Many practitioners on their journey of opening a practice leave the equipment as an afterthought. They either start ordering equipment when the building has commenced or when the build has finished. At this point, they are either trying to “retrofit” new equipment to a new setup. So how do we avoid this dilemma? We start by fitting the practice around the equipment. I can imagine eyebrows being raised at the previous comment. You would be asking: “How do we do that when we don’t even know how much everything costs and what we need in the practice.” Here are some tips to help you answer that question!
It’s essential that you know what you need in your practice or what equipment is required for your chosen medical speciality as this will impact two things: space layout and overall project cost, not taking into consideration if you can afford to finance that as well.
The first consideration is what is most crucial equipment required. You would need your essential tools of the trade, e.g. dentists need dental chairs, doctors need examination beds, et cetera. A list of the essential equipment should be compiled and kept as a starting template for the new practice requirements.
Once this list has been made and costed, the next step is to dive into what special interests you have as a practitioner. These special interests may include a microscope for general practitioners interested in ear, nose and throat ailments, a cone beam CT scan machine for dentists interested in dental implants or surgical extractions or even specialised surgical theatre equipment for those vets planning to open a veterinary hospital. This specialist equipment will come at a higher cost, and we advise that the feasibility of the purchase needs to be analysed to determine if the cost of the equipment can be recovered through its use. Whilst in the planning phase, this feasibility of specialist equipment must also be a consideration as it will impact the location of the medical practice.
Finally, consider the non-essential items that you would like to have in your practice. These are additional items that you would like to have but may not be necessary. It could be upgraded equipment, or a TV screen in the room, multiple screens for your computer, a potted plant in the waiting room, a coffee machine for the patients, the list can go on and on. Again the budget must allow for these additional items as they have they can quickly become substantial and eat into the build budget.
Having project managed multiple projects across various medical specialties, healthprac can work with you to provide a high-quality and seamless solution to incorporate all your equipment and fitout requirements, utilising our supplier discounts, into your ideal practice. Contact us today at info@healthprac.com.au.