Is it time for a new practice environment? Part II: an operational approach to determining space needs

In today's practice of medicine, seeing patients requires space. The amount and type of space a practice needs are based on the volume of patients to be seen, services provided, and the number of providers in the practice. To evaluate whether or not your current practice space effectively houses your practice or if a new building could better support your practice, the amount and type of space the practice needs must be determined. Once this space needs assessment is done, it can be used to evaluate the current practice environment, and if need be develop preliminary drawings to evaluate new space. Both operational flow and the economics of creating the new improved practice (whether it is a renovation of existing space or brand new space) should be compared.