Managing the development of a medical office building (MOB) can be a complicated and difficult process. There are many factors that must be taken into consideration before a groundbreaking takes place, throughout the entire construction process and as the building transitions into the occupancy phase. A MOB development may be further complicated by any number of internal or external factors. A clear, structured and customized communication plan is a critical component to the successful navigation of the development process and is foundational to the success of the project.

This assertion was recently put to test on the campus of Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) in northern Indiana. SJRMC engaged BremnerDuke Healthcare Real Estate to develop and construct a 200,000 square foot medical office building on its new replacement hospital campus. Construction of the new MOB was to occur simultaneously with SJRMC’s new inpatient replacement hospital. In addition to adjacent construction of two buildings by different contractors, the new MOB was to be connected at all four above-ground levels and at its subsurface garage, to the hospital. Further, due to separate ownership, the two buildings were required to remain independent but function in a complementary and cohesive manner.

From their prior experience in healthcare real estate development, BremnerDuke team understood that effective communication between all involved entities would be essential for the successful completion of the project. Not only would communication be crucial for the team dedicated to the MOB, but the lines of communication would also need to extend to the separate teams working on the inpatient hospital as well. To establish this vital connection, the BremnerDuke team employed the following actions:

Identify Participants and the “Point Person”

For SJRMC’s project, one of the first steps in establishing a clear and concise communication process was to identify the individual teams for each project and to determine the applicable point person for each entity. By identifying the point person for each group, any duplication of effort, missed points of communication and possible delays were avoided. In conjunction with identifying the point person, the roles for other team members were delineated accordingly. It was important to have an understanding of the responsibilities of each individual within the various teams. Both of these steps increased the efficiency and effectiveness of communication within the project delivery teams.

Utilize Existing Meeting Structure (if available)

Once the project teams were established and roles were clearly communicated, it was time to develop the method and format for meetings and updates to take place. It was quickly suggested by hospital administration that the weekly Owner-Architect-Contractor (OAC) meetings organized by their inpatient project representative be adopted by the MOB team as the means and method to meet with all parties on a reoccurring basis. Since the meeting format and structure had already been established and a number of participants were common to both project teams, this was quickly recognized as a plausible and realistic solution.

Establish Special Coordination Meeting Process

The OAC meetings worked well for global project communication and discussion of coordination issues; however they were not effective for more specialized topics of discussion. For these types of issues, specialized coordination meetings were scheduled with the affected stakeholders for any given issue needing more detailed study. Typically the need for special coordination meetings was identified during the OAC meetings.

Orchestrate Client Focused Meeting

In conjunction with the regular scheduled OAC meetings and the special coordination sessions, BremnerDuke scheduled bi-weekly development and construction meetings with SJRMC. This format afforded BremnerDuke the ability to ensure that proper alignment with the hospital’s goals for the new campus project was maintained. Throughout the bi-weekly meetings, focus was put on the schedule and any coordination items specific to the MOB, items specific to tenants including SJRMC, and discussion regarding ongoing pre-opening leasing activity.

The methods of communication used for the SJRMC medical office building helped ensure that the project was delivered on time and on budget. The project teams were able to stay on top of issues and resolve them quickly with all applicable groups. The various meeting formats also allowed for participants to be kept “in the loop” as the life cycle of the development moved along, resulting in the delivery of a building that exceeds tenant expectations.