Interface of the Back2U mobile app
Photo courtesy of Back2U
A new on-demand mobile service is now dispatching verified allied health practitioners to patients in minutes, aiming to cut long waits and access barriers for millions with musculoskeletal pain.
Called Back2U, the platform connects users with nearby chiropractors, physiotherapists, and osteopaths who can come to them at a time and location of their choosing.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Back2U does not position itself as a booking aggregator, nor is it like other physiotherapy booking apps currently available in Australia, co-founder Dr Roman Rajek told Mobihealth News. "Back2U is more agile and on-demand with no virtual consults or need to book days or weeks in advance."
The self-styled "Uber" for allied health in Australia claims to be the only one in the market to offer location-based dispatch of verified, insured practitioners in near real time, along with an integrated practitioner's app for accepting, routing, and managing mobile visits.
Developed with an external partner specialising in on-demand booking platforms, Back2U uses a custom algorithm that leverages geolocation to match users in near real time to nearby available practitioners. Dr Rajek explained that the system prioritises several factors: proximity and availability to ensure the fastest response, the practitioners' specialty and service type, and their licensing and verification status with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
According to Dr Rajek, the platform only onboards AHPRA-registered practitioners, each of whom must undergo ID, qualification, and insurance checks before activation. "In addition to AHPRA verification, practitioners must provide active professional indemnity and public liability insurance."
The app also features a clinical triage workflow at booking that alerts users to seek emergency care when appropriate. It includes a post-consultation feedback and review system, captures patients' digital consent, and integrates seamless payment processing.
Back2U stores and encrypts its data on Amazon Web Services servers in Sydney. Data access control applies role-based permissions for practitioners, admins and patients.
There is a plan to allow secure data sharing with clinics, hospitals, and insurers later via FHIR-compatible APIs, shared Dr Rajek.
For reporting and investigating adverse events and malpractice, Back2U follows an incident management framework. It has in-app reporting tools for patients and practitioners to record and escalate safety concerns, which are then reviewed by a clinical advisory board.
Dr Rajek said industry and regulatory advisors have acknowledged the app's compliance with AHPRA's current telehealth and mobile service standards and that it aligns with safe practice and patient-centred flexibility.
Back2U is now available nationwide on popular app stores for Android and Apple smartphones, with early practitioners onboarded from Sydney, Melbourne, and southeast Queensland.
For now, users can connect with chiropractors, physiotherapists, and osteopaths, while future updates aim to add practitioners of occupational therapy, rehabilitation, disability services, women's health, and aged care physiotherapy.
WHY IT MATTERS
More than 26.7 million allied health attendances are recorded across Australia each year, including the more than 3.4 million Australians living with chronic pain. Many of these patients who are of working age face long wait times, inflexible work schedules, and limited access to clinics, which are factors that often delay or prevent their timely treatment.
Back2U presents its mobile-first model as a way to help distribute and manage patient demand while offering an additional income stream for practitioners seeking greater flexibility, autonomy, and control over their careers. It also reduces overhead for clinicians, who often lose up to 70% of their revenue to clinic leases and administrative costs.
MARKET SNAPSHOT
A growing number of digital platforms connecting people to specialist support have launched in Australia, many securing fresh funding and scaling their services.
In October, local startup Indi secured A$1.46 million ($950,000) in funding to grow its AI-powered app that also helps connect parents, therapists, and doctors. Last year, Melbourne-based Kismet raised $8.2 million in seed funding to scale its web and mobile platforms globally.
Another startup in Melbourne, Support Sorted, launched a web-based app designed to simplify the search for National Disability Insurance Scheme-accredited specialists.
Meanwhile, Hireup, one of the country's largest platforms for finding disability support workers, has expanded into aged care ahead of expected demand under the federal government's Support at Home programme, which just started this month.
ON THE RECORD
"For practitioners who are just starting out or looking to expand, Back2U removes the barriers of overheads, scheduling headaches, and location limits. It gives you control, flexibility, and real earning potential from day one," commented Dr Stephen McCann, founder of Edgecliff Chiropractic in New South Wales and one of the first practitioners to join the platform.
