Healthia Limited is a publicly listed corporation seeking to grow to be one of Australia’s leading allied health firms that offers podiatry, physiotherapy and associated services. The company is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange with the opening of a $26.8 million Initial Public Offer (IPO). Healthia is the holding corporation which owns and manages 70 MyFootDr podiatry centers throughout Australia. They also operate the foot orthotics laboratory, iOrthotics and also have a 50 per cent stake of DBS Medical which supplies medical products. The Initial public offering proceeds were utilised to fund buying of additional podiatry practices plus some physiotherapy and hand therapy businesses. They believe that Australia’s very fragmented allied health market provides a commercial potential for them to provide integrated services to satisfy the need for physiotherapy and podiatry solutions as the populace will become older. They expect to accomplish this by helping clinicians reduce administrative burdens of their practices. The vertically integrated companies such as iOrthotics and DBS Medical will be used to generate buying synergies, and to enhance the functions of current centers, creating cost savings from the improved scale and improve practice operations.
One of the founders of MyFootDr, Greg Dower, was a guest on PodChatLive, the podiatry live show. He has become the Chief Business Development Officer at MyFootDr. Greg is the podiatrist for the Australian cricket team and is the lead in the Elvis tribute music group called the Blue Cats. This connection with Elvis has received Greg a great deal of attention in the business press associated with the IPO of Healthia. In the PodChatLive livestream, Greg talked to the hosts about his path coming from being a sole podiatrist to co-owning a chain of over 50 podiatry offices (which used over 100 podiatrists) before the IPO and further expansion. Greg described the extensive coaching program they've got for new graduates, and the work smarter and harder philosophy. At the conclusion of the discussion he in brief showed us round his Graceland inspired lounge.