Content about Facilities Management

With so much change and uncertainty afoot in healthcare, many practice owners may wonder if relocating is a wise decision. The answer isn’t always clear-cut, but there are some definitive signs you can look for to determine if relocating is the way to go. MOT spoke with a couple of experts to identify seven significant signs it’s time to relocate. Here’s what they had to say.

Sign #1: You want to transform your patient base

Conversations, doors slamming, phones ringing, equipment humming… medical offices can be noisy places, and that’s bad for both staff and patients. Every medical practice, regardless of size or specialty, should strive to make its office as quiet as possible with soundproofing techniques and materials. Fortunately, there are some simple and cost-effective ways to soundproof a medical office, creating a pleasant and productive place to work and ensuring that patient privacy is protected and HIPAA violations are avoided.
 

All medical office practitioners should familiarize themselves with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act. Since we last wrote about this topic in 2010, the regulations implementing the accessibility requirements for newly designed and constructed and altered facilities have been revised. 
 

By Tiffani Hiudt Casey
 
OSHA identified the following general industry standards as the top cited among doctors’ offices and clinics from October 2010 through September 2011: bloodborne pathogens, hazard communication, electrical wiring methods, respiratory protection, use of the proper recordkeeping forms, recordkeeping summaries, design and construction of exit routes, medical services and first aid, and general requirements for personal protective equipment.
 

Has your administrative staff never touched a PC? Is your waiting room furniture scuffed, worn or ripped? Are your signs rusted, dirty and faded? Does your website contain “current” information circa the Bush administration?
 
If you answered yes to any of these questions, your practice is a bit out of date, and you could be in big trouble when it comes to remaining competitive in your community. Following are five signs that your practice needs updating – stat! See if you recognize yourself in any of them and read our solutions.
 

People entering your office can have allergic reactions to a host of substances. The severity of these reactions can range from mild to life-threatening, so it’s smart to try to rid your space of the most common allergens for patients and staff in a medical office.
 
MOT spoke with several experts in the field of allergen control to find out what substances found in medical offices most frequently cause allergic reactions and how practices should approach them. Read on for their advice.
 
Latex
 

If finances, design, staff, facilities or operations didn’t meet your expectations last year, a brand-new calendar year can help you start with a clean slate and set goals for greater success. Remember that you’re not necessarily out to change everything, just the aspects that could use some help.
 
Here, MOT offers you a systematic way to approach the New Year, figure out what’s working and what isn’t, and set a course for future prosperity.
 
Look at the big picture
 

When it comes to your practice and your medical office space, it’s vital to consider the durability of the materials you choose for flooring, walls, furniture, countertops and sinks. Ignoring this element in favor of lower prices or aesthetics can ultimately cost you big.
 
Using products that aren’t durable can mean replacing them sooner than you’d planned, and some poor choices can create an unkempt and even unhealthy environment.
 

A typical medical office deals with many different sources of smells, all of which can produce odors that are either unpleasant or trigger unpleasant feelings. If your office smells bad, it’s important to get a handle on it and eliminate the problem.
 

As you consider the design details of the rest of your office, evaluate the condition of your bathrooms as well. Medical office bathrooms not only get a lot of use, but they also speak volumes about you and your practice.
 
Outmoded fixtures and furnishings – or even the lack of design flair – can give off the impression that you simply don’t care about the comfort of your staff or patients, while cracked tiles and poor lighting can be downright dangerous.
 

During the course of our busy workday, we tend to leave paper files and mail untouched to attend to other pertinent matters. But then that day turns into a few days, and then into weeks. Before you realize it, we are surrounded by a mountain of clutter.
 
For some businesses, a cluttered office is no big deal. In fact, many people take pride in their messy desks – you’ve heard the phrase “a cluttered desk is the sign of genius”. But in a medical practice, an unkempt office can be portrayed negatively by your patients and prospective patients.

Don’t ever underestimate the importance of having a nice, clean and organized medical office. If you want your patients to keep coming back to your practice, you must make a good impression with them at all times. There are several inexpensive ways to keep your office looking its best for your patients and staff alike.