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The Story of HealthMint Cranbourne North – A 4th Birthday Reflection

By Clinic News, Featured No Comments

This week has been a massive milestone at HealthMint Medical Centre in Cranbourne North. We have celebrated an incredible 4 years since the doors to the clinic opened. What an adventure it has been, and continues to be!

Founder and co-owner Chantelle Brott sits down to share her thoughts and reflections on the last 4 years of the HealthMint journey…

The birth of an idea

I was 25 years old, and finishing off my final semester of Science/Law at Monash uni, when Paul and I opened HealthMint. That makes it sound like I have a very high stress tolerance. I don’t. I just felt this strong and impossible-to-ignore pull to get out there and get started on our dream of vastly improving the healthcare system. I’m also pretty impatient, and felt that every day we hadn’t opened was another day we had lost an opportunity to create change. We have now reached our 4th birthday and are on the cusp of re-shaping our whole business for future growth. So this feels like the perfect time to look back, reflect and share some things that very few know about me and what has gone on behind the scenes of HealthMint in the last four years.

Most people who interact with HealthMint wouldn’t know who I am. But my fingerprints are on everything. My name is Chantelle and my husband (at the time, boyfriend) Paul and I opened HealthMint as equal partners in 2015. Most people are blown away by the fact that two people who weren’t even engaged would go all in on something like this together. But in our story, it makes perfect sense.

The HealthMint spark is ignited

Paul and I met in 2011 and came up with the idea for HealthMint around 2013. When we spent time together early on in our relationship we would spend hours talking about business, innovation and the healthcare system. It was like a fuse had been lit. We knew with absolute certainty that we had to and wanted to give life to our ideas. So we started spending time drafting concepts, business plans, area analyses, searching for sites and seeking out everything we could possibly learn about business. In secret. That’s right, we decided to take on this massive project, and we didn’t tell anyone for a long time. In some ways, that made it even more exciting.

My memory of how we pulled it all together is a bit blurry. At one point we met a bank representative at a business seminar (that led to us being able to source financing for our Cranbourne site). At another point we were bouncing between builders and architects and furniture shops and Medicare.

Growing the seed

I almost can’t believe this as I write it down, but we didn’t even have any employees around 2-3 weeks before being due to open our doors. We had very little idea of what to look for when interviewing our first reception applicants, but our gut feel didn’t let us down, and that’s how our first star receptionist (Jaymee) came on board. We’ve grown a lot together, and after opening with 4 people, including ourselves, there are now 22 (incredible) people in the team.

Designing the dream

Every large and tiny element you see when you interact with HealthMint was thought through by us. From plotting out the layout of our consulting rooms in my parents living room, to the size of the skirting boards and shade of paint on the walls. Everything has a thought process and a reason behind it. We also took a lot of risks. We really didn’t know before trying it out whether the concept of a mobile healthcare concierge would work.

 

 

We were also told by every IT company that we approached that setting up the existing medical software to work through wireless tablets (our goal) was impossible. They advised us to have, you guessed it, the big chunky desktop computer that you see at every other clinic in Australia, connected by Ethernet to the wall.

But I knew in my heart of hearts that to achieve that feeling of connection, by having doctors and patients sit face to face, and the feeling of attentiveness, by having patients in the centre of the room, that we had to find a way to get rid of that desk. Most people don’t know this, but we went out and purchased a surface pro tablet, set up a dummy server at home and a test environment of the medical software and Paul tinkered with it for hours on end until he got it working. That was a very emotional moment for us, because we knew right then that our whole concept was possible. Four years on, and we are still the only medical centre in all of Australia to have the whole team working through wireless tablets.

Growing pains and triumphs

As most small business owners would understand, we have had some incredible highs, but also some very deep lows. I won’t go into too much into detail, but the pain of business and people coming and going can sometimes be so sharp. It can also be very tiring. There were months where Paul consulted 6 days in a row and we would then spend Sunday catching up on business management. We even had to cancel our honeymoon at one point. Thankfully, a few weeks prior, we were able to arrange cover.

Since opening our doors we have achieved things I didn’t even know we would need to achieve. I now have a kick-ass system for interviewing and hiring, have taught myself how to create digital document automations that save me hours for on-boarding, and I’ve even become pretty efficient at video editing. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We also have 250+ written systems that specify nearly everything that every team member needs to follow to deliver our signature, personalised and high quality healthcare experience. We’ve even been showcased on channel ten news, channel 7 Sunrise and 3aw.

We’re still working out our next moves – but we have this massive dream goal of some day having 100 HealthMints around Australia delivering the highest quality care, the best patient experiences, constantly innovating and shining a light on just how great healthcare delivery can really be. We want to create a future where the next generation is never afraid of going to the doctor. Where people feel confident that there are clinics nearby where they will be heard, taken seriously and know that their health is in good hands.

Being the change

I’ve been lucky, I’ve got an amazing family GP who I trust and who is there for me. Most of my friends and the people I know don’t have that. A few days ago my brother in law told me he can’t even remember the name of the GP he was seeing. We’ve got to change this. Our population is living longer, and there will be more and more elderly people. No workforce is better placed to keep us well and keep us out of hospital than our first line of defense – GPs. But with little true competition and the rise of bulk billing, the General practice industry has become a numbers game. Less money from Medicare relative to inflation + more patients per hour = we can keep going. This has created a conveyor belt of commoditised care (where people are just numbers) in many circumstances.

You’ve got to wonder how much a place cares about you when they put out an old plastic chair, ugly carpet, neon lights and a 50 minute wait time as your greeting. But Paul and I, and now the team beside us, believe that we can change this.

HealthMint isn’t just a business started by 2 young and somewhat naive dreamers anymore. Now it’s a movement, with nurses, concierge, doctors, psychologists and other practitioners who all believe that by looking at healthcare from a different perspective, we can make things so much better than they are, and help thousands of people reach their potential.

Our second site is on its way, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next 40 years brings.

P.s. if you connect with our story, please reach out to me

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Medical Centre Cranbourne: HealthMint Has 5 Minute Wait Times

By Business, Clinic News, General Wellbeing No Comments

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Channel 10 news popped into HealthMint Medical Centre in Cranbourne North this week to see what all the hype has been about lately surrounding the clinic and reports that we have only a 5 minute wait time to see a GP!

We had an amazing experience showcasing the Clinic of the Future with the use of technology and amazing staff to make the patient experience a positive and memorable one. Patients can check themselves in using iPads while a concierge welcomes them at our check in bar before relaxing in the lap of luxury.

Here at this Cranbourne Medical Centre, traditional reception areas as well as Doctors sitting behind clunky desks have been done away with. This allows for better contact with patients which results in them feeling heard and understood – an approach unique to HealthMint Medical Centre.

Streamlining the registration and sign in process allows for longer consultations for each patient. Appointments actually run on time at HealthMint! Current patients continue to express their pleasure with no longer having to wait extended periods of time (sometimes hours) to see a doctor. Long wait times are considered the norm at most other GP clinics.

Founder and co-owner of HealthMint Chantelle Brott explains to 10 News, “When you’re unwell you want nothing more than to sit on the couch in your pyjamas. So we thought why not create that living room like experience.”

There are plans in place to expand HealthMint’s unique style of medicine across the country. It’s a goal to make a significant change in Australian healthcare.

Ashley Apps, a patient of one of the independent practitioners consulting at HealthMint, told 10 News how wonderful it was to “actually want to come to the doctors, instead of dreading going each time”. Her need to provide her children with the best healthcare has been made possible thanks to the clinic.

Booking appointments focuses on technology with the option of downloading the HealthMint app or booking online.

 

Want to experience HealthMint Medical Centre Cranbourne for yourself? Book an appointment here

Want more information?

Call (03) 5611 3365 to speak to a friendly patient concierge

or book an appointment here
back to school health tips healthmint

Back to School

By Children's Health, Family Planning & Parenting, General Wellbeing, Lifestyle No Comments

Back to school!

Whether you’re sending your teenager off to their final year of schooling, or you have a little one beginning prep, it’s a busy and exciting time for families across the country over the next couple of weeks.

Here are some tips to help ease the transition and make for a happy and healthy year!

Master the art of the lunchbox

Bento style lunchboxes are all the rage. Keep it simple by adding cut fruit, sandwiches, vegetable sticks and their favourite yoghurt.

Walk to school

it doesn’t have to be every day, but if you can include this into you and your child’s routine, your health will thank you. Getting out in the early morning fresh air is great for your mental health too!

Stick to the same bed times

Make sure your child is getting enough (quality) sleep by enforcing a bed routine. Kids of any age need upwards of 10 hours of sleep a night. It’s also crucial to wind down before bed time- this means no iPads and TV at least a half hour before they hit the hay.

Handle the dreaded head lice 

Keep long hair tied up, don’t wash your kids hair too frequently (they love fresh hair!) and keep ‘butting heads’ to a minimum 😂

Ease those nerves

Starting school can be an exciting but daunting time for kids. Help ease any anxieties they may have by talking about all the positive and wonderful adventures and opportunities the new school year is going to bring. In the first few weeks back, give your kids something to look forward to after school like an evening at the beach, and ice cream, or dinner at their favourite cafe

Make sure their health is in check

Start the school year on the right foot with a visit to the doctors to make sure everything is in tip top shape. Be proactive with their health and ask your GP how you can help keep your kids (and yourself!) happy and healthy this year.

Book an appointment here or click the link below!

Want more information?

Call (03) 5611 3365 to speak to a friendly patient concierge

or book an appointment here

HealthMint Medical Centre’s vision for the future of healthcare

By Clinic News

HealthMint Medical Centre’s Vision for the Future of Healthcare


It has been such a busy 2 months for us, but we are starting to find our feet and would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your ongoing support through this exciting time.

In saying that, our team would like to welcome our readers to HealthMint Medical Centre!

We will be updating this blog as often as we can with important news, health issues, updates around the clinic and anything else we feel should be mentioned. If you have any suggestions, feedback or would like us to include something in particular, please get in contact with us via our Contact Us page or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you.

So what is HealthMint, and what is our vision?
For the past year, Co-Founders Dr Paul Tescher and Chantelle Brott have been working hard to piece together every little aspect of this space to really present you with the complete image of HealthMint, and who we aim to be. We really couldn’t be any prouder of how it has all come together. Our vision for HealthMint is founded on the principle that healthcare can and should be better.

We believe that affordable high quality healthcare should be accessible to everyone. We believe in asking questions, listening to what you have to say and really providing a service to you that everyone should expect and receive when visiting their local GP.

We wanted to create an atmosphere where you feel relaxed upon entering. We all know how run down we can feel from illness, injuries and the stress of every day life. We have used calming, neutral colours, while also adding plants and beautiful art pieces to our architecturally designed centre to really maximise the comfort of your visit.

Our relaxing interior is teamed up with the latest technology to ensure your family’s health and wellbeing is always up to date. We offer online appointment bookings and an iPad check-in bar upon arrival. These work together to make your visit just that little bit easier, and mean you won’t need to wait in a long queue! If you prefer traditional methods, we also have lovely reception staff on hand to assist you with anything you may need.

The iPad check in bar at HealthMint Medical Centre - bringing efficiency to healthcare

Our beautiful check in bar – we have the latest in medical technology allowing you to register your arrival at our clinic, and enter your patient information straight onto our database. Our wonderful receptionists will walk you through how to use it on your first go, and for the tech shy amongst us, we also offer traditional check in and registration methods 🙂

 

All these elements were carefully thought through, to provide you with a comfortable, relaxing and peaceful visit while our doctors focus on empowering you with knowledge of your health issues.

We are so grateful to all the families who have visited us so far, and love hearing feedback of your experience here. If we haven’t met you yet, we are looking forward to seeing you in the near future!

We think you will really enjoy the space and experience we have created for you, and this is only just the beginning.

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