Mall Doctors Diagnose New Real Estate Trend
Medical Business | By: Kiernan Doherty
When history writes the story of the 1980s, that decade's legacy will become clear. It won't be Ronald Reagan, the cold war's end, new morality or rap music. The 1980s will be remembered for the proliferation of the shopping mall. And with that legacy, the 1990s have spawned a new addition - the medical mall.
Typically, most doctors have sought the same things in determining a location for their offices: proximity to a hospital, an upscale patient base, and a location not too far from their homes. But with the lease market depressed, doctors are being lured away from the hospital surrounding.
Ken Weston, president of Kenneth Weston and Associates, a South Miami real estate firm that represents physicians and building owners, says his company does an extensive survey for physicians. Taking into account whether they are established or just starting out, it helps them determine the best place to move. The survey includes questions about where their present patients are coming from, why they're making the move, where most of their referrals come from and what their specialties are. Also considered is what should change about the present office.