Marketing a Clinic's NDIS Services Alongside Private Patients

03 October 2026·3 min read

Quick answer: Clinics offering both NDIS-funded and private or Medicare-funded services often default to one undifferentiated 'our services' page, which leaves NDIS participants, and their support coordinators or plan managers, unsure whether the clinic genuinely understands plan funding, and leaves private patients wondering if they'll be treated as a lower priority. Clear, separate content for each pathway serves both audiences better than one generic page trying to cover everyone. 🤍

Here's what a lot of multi-funding clinics get backwards: they assume 'we accept NDIS' as a single line item is enough information, when a genuine NDIS participant, or more often, their support coordinator doing the research, is looking for specific, practical detail, not just confirmation that the clinic will take their funding. 💖

What most clinics get wrong

NDIS gets treated as a payment method mention rather than its own pathway with its own content needs. The service agreement and plan management process rarely gets explained in plain language, leaving support coordinators to call and ask, and marketing can read as more welcoming to private patients than NDIS participants, even unintentionally.

The NDIS pathway page structure

A plain statement of which plan management types are supported, self-managed, plan-managed, agency-managed, and any process differences
What a first appointment and service agreement actually involves, step by step
How pricing relates to the current NDIS price guide, without guaranteeing specific session numbers or outcomes
A note addressed specifically to support coordinators and plan managers
A clear, separate contact pathway for NDIS enquiries if your intake process differs from private patients

An allied health clinic serving both NDIS participants and general private patients: built a dedicated NDIS page explaining plan management types in plain language, and found support coordinators specifically mentioned it made referring easier than clinics with no clear NDIS information at all.

An occupational therapy practice: included a short note addressed directly to support coordinators about typical appointment availability and waitlist honesty, reducing back-and-forth phone calls clarifying basic process questions.

A multidisciplinary clinic with a mixed patient base: kept pricing language general and tied explicitly to the current NDIS price guide rather than quoting fixed numbers that would go stale, with a clear note to check current guide rates.

How to roll it out

Keep NDIS-specific content updated against current price guide and plan management rules, which change periodically. Train front-of-house staff on the basics of plan management types so phone enquiries get consistent, accurate answers. Avoid using individual participant testimonials or outcome stories, given the regulatory sensitivities around health marketing claims for these services.

💡 Write for the support coordinator, not just the participant. A huge share of NDIS referrals are researched and initiated by a support coordinator or plan manager on the participant's behalf. Content that answers their practical questions directly is some of the most effective NDIS marketing a clinic can publish.

Mistakes to avoid

Treating NDIS as a payment footnote rather than its own content pathway
Not explaining plan management types in plain language
Quoting fixed prices that go stale against the price guide
Using patient testimonials or specific outcome claims
Making private patients feel like the default audience and NDIS participants an afterthought

Frequently asked questions

Should pricing be published exactly?

Link to or reference the current NDIS price guide rather than quoting your own fixed numbers, since the guide itself changes periodically.

Can we use client stories to show how NDIS services help?

Avoid real client testimonials or named outcome stories for these AHPRA-registered and regulated services. Use general, anonymised descriptions of service types instead.

Does this apply to clinics with only a small NDIS caseload?

Even a short, clear page is worth having. It's often the first thing a cautious support coordinator checks before referring, regardless of caseload size.

What's the honest nuance?

NDIS funding rules, price guide rates and plan management processes do change, sometimes with little notice, so this content needs a genuine review schedule, not a one-off publish-and-forget page. Please note: general information, not legal, financial or medical advice — check current NDIS guidance before relying on it.

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Written by

Kate, founder of Chronically Online

I help Gold Coast and Brisbane businesses grow with branding, websites and marketing that actually works.

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