From an after-work conversation to six SmartCare clinics

After a long and frustrating shift as a Senior Emergency Specialist, Kevin Power came home concerned about a pattern he couldn’t ignore. As he told his wife, Kate, he’d been seeing patients return to the hospital again and again due to chest pain, without ever having received the standard outpatient testing needed to properly diagnose their cause.

In fact, many of these patients weren’t neglecting their health. They were simply working within the options available to them. As Kate explains, when Kevin probed further, patients described a choice between waiting months for a public outpatient appointment or seeing a private cardiologist, “which could leave them hundreds of dollars out of pocket”.

So instead, they defaulted to returning to the emergency department each time the pain came back.

A better model

That conversation, 10 years ago, became the foundation for SmartCare Diagnostics: a service designed to give patients rapid, bulk-billed access to cardiac testing within days of their first symptoms.

Today, SmartCare Diagnostics operates five clinics across Brisbane, providing specialist cardiac, respiratory and sleep investigations using state-of-the-art equipment.

The focus remains unchanged – fast access and affordability. Most patients are seen within seven days, with urgent cases prioritised within 24 to 48 hours. Everyone with a valid referral is bulk billed.

Closing the gap

But while Diagnostics addressed one part of the problem, another remained – what happens when patients need immediate care, before they even reach the point of referral?

That gap led to the launch of SmartCare UrgentCare. Opened in early 2026, the private urgent-care service was designed to provide a genuine alternative to hospital emergency departments for patients requiring prompt assessment and treatment.

Led by Emergency Medicine Specialists and supported by onsite diagnostics, pathology and advanced imaging, SmartCare UrgentCare delivers hospital-grade capability in a community setting. Unlike a traditional emergency department, patients can access care immediately, often bypassing the waiting room altogether and receiving assessment, investigations and treatment in a single visit.

“It was a natural next step,” Kate says.

A measured approach

The couple have always taken a measured approach to their business strategy, while maintaining a keen eye for opportunity.

Their first clinic, in Queensland’s Springfield, was based on a clear view that here was a community poised for rapid expansion. “We were living in the area at the time and we thought a growing community, and the demographic it would attract, made it a good place to launch the business,” Kate says.

As it turned out, they were right. However, they did well not to overextend themselves in those early days. “We used our savings and, by coincidence, we were able to take over our dentist’s facility, which was already fitted out. That meant we had very little upfront expenditure,” Kate says.

This considered approach should come as no surprise. As a lawyer and a Registered Nurse, Kate was well qualified to run SmartCare Diagnostics’ business operations as CEO and bring a disciplined lens to investment and scale. “I’m very risk averse, so I wanted to dip a toe in the water before making any significant financial commitments,” she says.

Scaling with purpose

The Springfield clinic’s strong performance created an opportunity to expand but, again, the couple resisted the urge to move too quickly.

“Kevin and I were mindful that If you scale too soon you risk diluting the quality of your product,” Kate points out. “We wanted to make sure we had the right infrastructure in place and that everyone we employed was aligned with our culture of clinical excellence, can-do-attitude, empathy and reassurance.”

That discipline carried through to their next five developments, including the transformation of a former Masters Home Improvement site.

“It was nothing more than a 730‑square‑metre concrete block with 10‑metre‑high ceilings,” Kate says. “There wasn’t even any plumbing. Now it’s the headquarters of our first SmartCare Diagnostics and UrgentCare co‑location and houses our newly introduced radiology service.”

The support of a partner

NAB funded the equipment and set‑up for the Masters Home site. “It was quite incredible to see that big empty space transformed into what is effectively an emergency department,” says John Avent, Executive NAB Health & CEO Medfin.

It has also funded SmartCare’s other five clinics as the business continues to grow.

“What impressed us most was the clarity and discipline behind Kate and Kevin’s growth strategy,” Avent says. “It’s been a real pleasure helping them turn their vision for community care into reality with SmartCare Diagnostics and, now, SmartCare UrgentCare.”

Sustainable care

Meanwhile, SmartCare Diagnostics has remained firmly committed to its original concept, continuing to bulk bill all eligible patients. It’s made tight financial discipline a must.

“Practically, our mission is to offer affordable diagnostics and rapid results to all members of the community, so we have to maintain very tight control of operational costs,” Kate says.

The couple are equally focused on strengthening community care more generally. SmartCare is collaborating with the Queensland Ambulance Service on a 12-month pilot to assess alternative pathways for patients with low to intermediate risk chest pain – many of whom currently spend up to 12 hours in emergency departments.

They are also partnering with the University of Queensland and the Australian Heart Foundation on the Springfield Healthy Hearts campaign.

“Their ‘living laboratory’ is a world‑first initiative for finding ways of embedding practical heart‑health behaviours into everyday life,” Kate says. “We’re participating in their longitudinal study and are on track to become one of the strategic partners delivering the service.”

Who would have thought that one conversation could take them so far?

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