A Step in the Right Direction

How a podiatry clinic made a 170% ROI on their technology investment

Elite Foot Care is a dual-site podiatry, orthotics and musculoskeletal (MSK) healthcare provider based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, who use VALD technology in their clinics.  

We spoke to Jarrod McGuinness (senior podiatrist), Will O’Hara and Jay Lewis (co-owners) about how they had a significant increase in business performance, patient engagement and ultimately delivered 170% return on investment (ROI) after implementing VALD ForceDecks and DynaMo technologies into their clinics. 

Elite Foot Care stands out, making for an excellent example for how implementing technology can lead to improved patient outcomes, increased revenue, and improved business processes – a win, win, win scenario. 

The healthcare industry is realising significant benefits from incorporating technology into their clinical practice, and this is particularly true in the realm of podiatry who have long been known for their early adoption of technologies (as an example, producing custom orthotics using a 3D-printer would be considered relatively commonplace in podiatry today). 

Even within podiatry, though, Elite Foot Care stands out, making for an excellent example for how implementing technology can lead to improved patient outcomes, increased revenue, and improved business processes – a win, win, win scenario. 

Why Implement VALD Technology at Elite Foot Care? 

Elite Foot Care’s decision to incorporate technology into their clinic was driven, first and foremost, by a desire to improve the quality of their service.  

Jarrod and Will identified that many clinics increase their revenue by simply increasing consultation prices over time (or sometimes abruptly), often without improving the quality of their services, leading to a perception of decreased value for their patients.  

By incorporating a comprehensive VALD Assessment, Elite Foot Care were able to increase the objectivity of their consultations. They now provide patients with meaningful and easy-to-interpret numbers, outlining why a condition may have occurred and what needs to be done to fix the problem. 

This provided a significant improvement in patient outcomes, meaning patients leave the initial consult with a strong understanding of their condition and treatment plan, as well as a report of their results they can share with their family, other health professionals or simply as a refresher for themselves.

Patients leave the initial consult with a strong understanding of their condition and treatment plan, as well as a report of their results they can share with their family or other health professionals.

Key Learnings from Implementing VALD Technology 

The first step in implementing technology into a health clinic is to understand and articulate the goals the business is trying achieve. Elite Foot Care had clear goals in mind, understanding that they needed to improve patient outcomes and increase perceived value for their patients. By focusing on these goals, they were able to implement technology in a way that effectively and efficiently addressed those areas.

“There is no blueprint to how this is done. When you are innovative and action a large change within your clinic there is no step by step as to how to action this perfectly”. 

Another key learning from their experience is the importance of adapting to changes during and after implementation. Initially, Elite Foot Care introduced a ‘VALD Assessment’ code into their billing system, which added a small fee onto patients’ invoices if they were assessed with VALD technologies during their consultation.  

However, they found it more beneficial to incorporate the VALD Assessment fee into the initial consultation costs as an all-inclusive assessment. This reduced the risk of friction with some patients who did not specifically request a VALD assessment, but – from the team’s clinical perspective – would benefit greatly from it.  

“We are confident that our value increased with the additional technology and strongly believed that value would be perceived well by patients, both new and returning.” 

“There is no blueprint to how this is done. When you are innovative and action a large change within your clinic there is no step by step as to how to action this perfectly,” said Jarrod. “We are confident that our value increased with the additional technology and strongly believed that value would be perceived well by patients, both new and returning. Effective communication is key to ensuring patient understanding, motivation, and compliance with rehabilitation programs.”

Key Highlights from Implementing VALD Technology 

According to Jarrod, one of the key benefits to implementing technology into the clinic was an increased level of buy-in from patients in their rehabilitation programs. He noted a number of clear changes they observed: 

• Improved compliance: “99% compliance rate with patients and exercise programs as they are aware the review consult will include hands on retesting and comparing to last consult results.”
• Improved communication and understanding: “Incorporating VALD has made this [patient education] a very easy explanation. Education is the key to a successful rehabilitation."
• Improved outcomes: “Patient understanding, motivation, and compliance all dramatically increased, leading to improved patient outcomes.”

Elite Foot Care were one of the first clinics in their local area to incorporate VALD technologies and the associated quantitative MSK data that came along with them. This new ability to provide patients and referrers meaningful information created a difference between them and their competitors, leading to increased word of mouth and new patient referrals.  

… relying purely on VAS 1-10/10 is full of faults. Quantitative measurement takes the guessing game out of reviewing progression. 

They also saw a boost in patients’ motivation, as their results improved and they saw their hard work is paying off. “There is often a delay between strength improvements and reduction in pain – so relying purely on VAS 1-10/10 is full of faults. Quantitative measurement takes the guessing game out of reviewing progression” explained Jarrod.   

Additionally, incorporating technology opened the door for Elite Foot Care to establish a number of strong high-performance sport partnerships. This allowed them to act as an extension of high-performance teams’ existing staff, as well as to establish connections with the sporting clubs themselves and their member bases, creating a new avenue for patient referrals. 

Return on Investment in VALD Technology  

While incorporating a comprehensive VALD assessment did take time, Elite Foot Care soon saw an increase in both the proportion and absolute number of MSK consultations delivered by the business and, in turn, increased revenue from these services. This aligned with a greater perceived value for patients, increased follow-up appointments and ultimately a 35% year-over-year increase in MSK consultations. Since adopting the technologies, Elite Foot Care has delivered well over 300 initial VALD Assessments as a part of initial patient appointments.

Over a 12-month period their statistics show that the average monthly ROI relative to the cost of their VALD subscription fees is 170%. 

According to clinic owners Jarrod and Will, their VALD technologies have already more than covered their costs. Over a 12-month period their statistics show that the average monthly ROI relative to the cost of their VALD subscription fees is 170%.  

Learnings from Elite Foot Care’s Experience 

Elite Foot Care’s experience provides a great example for how implementing technology can lead to improved patient outcomes, improved business processes and increased revenue. By having a clear understanding of their goals, effective communication with patients and a focus on patient outcomes, they were able to implement technology in a way that aligned best with their clinics’ and their patients’ needs. By incorporating technology using a considered and goal-based approach, businesses can improve patient outcomes, increase revenue, differentiate their offerings and establish themselves as leaders in their field.

Most excitingly for VALD users is that the key learnings from Elite Foot Care’s experience can be applied to other health clinics looking to incorporate technology into their operations. 

Most excitingly for VALD users is that the key learnings from Elite Foot Care’s experience can be applied to other health clinics looking to incorporate technology into their operations. Their challenges and guiding principles for implementation are reasonably universal in allied health, providing a great initial roadmap for clinics considering embarking on their own technology journey.  

While businesses who fail to adopt technologies risk falling behind their competitors, Elite Foot Care demonstrates that this need not be the case, and have shown that with some common sense, a focus on putting the patient first and the desire to improve services and outcomes, technology can help health providers stand out from the pack.

If you are thinking about how you can bring technology into your clinic, reach out to us for a chat. Implementing technology can be daunting, but our Onboarding, Client Success and Learning & Development teams are with you every step of the way to help you integrate and leverage technology into your healthcare business.

Click the button below to have a chat. 

Elite Foot Care owners Jay Lewis, (Bachelor of Podiatry) and Will O’Hara (Bachelor of Engineering / Bachelor of Finance) opened the business in 2020 on the Sunshine Coast, QLD.  

Jarrod McGuinness (Senior Podiatrist – Bachelor of Podiatry, Graduate certificate of Rehab of Sports Injuries), joined the team with the goal of collaborating with the owners in creating an innovative and leading podiatry clinic.  

Two years on, the clinic is now one of the leaders in Queensland Sunshine Coast area, helping the community and partnering with leading sports clubs and associations across the Sunshine Coast.