The Business of Allied Health

Barry Nguyen
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Running an allied health clinic is a business — but most of the real lessons are never shared publicly. Behind every clinic are decisions about hiring, pricing, growth, and risk. This series captures honest, unscripted conversations with practitioners actually running clinics — from first-time owners to multi-site operators. No scripts. No polished talking points. Just what it’s really like. This series is hosted and supported by CliniScribe AI.

  1. 4d ago

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 32: Paul Hedges

    In Episode 32 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry sits down with Paul Hedges, co-owner of a thriving 9-physio practice in the Adelaide Hills and founder of Rate My Clinic. Paul brings a refreshingly honest perspective—having spent 23 years in the trenches growing, expanding to 3.5 locations, and ultimately making the bold strategic decision to "shrink to grow" back to a single, highly profitable flagship location.Paul shares why bigger isn't always better, the massive financial and stability advantages of purchasing your clinic's freehold building, and why obsessing over data (like Net Promoter Score and team feedback) helped them achieve an astonishing average staff tenure of 13.2 years. Plus, Paul breaks down what he’s learned from benchmarking over 120 Australian clinics through Rate My Clinic.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction: Meeting Paul Hedges and the 23-year journey of their Adelaide Hills clinic.01:53 The early days: Running Pilates classes in church halls and processing paper bookings.03:07 "Shrink to Grow": Why Paul and his wife decided to downsize from 3.5 locations back to 1 flagship clinic.04:44 Buying your clinic's freehold building: The financial advantages of becoming your own landlord.06:58 What drives sustainable growth? The power of deep communication and team engagement.08:52 The data that matters: Achieving a 13.2-year average staff tenure and using NPS for client feedback.12:59 The uncomfortable truth: Why practice owners wait too long to take action on staff who aren't the right fit.14:40 Introducing Rate My Clinic: Benchmarking over 120 Australian clinics to discover what high performers do differently.16:05 Final thoughts and how to connect with Paul Hedges at ratemyclinic.com.au.

  2. Oct 18

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 31: Deanne Bannatyne & Sam Waterhouse

    In Episode 31 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry sits down with Deanne Bannatyne (CEO of HICAPS, NAB) and Sam Waterhouse (Business Executive, MedFin) to dive deep into the comprehensive NAB Health Insights Report. Together, they explore the complete lifecycle of an allied health practice—from initial ideation and financing to multi-site scaling and navigating evolving consumer expectations. They discuss whether to bootstrap or seek finance, the risks of buying an existing clinic vs. starting greenfield, how to reduce owner dependency for better funding, and how to combat cost-of-living pressures by focusing on transparent pricing and patient experience rather than just raising fees. Plus, Deanne drops exciting updates on what's next for HICAPS over the coming months, including portal refreshes, digital claiming, and broader API/ecosystem integrations. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Meeting Deanne Bannatyne (CEO of HICAPS) & Sam Waterhouse (MedFin). 01:05 Starting an allied health business: Financing, ideation, and bootstrapping vs. borrowing. 03:52 Buying an existing clinic vs. starting greenfield: Which option is lower risk for a bank? 05:30 Operational considerations and modern patient expectations with HICAPS. 09:29 Phase Two: Scaling your business, managing multi-site complexity, and reducing owner dependency. 13:40 Leveraging AI and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to build a systematized clinic. 18:12 Navigating cost-of-living pressures: Should you raise prices or focus on patient experience and value? 23:25 The importance of voice-of-customer (VoC) feedback and tracking patient retention. 29:30 Sam & Deanne's top piece of advice for allied health practice owners. 31:40 What's in store for HICAPS: Digital portals, new terminals, and future API/ecosystem integrations. 37:20 Final thoughts and how to connect with the NAB Health and HICAPS teams.

  3. Oct 10

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 30: Paul Wright

    In Episode 30 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry sits down with legendary allied health business coach, physiotherapist, and author Paul Wright (creator of Practiceology™ and author of *How to Run A One-Minute Practice*). Paul shares his hilarious and candid journey into private practice—including why he describes himself as a "hopeless employee" who once got sacked from a public hospital job—and how he transitioned into building highly profitable, turn-key health businesses that run without the owner.They dive deep into the evolution of allied health business education, why traditional accountant P&L data often fails clinic owners, how to escape the clinical grind, and why building robust systems and retention frameworks is the true key to freedom. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Meeting allied health mentor and business legend Paul Wright. 01:30 Paul’s early career journey: Being a "hopeless employee" and getting sacked from a public hospital. 03:15 Transitioning to private practice and discovering the missing business skills not taught at university. 05:45 Why university prepares you to be a clinician, but leaves you blind to business, marketing, and profit. 08:20 The birth of Practiceology™: Helping clinic owners earn more, work less, and enjoy life. 11:10 Why your accountant's P&L data won't help you run a great health business (and what you should look at instead). 14:05 How to structure your practice so it can run successfully without you. 17:30 Avoiding the burnout trap: Setting strict boundaries and designing a lifestyle business. 20:10 How to connect with Paul Wright and grab his best-selling resources.

  4. Oct 5

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 29: James Grafton

    In Episode 29 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry is joined by James Grafton, Founder of Champion Health. James shares his rapid ascent from renting a single room in a chiropractic clinic to building a massive 80+ clinician enterprise that now operates fully under management, generating over $10M in revenue. James drops some hard-hitting, unconventional truths about scaling a healthcare business. They discuss why true leadership requires an uncomfortable balance with strict management, the controversial benefits of running a bulk-billing model as a real-world training ground for new grads, and why the most successful practice owners are rarely the loudest voices on social media. Now a scaling coach, James reveals the specific growth phases every clinic hits—and exactly what breaks at each stage. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Meeting James Grafton and his rapid scale from renting a single room to 80+ clinicians. 01:31 Why James transitioned away from clinical treating to focus entirely on business building and scale. 02:53 The predictable growth phases of a clinic: From lead generation to recruitment to the ultimate bottleneck—leadership. 03:59 Leadership vs. Management: Why inspiration is useless if you can't hold your team accountable. 05:22 The controversial benefits of bulk-billing: Using accessibility models as an "apprenticeship" for new graduates to learn without high-ticket pressure. 07:20 The most important metrics for an allied health business (and why clinician utilization is king). 08:23 An uncomfortable truth about the allied health industry: The most successful clinic owners aren't the loudest voices on social media. 09:15 James's current role as a scaling coach and how he helps practice owners step away from the daily operations. 10:08 How to connect with James Grafton and learn more about his coaching for 7- and 8-figure clinics.

  5. Sep 27

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 28: Alex Forde

    Alex shares the raw realities of building a Practice Management Software (PMS) from the ground up, including bootstrapping Pogozo, building a team of 20 engineers, and navigating a process that took 10x the budget and twice as long as expected. She breaks down why clinic owners need to stop settling for clunky "workarounds," why treating software like an employee changes how you manage tech, Pogozo's philosophy on all-in-one platforms vs. specialized AI integrations, and what she would do differently if she were building a 10-clinician practice today. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Alex Forde's path from Physio to Pharmacist to Tech Entrepreneur 01:00 Why a chronic back pain patient inspired Alex to study Pharmacy 02:18 Opening a hybrid clinic & gym practice and hitting software limitations 03:24 Bootstrapping Pogozo and bringing family on board as investors 04:14 Scoping Pogozo: Interviewing 200+ clinic owners to define the product 05:32 The reality of tech startups: 20 engineers, 10x costs, and timeline delays 07:50 The startup grind: Working 16-hour days to build a modern platform 09:27 Eliminating "workarounds" and why you should treat software like an employee 12:08 The 3 main reasons switching Practice Management Software is so hard 14:58 All-in-One vs. Best-of-Breed: Pogozo's philosophy on integrations and specialized AI 18:00 What Alex would do differently if she built a 10-clinician practice today 19:22 Official Announcement: CliniScribe & Pogozo integration partnership

  6. Sep 19

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 27: Craig Hankridge

    In Episode 27 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry Nguyen is joined by Craig Hankridge, Founder and Director of ProFeet Podiatry in Melbourne. Craig shares his journey from initially studying occupational therapy to finding his true passion in podiatry, eventually scaling his practice to a multi-site operation with a team of 40 across the span of 11 years They discuss the unique challenges of allied health, focusing heavily on recruitment, preventing the dreaded "five-year burnout" among practitioners, and how to balance professional growth with personal goals. Craig also shares an insightful "Southeast Asia truck" analogy to explain why high patient visit averages (PVA) are actually crucial for patient health literacy, and drops an unpopular truth about why clinic owners need to stop coddling their team and embrace honest, accountable feedback. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Meeting Craig Hankridge and his path into podiatry. 01:48 Early career experiences, working in London, and deciding to start a private practice. 02:58 Connecting with co-founder Shane Davis and launching ProFeet Podiatry in Melbourne. 04:45 Scaling the clinic to a team of 40: The philosophy of organic, bottom-up growth. 06:54 Why allied health practitioners burn out at year five and how Pro Fit combats it. 10:18 The trap of a "catch-all" marketing funnel and the importance of finding your ideal client. 13:30 Key metrics for clinic growth: Why rebooking cadence and frequency matter for patient success. 15:22 The "Overloaded Truck" analogy: Why cramming all your advice into a new grad’s first assessment fails. 17:15 Craig's unpopular clinic lesson: The danger of "coddling" your team instead of holding them accountable. 20:14 How to connect with Craig and ProFeet Podiatry.

  7. Sep 11

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 26: Shane ("Guna") Gunaratnam

    In Episode 26 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry sits down with Shane "Guna" Gunaratnam, a well-known business coach and successful former clinic owner. Shane shares his unfiltered journey from working as a physiotherapist for a decade to launching, scaling, and ultimately selling a highly profitable clinic—all while navigating a global pandemic. They dive deep into the realities of modern clinic ownership, discussing why the traditional "bootstrap" startup hustle might no longer be the most viable path and exploring the challenging "messy middle" that traps many business owners. Plus, Shane reveals the single most important metric every clinic should track and drops a controversial, unspoken truth about what it actually takes to survive and thrive in private practice today. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Meeting Shane "Guna" Gunaratnam 00:44 Shane’s clinic ownership journey and partnering with Life Ready 01:51 Scaling a physio clinic from startup to profitability during a pandemic 02:42 The Life Ready acquisition and why Shane transitioned out 03:44 Why a partnership model beats the traditional "bootstrap" method today 05:50 The harsh reality of starting a clinic and surviving the "messy middle" 07:24 The biggest challenge for clinic owners: Staff recruitment and retention 07:41 The #1 metric for success: Net Promoter Score (NPS) vs. Google Reviews 10:01 The controversial truth: Why clinical excellence is non-negotiable in private practice 13:01 Final thoughts on continuous learning and mastery

  8. Sep 5

    The Business of Allied Health - Episode 25: Stephen Lee

    In Episode 25 of The Business of Allied Health, host Barry Nguyen sits down with Stephen Lee, Partner at Total Physio Care, a multi-location clinic in Melbourne. Stephen reflects on his 15+ year journey from a new grad under the mentorship of pioneering sports physio Barry Gavens to managing a large, long-tenured team of over 20 practitioners. They dive into the unique benefits of integrating hospital contracts into a private practice, the hard lessons learned from expanding and subsequently downsizing footprints, and the real secrets to achieving a 10+ year staff retention rate. They also touch on their collaboration in developing robust AI tools for clinical workflows. Timestamps: [00:00] Introduction to Stephen Lee and his pathway into musculoskeletal physiotherapy [01:42] Early career mentorship and working a hybrid hospital-private practice model [04:42] Developing clinical reasoning and improving referral efficiency with surgeons [05:47] Building a custom hospital software application for notes and billing tracking [07:09] Lessons learned from expanding the clinic footprint and managing overheads [09:28] Secrets to retaining staff for 10+ years and managing a team of 20 physios [10:59] Why communication and personality outrank clinical skills when hiring new grads [12:54] Advice for new practice owners on the initial hustle required for referrals [14:46] Teaser: Upcoming episode on developing AI forms and treatment plans for CliniScribe AI

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About

Running an allied health clinic is a business — but most of the real lessons are never shared publicly. Behind every clinic are decisions about hiring, pricing, growth, and risk. This series captures honest, unscripted conversations with practitioners actually running clinics — from first-time owners to multi-site operators. No scripts. No polished talking points. Just what it’s really like. This series is hosted and supported by CliniScribe AI.

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