think dentAL…think AL
This is one of the most common questions I am asked about new office buildouts. There are three main areas that impact costs: Construction, Equipment & Technology, and Operating/Business Solutions. Much of the time the question centers around construction cost.
There is much to cover as far as construction but I will say that the type of flooring and finishes selected, along with the interior design, have a significant impact on costs. I always suggest to create a dream board/portfolio of what you want your office to look like so that the team understands what we are building for you. Furthermore, the location and facility requirements also play a part in costs.
There are many lending resources available to dentist BUT not all lenders are created alike. I always advocate working with resources that specialize in dental. Picking the wrong resource can be very costly to your bottom line both in the short and long term. I have built a network of lenders that can help those dentist with either stellar credit or credit that is less than stellar.
You will keep hearing me say to work with those resources that specialize in dental. This also is critical when searching for that ideal dental office. Don’t make the mistake to work with someone that does NOT understand the uniqueness and nuances of dental office space.
It is never too soon to start looking for office space. If you are a dentist with an existing office and looking to relocate, it is best to start the search within 18-24 months prior to the expiration of your lease. This process can take months sometimes years to find that ideal location. I have built a network of commercial brokers that work solely with dental/medical professionals to assist us in finding that ideal location.
In most all types of projects, a dental floor plan is needed as it is the foundation of the project. The analogy I have used is the dental floor plan is like your clinical treatment plan. It provides the road map of the journey and planned destination. In a new office project, the dental design floor plan is needed for the landlord, the contractor and the city submission plans, and the lender. Dentists that do not use a drawn plan, they undoubtedly will have a considerable amount of challenges that lead to stress, construction delays, compromises to the layout and increase in costs.
The first step would be to sit down and determine the goals of the project and those resources needed to achieve those goals. The costs to create a dental floor plan various greatly based on who will create the plans and the scope of work required to complete the project. There is a lot of collaboration amongst the team to accomplish the various tasks and having a project expert is critical to the success of the project.
There is much to consider when designing your office. We have to consider building limitations, size of the space, clinical treatments provided, dental workflow and efficiencies, ergonomics, equipment and technology costs, and how best to achieve your goals and wants. Having a clear vision of your dream and how best to achieve that is critical to designing the office.
This is one of the most underrated areas of designing, building and equipping your office. Building a dental office is completely different than building commercial, medical, or residential. Determining your equipment is critical when designing your office. Utilities, ergonomics, clinical workflow and requirements, structural reinforcement, and much more determines what type of dental equipment should be selected. There are many choices but selecting what fits your needs is key.
One of the things I see in dentistry is dentist struggle running their business. If you are one of those dentist that excel in this area, then skip this question, otherwise for the rest of you needing help, remember you were trained to be the best clinician possible but given little to no training on running the best practice possible. Show me 5 talented dentist that are excelling financially in their business and I will show you 50 talented dentist who are struggling financially in their business. I will partner with you on providing you and your business with the ideal business solutions so that you can focus on patient care and me and my team can focus on practice care.
There is something I have learned in dentistry, as well as other industries, there is always a way to be very successful and minimize stress BUT you have to be willing to follow a proven recipe and willing to get out of your own way. I can HELP you but you first have to ask yourself if you’re willing to ACCEPT help and PUT into practice the solutions that will work.
There is always a trend to follow but without question if you are not implementing digital dentistry into your practice, you are missing the boat. If you have ever missed a boat/plane/train, you know it is never good and there is a cost to consider. The cost in missing digital dentistry is lost revenues, lost patients and lost opportunities.
Like any new buildout/remodel/expansion project, someone needs be the main point of contact and that someone SHOULD NOT be the dentist. You should be focused on dentistry and let me be your dental project expert. This is where some of my testimonials will illustrate the vALue in having me as your partner on the project.
One of my mentors taught me years ago to do what you do best and hire out the rest.
Though I can explain why working with me would be one of your best decisions to make in your dental business, I strongly believe testimonials can best answer this question. Please click on some of my recent testimonials to understand what some of your colleagues say about partnering with me.
