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By Jeff Grandfield and Dale Willerton

Readers of our new book, Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES, will learn (in part) that many lease renewal myths exist. Considering that the average physician tenant only negotiates a couple of leases in their lifetime (and sometimes with the same landlord), it’s easy to understand how leasing myths can persist. Occasionally, these myths are created and propagated by the landlord, but also by real estate professionals looking to serve their own interests.

Here are a few myths to beware of:

Myth #1: You must exercise your renewal option to extend your lease. 98% of the successful lease-renewal deals that The Lease Coach completes for tenants don’t exercise the renewal-option clause. If they did, everything except the rental rate would have been off the table for negotiation. All of your negotiations on a renewal term should be done well in advance of your current lease expiring. If your landlord is unwilling to negotiate with you or you’re unable to achieve the terms you’re looking for, that’s when you consider your renewal option. If you play your lease-renewal cards in the right order, you may be able to negotiate for all kinds of inducements and changes that you were not aware of when you signed your first lease agreement. [Read more…]

By Jeff Grandfield and Dale Willerton 

Readers of our new book, Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES, will learn (in-part) that they should be as equally cautious with their commercial lease renewals as they were with their new leases! Healthcare tenants (and established doctors) can be very attractive to commercial landlords and those doctors can use this fact to their advantage with their lease renewals. Without effective negotiation, physician tenants can miss out on valuable tenant inducements (paid by the landlord) and even lower rents.

As The Lease Coach, we frequently remind physicians of the following steps:

Do start the planning and site selection process well in-advance. Lease renewal negotiations should begin between nine – 12 months before the lease term expires. This will give you sufficient time to look at other sites and do your homework. If you can’t get a decent renewal rate, would you rather find out you need to move with three weeks or six months left on your lease term? 

Don’t settle for your same rental rate. Achieving a rent reduction on your lease renewal is a very real possibility. If your landlord is leasing space to new tenants at less than what you are currently paying, a rent reduction for you should be a given. If your current rental rate is artificially high because of your last tenant allowance, a rent reduction on your renewal term could also be in order. [Read more…]

By Tami Greene, AIA, NCARB

Now, more than ever, the quality of Healthcare Design is measured and rewarded on the basis of patient satisfaction. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, healthcare continues to evolve into a consumer commodity; where proactive patients require facilities that integrate with today’s culture of empowerment and choice around the services we choose.

Many healthcare providers may fall short in meeting that need without considering the use of technology throughout every stage of the care continuum.  Technology can greet patients at home even before their first face to face encounter with hospital staff and guide them seamlessly through their appointment or hospital stay.

In turn, investing in smart technology will not only improve the patient experience, but it also creates a more streamlined process for staff. As a healthcare designer, I often find myself asking, “why wouldn’t you?”

At Home

One rapidly growing trend that incorporates technology into the patient experience before and after visits is the use of patient portals. According to CDW’s ‘2017 Patient Engagement Perspective Study,’ there has been a 30% increase in patient signup for portals from 2016 to 2017 for a total of 74% of patients surveyed reporting that they were registered with a healthcare portal. 

The success of portals depends on the proactive measures taken by hospitals to ensure patient understanding of what a portal has to offer. First, patients must be educated as to what the portal is, how it benefits them, and how to sign up.  This education should start by the practice engaging the patient during an office visit; even offering a hands-on tutorial.

At that time, they can also ask the patient if they would like to enroll or schedule someone to contact them.  Second, the interface must be easy to use. Finally, the information available through the portal should be appropriate and relevant to the patient. [Read more…]

Facility is Centerpiece of Major Renovation Project Underway at AHN Flagship

Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and Highmark Health officials today celebrated the completion of a new facility at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) that will provide cardiovascular patients with access to 48 private beds in a state-of-the-art setting, including 24 critical care beds and a 24-bed monitored step down unit.

Located on the 11th floor of AGH’s Snyder Pavilion, the $26 million project is part of a major initiative underway to improve and modernize the infrastructure of the hospital and further advance its capabilities as AHN’s flagship quaternary medical center.

The new cardiovascular unit at AGH is expected to begin admitting patients next week and will primarily be used by those who require intensive care and around-the-clock monitoring for conditions such as acute myocardial infarction, acute heart failure, and cardiac dysrhythmias.

“AGH and its exceptional clinicians have long been recognized for providing the highest quality of care for those with cardiovascular and other complex diseases,” said Michael Harlovic, Chief Executive Officer of AGH.  “Today is a great day for our hospital, our patients and the community, and we are extremely grateful to the leadership at AHN and Highmark for their investment in these critical resources and their commitment to excellence in everything we do.” [Read more…]

By Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield – The Lease Coach

Each year in North America, approximately two million business owners, entrepreneurs, retailers, franchisees, and healthcare professionals negotiate a lease renewal for their location. Perhaps that’s why negotiating lease renewals for tenants has become The Lease Coach’s specialty. Many healthcare tenants make costly mistakes on their first lease agreement, and if they’re not careful, may continue to pay the price for those mistakes in their lease-renewal term. 

Each year, we speak with hundreds of tenants who attend The Lease Coach seminars or contact us directly for lease-renewal assistance. Considering that the average healthcare tenant only negotiates a couple of leases in their lifetime, it’s easy to understand how leasing myths can persist. Occasionally these myths are created and propagated by the landlord, but also by real estate professionals looking to serve their own interests. The following myths are the most common.

[Read more…]

By Scott Hazlett, AIA, ACHA, EDAC

Healthcare delivery has been changing rapidly over the last 10 years in our local region and across the country. The traditional healthcare points of delivery that included the community hospital, the hospital owned outpatient clinic and the physician-owned doctor’s office are quickly fading into the past as the healthcare model evolves. 

What is the healthcare facility model in 2014 and the future? What is driving this rapid change that is altering the healthcare delivery model that we have known most of our lives? There are no simple answers to these questions because of the many influences creating these changes: healthcare insurance and changes in reimbursement; mergers and acquisitions; facilities that look like luxury hotels;  healthcare campuses that look more like a college campus; healthcare available at your local Walmart or Walgreen’s for convenience; high-end rehabilitation facilities that are close to home; retirement communities that offer many levels of care including independent living, assisted living, nursing home care and hospice care all in one place; home healthcare that comes to you; and home monitoring that allows you dial in and download for medical care in your own home. This list could go on and on, but you get the idea. 

[Read more…]