Advance Healthcare

What Advance Healthcare does

Advance Healthcare is a privately-held, multi-disciplinary allied health and specialist medical practice headquartered in Victoria, Australia, founded in 1998 by Jon Ford. It operates seven physical clinic locations across Melbourne (Boronia, Bundoora, Clyde North, Dandenong, Hoppers Crossing, St Albans) and Geelong, plus a national telehealth arm branded Advance Online. The practice employs more than 45 practitioners spanning specialist pain medicine physicians, specialist rehabilitation physicians, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists (many with PhDs), psychiatrists, dietitians, and a podiatrist.

Its core offering is integrated, evidence-based pain management — particularly for chronic low back pain — built around the proprietary STOPS (Specific Treatment for Problems of the Spine) protocol developed through a 300-patient RCT, plus biopsychosocial physiotherapy, clinical psychology (CBT, ACT, DBT, Schema, EMDR), psychiatry, occupational health, hydrotherapy, and nerve conduction/EMG diagnostics. Clinical operations are supported by Nookal practice management software for shared notes and Microsoft Teams for case conferencing; outcomes are captured via the national ePPOC benchmarking program, and an active research partnership with La Trobe University (plus Monash and University of Queensland) underpins 46+ peer-reviewed publications.

Revenue is generated through fee-for-service clinical consultations (private, Medicare bulk billing, and gap payments), plus government and quasi-government funded streams including WorkCover, TAC (Transport Accident Commission), NDIS (self- and plan-managed), and My Aged Care. The practice holds TAC/WorkSafe preferred-provider status for the Network Pain Management program and accepts GP referrals for specialist services. No external private equity or venture capital investment is disclosed; ownership and operating control sit with founder Jon Ford and director-level clinicians (Charles Ruddock, Shane Pritchard).

Name

Advance Healthcare

Legal name

Advance Healthcare

Website

https://advancehealthcare.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Advance Healthcare is a multi-disciplinary Victorian allied health and specialist medical practice with 7 clinics and national telehealth, delivering evidence-based pain management, physiotherapy, psychology and specialist medical services to chronic pain, injury, NDIS, WorkCover and TAC patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pain Management and Multi-disciplinary Healthcare Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), Offices of Other Health Practitioners (6213), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Pain Management Clinics (Interventional & Medical) (HLAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Primary Care & General Medicine Virtual Care (HLALAAAA), Post-Discharge Non-Medical Transitional Support (after hospital/SNF) (HLADAGAJ)

Keywords

• Chronic pain management
• Multidisciplinary healthcare
• Physiotherapy services
• Pain management programs
• Allied health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boronia

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Clinical Consultation Services: Fee-for-service model for physiotherapy, psychology, psychiatry, and specialist medical consultations. Services provided to private patients, Medicare patients (with potential gap payments), and those with various funding arrangements.
2. Government-Funded Program Services: Services funded through WorkCover, TAC (Transport Accident Commission), NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme), and My Aged Care programs. Practice is a preferred provider for Network Pain Management services under TAC/WorkSafe.
3. Bulk Billing Services: Bulk billing options available with some practitioners for psychology services under Medicare mental health care plans.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Advance Healthcare is a multi-disciplinary healthcare practice that provides face-to-face clinical services across seven Victorian clinic locations and telehealth nationally, integrating physiotherapy, specialist pain medicine, specialist rehabilitation medicine, psychology, psychiatry, occupational health, hydrotherapy, and nerve conduction/EMG diagnostics. Its core focus is the assessment and treatment of chronic and complex pain (especially low back pain) using evidence-based, individualised protocols — most notably the STOPS physiotherapy protocol — combined into multi-disciplinary pain management programs. Services are funded through Medicare, WorkCover, TAC, NDIS, My Aged Care, and private fee-for-service payments.

Product overview

Advance Healthcare operates as a multi-disciplinary healthcare practice offering a coordinated suite of clinical services across 7 physical clinic locations plus telehealth. The core offering centers on physiotherapy (including individualised treatments from the evidence-based STOPS trial), multidisciplinary pain management programs, specialist medical services (pain medicine physicians and rehabilitation physicians), psychology, psychiatry, occupational health, hydrotherapy, and diagnostic services. Additional offerings include an online DBT program, graded activity/exercise programs, educational video resources, and a clinical blog. The service portfolio is unified through collaborative multi-disciplinary team approaches using Microsoft Teams for case conferencing and Nookal for shared clinical documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physiotherapy Expert physiotherapy services for back and spinal problems, musculoskeletal conditions, sports injuries, whiplash, and tendinopathy, delivered by practitioners including those with PhDs; no referral required for self-referred patients.
• Multidisciplinary Pain Management Comprehensive pain management programs combining specialist pain medicine, physiotherapy, and psychology for complex and chronic pain conditions, led by Specialist Pain Physicians and accepted under WorkCover, TAC, NDIS, and My Aged Care.
• Specialist Medical Services Consultations and treatment from Specialist Pain Medicine Physicians and Specialist Rehabilitation Physicians for complex and persistent pain conditions.
• Psychology Clinical psychology services for chronic pain management and mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, trauma) using evidence-based approaches including CBT, ACT, DBT, Schema Therapy, and EMDR; some practitioners offer bulk billing under Medicare Mental Health Care Plans.
• Psychiatry Psychiatric services for complex mental health conditions, delivered as part of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Occupational Health Occupational physiotherapy and health services for workplace injury recovery, return-to-work programs, and injury prevention, aligned with WorkCover/TAC funding requirements.
• Hydrotherapy Water-based therapeutic exercise programs for rehabilitation and recovery from musculoskeletal and pain conditions.
• Nerve Conduction and Electromyography Studies Diagnostic nerve conduction and EMG studies for neurological and pain assessment, supporting diagnosis of pain conditions.
• Advance Online (Telehealth) Telehealth service providing remote consultations across Australia for physiotherapy, psychology, and other service lines where in-person attendance is not possible.
• Online DBT Program (10-week) 10-week online Dialectical Behaviour Therapy program targeting emotional distress, difficulty regulating emotions, and borderline personality disorder, delivered fully online by the psychology team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Specific physiotherapy is 50% more likely to result in 50% improvement in daily activity capability compared to standard and guideline-based treatment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and supporting.

• La Trobe UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic-industrial partnership providing fully-funded PhD scholarships to outstanding candidates. Collaboration on world-class clinical trials in low back pain and multi-disciplinary pain management. Joint research programs with university academics including Dr Andrew Hahne, Prof Nicholas Taylor, and others.
• Monash UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with Dr Alix Mellor at Monash University as part of the multidisciplinary research team. Joint research on chronic pain and low back pain treatment approaches.
• University of QueenslandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with Prof Paul Hodges at University of Queensland on understanding disease processes, behavior change in patients/practitioners, and clinical decision making.
• ePPOC (Electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating healthcare service in the Electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration, an Australasian initiative aiming to improve quality of care and outcomes for people with chronic pain through standardised data collection and benchmarking.
• TAC/WorkSafecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred provider of multi-disciplinary pain management services (Network Pain Management) for TAC/WorkSafe. Established relationships with a wide variety of employers, insurers and referrer groups for workers compensation patients.
• Nookal Practice ManagementsupportingTechnology or IntegrationClinical management software used for team meetings, Microsoft Teams-based case conferencing, and shared clinical notes and documents across the practice.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Concentric Rehabilitation Centre: Victorian-based multi-disciplinary pain and rehabilitation clinic offering physiotherapy, psychology and pain specialist services. Directly comparable service mix, geographic overlap and patient segments (TAC, WorkCover, NDIS).
• Back in Motion Health Group: Large Australian physiotherapy and allied health group operating multi-disciplinary clinics across multiple states. Closely comparable to Advance Healthcare on service mix (physiotherapy, exercise rehabilitation, pain and occupational health) and multi-site clinical delivery model.
• LifeCare Health: Australian allied health and physiotherapy network, historically connected to Advance Healthcare (whose predecessor Spinal Management Clinics was part of the LifeCare group). Directly comparable on multi-disciplinary rehabilitation and pain management services.
• Bounce Health Group: Multi-disciplinary Australian allied health and rehabilitation provider with multiple Victorian locations. Comparable on integrated physiotherapy, psychology and pain management offering and similar referral channels.
• Metro Pain Group: Specialist pain medicine practice offering interventional pain procedures and multi-disciplinary pain management in Victoria. Comparable on specialist physician-led pain model and TAC/WorkCover patient mix.
• Remedy Healthcare: Australian allied health provider offering physiotherapy, occupational health and rehabilitation services across multiple sites. Comparable multi-disciplinary, multi-site clinical model and employer/insurer referral base.

Broad incumbents

• ATI Physical Therapy: US outpatient physical therapy provider with multi-disciplinary rehabilitation and pain services. Comparable on clinic-network-based allied health delivery and employer/insurer referral relationships.
• Connect Health: UK-based provider of integrated musculoskeletal and chronic pain services across NHS and private channels. Comparable on multi-disciplinary pain and MSK model at scale, with broader geographic footprint and payor mix.
• Select Medical: Large US specialty healthcare and rehabilitation operator with outpatient rehab and pain services. Comparable on multi-site outpatient rehabilitation delivery, though operates at materially greater scale and breadth.

Others

• HCA Healthcare (UK): UK private hospital and specialist services group. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but useful as a scaled private healthcare benchmark for specialist-led, multi-disciplinary service lines including pain management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advance-healthcare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advance Healthcare