Moving Your Medical Practice: Best Practices for Healthcare Facility Relocations

Involve the Right Stakeholders

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that a medical practice relocation is truly an all-hands-on-deck situation. To streamline the logistics of your move, and to minimize the risk of undue surprise, you’ll want to involve all key stakeholders in the planning process.

Specifically, make sure you touch base with:

• Your IT team. You’ll need robust tech support to ensure your network, EHR system, and other key tech is properly established at your new location. In fact, we recommend getting IT’s input early, ensuring that the space you’re eyeing can actually accommodate your technological infrastructure.
• Your practice attorney. It’s generally a good idea to get the go-ahead from your practice’s legal team, who can let you know of any issues with the lease or with independent contracts you’re working with.

• The facility management team. The insight of your facility management team will be crucial for ensuring that the new space is functional for your medical team, but also comfortable and accessible to your patients.
• Providers. You’ll naturally want to ensure your providers are all part of the relocation discussion, as their buy-in will be critical for maintaining morale among the rest of your personnel.

After assembling these stakeholders, you may wish to form a relocation team, clearly defining the different roles that will be required to ensure the best possible moving experience.

Find the Right Relocation Partners

When it comes to moving a medical practice, you don’t want to enlist a standard team of residential movers. Instead, it’s important to seek the guidance of a commercial moving company that has actual experience with medical practice moves. Among other benefits, working with an experienced partner ensures that your movers will know how to carefully relocate your mission-critical clinical equipment and technology.

When interviewing potential vendors, make sure you ask about experience within the healthcare industry. Seek references and testimonials to validate your mover’s experience. And, be sure to ask about the mover’s approach to handling sensitive data, maintaining privacy requirements, and upholding the medical industry’s compliance guidelines.

Communicate Clearly and Consistently

Communication is essential for any successful relocation. In addition to regular communication with your commercial moving partner, you’ll also want to establish open lines with patients as well as payers/insurance companies.

Some guidelines for communicating with your patients:

• Place plenty of signage announcing the move. We recommend providing at least 30 days’ notice—more if possible.
• Add a notice to your phone greeting (whether that’s automated or just a script for your live receptionists).
• Spread the word via your website and social media accounts. You really can’t over-communicate on this point.
• Send an email to all of the patients on your rolls.
• Make sure you confirm the new practice location/address with each new appointment you set.

Clear communication is essential for ensuring your relocation goes off without a hitch.