This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
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1. THE BEGINNING
This innovation initially came to life when…
I had been in business for seven years and became increasingly frustrated at the lack of business support for the allied health industry. This industry has over 120,000 Australian workers, however we are never considered a group worth investing in. This means many allied health professionals are running practices with little education or support to do so. The only business education I could find to help grow my existing private upper limb therapy practice was based upon unethical methods of over-servicing clients to make money. There had to be a better way and I was going to find it!
2. WHAT & HOW
The purpose of this innovation is to…
…provide current, modern and affordable business education tailored specifically to allied health professionals in Australia through the use of webinars, face-to-face workshops, online resources and an annual Healthy Practice conference.
It does this by…
…determining the current needs of allied health practitioners in Australia, developing bench-marking that has not existed before on the industry, and providing education across the nation regardless of location, ensuring regional therapists have equal access to our services. Our members and customers are provided with ongoing access to new resources to help their businesses thrive.
3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS
This innovation improves on what came before because…
…it is Australian-made and offers a ‘non-salesy’ approach to running a health care practice. Previous education to health care providers was not tailored to the allied health industry and was not applicable in most instances. Our customers are delivered niche education that they can apply directly to their practices without spending a fortune or reinventing wheels.
Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…
…confidence to work on your business with researched and content-rich resources, decreased time applying other industry education to your own situation, networking with like-minded health professionals, ongoing education via various delivery methods, and a membership program.
4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
In the past, this problem was solved by…
…advising allied health professionals to see clients ‘one more time’ to make money, or putting staff on commission rates that encourage over-treatment of clients. Other services offered education tailored at medical specialist practices who can operate under Medicare billing which was not applicable to the allied health industry and did not cover the other necessities like employing staff.
Its predecessors/competitors include…
…the Private Practice Association, which offers education to administration teams. Most allied health practices are run by the therapist and therefore this content was not relevant. The Private Practice also delivers education for medical specialists only.
5. TARGET MARKET
It is made for…
…Australian allied health professionals who are thinking of going into private practice or are already in established practices and want to streamline their processes, or learn the business side of healthcare (for example, how to employ a secretary or market to referrers). Our target market is expected to grow substantially over the next three years with the roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme which is pushing many in allied health into private practice. Allied health in Australia includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sonographers, dietitians, psychologists, podiatrists, exercise physiologists and social workers.
It is available for sale through…
…our website (maidalearning.com.au). Through this site, customers can access our weekly blog, download resources such as confidentiality policies and staff induction checklists, watch pre-recorded webinars, and register for upcoming webinars as well as our face-to-face workshops and conferences.
Our marketing strategy is to…
…give snippets of quality education via blogging, newsletter contributions and social media to showcase our expertise. We are setting up a collaborative working relationship with the various allied health associations, such as the Occupational Therapy Association, to deliver valued education. We are establishing and regularly reviewing a membership business model to give great service to our current members for retention.
FINE PRINT: This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
