diff --git a/django_healthy/health_checks/db.py b/django_healthy/health_checks/db.py
index 7b9b8bc..401192a 100644
--- a/django_healthy/health_checks/db.py
+++ b/django_healthy/health_checks/db.py
@@ -8,9 +8,8 @@
 from django.utils.crypto import get_random_string
 from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
 
-from django_healthy.models import Test
-
 from .base import HealthCheck, HealthCheckResult
+from django_healthy.models import Test
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from .types import MessageDict
diff --git a/django_healthy/health_checks/handler.py b/django_healthy/health_checks/handler.py
index 209714a..e927f95 100644
--- a/django_healthy/health_checks/handler.py
+++ b/django_healthy/health_checks/handler.py
@@ -1,14 +1,20 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from typing import Any, Iterator, cast
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 
-from django.conf import settings
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
+from django.utils.connection import BaseConnectionHandler
 from django.utils.module_loading import import_string
 
-from django_healthy._compat import Mapping, MutableMapping, NotRequired, TypeAlias, TypedDict
+from django_healthy._compat import (
+    Mapping,
+    NotRequired,
+    TypeAlias,
+    TypedDict,
+)
 
-from .base import HealthCheck
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from .base import HealthCheck
 
 
 class InvalidHealthCheckError(ImproperlyConfigured):
@@ -23,36 +29,12 @@ class BackendConfig(TypedDict):
 HealthCheckConfig: TypeAlias = Mapping[str, BackendConfig]
 
 
-class HealthCheckHandler(Mapping[str, HealthCheck]):
-    __slots__: tuple[str, ...] = ("_backends", "_health_checks")
+class HealthCheckHandler(BaseConnectionHandler):
+    settings_name = "HEALTH_CHECKS"
+    exception_class = InvalidHealthCheckError
 
-    def __init__(self, backends: HealthCheckConfig | None = None):
-        self._backends = (
-            backends if backends is not None else cast(HealthCheckConfig, getattr(settings, "HEALTH_CHECKS", {}))
-        )
-        self._health_checks: MutableMapping[str, HealthCheck] = {}
-
-    def __getitem__(self, alias: str) -> HealthCheck:
-        try:
-            return self._health_checks[alias]
-        except KeyError:
-            try:
-                params = self._backends[alias]
-            except KeyError as exc:
-                msg = f"Could not find config for '{alias}' in settings.HEALTH_CHECKS."
-                raise InvalidHealthCheckError(msg) from exc
-            else:
-                health_check = self.create_health_check(params)
-                self._health_checks[alias] = health_check
-                return health_check
-
-    def __iter__(self) -> Iterator[str]:
-        return iter(self._backends)
-
-    def __len__(self) -> int:
-        return len(self._backends)
-
-    def create_health_check(self, params: BackendConfig) -> HealthCheck:
+    def create_connection(self, alias: str) -> HealthCheck:
+        params = self.settings[alias]
         backend = params["BACKEND"]
         options = params.get("OPTIONS", {})
 
diff --git a/django_healthy/health_checks/service.py b/django_healthy/health_checks/service.py
index 84945ca..9cb83eb 100644
--- a/django_healthy/health_checks/service.py
+++ b/django_healthy/health_checks/service.py
@@ -6,10 +6,9 @@
 from timeit import default_timer as timer
 from typing import Any
 
-from django_healthy._compat import Mapping  # noqa: TCH001
-
 from .base import HealthCheck, HealthStatus
 from .handler import HealthCheckHandler, health_checks
+from django_healthy._compat import Mapping  # noqa: TCH001
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -37,8 +36,7 @@ def __init__(self, handler: HealthCheckHandler | None = None):
     async def check_health(self) -> HealthReport:
         start_time: float = timer()
         task_map: dict[str, asyncio.Task[HealthReportEntry]] = {
-            name: asyncio.create_task(self.run_health_check(health_check))
-            for name, health_check in self._handler.items()
+            name: asyncio.create_task(self.run_health_check(self._handler[name])) for name in self._handler
         }
         await asyncio.gather(*task_map.values())
         end_time: float = timer()
diff --git a/ruff_defaults.toml b/ruff_defaults.toml
index cdf79d7..72c3fdd 100644
--- a/ruff_defaults.toml
+++ b/ruff_defaults.toml
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ select = [
 ban-relative-imports = "all"
 
 [lint.isort]
-known-first-party = ["django_healthy"]
+known-local-folder = ["django_healthy"]
 
 [lint.flake8-pytest-style]
 fixture-parentheses = false
diff --git a/tests/health_checks/test_handler.py b/tests/health_checks/test_handler.py
index 2ea7d14..523cff0 100644
--- a/tests/health_checks/test_handler.py
+++ b/tests/health_checks/test_handler.py
@@ -2,31 +2,34 @@
 from django.conf import settings
 
 from django_healthy.health_checks.cache import CacheHealthCheck
-from django_healthy.health_checks.handler import HealthCheckHandler, InvalidHealthCheckError
+from django_healthy.health_checks.handler import (
+    HealthCheckHandler,
+    InvalidHealthCheckError,
+)
 
 
 class TestHealthCheckHandler:
     def test_with_custom_settings(self):
         handler = HealthCheckHandler(
-            backends={
+            {
                 "test": {
                     "BACKEND": "django_healthy.health_checks.cache.CacheHealthCheck",
                 }
             }
         )
-        items = set(handler.keys())
+        items = set(handler)
 
         assert items == {"test"}
 
     def test_with_default_settings(self):
         handler = HealthCheckHandler()
-        items = set(handler.keys())
+        items = set(handler)
 
         assert items == set(settings.HEALTH_CHECKS)
 
     def test_get_existing_item(self):
         handler = HealthCheckHandler(
-            backends={
+            {
                 "test": {
                     "BACKEND": "django_healthy.health_checks.cache.CacheHealthCheck",
                 }
@@ -39,7 +42,7 @@ def test_get_existing_item(self):
 
     def test_get_missing_item(self):
         handler = HealthCheckHandler(
-            backends={
+            {
                 "test": {
                     "BACKEND": "django_healthy.health_checks.cache.CacheHealthCheck",
                 }
diff --git a/tests/health_checks/test_service.py b/tests/health_checks/test_service.py
index 562107a..37c1447 100644
--- a/tests/health_checks/test_service.py
+++ b/tests/health_checks/test_service.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ async def test_with_default_handler(self):
     async def test_with_custom_handler(self):
         service = HealthCheckService(
             HealthCheckHandler(
-                backends={
+                {
                     "test": {
                         "BACKEND": "django_healthy.health_checks.cache.CacheHealthCheck",
                     }
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ async def test_with_custom_handler(self):
     async def test_with_unhealthy_service(self):
         service = HealthCheckService(
             HealthCheckHandler(
-                backends={
+                {
                     "test": {
                         "BACKEND": "django_healthy.health_checks.db.DatabasePingHealthCheck",
                         "OPTIONS": {
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ async def test_with_unhealthy_service(self):
     async def test_with_multiple_service_status_gets_worst_case(self):
         service = HealthCheckService(
             HealthCheckHandler(
-                backends={
+                {
                     "healthy": {
                         "BACKEND": "django_healthy.health_checks.db.DatabasePingHealthCheck",
                         "OPTIONS": {