The Business of Allied Health - Episode 17: Carolyn O'Mahoney

What happens when a pediatric physio transitions from a solo mobile provider to a multi-clinic owner, to a policy advocate, an AHPRA board member, and finally a health-tech startup founder? In Episode 17 of The Business of Allied Health, I’m joined by Carolyn O’Mahoney, a true multi-hyphenate in the allied health space. Carolyn shares her incredible journey—starting a clinic simply to afford her PD while raising a family as a defense spouse, and ultimately scaling it to 28 staff members across three locations. But her most valuable insights come from her MBA and policy work. Carolyn unpacks the hard data she collected during the NDIS rollout, revealing how the shift to NDIS funding initially decimated clinic profit margins—and how she used her clinic's data to advocate for the entire profession, leading to the approval of billable non-face-to-face time. We dive deep into: \* Scaling from Scratch – Building a 28-staff practice starting with just two clients a week in a 3-hour window. \* The NDIS Data Reality – The "alarmingly huge" profit erosion that clinics faced early on, and how she helped change the policy. \* Exit Strategies – Why she sold to a corporate entity, and the crucial lesson she learned about clinical founders vs. business operators. \* The AHPRA Reality – Demystifying the notification process from a board member's perspective (and the #1 thing that saves practitioners). \* Wait Once – Her new venture solving the massive "rescheduling revenue leak" that costs clinics hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. If you’re a clinic owner navigating the complexities of NDIS funding, team utilization, or looking to understand the real levers of clinic profitability, you cannot miss this episode. Also streaming now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Supported by CliniScribe AI \*\*Timestamps:\** \[00:00:09] Carolyn's journey: From pediatric neuro physio to AHPRA and startups \[00:04:40] Starting a mobile clinic as a defense spouse with 3 hours a week \[00:06:47] Scaling to 28 staff and surviving the transition to NDIS \[00:08:28] Advocacy: How Carolyn's data helped increase the NDIS hourly rate \[00:10:49] Selling her practice to a corporate and pursuing an MBA \[00:14:13] The biggest lesson for clinicians exiting their business \[00:15:37] The most critical metric for clinic survival (Utilization) \[00:19:37] Inside AHPRA: The true purpose of the board and how to avoid trouble \[00:22:38] Why she built Wait Once: Solving the massive cost of schedule gaps \[00:26:36] Wait Once integrations and future plans