The Evolution of the Medical Office Building

The Move Away From Old Fashioned

Not long ago, developing an MOB was relatively easy. Architects would measure it for maximum leasing flexibility, make it as wide and as high as the site or the dollar could stretch, cover it in with a standard building skin, sign up physicians and build out quaint offices in a leased or condominium setting.

This traditional MOB design was in response to a billing method that still has relevancy for reimbursement models. These settings make financial sense for tenants that are not interconnected or providing support services to one another, while providing care via government assistance programs. Today, though, the incentive is for these organizations to provide wellness care, which creates a stronger motivation for combining the healthcare service components into one location.

All of this has occurred in relation to the Affordable Care Act. In October 2012, the law began penalizing hospitals for Medicare readmission rates that trended significantly above average. The ACA, which continues migrating into the delivery of medical care, also gives employers incentives for establishing wellness programs. The goal is to keep patients out of hospitals, thereby reducing the upward spiral in medical costs.

Not to worry, though, basic MOB user. The simplicity and low cost will remain viable for years to come, but it is worth taking note that owners, along with developers, are leaning towards redeveloping largely vacant medical buildings towards more flexible floor plates, combining primary care, urgent care, specialty clinics, imaging, a lab, social services, a pharmacy, and sometimes even ambulatory surgery, all under one roof.

Positioning for Change

Providing an array of services in the MOB is futile if patients cannot access them. That is why healthcare organizations are tuning their capital construction plans to make care more accessible to current and future patients.

Solutions are ranging from walk-in clinics (typically in converted office, retail, industrial, or warehouse space) to purpose-built satellite health centers that bring medical services closer to their dedicated markets. They are packaged in small facilities from 5,000 to 10,000 sf or buildings of 40,000 to 50,000 sf. This provides more of a retail experience, with ground floors and easy front access which lend to friendlier patient experience.

Healthcare organizations are also relying on developers to provide facilities ahead of patient population growth so as to capture market share quickly. As many healthcare systems are now looking for fast-track construction, developers with innovative and speed-to-market solutions are winning business.

Embracing Technological Advancements

While many physicians are puzzled by new electronic medical records systems, patients, too, will need to adapt to streamlined methods for planning visits, with important implications for building floor plans and communications infrastructure.

Maximizing the floor area for the physicians to work with patients means reducing the spaces that do not provide revenue. To reduce waiting room size, for example, new technologies such as self-service check-in kiosks, patient location tracking, exam room occupancy sensors, and just-in-time scheduling, as used in the retail industry, are reducing the patient wait. These strategies not only salvage floor space, but also improve patient satisfaction.

Branding Patient Experience

Battling for market share, healthcare providers understand that competitors are striving to improve their own patient volume by repairing the image of their MOB. For instance, the current environment has promoted the friendly patient and family feel and, with women making most healthcare decisions for the family, institutions are choosing materials and finishes that create a resort-like feel and spa-like experience.

The Affordable Care Act will provide patients with new healthcare choices, and providers want to make certain that their facilities are the ultimate attraction. Healthcare is increasingly being delivered in branded, retail-like outpatient centers that are destined for a customer who needs ongoing care for chronic conditions.

via:http://mreatexas.com/2014/02/12/the-evolution-of-the-medical-office-building/