Case Study: Pro Health Care

Founded in 2007 by Managing Director John-Paul Chitti, a practising physiotherapist, and his father, Dr Franco Chitti, a practising general practitioner, Pro Health Care has grown from humble beginnings into a robust network of 12 medical practices.

Pro Health Care is structured around patients’ broader health and wellbeing needs and focuses on delivering comprehensive services under one roof that address both physical and mental health. 

John-Paul says that while each practice operates independently, they have a cohesive ethos and medical framework focused on collaborative reasoning and communication.

Service expansion to support patient care

In response to Australians’ changing healthcare needs, Pro Health Care has continued to expand its suite of patient services, which now encompasses general practice and extensive multi-disciplinary care. John-Paul says this approach can make all the difference to patients’ health outcomes. 

“We find that broadening our services beyond general practice benefits patients. Given existing patients are already comfortable with the practice settings and clinics, we see less resistance to taking up beneficial care. We see evidence of better health outcomes as a result.”

Pro Health Care has noticed a trend with general practitioners and a desire to offer more specialised services to patients, such as skin clinics. “More and more, we believe GPs will build up secondary and specialised skill sets,’ John-Paul says. “These will be incorporated into regular patient flows and be billed at different rates to other general services.”

Education is also vital to ensure that the availability of new and existing services is known among practitioners, staff, patients and the wider community. John-Paul says it is important to effectively share information and use its digital and in-person communication channels to raise awareness.

Prioritising people and culture 

John-Paul says organisational culture is vital to Pro Health Care’s future growth aspirations, particularly given its people-centric approach and focus on attracting and retaining high-quality staff that share our ethos and core values.

“We prioritise looking after our people and providing both the operational and professional support they need. It’s important to how we work as a business and having the capacity to always deliver the highest standards of patient care,” John-Paul says.

This includes allocating time during work hours for team-based events where John-Paul says, “we take the time to connect and get to know each other”. He adds that offering workplace flexibility is crucial in today's fast-paced world, as it significantly contributes to achieving a healthy work-life balance.

Continuous digital transformation 

Pro Health Care is adopting technology in many operational areas. According to John-Paul, “we continue to invest in technology across the business, both in terms of CAPEX for clinical equipment and new tools that help the practice run more efficiently”.

John-Paul says that the return on investment in technology isn’t always immediate but accrues over time. He notes that Pro Health Care’s earlier investments in digital solutions are now starting to provide substantial benefits.

One area of focus is automation, which the practices use to support internal workflows and personalise patient interactions. John-Paul says that their Voice Caller ID tool is a good example, where reception staff are provided the caller details, and it instantly brings up patient files.

“With caller ID technology, our staff know who is calling, whether they are due for an appointment, and can discuss their personal needs without delay. Our focus on automation extends to patient recall and reminder messages and appointment scheduling,” John-Paul explains.

The case for AI-assisted efficiencies

As John-Paul points out, many of these automated tools already use AI, and he is open to the next generation of applications as the technology matures. “There is a big opportunity to use AI to make healthcare service delivery more efficient,” John Paul says. 

He sees benefits for both the practice staff and patients, with the potential for AI to reduce routine administrative tasks and provide more time for patient care. 

“We are watching the evolution of AI in healthcare with interest, including the integrations being developed by practice management software providers,” John Paul says. “This includes use cases like being able to have AI transcribe and file consultation notes.”