The value of good practice management advice is nowhere more evident than in the new practice of Dr Dejan Ilic and his wife and practice manager, Marcea.
The couple are the proud owners of a brand new, modern, stylish practice in the outer south western Sydney suburb of Campbelltown. And it’s all thanks to a chance meeting.
“We bought an existing practice in Campbelltown in year 2000,” Dr Ilic said. “It was a small, pretty rundown place of around 64m2. We worked from this practice for almost 6 years without ever thinking of moving or expanding. Then in 2006, we came across Momentum Management who changed our whole way of thinking and opened our minds to where the practice could really go.
“Momentum completely changed the direction of our practice and helped us fulfil both our personal and professional dreams. It enabled us to practice the kind of dentistry we wanted to and to provide our patients with an exceptional level of care, which was extremely important to our professional philosophies. We had always dreamed of working in a brand new practice specifically designed for us with a lot of glass and beautiful views and now it was definitely a possibility.”
Armed with the new business and practice management skills they had learnt, the couple decided to take the plunge and start looking for new premises to expand into. They found the perfect location at a new development called Park Central in Campbelltown.
“We then needed to find a design and construction company that would make our dreams of a new practice a reality,” Dr Ilic said. “After seeing Medifit’s designs in Australasian Dental Practice, we contacted Sam Koranis and looked no further. Their offer was comprehensive and covered all the criteria we were looking for. Our brief required a comfortable relaxing environment that was modern and functional with bold colours. We definitely wanted to take advantage of the views and have the chairs facing the windows. Medifit’s 3D graphics definitely crystallised our vision in a computer generated photo perfect image which made our decision making easier.
“The design process took a little longer than we had initially anticipated due to the statutory requirements of getting approval from the Council and the Body Corporate. This made the process a little stressful but the Medifit design team had it all in hand.”
The new location for the practice is grouped amongst commercial office suites on the first level and boasts an elevated outlook. After initial consultations with the directors of Medifit, the next stage was to discuss their exact design requirements with their appointed Medifit designer to create a tailored design brief in order to make their dreams real.
The general design philosophy was to create a comfortable, modern interior using greys and oranges to present a welcoming environment appealing to but not limited to middle market professionals requiring general dental work and minor cosmetic work. Two general dental surgeries and a third operatory for an hygienist were specified, together with central sterilisation, lab, refresh area, practice manager’s office, reception and waiting areas, staff kitchen and a dentists’ office.
The focus was to have spacious, comfortable surgeries maximising the views along with a spacious staff area including storage with smaller offices for the practice manager and dentist. The reception and waiting area is welcoming and open with its dramatic accents of orange against the timber hues of the reception counter and flooring. The curved custom reception desk with Timber veneer and Corian is featured across a large span of the entrance combined with modern seating and wall mount flat screen TV to waiting room. The area is naturally well lit with the full height windows highlighted by strong but minimal elements.
Staff amenities include a central kitchen and a balcony breakout area to the rear of the premises. This allows staff to enjoy the outlook from the first floor in an open, relaxed setting. The Surgeries are a comfortable size, with neutral coloured benchtops and cabinets of warm grey hues throughout and small accents of orange. The layout of each surgery provides a embraces the large external windows and views.
“Once we started construction Medifit’s team were on the ball, professional and a pleasure to deal with,” Dr Ilic said. “Their NSW Project Manager, Geoff Mills, was fantastic to deal with and always the consummate professional. Things always flowed smoothly and he was readily available to answer any questions. The project finished on time and on budget and the quality was of the highest standard.
“We are extremely happy with the end result and we love coming to work in such a beautiful environment. We wish to thank all our staff for their support and loyalty over the years and the Medifit and Momentum teams for helping us realise our true potential and for delivering a project we had only previously dreamed of.
“The feedback we are getting from all our patients has been wonderful and we can now see it was all worth it.”
