Founded by husband-and-wife osteopaths, Astrid Rehman and Ryan Byrne, Riviera Health Centre set out to create a space where patients could feel understood and empowered through every stage of their care.
By streamlining bookings, automating admin and putting intuitive tools in the hands of both practitioners and patients, Semble gives Astrid and Ryan the freedom to focus on what really matters: supporting every patient through their journey, keeping care stress-free and building trust at every step.
Astrid and Ryan knew they wanted a high performing clinic, but one that didn’t sacrifice their life outside of work. With Semble as their digital backbone, they run a clinic that pairs clinical excellence with a sustainable work–life balance, so patients get better care, and they have the headspace to deliver it.
Driven by a deep commitment to their work and their patients, Astrid and Ryan knew exceptional care is about more than clinical expertise; it’s about empathy, warmth and the ability to remove barriers. “We always take time to make sure everything has been understood, if patients have any questions, or if anything needs clarifying,” Ryan explains.
Based in the south of France, they wanted to make sure Riviera made osteopathy accessible, approachable and stress-free for patients, many of whom were living abroad and anxious about navigating foreign healthcare for the first time.
Their vision was to bring a streamlined, digital-first approach to osteopathic care, without losing the warmth and personal touch that defines the profession: “When they come to Riviera Health Centre, we want patients to feel like they have everything they could possibly need.”
But setting up in private practice comes with a significant admin burden: “Running a clinic, you’re not just the osteopath,” says Astrid. “You’re the accountant, the receptionist. You have to wear all these different hats.”
Managing bookings, chasing patients to attend appointments and ensuring invoices meet insurance requirements are all time-consuming tasks that eat into precious clinical time. Astrid and Ryan needed a system that could automate these tasks, freeing them to focus on the detailed care they’re known for.
Riviera Health Centre cares for both the international community and French patients on the Côte d’Azur, with the vision to expand their offering to create a ‘health cocoon’: a holistic, multidisciplinary service that offers psychologists for mental health support, yoga for rehabilitation and organised sports and running teams to create social connections within their community.
“We can care for the whole family, from newborns to the elderly, from the general public to athletes.”
But alongside this ambition, Ryan and Astrid are driven by a strong belief that clinical excellence is possible without having to sacrifice personal balance – in fact, their best work depends on having breathing space in between.
“We work together, live together, we’re married. As much as we love our profession, our working day doesn’t necessarily end unless we decide it does.”
In their roles as both osteopaths and co-founders of Riviera Health Centre, the boundary between professional and personal life risks becoming naturally blurred.
“It was essential for us not to be glued to our phones. It’s very important to know the clinic and our patients are always taken care of without us being there.”
Using Semble, Astrid and Ryan noticed the ease immediately. “The interface was very good. A lot of other systems are clunky, you have to do a lot of clicks. With Semble, it’s really reduced the amount of time I have to travel across the software to get to a particular location.”
But the real value emerged in the time‑saving automations Semble delivered. With online bookings, Astrid and Ryan finally gained the freedom they needed.
“The booking system is really intuitive for us as osteopaths, but also for the patient. They have very few clicks to book their appointment and it handles all the data entry for us. It means people can book appointments easily online, so we don’t always have to be connected to our phones.
“We can focus on being osteopaths and also have a work-life balance as people outside of it. We can go for a hike on our day off and not have to worry about missing a booking. Semble just takes the pressure off us, which is brilliant.”
Follow-up emails are another key touchpoint for care, gently reminding patients about their health without adding manual work to Ryan and Astrid’s working day. “It’s an extra piece of admin that’s been automated, so we don’t have to think about it.”
These tools mean more than just efficiency. They mean Astrid and Ryan can focus more on their patients and create that environment they’re striving for, where everyone feels comfortable and cared for, and part of a valued community. With documents securely saved to each patient’s file, everything they need is organised, accessible and ready the moment they need it.
“We can upload any documents we need to the patient’s file. If it’s something we think might be important to write a report in the future, we can just take a picture, upload it and have it there.”
By ensuring that information is clear and that patients feel heard, Riviera goes “beyond just ticking boxes,” building trust and confidence at every step. Admin is handled in the background, allowing Astrid and Ryan to devote more time to making patients feel at home.
With Semble, this patient-first ethos is seamlessly woven into the experience. The effortless booking experience removes barriers for patients who may feel anxious or overwhelmed. “Patients can access everything they need so easily, it takes away the stress,” Ryan notes.
Billing, which used to be a headache is now far easier for patients, who can access their bills online and, if anyone struggles, the team can send a PDF in just a couple of clicks. “It’s very efficient,” Ryan adds.
And crucially, reminders mean patients stay informed about their upcoming appointments, reducing no-shows and keeping them connected to their care. As Astrid says, “With the reminder, nobody forgets their appointment. Our DNA rate is now incredibly low.”
Turning the vision into reality
“We want patients when they come to Riviera Health Centre to feel like they’re entering a health cocoon, where they have everything they could possibly need.”
With Semble underpinning their operations, that vision is no longer aspirational – instead, it’s becoming Astrid and Ryan’s day-to-day reality. Riviera Health Centre is growing with confidence, supported by tools that protect their time, strengthen patient relationships and help them scale without losing the warmth that defines their care. The team even track their progress with detailed analytics:
“Twice a week we check the data. We can see how many new patients we’ve had, how many are returning and which areas we need to focus on. It pushes us to do more and to know we’re going in the right direction.”
It’s a model that shows what’s possible when great practitioners are backed by technology that works as hard as they do.