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Sonic Healthcare Limited is the parent company of the many operating companies around the world comprising the Sonic Healthcare group. It is a public company, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, where it is classified as one of Australia's 'Top 30' companies. Sonic Healthcare has its head office at Grosvenor Place in Sydney, Australia.

The growth of Sonic Healthcare over the last 30 years has been remarkable. It has been achieved through a combination of carefully chosen acquisitions and strong organic growth and its success is undoubtedly the result of the hard work and consistent delivery of excellent services by our staff.

Sonic Healthcare enjoys a reputation in the financial sector as a growth company that has delivered value to its shareholders.

In the medical arena, our success is ultimately based on the fact that Sonic Healthcare companies are recognised as quality diagnostic practices that have remained true to the ethical principles of the medical profession.

Sonic Healthcare has always been a company dedicated to medical diagnostic services. Starting with operations in one state of Australia (New South Wales), we expanded our pathology/clinical laboratory services to become the Australian market leader, serving all states and territories. We also expanded into radiology and are currently the second-largest participant in this market in Australia. Over the last two decades we have grown our laboratory operations internationally to include significant operations in North America and Europe.

2024
  • Sonic augments its German laboratory operations with the synergistic acquisitions of Labor Dr. Hermann, Labor im Sommershof and the Zentrum für Pathologie & Zytologie Duesseldorf.
  • Sonic acquires the Dr Risch laboratory group, a full-service medical laboratory group employing around 650 staff in thirteen clinical laboratories across Switzerland and a laboratory in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
  • Sonic acquires Pathology Watch, Inc. in the USA, a dermatopathology business with a proprietary end-to-end digital pathology platform.
2023
  • Sonic acquires the Diagnosticum group of laboratories, one of the largest clinical and anatomical pathology laboratory groups operating in the South East of Germany.
  • Sonic acquires SYNLAB Suisse, the Swiss laboratory network of SYNLAB Group. SYNLAB Suisse employs 600 staff across 19 laboratories, servicing referrers and patients in all three Swiss language regions.
  • Sonic acquires Medical Laboratories Duesseldorf, a leading clinical laboratory in Germany´s most populous state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
  • Sonic acquires Institut für Pathologie & Zytologie Rhein-Sieg, a high quality pathology practice located in the city of Troisdorf, Germany.
  • Sonic’s Clinical Services division acquires Vita Group Limited, owner of premium skin health and aesthetic clinic group Artisan Aesthetic Clinics.
2022
  • Sonic acquires strategic ownership stake in Microba Life Sciences Limited, and establishes a commercial partnership to deliver Microba's microbiome testing into Sonic’s markets.
2021
  • Sonic moves to majority ownership of Epworth Medical Imaging in Victoria, Australia.
  • Sonic acquires Canberra Imaging Group, the leading radiology practice in the Australian Capital Territory, with branches also in Goulburn and Queanbeyan in NSW.
  • Sonic acquires strategic ownership stake in Harrison.ai , a leading Australian healthcare AI company, and forms a joint venture called Franklin.ai to develop AI solutions for pathology.
  • Sonic acquires ProPath, a high quality, medically-led anatomical pathology company based in Dallas, Texas.
2020
  • Sonic’s German anatomical pathology operations augmented by acquisitions, including Pathologie Hamburg.
2019
  • Sonic acquires Aurora Diagnostics, one of the leading providers of anatomical pathology services in the USA, with 32 practices across 19 states, ~1,200 staff and ~220 pathologists.
  • Sonic sells its interest in GLP systems GmbH, having assisted in bringing the technology to the commercialisation stage.
2018
  • Sonic acquires Pathology Trier, one of the largest and most respected anatomical pathology practices in Germany, with laboratories in Trier, Düsseldorf and Düren.
  • Sonic and ProMedica Health System form a laboratory joint venture operating in Ohio and adjacent states, and trading as ProMedica Pathology Laboratories LLC. Sonic's subsidiary Pathology Laboratories, Inc. contributes its existing operations into the joint venture.
2017
  • Sonic acquires West Pacific Medical Laboratory, based in Los Angeles, California.
  • Sonic acquires the German Staber Laboratory group (comprising 17 laboratories, including 3 hubs), headquartered in Munich.
  • Sonic partners with Baptist Memorial Health Care to establish a bacteriology centre of excellence in Memphis, Tennessee.
  • Sonic and Western Connecticut Health Network form a joint venture, Constitution Diagnostics Network, to provide enhanced laboratory services throughout Connecticut.
  • Sonic acquires Medical Laboratory Bremen, which includes two laboratories in Bremen and Celle in the North-West of Germany.
  • Sonic and NYU Health System form a laboratory joint venture operating in New York and trading as NYU Langone Diagnostics, LLC.
2016
  • Sonic moves to 80% ownership of GLP systems GmbH, a cutting edge laboratory automation company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.
2015
  • Sonic acquires the Swiss medical laboratory group, Medisupport S.A.
  • Sonic acquires the KLD Laboratory (Klinisch Laboratorium Declerck) in Ardooie, Belgium.
  • Sonic acquires Adelaide Pathology Partners in South Australia.
  • Sonic HealthPlus acquires the Medibank Workplace Health (WPH) and Travel Doctor businesses in Australia.
2014
  • Sonic acquires San Pathology in Sydney, Australia.
2013
  • IPN acquires the Australian Locum Medical Service group.
  • Sonic acquires the German laboratory operations of Labco S.A. Group, now known as the Labordiagnostik group.
2012
  • Sonic acquires Labor Oldenburg Dr. Müller in Germany.
  • Sonic acquires the Western Australian pathology operations of Healthscope.
2011
  • Sonic establishes a German head office, based in Berlin, to oversee its German operations, including co-ordination of synergy projects.
  • Sonic completes the synergistic acquisitions of KBL-BML-Unilabo Laboratory and the Woestyn Laboratory in Belgium.
  • Sonic completes its second Californian acquisition, Central Coast Pathology, based in San Luis Obispo.
  • IPN acquires the Allied Medical and Australian Skin Cancer medical centre groups.
  • Sonic acquires Labor Dr. Steinberg, a German cytopathology business.
2010
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Labor Lademannbogen in Hamburg, Germany.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Medhold Group in Antwerp, Belgium, a leading laboratory in the Belgian market, which also sources work from the Netherlands.
  • Sonic’s medical centre subsidiary, IPN, acquires the Prime Health Group.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires CBLPath, an anatomical pathology company in Rye Brook, NY.
  • Sonic Healthcare enters California with the acquisition of Physician's Automated Laboratory based in Bakersfield.
2009
  • The German Sonic Executive Committee ("GSEC") is established to coordinate Sonic's German operations.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Axiom Laboratories (Tampa, Florida, USA). The business is merged with The Cognoscienti Health Institute.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires the business of Piedmont Medical Laboratory (Winchester, Virginia, USA).
  • Sonic acquires East Side Clinical Laboratory, based in Rhode Island, USA.
2008
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires American Clinical Services, Inc, based in New Jersey, USA and merges it with Sunrise Medical Laboratories.
  • Labor Prof. Krech (Switzerland) is acquired and merged into Medica.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Labor 28 in Berlin, Germany.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires GLP Medical Group in Hamburg, Germany.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii (CLH) and its associated anatomical pathology practice, Pan Pacific Pathologists. CLH is Hawaii's leading medical laboratory with over 70 locations across the state.
  • Sonic Healthcare moves to 100% ownership of Independent Practitioner Network Limited (IPN).
  • IPN acquires the Gemini Medical Group.
2007
  • Sonic Healthcare USA, Inc., Sonic's US head office, is established and given the authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the group's US operations.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires American Esoteric Laboratories with laboratories in Tennessee and Texas. The Texas operations are merged into CPL.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires remaining 18% of Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL) in the USA.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires LifeCheck (Sydney, NSW), which is merged into the Lifescreen business.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Mullins Pathology & Cytology Laboratory P.C. (Augusta, Georgia, USA).
  • Sonic Healthcare enters the Swiss market by acquiring a leading Swiss laboratory, the Medica Laboratory Group (Zurich, Switzerland).
  • Sunrise Medical Laboratories is acquired, a full-service clinical reference laboratory servicing Long Island and the New York metropolitan area.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires the Bioscientia Healthcare Group based in Ingelheim, Germany, one of Europe’s largest and most respected laboratories.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Woodbury Clinical Laboratory, based in Lebanon, Tennessee, USA (near Nashville).
  • Sonic completes the acquisition of the remaining equity in German laboratory business, the Schottdorf Group.
2006
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Central Queensland Pathology Laboratory (Mackay, Queensland), which is merged with Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Muskogee Clinical Laboratory (Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA).
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires The Cognoscenti Health Institute (East Orlando, Florida, USA).
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Lookadoo Skyline Laboratories (Port St Lucie, Florida, USA).
2005
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires an 82% interest in Clinical Pathology Laboratories, Inc. (CPL), the largest privately owned regional pathology laboratory in the United States of America.
2004
  • The Doctors Laboratory forms a ground breaking partnership with the National Health Service hospital; University College of London Hospital (UCLH).
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires majority (55.9%) ownership of the Schottdorf Group, one of the largest pathology businesses in Germany.
  • Sonic Healthcare moves to majority (72.2%) ownership of Independent Practitioner Network Limited (IPN).
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires the pathology operations of Endeavour HealthCare in NSW and WA and merges them into Sonic's existing operations (Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology and Clinipath Pathology). In addition IPN acquires Endeavour's medical centre operations.
2003
  • Sonic Healthcare (through Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology) acquires the NSW Central Coast Pathology practice of Dr Richard Haskell.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Omnilabs Pathology (London) and mergers it into The Doctors Laboratory.
  • Sonic Healthcare (through Queensland X-Ray) acquires the Southside Diagnostic Services Group in Brisbane.
2002
  • The Doctors Laboratory (TDL), Britain's largest private pathology practice, is acquired.
  • Sonic Healthcare (through Sullivan Nicolaides) acquires the practice of Dr Tom Lynch in Rockhampton (Queensland).
  • Sonic Healthcare (through SKG Radiology) acquires Fremantle Radiology in Fremantle (Western Australia).
2001
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Castlereagh Imaging (New South Wales), Castlereagh Imaging Hong Kong (HK), Hunter Imaging Group (New South Wales), Illawarra Radiology Group (New South Wales), Canterbury Medical Imaging (New Zealand) and Palmerston North X-Ray (New Zealand).
  • The Imaging Sonic Executive Committee ("ISEC") is established to coordinate and control the group's Australian and New Zealand diagnostic imaging activities.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires (through Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology) Consultant Pathologists in Townsville (Queensland).
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Queensland X-Ray Group, the largest private diagnostic imaging practice in Australia.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Illawarra Medical Laboratories (New South Wales), which joins its operations with Southern Pathology. The practice is now known as Southern.IML Pathology.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Clinipath Pathology (Western Australia), La Trobe Pathology (Victoria) and Bunbury Pathology (Western Australia) from Foundation Healthcare.
  • Sonic Healthcare (through Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology) acquires Cairns Pathology Laboratory (Queensland).
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires SKG Radiology, Western Australia's largest private diagnostic imaging practice.
  • Sonic's Foundation Principles are established and adopted across the company, cementing the Medical Leadership culture.
2000
  • The Sonic group determines to operate via a decentralised federation structure whereby the Chief Executive Officers of individual entities have delegated authority for their local operations. The Pathology Sonic Executive Committee ("PSEC") is established to coordinate and control the group's Australian and New Zealand laboratory activities.
  • Sonic's Core Values are established and adopted across the company.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Hitech Pathology (Victoria). It merges with Melbourne Pathology.
1999
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires two pathology operations from Alpha Healthcare - Australian Diagnostics Laboratories (ADL) in Sydney and Southern Pathology, on the south coast of NSW. ADL is merged into Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology. Southern Pathology continues to operate as a separate entity.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires the SGS group of practices, creating the largest diagnostic group in Australasia. Sonic has now expanded its presence into several new Australian markets (Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania) and, for the first time, is a major presence in New Zealand. The acquisition also heralds Sonic Healthcare’s initial venture into diagnostic imaging.
  • The new practices are Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology (Queensland), Northern Pathology (Queensland), Melbourne Pathology (Victoria), Diagnostic Services (Tasmania), Diagnostic Medical Laboratories (New Zealand), Medlab Central (New Zealand), Medlab South (New Zealand), Valley Diagnostic Laboratories (New Zealand) and the New Zealand Radiology Group.
1997
  • Barratt Smith Moran Pathology changes its name to Capital Pathology.
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Lifescreen Australia.
1996
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires NSW based companies Hanly Moir Pathology and Barratt and Smith Pathologists, and the Canberra based Barratt Smith Moran Pathology.
  • Douglass Laboratories merges operations with Hanly Moir Pathology to form Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology.
  • Sonic Clinical Trials begins operating from the Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology site at North Ryde.
  • Sonic Healthcare is now Australia's largest pathology group.
1995
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires the Adelaide practice Pathlab, which becomes part of Clinpath Laboratories.
  • The company name formally changes from Sonic Technology to Sonic Healthcare Limited.
1994
  • Sonic Healthcare acquires Tan Pathology, a Sydney practice, which is merged with Douglass Laboratories.
1993
  • New major shareholders reconstitute the board and Dr Colin Goldschmidt is appointed Managing Director for the group.
1992
  • Sonic acquires the Adelaide pathology practice Clinpath Laboratories.
  • The South Australian Douglass Laboratories branch merges with Clinpath.
  • The new management team implements major changes in operations and systems management, with a commitment to an open, consultative approach.
1991
  • Douglass Laboratories establishes a small pathology branch in Adelaide, South Australia.
1987
  • Sonic Healthcare is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. At this time the name of the company is "Sonic Technology Australia Limited".
  • Sonic acquires its first pathology practice, the Sydney-based Douglass Laboratories.
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