients check in to get better, not sicker. One design approach that is taking the medical facility construction world by storm is copper-alloy touch surfaces.

Copper retains natural properties that kill microorganisms, such as disease-causing bacteria and antibiotic-resistant infections. In fact, studies have shown that copper services can kill all microbes within an hour’s time. Even the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) condones the applications of copper alloys as, “antimicrobial materials with public health benefits.”

Recommended copper-alloy touch surface installations include:

▶ Bed Tables
▶ Railing (Bed rails, handrails, stair railing, etc.)
▶ Computer Keyboards
▶ Doorknobs
▶ Faucets, Sinks and Toilet Hardware
▶ Fitness and Physical Therapy Equipment
▶ Shopping Cart Handles
▶ Countertops

Touch-Free Technologies

In addition to antimicrobial protection through the use of copper alloy surface installations, medical facility construction designers and advisors have opted for touch-free technology applications and designs. Hands-free technologies, like motion-sensor doors and automatic sink faucets, can significantly reduce the spread of germs and other illness-causing components. You may also consider touch-free designs like automated soap and hand sanitizer dispensers, voice-activated emergency assistance, and touch-free intercoms.

Are you looking for a qualified commercial construction company to navigate your healthcare building or renovation project in Indiana? Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for superior medical facility construction in Indianapolis, Indiana. We work with clients all throughout the state.

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Benefits of Converting Vacant Mall Space into Medical Facilities

Posted on August 24, 2021 by bafcorp20

Abandoned mall conversions are a new real estate trend gaining more momentum by the day in the current economic climate. That is because using vacant mall space as a foundation for a new office or business location has its advantages. With astute commercial construction and remodeling design, much of America’s vacant mall space can be converted into a safe and functional office setting. One industry that seems to be excelling at the mall redevelopment trend is the medical facility industry.

Continue reading to learn the top benefits of turning old, vacant mall space into a new medical facility, and how to get your space planning and permitting started before the end of the season this year.

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Vacant Mall Space Conversions

After the whirlwind of events experienced in our nation recently, more and more consumers are shopping online or locally, rather than the city mall. This reason, coupled with wide-spectrum economic depression, has led to a significant drop in occupancy for many shopping centers and malls all around the country. Several malls have even had to close down entirely because of insufficiency tenancy, as they cannot continue to afford the massive overhead needed to keep a large mall up and running.

A solution to this problem seems to be mall conversions. With skilled space planning and remodeling, vacant or abandoned mall space can be turned into a state-of-the-art, sophisticated business setting for various applications, including offices, ghost kitchens, and even medical facilities. In fact, there are many good reasons why commercial real estate developers are leaning more towards mall redevelopment for medical facility construction rather than building from the ground up.

Building a Medical Facility in an Abandoned Mall

Although it sounds like you are compromising quality and structural integrity by choosing to renovate old mall space into a medical facility, vacant mall space is actually a real asset for medical facility construction. Mall redevelopment provides the same basis of construction and design, without tacking on the additional building costs required to construct a facility from the ground up. Here are some additional noted benefits of medical facility mall conversions:

► Prime Location – Malls are built in prime locations around highway and interstate connections to attract and draw in a larger market around the city. For this reason, medical facilities do well in converted mall spaces because patients and staff can easily access them from a broad area.

► Adequate Accessibility – Malls are large facilities themselves, which is why their parking lots are usually massive. This is an advantage for medical facility operations because mall parking lots offer sufficient space for patients and staff, as well as ambulatory and emergency vehicles. Furthermore, mall parking lots are typically ADA compliant, and come with handicap parking, ramps, automatic doors, wide turn around space, and similar compliancy.

► Square Footage – As we keep mentioning, malls are big, so space is something they can offer generously. This is an advantage for medical facilities because it delivers adequate square footage for lobbies, waiting rooms, exam rooms, operating rooms, diagnostic rooms, conference rooms, offices, break rooms, inventory storage, and more.

► Reduced Costs – Converting old mall space into a new medical facility reduces construction costs drastically because the bones are already there. Furthermore, malls are opening their doors to such lease agreements because they are desperate for income, which means cheaper rent for tenants.

Are you interested in learning more about commercial space conversions or medical center construction in Central Indiana? Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for superior healthcare construction in Indianapolis, Indiana. We work with clients all throughout the state.

You Should Also Read:

Ghost Kitchen Construction Costs and Considerations for Food Delivery
Top 3 Healthcare Facility Construction Trends for 2020
Why is Commercial Real Estate Market Space Listed as Class A, B or C?

3 OSHA Guidelines For Illnesses and Injury Prevention in Medical Facilities

Posted on December 31, 2020 by bafcorp20

When it comes to medical facility construction, there are many OSHA guidelines that both proprietor and contracting team must strictly adhere to. However obvious some of them may be, there are a few OSHA guidelines that are often overlooked, or simply not as evident. There are 3 in particular, all of which are equally as vital as all the rest. For the new year, be sure your medical facility is equipped with these important and overlooked OSHA recommendations.

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Medical Facility OSHA Recommendations for 2021

In addition to medical facilities, there are other types of edifices and industries that require the same level of OSHA standards that are similar to other buildings, such as rehabilitation centers, therapy offices, senior care centers, nursing homes, and more. The new year OSHA recommendations for such industries include security systems, airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIR), and of course, personal protection equipment (PPE), including dispensers and disposal bins for the PPE. Here is a little more about each type of new year technology that you should consider for your upcoming medical facility new build, remodel, or renovation.

► Medical Center Security Systems

Incorporating security system designs in a medical facility is a vital part of meeting OSHA standards, as well as protecting all staff, patients, contractors, and guests. Everything from violence to psychosis, there should be strict internal safety codes for all potential hazards and confrontations. Such systems to consider and discuss with your commercial construction medical facility contractor include ADT exterior alarms, video surveillance, secured exit routes, and automatic window and door locking systems. Your updated security plan might also include improved parking garage safety, such as better lighting or protective, after-hours barriers. These safety and security features are in addition to the standard safety and security systems recommended for all medical facilities and all other commercial buildings.

► Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

With the pandemic still going strong in all parts of the world, personal protection equipment (PPE) is even more of a necessity than it ever has been. Furthermore, such necessity is even more important in the medical industry since it is an industry that deals with illnesses, some centers dealing with infectious and dangerous diseases that can be easily transmitted to adults and children. New technologies that you can consider incorporating into your medical facility this year for the purpose of supporting and organizing personal protection equipment are automatic PPE dispensers, touchless PPE disposal containers or bins, and plenty of accessible storage units for all PPE.

► Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIR)

The added OSHA recommendation of incorporating an airborne infection isolation room into a new or soon-to-be remodeled medical facility is an astute and important consideration, especially during these times of the COVID-19 pandemic. What was once referred to as negative pressure isolation rooms, airborne infection isolation rooms serve the purpose of mitigating the spread of dangerous or transmissible diseases. They achieve this goal with the help of fixed-air circulation systems. These systems use special filtration materials to exhaust contaminated or unconditioned air directly outside.

Choose BAF Corporation for Healthcare Construction and Remodeling in Indiana

Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for trusted healthcare construction and remodeling in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding locations. Our skilled and experienced commercial general contractors serve all corporate, commercial, and industrial industries in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding districts. Call today to request free information or to schedule a consultation.

BAF Corporation Provides Superior Healthcare Facility Construction in Indianapolis

Posted on June 4, 2020 by bafcorp20

Here at BAF Corporation, our professional commercial contractors have provided superior and trusted healthcare and wellness facility construction in Central Indiana. Continue below to learn why medical facility proprietors should choose us for full-service planning, construction, and post-facility maintenance.

Medical Care Facility Standards

Not just here in our home state of Indiana, but all throughout the nation, healthcare facility requirements are growing firmer and more complex. For this reason, healthcare facilities, including wellness centers and spas, must retain the services of a truly skilled expert who stays current on all medical construction laws and building code changes.

BAF Corp Has the Medical Care Construction Expertise Your Facility Needs to Be Successful

BAF Corporation is a leading healthcare construction company in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our licensed commercial general contractors have decades of hands-on experience in the commercial construction industry. We provide comprehensive commercial construction services, but maintain a special emphasis on healthcare construction. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve in so many ways, our teams stay up to date on all building codes, industry best practices, design trends, and innovative technologies. Not only do we build facilities that are functional, efficient, and meet today’s industry standards, we build facilities to take on future growth and changes for long-term success.

From hospitals and emergency clinics, to doctors’ offices, surgery centers, wellness centers, spas, rehabilitation centers, laboratories, outpatient clinics, and much more, we are your expert commercial general contracting professionals to choose for superior healthcare and wellness facility construction. In fact, we have provided successful work here in Indiana, for Northpoint Pediatrics, Hematology Oncology of Indiana, Community North Hospital, Radiology of Indiana Breast MRI, Neuropsychiatric Hospital, and many more.

The BAF Corporation Method

At BAF Corporation, our concentrated approach to medical facility construction delivery services provides insurance for your project outcome, protects your investment, and enhances your business’s overall value and function. By co-operating as one collective team, our healthcare construction professionals accurately specify all unique aspects of a project, including aligning design and building schedules, pin-pointing milestones, generating contingency plans, and evaluating all possible alternatives. This allows us to accurately reflect real world conditions, control costs, and prevent complications or setbacks. In the medical and healthcare industry, every single one of these priorities are vital to a hospital construction project.

How to Get in Touch for a Consultation

Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 to get in touch with a friendly office manager regarding healthcare construction services in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding locations. Our licensed commercial general contractors have the expertise to effectively apply our resources and abilities to deliver the highest standards of excellence in architecture, engineering, design, and facility maintenance in the healthcare industry. We serve all corporate, commercial, and industrial industries in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding districts. Call today to request free information or to schedule a consultation.