Here’s a fact we can all agree on: the mind and the body are connected.
Deep breathing can reduce anxiety. Exercise releases feel-good hormones. The list goes on and on.
But if the mind and the body are connected, why isn’t our healthcare connected, too?
This is the question that Dr. Dhanjit Litt wakes up and thinks about each day. He’s on a mission – alongside our team at HealthOne – to transform the Canadian healthcare landscape into a system that’s never been seen before.
HealthOne’s unique integrated care model brings together medical, dental, rehab, optometry, skin clinic, wellness, mental health, and pharmacy services under one roof. This holistic approach ensures that our patients receive comprehensive, coordinated care that treats the mind and body together, focusing not just on treating disease but on preventing it.
We sat down with Dr. Litt to learn more about how HealthOne is revolutionizing healthcare delivery using our interprofessional, patient-centered care model.
Most healthcare visits these days take place after a person gets sick. This is to be expected if you have an acute problem like a cold or a rash.
But when it comes to major chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, practitioners need to be intervening before the diagnosis takes place – not just after.
“In previous generations, individuals would often receive a diagnosis later on in the progression of the disease,” Dhanj shares. “But I think this generation and future generations are thinking about this differently. We want to avoid the diagnosis altogether and instead focus on preventing that diagnosis in the first place.”
Preventing these diseases requires effort from both sides. On one hand, Canadians need to make healthier lifestyle choices that support their health now. On the other hand, they need to surround themselves with an integrated, prevention-focused health team.
“We should do everything we possibly can to prevent ourselves from becoming unwell, and having the right healthcare team around you is definitely a big part of that.”
As part of our mission to revolutionize healthcare delivery, we strongly believe in the unification of practitioners and services.
This helps patients achieve optimal health and puts them at the centre of their healthcare experience.
We have 8 departments under one roof: medical, dental, rehab, optometry, skin clinic, wellness, mental health, and pharmacy. Within each department, we have renowned practitioners who specialize in their own unique areas of healthcare.
But in today’s day and age, simply bringing these practitioners together doesn’t quite cut it. What really matters is how they interact and work together day in and day out.
“Often times, you’ll visit a multidisciplinary clinic that has multiple providers working together... but they aren’t actually communicating with one another,” Dr. Litt explains. “A patient might still feel like they’re visiting several different clinics. This is what makes HealthOne stand out – the way our practitioners learn from, with, and about one another in the best interest of the patient.”
At HealthOne, we continuously provide our practitioners with opportunities to learn from, with, and about each other’s areas of work. This inspires teamwork and collaboration while encouraging providers to collaborate with one another.
If a patient visits our Dental clinic and has symptoms of a TMJ disorder, for example, the Dentist can work closely with our Osteopath or Nurse Injector for further treatment options. If our Physiotherapist is treating an injury and believes our Sports Medicine Doctor could collaborate with them to provide a more holistic treatment approach, the patient can easily visit them down the hall.
This unique system of connected care is what sets HealthOne apart.
Here’s some food for thought: are two doctors better than one?
HealthOne is here to stand out from the crowd with a confident, resounding yes!
Although allopathic and naturopathic doctors typically don’t work together, we have challenged this belief and are proud to be changing the system.
Allopathic medicine refers to traditional medical doctors like family physicians. They often prescribe medications and focus first on treating the symptoms at hand. Naturopathic medicine, on the other hand, refers to a complimentary form of medicine that uses natural methods and focuses more on treating the root cause of symptoms.
Both allopathic and naturopathic doctors are trained healthcare professionals who can play a key role in an individual’s health journey. Despite this, most clinics focus on either allopathic or naturopathic medicine – rarely both.
“If we think about how healthcare was delivered and experienced 50 or 60 years ago, there just wasn’t a focus on bringing these two professionals together,” Dhanj shares. “The avenues for those people to be able to share information with one another just wasn’t there.”
This is why at HealthOne, we’ve made it our priority to create healthcare teams that include both types of doctors. We believe this brings two key benefits: the doctors can work as a team, and once again, patients receive more comprehensive care.
“I think healthcare professionals have learned that no one person can address everyone’s health and wellness needs. Sure, they can address a portion of it, but a patient might have questions or concerns beyond that professional’s areas of expertise,” Dhanj shares.
“If that’s the case and the goal is patient care, wouldn’t you want to surround yourself with other professionals who could complement your knowledge and, in turn, better address 100% of the patient’s needs?”
For example, our family doctor and naturopathic doctor at HealthOne can both play a role in treating PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). An estimated 1.4 million Canadian women have this endocrine disorder, negatively impacting their fertility, weight management, and acne, among other symptoms.
A family doctor can help a patient get a formal diagnosis and, if they wish, consider conventional medications to support them, such as hormonal treatments. A naturopathic doctor, on the other hand, could suggest lifestyle modifications like nutrition and exercise that are specifically aimed at reducing PCOS symptoms.
This would ultimately give the patient a truly holistic treatment approach. If they only visited one doctor, their management of the condition might only address a fraction of the care they need.
Our team is committed to finding new, innovative ways to work together in the best interests of our patients. We’ll continue to blaze a path rooted in collaboration to ensure each patient receives high quality care for their total body and mind.
While it’s exciting to reflect on the innovative ways our team is making changes in healthcare delivery, it’s equally important to think about what this will look like in the future.
“The future is bright, and we have ambitious goals for the future,” Dhanjit says. “I truly believe we have an opportunity for HealthOne to assist with healthcare delivery across the entire country."
Having opened three clinics across the GTA, we’re incredibly proud of the communities we have built and the hundreds of thousands of patients we’ve served so far – and we’re just getting started!
“At the end of the day, your body, mind, and spirit function as one,” Dhanj concludes. “So why not go to a place to take care of all three? That’s why Canadians should choose an interprofessional, patient-centered clinic like the ones we have at HealthOne.”
Dhanj recently sat down with SK, Editor at the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, to talk more about how HealthOne is revolutionizing healthcare delivery in Canada. Key points covered in the episode include:
Watch the podcast interview to learn more about HealthOne!
It goes without saying that this conversation is only the beginning.
Why not visit us in person to take your health to the next level? With three locations in the GTA – two downtown and one in North York – it's easier than ever to visit us.
Drop by to meet our team or get started by booking an appointment!
We can’t wait to help you live a healthier, more inspired life.
One Life. Live Inspired.