When a private medical practice starts growing rapidly, clinicians can face a brutal choice: compromise on patient care or succumb to burnout. For Kimberley-based physiotherapist Margaret van den Heever, the turning point arrived when her expanding waiting list – a mark of her success – began keeping her awake at night, clashing directly with her commitment to clinical excellence
Like many healthcare professionals, she'd discovered a glaring gap in her university training: she knew all about patient anatomy but not the relentless business and administrative burden of private practice – from compliance data to hours of manual patient logging. The friction deepened after the painful loss of her sister, who had managed her front desk, leaving Van den Heever to balance heavy caseloads with a mounting backend workload.
The breakthrough came through Henley Africa’s Futureproof Your Healthcare Practice programme, which completely changed the rules of the game. Instead of hiring an expensive army of staff, Van den Heever used smart tech and AI automation to fundamentally alter her operational playing field. Today, the tedious patient logging that used to steal two hours of her evening is completed the exact second a session ends, restoring her lunch breaks and giving her the freedom to pilot virtual consultations.
Here, in her own words, Margaret shares the story of how she traded administrative gridlock for digital efficiency, protected her clinical standards, and built a sustainable business that finally fits her life:
I have always challenged myself to be the best physiotherapist I can be. When I opened this practice in Kimberley in 2024, I realised I needed to manage my business more efficiently because it was growing rapidly and I wanted it to be sustainable long-term without leading to burnout.
I saw the Futureproof Your HealthCare Practice programme being advertised and thought that was exactly what I needed. I had questions about technology but I didn’t have the answers. I was at the point in my career where it wasn’t necessarily about being the best physio anymore but about managing my business the best I could.
One of the biggest pitfalls of pre-graduate training at university is the lack of business skills. We had perhaps a half-hour class about business management. No one warns you about the amount of admin you’ll have to do, like compliance documentation, patient records, data security, coding requirements and report writing. I know of many professionals who have left private practice for public service because they were drowning in admin.
One of the first questions we were asked on this programme was: What is the one thing that keeps you awake at night? I knew right away: I felt guilty about the waiting list I have for patients in my practice. I wanted to expand my practice and accommodate more patients, but that would require hiring additional admin staff or physiotherapists. I didn’t want to compromise on the quality of treatments and patient care.
Trusting staff is a big factor. My sister used to be my receptionist but when she passed away I didn’t want to replace her – a challenge in a busy practice. With different systems in place, I can spend more time with family. I came back to my hometown to be close to my parents. But I didn’t want to compromise my career or the quality of my practice. I feel the programme has shown me how to manage this.
One of the most valuable things I learnt was that growing your practice doesn’t mean you need to add more staff: It’s about being more efficient. I can see more patients without extending my working hours. With a few tweaks I have been able to streamline processes and systems.
AI has been the biggest game changer so far. I used to spend up to two hours writing patient notes each day. With my current AI model, my notes are ready when the session ends. I can have a lunch hour and leave the office at a manageable time – which I never used to be able to do. By creating customised templates and forms, consent forms and attendance registers are streamlined.
I am looking into more hybrid approaches like including virtual consultations. My husband works overseas and I want to be able to spend extended periods of time with him without compromising on patient care. I have been looking into consulting or managing exercise programmes for clients online. I’ve started testing this out with two patients and it’s going very well. That’s a direction I’m actively exploring for the future.
How has your experience as a physiotherapist shaped your view on the role of technology in healthcare? I have extensive experience in sports physiotherapy, having worked in SA as well as in the UK, working with athletes, the Royal Marines at a base in Scotland as well as a professional rugby team. There is increasing demand for physiotherapy services for chronic pain management as well and managing high volumes can be managed more effectively with the use of technology.
How has the Futureproof Your Healthcare Practice programme changed your perspective on running a medical practice? I was able to put systems in place right away. For instance, there was one session about virtual security, illustrating how vulnerable our systems are. I implemented ransomware and malware immediately.
How do you see the future of healthcare? People are living through apps right now. I just have to walk into the gym to see at least 7 or 8 out of 10 people looking at an app on their phone with exercises. In South Africa, people still want to see a physiotherapist in person, but in future, I believe virtual and hybrid consultations will increasingly become the norm in healthcare.