Overview

In this episode of No Appointment Necessary, Michael sits down with Simon and David, the founders of Rehab Guru, to unpack what it’s really like to build, grow, and scale a healthcare software company from the ground up.

From military roots and clinical practice to bootstrapping a tech platform used by thousands of clinicians, the conversation explores the realities of running a founder-led business in healthcare, including growth pains, customer support at scale, product development, pricing, and why simplicity often beats shiny features.

It’s an honest, behind-the-scenes look at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and business, without the hype.

Show Notes

• How Rehab Guru evolved from a simple exercise prescription into a full clinic platform
• Why bootstrapping shaped their product, culture, and customer relationships
• The trade-offs between “all-in-one” systems and modular software
• What most clinicians misunderstand about software development
• The hidden cost of poor onboarding and underused features
• Founder-led businesses vs private-equity-backed tech companies
• Scaling customer support without losing the human touch
• How tech can improve patient experience beyond the treatment room

What You’ll Learn

• How to think more clearly about choosing clinic software
• Why most clinics only use a fraction of the tools they pay for
• What great patient experience actually looks like when tech is used properly
• How founders balance growth, product focus, and customer care
• The questions you should be asking any software provider before committing
• Why feature lists matter less than outcomes and usability

Who This Episode Is For

• Clinic owners considering new software or a platform switch
• Physios, osteos, chiros, and MSK clinicians interested in digital transformation
• Founders running (or thinking of running) a healthcare business with a partner
• Anyone curious about how healthcare tech really gets built and scaled

Guest Information

Simon & David - Founders, Rehab Guru

Simon and David are the co-founders of Rehab Guru, a UK-built healthcare software platform designed by clinicians, for clinicians. With backgrounds spanning the military, physiotherapy, sports rehab, and software engineering, they’ve spent over a decade building tools that support better patient care while reducing admin burden for clinics.

Unlike many healthcare tech companies, Rehab Guru remains founder-led and bootstrapped, with a strong focus on usability, customer support, and long-term relationships rather than rapid PE-driven scale.

Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100

Overview

Most clinics don’t have an insurance problem.

They have a systems problem.

From the moment a patient walks out the door, clinics are relying on manual steps, outdated workflows, and disconnected software to get paid. What feels like “just admin” quickly turns into delayed payments, hidden under-billing, and avoidable cashflow pressure.

In this episode, Michael is joined by Ben Morfoot, co-founder of Effra, to break down why insurance billing is still so broken in healthcare, what actually causes bad debt, and how speed, automation, and better systems can radically change how clinics get paid.

The conversation covers PMI workflows, patient excesses, insurer behaviour, open APIs, manual errors, and why many clinics think their billing process works, until they look closely.

This episode is about fixing what happens after the appointment, protecting cash flow, and building processes that scale without more admin.

Show Notes

• Why PMI billing creates bad debt by default
• What “aged debt” really costs clinics over time
• Why most insurance billing fails after the patient leaves
• The hidden risks of manual invoicing and outsourced billing
• How slow billing damages cashflow and patient relationships
• Why insurers respond better to speed and clean data
• The role of automation in reducing admin and errors
• How poor tech integrations create unnecessary work
• Why billing problems don’t disappear as clinics scale

What You’ll Learn

• Why insurance billing feels harder than it should
• How speed dramatically improves payment rates
• Where clinics are losing money without realising
• Why manual processes increase errors and bad debt
• How patient experience is affected by poor billing workflows
• What “end-to-end” billing actually looks like in practice
• How to reduce admin without hiring more staff
• Who This Episode Is For
• Clinic owners working with PMI or private health insurers
• Practices struggling with aged debt or slow payments
• Growing clinics adding sites or clinicians
• Owners relying on manual or outsourced billing processes
• Anyone frustrated by insurance admin and cashflow issues

Who This Episode Is For

• Clinic owners working with PMI or private health insurers
• Practices struggling with aged debt or slow payments
• Growing clinics adding sites or clinicians
• Owners relying on manual or outsourced billing processes
• Anyone frustrated by insurance admin and cashflow issues

Not for:

• Clinics expecting insurers to “just pay eventually”
• Owners unwilling to review or change broken processes
• Practices comfortable with high levels of bad debt
• Businesses avoiding automation in favour of manual work

Guest Details

Ben Morfoot

Co-Founder, Effra

Ben is a former GoCardless product builder and co-founder of Effra, a platform designed to automate end-to-end insurance billing for healthcare clinics. His work focuses on removing manual admin, reducing aged debt, and helping clinics get paid faster through better systems, cleaner data, and smarter workflows.

Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100

Overview

Choosing a coach should make running your clinic clearer.
For many owners, it does the opposite.

The industry is full of confident promises, packaged systems, and “proven frameworks” that look good on the surface but rarely fit the reality of running a clinic. When the advice doesn’t land, owners don’t just lose money; they lose confidence in their decisions.

In this episode, Michael and Celia explore what good coaching actually looks like, why so many clinic owners end up in the wrong programs, and how to spot the warning signs early.

The conversation also moves into planning, understanding your numbers, pricing decisions, and why many clinics are unknowingly running on guesswork rather than clarity.

This episode is about asking better questions and choosing support that genuinely helps your clinic move forward.

Show Notes

• Why coaching has become confusing in the clinic space
• How marketing disguises weak advice
• Early warning signs you’ve chosen the wrong coach
• Why most clinic owners don’t know their true profit
• The risks of running a clinic based on bank balance
• Planning beyond “we’ll see how this year goes”
• Pricing decisions that quietly cap growth
• Why more patients doesn’t always mean more money

What You’ll Learn

• How to tell if a coach actually understands clinics
• What to look for before committing time and money
• Why sector experience matters more than credentials
• How financial clarity changes decision-making
• Where small pricing shifts make a big difference

Who This Episode Is For

• Clinic owners considering a coach or consultant
• Owners questioning the advice they’re currently paying for
• Practices that feel busy but unclear
• Clinicians moving into business ownership

Not for:

• Anyone expecting a coach to “fix” their business for them
• Practices unwilling to look at their numbers honestly
• Owners chasing shiny systems without foundations
• Clinics resistant to pricing or strategic change

Guest Details

Celia Champion
Founder, Painless Practice

Celia has worked in the healthcare sector for over 20 years, supporting physiotherapy and MSK clinics with coaching, consulting, and strategic planning. Her work focuses on helping clinic owners build sustainable, profitable businesses through better decision-making, financial clarity, and realistic growth strategies.

Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100