E#38 | Jonathan & Rachna: The Secret To A Five-Star Clinic | The Business of a Clinic

 In this episode of The Business of a Clinic, Jared speaks with Rachna Murthy and Jonathan, two consultant ophthalmologists and oculoplastic surgeons building a highly personal private clinic across London, Jersey, and soon Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. Rachna and Jonathan share how they moved from NHS backgrounds into private practice, and why building a successful clinic is not only about clinical skill. It is about trust, teamwork, patient obsession, communication, and creating a level of care that feels deeply human. They discuss why they operate as a two-surgeon team, how that improves speed, safety, and decision-making, and why ego can be both necessary and dangerous in surgery. They also explore what “five-star medicine” really means: treating patients like people, not transactions; building long-term relationships; offering direct access through WhatsApp; and making every part of the patient journey feel considered. The conversation also covers AI, wellness, longevity, aesthetics, body dysmorphia, holistic care, gut health, skin health, and why private medicine will always remain a “feeling business.” Technology can improve efficiency, but the future of great clinics will still depend on human trust, clinical judgement, and keeping the patient relationship at the center. Rachna and Jonathan also reflect on the realities of becoming clinician entrepreneurs: starting without much capital, building through word of mouth, acquiring a clinic in Jersey, hiring around values, expanding internationally, and learning how important self-care, outsourcing, and operational discipline become when running and growing a clinic. In this episode  Why business matters in medicine  How to build a clinic around patient trust  Why clinical skill alone is not enough  The benefits of a two-surgeon team  Ego, confidence, and surgical improvement  What five-star care means in private clinics  Why direct communication changes the patient experience  How WhatsApp groups support long-term patient relationships  Body dysmorphia, expectations, and knowing when not to operate  AI, empathy, hallucinations, and the limits of automation  Wellness, longevity, microbiome health, and holistic care  Why medicine is still a feeling business  Lessons from leaving the NHS and building a private practice  Hiring around values and learning to let people go  Scaling a clinic across London, Jersey, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands  Why self-care matters for clinician entrepreneurs Key idea Great clinics are not built on clinical skill alone. They are built on trust, team, process, communication, and the feeling patients have that someone genuinely knows them, cares about them, and is looking after them. About the show The Business of a Clinic explores how private healthcare clinics can grow by improving patient relationships, patient engagement, clinic operations, retention, follow-up, commercial systems, and the overall patient experience.