X18 + Cliniko: review automation for allied-health podiatry clinics
Cliniko is the most-used allied-health practice management software for independent podiatry clinics across AU / NZ / UK. The X18 integration connects Cliniko's appointment-type data to cohort-aware review timing per podiatry caseload — orthotic, sports, paediatric, and excluded cohorts (diabetic / aged-care).
What flows between Cliniko and X18
- Patient first name (personalised message wording)
- Patient mobile number (SMS destination)
- Appointment timestamp (post-visit timing baseline)
- Appointment type (cohort routing — orthotic consult vs orthotic fit vs sports vs etc.)
- Practitioner ID (apparent sender matches the podiatrist the patient saw)
Clinical notes, treatment records, billing, and Medicare/private health fund details are not pulled. The integration sits in Cliniko's appointment-and-patient-record layer (limited to the fields above) and doesn't access clinical files.
Cohort routing per appointment type
Podiatry has multiple distinct patient journeys with very different emotional peaks. The integration routes per Cliniko appointment-type code:
- Orthotic consult → typically excluded; ask happens after the orthotic-fit visit.
- Orthotic fit → 4–6 week ask. Comfort confirmed, break-in over.
- Sports injury / biomechanics → ask after the follow-up visit where return-to-activity is confirmed.
- Paediatric routine → typically excluded or asked only at outcome-confirmation follow-up.
- Diabetic foot care / aged care → excluded by default for clinical appropriateness.
- Nail surgery / minor procedures → 10-day ask. Initial healing confirmation.
- General assessment → 3-day ask. Patient remembers the visit.
Mobile podiatry support
Many independent podiatry clinics on Cliniko run a mobile / home-visit service alongside the rooms-based practice. The integration handles both — mobile visits typically have a higher review-conversion rate per ask because the visit is more memorable to the patient. Timing logic is the same; cohort routing per visit type applies.
Multi-practitioner clinics
When a Cliniko clinic has multiple podiatrists, the apparent-sender identity matches the practitioner the patient actually saw. If practitioner A treated the patient, the review request appears to come from practitioner A. Practitioners who prefer not to participate can be excluded entirely — common for newer staff or those handling sensitive cohorts.
Setup timeline
- Days 1–3: Cliniko API credentials, appointment-type mapping (typically 8–15 codes for a podiatry clinic), message templates.
- Days 4–7: cohort routing, exclusions, per-practitioner setup.
- Days 8–14: shadow-mode validation, then live activation.
Sustained velocity for an established Australian podiatry clinic is typically 40–80 new reviews per month after the first 30 days.
If you switch from Cliniko later
Voice tuning, message templates, cohort routing, and exclusions move with you to the new PMS — Power Diary / Halaxy / Nookal / TM3. Historical review data on Google stays with your business profile.
On Cliniko? Let's wire it up.
Fifteen minutes. We walk through your Cliniko appointment-type codes, your cohort mix, and the 90-day picture.
Book a 15-minute strategy call →
Leeor Meirovitz
Leeor's spent the last few years inside hundreds of independent vet clinics across the AU, NZ, UK, US, CA, TH, and PH markets — what actually moves Google ranking, what corporate chains can't replicate at the per-location level, and how the silent 99% of happy clients become the practice's loudest reviewers. He writes the way he talks at strategy calls: friendly, specific, and slightly opinionated.