Modern medicine is impossible without diagnostics. And diagnostics - without analyses. There are queues in municipal clinics, and a wealthy person has no time for such nonsense. Another thing: I donated blood on the way to work, and in the evening I received an answer by e-mail: “You, my friend, are healthy, but if possible, do not overexert yourself.” This is how a private treatment room should work, providing services for receiving biomaterial. Difficult? Not really, if the analyzes themselves are carried out by a large laboratory on.

So far, the market for laboratory diagnostics is relatively small. "According to our calculations, in 2005 paid medical services worth $700 million were provided in Moscow - not counting the "gray" sector and dentistry, as well as private practitioners," Sergey Filchenkov, an analyst at Finam Investment Company, believes. In 2004, this figure was 500 million, in 2003 - 400 million, and a cautious forecast for 2006 - 1.2 billion dollars. At the same time, the segment of actually paid analyzes in 2003 was estimated at 20 million dollars, and in 2006 it reached about 70 million: the growth rates are the same as in the market of paid medical services as a whole.

In Moscow, about 60 organizations are engaged in paid laboratory diagnostics today. Participants of the Moscow market of laboratory diagnostics can be conditionally divided into three groups. These are private multidisciplinary clinics, public medical centers that provide paid services for laboratory diagnostics (for example, the Center for Immunology and Reproduction, the Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine), and, finally, independent private laboratories that specialize exclusively in analysis.

According to rough estimates of experts, there are about 30 private laboratories in the capital and one undoubted leader is the Invitro company, whose turnover last year reached $12 million, or about 20% of the total volume of the Moscow paid laboratory research market. However, quite serious ones are breathing in the back of Invitro - Laboratory XXI Century, Biotest, Vera, Gemotest, laboratory of genetic engineering systems LAGIS, NPF Litekh, Unimed Laboratories and others. In the Moscow region, the most famous private laboratory "Genome", there are similar rooms in Shchelkovo, Malakhovka, Elektrostal, Balashikha and Naro-Fominsk. But there are only two network projects in the capital region - "Laboratory XXI century" and "Invitro", the rest of the independent players have opened only one treatment room each. Meanwhile, in other regions there are far fewer private laboratories of this kind: treatment rooms are either serviced by state clinics or send biomaterials to Moscow.

Thus, according to the Tomsk Business Journal, dozens of polyclinics, hospitals and specialized medical centers take tests in the city and region, but the market for laboratory diagnostics is still far from being filled. As a rule, in each region there are no more than two or three notable private laboratories, while small rooms with a minimum set of equipment at private medical centers predominate.

The segment is in its infancy, - says Alexander Kravchenko, director of the open laboratory "Invitro" from Tomsk (the namesake of the well-known Moscow network). - There are many reasons: remoteness from the center, slowly growing solvency of Tomsk residents, their unwillingness to invest in diagnostics and prevention, lack of qualified specialists.

But the market for laboratory diagnostics in the Krasnodar Territory is clearly divided into two segments. In one, state institutions are represented that have their own laboratory and diagnostic units and, for the most part, work on domestic test systems (the transition to imported equipment and, accordingly, consumables cannot be afforded by budgetary organizations), in the other, private enterprises using modern imported equipment and advanced technologies. According to Alexander Remezkov, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the Krasnodar Territory, the capacity of the regional laboratory research market today is about six billion rubles annually, and if we consider that the bulk of orders are processed in state clinics, then private business accounts for about 600 million rubles a year.

Strictly speaking, this market is still ahead. On the other hand, according to IC Finam, the share of the "gray" sector in the laboratory analysis market does not exceed 5%. For comparison, in other market segments this figure reaches 30%, in dentistry - 50%. So far, the population of private laboratory rooms is dominated by independent players, but there is every reason to expect that networks will soon have their say. They will say, but they haven't said yet. No more than a dozen private laboratories operate in the Krasnodar Territory (the most notable players are City-Lab, Tri-Z, KLC, Pharma Plus, Na Zdorovye, and Vash Doktor). And these medical institutions are of local origin - there are no network players in sight. “Everything is explained by the extremely complex organizational component of the business,” says Felix Gamzaev, director of the Tri-Z medical center. - Firstly, in order to obtain a license, it is necessary to coordinate with the regional divisions of the controlling state bodies. And influence from the outside, for example, from Moscow, will not help here. True, you can do without your own infrastructure - limit yourself to an office for taking, say, blood and sending it to laboratory tests in Moscow. Save money on buying equipment. However, this will entail a negative side effect: you will have to puzzle over how to ensure the correct storage regime for blood during long-term transportation. And the terms for issuing the analysis will increase many times over, and this will inevitably affect the popularity of such a laboratory.”

This means that biomaterial sampling offices, whose owners are not ready to invest in expensive equipment, will first have to decide where and under what conditions to conduct tests. And yet, according to the experts of the Ready Business Store, all million-plus cities, as well as regional, regional, regional and district centers are promising for opening such a business today. But most importantly, the number of treatment rooms is not yet limited.

Lab or office?

In the segment of laboratory diagnostics, two business formats are relevant today - the laboratory itself and the treatment room. It is impossible to provide paid laboratory diagnostic services to the population without a strong analytical base and modern equipment, analysts of the Ready Business Store warn. In addition, the costs of opening a laboratory capable of conducting almost all types of research today amount to at least one and a half million dollars. Significantly: the equipment of their own laboratories is not yet affordable even for most private metropolitan medical centers. Another thing is a treatment room, which can be opened by spending 15-20 thousand dollars in the regions or 50-60 thousand in Moscow.

The laboratory is not only a more complex and time-consuming, but also a less profitable business. Its profitability barely reaches 15% with an average payback period of four to six years, while a treatment room can be recouped in one and a half to two years and receive a stable profit. So if you really invest, then most likely in the organization of an office or a network of diagnostic points. You can do this both on your own - go all the way, from obtaining a license to searching for personnel and purchasing reagents, or by purchasing a network operator franchise: in addition to Invitro, the Helix St. Petersburg Diagnostic Laboratory Service is also developing (franchise cost - 24 thousand dollars).

Such offices can exist as independent facilities or belong to companies that are more or less related to medicine (including the sale of medical equipment), or they can work at small clinics where the most sought-after specialists (therapist, gynecologist, dentist) are treated and provided services for ultrasound diagnostics. According to market participants, the demand for the services of "private traders" is constantly growing, which opens up attractive prospects for newcomers.

What is needed to launch a treatment room for the collection of biomaterial? In short - to rent a room, hire nurses and purchase consumables. But this is in short. In fact, it all starts with obtaining a license, which will indicate the corresponding list of services, as well as permits from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision and the fire service. The few franchisors so far promise to help obtain a license, but most likely this will mean an increase in the size of the lump-sum fee. So, for the right to join the Invitro PC network, the franchisee must pay six thousand dollars, provided that he issues a medical license on his own. And if the franchisee needs the help of the parent company for this, the lump-sum fee will already be seven thousand dollars.

Another important step is the formation of an accurate service profile. And here the investor cannot do without a minimum knowledge of terminology.

There are two main types of studies: PCR (polymerase chain reaction, DNA detection) and ELISA (enzymatic immunoassay - detection of antibodies to pathogens or specific proteins). According to Alexander Kravchenko (Invitro, Tomsk), the total costs of starting a business and operating costs are almost the same, only the distribution is different: in the first case, most of the amount is invested in equipment, in the second - in the premises, since PCR studies require compliance with more stringent safety regulations.

To meet the norms of SES, it is best to rent a room with an area of ​​100 sq.m. with separate entrance. And in order to please customers, the office should be located close to public transport stops, at the intersection of "people's streams". Another element of success is the timing of the analyses. If you do not give results within one working day, the client will go somewhere faster or simply cheaper.

Ideally, the laboratory should provide a wide range of research. Clinical and biochemical blood and urine tests, hormones, infections, allergological tests, tumor marker tests, PCR studies, analyzes of hemostasis system parameters, cytological and spermographic methods are concepts that it is also useful for the future owner of the treatment room to get to know personally if he immediately won't hire a professional. Today, most analyzes are performed in a short time - from several minutes to several hours, so there are no technological restrictions for working on the "results today" principle. The choice of equipment is also wide, and domestic instruments, consumables, and reagents are, as a rule, 20–30% cheaper than imported ones.

The launch of a laboratory and diagnostic business takes from a week to six months, depending on the level of complexity of the equipment, the time it takes for the staff to master working with it (surprisingly, laboratory business is not taught anywhere in Russia) and the demand for the service.

The PCR method allows you to detect the DNA of the pathogen in the analysis of smears and scrapings, while the ELISA method allows you to detect traces of the pathogen in the blood. The choice of either method will provide significant demand: blood tests (ELISA) and detection of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are equally in demand.

Full load

The most expensive are consumables: test tubes are more expensive than reagents. The cost of the most popular analysis for infections is on average 30 rubles, and the retail price of the service is from 70 rubles and more. Considering that when visiting a gynecologist a woman takes about five or six tests, you can get more than 300 rubles from one client. However, laboratory prices may depend on the capacity of the equipment. Typically, the cost of analyzes is lower where a more powerful analyzer is used, market participants say. “The main condition for the laboratory to pay off is to ensure a steady flow of orders. The laboratory must be loaded,” says Pavel Mardanov, head of the sales department at Helicon.

The price of analysis depends on whether it is performed in the laboratory, or whether it outsources these functions. Some analyzes can be done on site, modern equipment does not require a large area. And part of the test tubes will have to be sent by couriers "to the side" - to large medical centers. No matter how many types of tests you perform on your own, there will always be some rare test. Even large players are forced to outsource 5-6% of research, so that the most developed, metropolitan analysis market has actually long been a conglomerate of interconnected and interdependent laboratories exchanging orders.

We entered the market less than a year ago and became the first company to offer a full range of research in the Krasnodar Territory, from services widely represented on the market to histology and bacteriology, - says Ivan Argatenko, executive director of the City-Lab diagnostic center. - Of course, this required more than a solid investment, but it was worth it - the technological base created allows us to process any orders.

When setting retail prices, it should be taken into account that the patient will pay for both the transportation of the biomaterial to the place of study and the intermediary markup. The prices are especially high in those medical firms where 100% of the analyzes are performed on the side. The profit of the owner of the treatment room consists of the cost of services for receiving biological material, as well as due to discounts that the central laboratory can provide. Despite the fact that discounts are not as common here as in a more developed tourism market (rather a matter of partner choice and competition), even 100% intermediaries who perform all analyzes in "third-party" laboratories can be successful if they are located in a convenient location for customer location. For example, near the subway or in the city center.

The treatment room pays off faster. On the other hand, full-cycle laboratories are much more tenacious businesses, their development can be planned for decades to come. Although the level of investment here is an order of magnitude higher, because diagnostics today is one of the most high-tech branches of medicine, and the creation of a modern research center requires thermal cyclers, readers, oshers, robots, analyzers and a host of other equipment.

The implementation of a more or less serious project will cost the investor 150-200 thousand dollars, Felix Gamzaev (Three-Z, Krasnodar) is sure. In Moscow, this amount, according to analysts, is 10 times higher. - The first two years will be spent on positioning. During this time, with the successful development of the situation, it is worth counting on the return on investment. If the laboratory begins to work for the state order, investments can be “recaptured” earlier. In Krasnodar, the situation is such that it is almost impossible for a private laboratory to receive an order for servicing the budget.

The profitability of the laboratory business, according to Felix Gamzaev, is 15–20% and could be higher if it were not for the specifics of the activity - part of the funds is “frozen”, as they are constantly invested in the stock of consumables.

We have everything, as in metallurgy, where open-hearth should not cool down under any circumstances, - Ivan Argatenko (City-Lab) confirms. - We should not depend on the stability of the work of Moscow dealers and some accidents. If one day it turns out that we do not have certain consumables and therefore we did not provide a service to a specific customer, we will lose him as a client. So the risk must be kept to a minimum.

Treatment room: low start:

laboratory assistants

Experts are sure that it is not difficult to enter this business. “Another thing is that in order to attract clients, you need to be your own in the medical environment,” Sergey Filchenkov (Finam) is convinced. Indeed, the laboratory is an ideal business for physicians. But what prevents an entrepreneur from hiring a qualified specialist, making him a deputy? After all, many publishers of newspapers and magazines have no idea of ​​the intricacies of the printing process even in general terms and have never been journalists. Why, if you can always hire specialized specialists in the labor market?

According to the MGB, most often commercial laboratories in the country are created by doctors with connections in the medical community and health officials (sometimes through nominees or relatives). No wonder: the doctor not only knows the essence of the ongoing processes and technologies, but also understands well to whom and how laboratory diagnostics services should be sold. And yet, to become the owner of a treatment room, a medical education is not necessary. On the contrary, it is possible that an entrepreneur with experience in retail sales will be more successful in managing a network of offices. In addition, the undoubted advantage of this business is understandable and structured processes. The main thing is to take the analyzes correctly, fill out all the forms accurately, comply with the transportation conditions and deliver the biomaterial to the laboratory on time. Well, it is advisable not to confuse the results of analyzes of different patients and to prevent leakage of confidential information. This means that specialists need to be hired not just good - the best.

The profit of an entrepreneur ultimately depends on knowing the smallest nuances of the profession, - Svetlana Kotlyarova, chief nurse of the First Private Clinic (Tomsk), is sure. Everything needs to be calculated. For example, there are reagents whose “life” is a week. And if the laboratory does not provide a flow of patients for which the volume of this reagent is calculated, it has to be thrown away. And the cheapest one costs 300 rubles ... So it won't take long to go bankrupt!

In addition, you will have to learn how to be friends with doctors, because they are the ones who send their patients for tests, which means they can recommend a specific office. Against this background, all other marketing techniques fade into the background, although brand recognition and a positive image will gradually increase. “The location of the laboratory, proximity to the place of work or the patient's home play a big role. But if the doctor recommended the patient to visit a specific office, he may well go to the other end of the city,” agrees Pavel Mardanov (Helicon).

Ordinary advertising channels do not work, - Felix Gamzaev ("Three-Z") agrees with colleagues. - Theoretically, it would be possible to use periodicals, television and radio, but these investments will not bring results if the consumer does not feel the need to undergo an examination. Spot advertising in medical institutions could help, but head doctors rarely do this. There is only one way left: to prove your worth to the attending physicians. After all, the effectiveness of treatment and, ultimately, their earnings depend on how correct the results of the analysis will be. Examination - diagnosis - treatment - recovery of the client. If the doctor understands the logic of this chain as the key to his success, he will recommend that the patient be tested in a particular laboratory.

The number of staff of the treatment room directly depends on the area and the flow of information being processed, but on average it is six people. These are three or four doctors working in shifts, a nurse and an office administrator. The doctor receives clients, considers their requests and prescribes the necessary set of studies, the nurse takes samples and maintains computer records, and the tasks of the administrator include working with the cash register, interacting with the courier service and managing personnel.

According to Svetlana Kotlyarova, the main consumers of laboratory diagnostics services in Russia are still women (70%). No wonder: absolutely all studies show that it is our women who, to a greater extent than men, monitor their health. But still not only their own, but also members of their families. And this is very important to take into account both when organizing the work of the office, and in the entire system of communications with clients.

Analyzes are the same service, and the principles of “promotion” of private laboratory diagnostics are the same as in other segments of the service market, Alexander Kravchenko is sure. - In the minds of the consumer, laboratory diagnostics is a “black box” that produces certain results. Therefore, it is necessary to make this business open and accessible to the consumer, not forgetting to remind: you can take tests and get the result today quickly, comfortably and with high quality.

Treatment room in detail

Investments. You can meet the amount of 20 to 50-60 thousand dollars.

Payback period. One and a half to two years.

Certificates and licenses. Medical license.

Audience. Busy citizens of all ages.

Promotion tools. Internet, communication with doctors.

Room requirements. The minimum area is 30 sq.m., the maximum area is not limited, the optimal one is 80 sq.m. Separate entrance; the presence of a bathroom or the possibility of its installation; permission from the landlord to make water distribution for sinks; one telephone line. Non-residential premises may be located in a residential building, provided that the entrance is not combined with a residential entrance. If the established requirements are met, the premises of polyclinics, medical centers, dental offices, pharmacies, beauty salons, can be used as a treatment room.

Staff. Three doctors, two procedural sisters (in shifts), a cashier-administrator.

Everyone knows that the beginning of the treatment or prevention of diseases begins with an accurate diagnosis. And she, in turn, with tests. However, many are horrified by the thought of sitting in long lines of clinics with local pensioners. Today people save their time, nerves and prefer comfort. That is why the business at work of the laboratory of analyzes will always be in demand.

Market analysis

Oddly enough, but today for many cities a private laboratory for analysis is a rarity. But this only speaks about the prospects of the market. It is believed that the most promising areas are large cities, as well as central settlements of various levels. The prospects of the business are reinforced by the fact that the number of analysis laboratories per one locality is not limited by anything.

Form of activity

The business of receiving and processing analyzes can be organized in several areas, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Biomaterial sampling room

The easiest way to make money in this area. The work process is simple: materials are taken in the office, which are then sent to a special laboratory for analysis. According to the result, the results are sent to the collection room.

The advantage of such a business is a low threshold for entering the market. This form does not involve the purchase of special expensive equipment, the hiring of narrow specialists. The task of the entrepreneur is to organize high-quality collection and transportation of analyzes. It is with the latter that it requires large expenditures for the organization of special equipment. In addition, with this form of business organization, the time it takes for clients to receive results increases. And this is clearly not quite a competitive advantage.

medical laboratory

The business plan of a medical laboratory will require the purchase of special expensive and necessarily high-quality equipment. This list consists of:

• robots;
• readers;
• analyzers;
• thermal cyclers;
• oshers and much more.

In total, the purchase of the necessary devices will require at least 1.5 million rubles, if we are talking about a laboratory in a million-plus city. For smaller cities, about 200-250 thousand dollars will be required. The payback period for such a laboratory will be approximately 5-7 years, and the profitability will be 15%.

treatment room

Many are interested in the question of how to open a treatment room, because it requires even less investment than a laboratory. Moreover, it can be opened as a franchise, which will greatly simplify the start of the business. For this form of business organization, 40-60 thousand dollars are enough, which will be returned in 2-4 years.

If we talk about economic feasibility, then the most profitable are the treatment room and the laboratory. You also need to pay attention to the time period for which the results of the analyzes will be issued. Now many of them are held within a few hours, so it is quite possible to issue them even on the day of delivery. Please note that the main criterion for choosing a place for clients to take tests is price and speed.

Paperwork

Medical and laboratory activities in our country can only be carried out under a special license. Therefore, in order to open an analysis laboratory, it is necessary to obtain a license for clinical laboratory activities for a period of five years. To obtain a document, you must contact the Federal Service for Supervision of Social Development and Health. After that, it will be necessary to obtain permission from the fire service and sanitary and epidemiological supervision.

You can simplify the procedure if you purchase a franchise. It is sold with or without a license. The cost without a license will be about 6 thousand dollars. Accordingly, with a license, its cost will increase significantly.

Room search

Under the laboratory of analyzes, you can take both your own and rented premises. It must have an area of ​​at least 30 m², where all the necessary communications must be carried out, a separately equipped entrance and meet a number of other requirements. Among them, first of all, you need to look for a place at a convenient transport interchange, preferably with parking.

Formation of the list of services

The choice of equipment and the formation of the work of the institution depends on what types of research you plan to offer. To date, the most common are two of these types of studies:

• detection of DNA, polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
• enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), that is, the detection of antibodies to special proteins or a specific pathogen.

Both methods are equally popular on the market. Moreover, financial investments are also virtually the same. The difference is that with PCR, the main funds will be spent on bringing the premises to the necessary safety requirements, and with ELISA, large investments in equipment are required.

The list of services should include the following studies:

• cytological and spermographic methods;
• analyzes of indicators of the hemostasis system;
• clinical and biochemical blood and urine tests;
• PCR studies;
• analysis of hormone levels;
• research on tumor markers;
• allergic tests;
• analysis for infection.

Cost of services

There are many factors to consider when determining the cost of the analysis. First of all, pay attention to the formation of prices from competitors - yours should not be higher. Also keep in mind that usually one person takes several, or even a whole list of tests, which can result in a round sum for him. Therefore, you should not overstate prices, and also provide for a flexible system of discounts for certain types or groups of analyzes.

When setting prices, it is important to achieve a balance between generating income and organizing a constant flow of customers. The fact is that reagents for analysis have a short shelf life. Unclaimed ones will have to be disposed of, losing the funds spent on their purchase. Therefore, it is important to find the perfect balance of expenses and expenses.

Recruiting staff

As a rule, about 6-7 employees will be required for this kind of laboratory. The state should provide for the following units:

• nurses who take samples;
• doctors who receive patients and prescribe examinations;
• administrator, whose task is to coordinate the work of staff;
• a courier who delivers the material to the laboratory, as well as the results of the tests.

Their qualifications play a decisive role in the success of your laboratory. The quality of material sampling, the correct filling of forms, the correct storage and transportation of the material, the accuracy in accounting for materials, the control of the expiration dates of reagents, and much more are the cornerstones in the work of the laboratory.

A little about finance

Depending on how complex the analyzes are planned, how difficult the equipment will be for installation, debugging and mastering by staff, starting a business will take from a week to six months.

At the start, the following investments will be required:

• rent of premises of about 50 m² per year with an area of ​​​​12 thousand dollars;
• purchase of special equipment for research - 15 thousand dollars;
• carrying out all required communications - 1.5 thousand dollars;
• renovation of the premises - 5 thousand dollars;
• registration of a license and permits from SES and fire control - 1.5 thousand dollars.

Monthly fixed cost items include:

• transportation costs - 1 thousand dollars;
• purchase of consumables - 3 thousand dollars;
• doctors' salaries - $600;
• administrator's salary - $500;
• salary of two nurses – $400

Despite all these expenses, the business is not among the highly profitable - that figure is kept at the level of 20-40%. However, it has its advantages - it has no seasonal fluctuations, it is stable and always in demand.

On average, you can get about 15-18 thousand dollars from it per month, if all processes within the business are properly organized. Depending on the form of organization and the list of services provided, it can pay off for 2-5 years.

Medical laboratories are an integral part of the healthcare system. If earlier these organizations belonged only to the public sector, now any entrepreneur can open a laboratory under certain conditions. The main requirements are the presence of certain qualifications and the necessary financial amount for starting investments. The medical laboratory business plan is designed to study marketing and financial issues and help determine the potential economic impact of the project.

Medical laboratory as a business object

Diagnostics is one of the promising areas of modern medicine. For the full development of this industry, medical laboratories are needed that serve to conduct tests and procedures. The main target audience of such a laboratory will be ordinary citizens, medical centers and clinics. Unlike a simpler and more economical treatment room in terms of investment, the laboratory will be quite an expensive, but promising undertaking. First of all, this is due to the need to purchase a number of professional equipment and equipment of a serious analytical base.

Most entrepreneurs decide to get a loan to open a laboratory. The optimal period during which the investment will pay off and the company will begin to bring a stable profit is 24 months. It is for this period that it is worth getting a loan, having previously studied the offers that are valid for small and medium-sized businesses.

The main areas of research that fall within the scope of most laboratories are as follows:

When opening a new object of entrepreneurship in the field of medical research, you can choose several main directions, further expanding the area of ​​​​activity. To determine the specifics of the activities of the future laboratory, they first study the current market trends and industry dynamics, including the balance of supply and demand. Most laboratories specialize in one of two main types of research:

- polymer chain reaction (or PCR) - detection of DNA of pathogens of certain infections, etc.;

- ELISA, or enzyme immunoassay. This type consists in the detection of antibodies to pathogens or specific proteins.

Both methods of research are used equally actively. The total investment in opening a laboratory of any type will be approximately equal, but in the first case, more investments will be required for the purchase of equipment, while studies of the second type provide for a greater number of technical requirements for the premises.

Services to be provided by the medical laboratory

The list of basic services should include the following methods of laboratory diagnostics:

Comprehensive provision of all services in one clinic can become one of the success factors of the new laboratory: the greater the comfort in going through all the procedures and obtaining results is provided to clients, the more chances the company has for a quick promotion in the market. To improve service and attract customers, it is possible to automate the process of notifying patients about the results of examinations as much as possible: introduce a personal account system on the website or report in the form of SMS.

The main activities of the country's leading laboratories are presented in the video:

One of the winning points of any modern laboratory will be the execution of work in the shortest possible time. Due to the increased demands of modern customers, an organization that issues test results within a few hours and offers a complete diagnosis of the body during the day will be in demand.

The price aspect is an equally important factor that all potential customers pay attention to: in addition to the quality and speed of services, this criterion will be decisive for most patients. At the first stage of the laboratory's work, it makes sense to set prices slightly below market prices, which will attract a potential audience. But too low cost of services can make the work of the organization unprofitable. Therefore, it is imperative to carefully plan all financial costs with all existing risks.

At the initial stage, it is important to properly organize the work of the laboratory and provide for the flow of customers in such a way that queues do not form near the treatment rooms. Although laboratories are still not widespread enough today, customers are very demanding on the comfort and quality of services provided.

Studying the level of competition, we can conclude that the market is still not sufficiently filled with companies of this kind - at the moment there are only a few large network laboratories and a small number of small ones. Therefore, in a relatively free market, a new participant has the opportunity to take his place. One of the factors that caused such a slow filling of the industry is the high cost combined with a long payback period. So, with a successful start, the company will reach the breakeven point only after 1 year. According to approximate estimates, it will take up to 2 years to fully return the invested funds (especially if a bank loan was used) and achieve a stable level of income. A more profitable option for financing a new enterprise would be an appeal to an investor. As a rule, such profitable and demanded areas as medical tests have a chance to receive help from investors and participate in government scholarship programs. To be approved for a loan, investment or grant, you need to have well-founded financial calculations that compare future costs and benefits and take into account the potential level of risk.

To start a successful business, its founder must not only have a medical education, but also have certain experience in the field of diagnostics, as well as knowledge in the field of the modern healthcare structure. A significant plus will be experience in a managerial position in a laboratory or a regular clinical hospital.

Stages of a business plan for a medical laboratory

The organization of such a medical structure involves several standard sequential steps:

– registration of a medical license, permits of the fire and sanitary services;

- rent or purchase of premises and its repair in accordance with the requirements of the SES;

- conducting communications;

— purchase of equipment;

- recruitment of employees;

If we distribute all the upcoming stages of discovery and development by time frame, they can be summarized in the table:

Thus, all preparations for the opening of the laboratory, the start of its work and the receipt of the first results will take up to 2 years. If the range of services is reduced and includes only certain areas, a year later it is possible to achieve self-sufficiency for the enterprise.

Laboratory room: selection and preparation

The choice of premises will be one of the first and key tasks for the founder of the future laboratory. Its area must be at least 100 sq.m. It is obligatory to have a separate entrance, ventilation, a sufficiently powerful power supply, a bathroom, as well as uninterrupted water supply. Due to the peculiarities of the laboratory's activities, a good distribution of water for sinks is mandatory, therefore, at the stage of buying a room or signing a lease, it is necessary to find out if this is possible. In a medical laboratory, there should be no sudden voltage drops, so it is necessary to check all electrical equipment and acquire alternative energy sources.

The technical requirements also provide for the issue of the neighborhood of the laboratory with residential premises - the organization must be equipped in non-residential premises. It is allowed to open it in a residential building. But in this case, a separate entrance is required. When opening a medical facility in a residential building, the requirements of the regulatory services for technical conditions will be more stringent.

The geographical location of the laboratory is also important - it is desirable that it is not located in a remote area of ​​the city. The best places to open will be the center or a vast residential area of ​​the city, where potential customers can easily reach at any time.

Technical equipment and equipment

Laboratory equipment includes a standard list of instruments:

• – medical microscope;
• — thermal cycler for amplification of nucleic acids;
• - dry air thermostat;
• - water distillers;
• — analyzers;
• — magnetic mixers;
• - weighing equipment;
• — equipment for PCR;
• — water thermostats;
• - rotamiks;
• - illuminators;
• - leukocyte formula counters and more.

In addition to these basic devices, you need to purchase less expensive accessories and consumables: test tubes, containers for collecting samples and various laboratory glassware, tips, pipettes, cartridges, X-ray film positioners, electrodes, solutions, lipoproteins, and more. To facilitate the process of acquiring the equipment necessary for the operation of the laboratory, you can contact the procurement specialists. For a set commission, such companies make out the purchase of all the necessary equipment, control its delivery and installation.

Laboratory team

The size and composition of the laboratory staff will depend on the planned scope of work and the range of services provided. The average team will include 5 specialized specialists (3-4 doctors, a nurse) and one or two administrators. Sometimes, for example, when working in the capital or a large metropolis, it makes sense to expand the profile of the laboratory by including more specialists in the staff.

Each employee must have experience in the relevant industry in a similar position. For each member of the team, it is mandatory to issue sanitary books. In addition, all information about registered employees is submitted to the Pension and Insurance Funds.

Registration of the laboratory

Obtaining official status is a prerequisite for the creation of any project. The structure related to the medical system must be formalized as an LLC - other options are not allowed in this case.

To register a company as a limited liability company, you have to go through a number of standard procedures and prepare a package of documents. It consists of the following items:

- application for registration of LLC. It is filled out in a special form, which includes information about all founders, official name, legal address and other details, including the activity code according to the current OKVED classifier (http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_163320/). In this case, code 86.90 "Activities of medical laboratories" is usually used);

• - the charter of the future organization, which prescribes its concept and main features of the activity;
• - the decision to establish an LLC;
• - decision on the appointment of the head - the document sets out all the personal data about the named person;
• - minutes of the meeting of founders, if there is more than one founder;
• — confirmation of the contribution of the authorized capital (minimum 10 thousand rubles);

A special medical license will be mandatory, which is issued by the Ministry of Health upon the preliminary application of the founder of the laboratory. Before issuing such a license, the founder of the organization must bring all the technical conditions into compliance and prepare the required package of documents. You should first study the federal law "On licensing certain types of activities":.

According to the norms of the relevant ministry, the package of documents for obtaining a license consists of the following items:

– the main constituent documents of the LLC;

– registration documents, including a certificate of registration, registration with the tax authorities;

- codes of the State Statistics Committee corresponding to the selected activity;

- documents for the premises - a certificate of ownership or a lease agreement;

– confirmation of the availability of material and technical equipment, which is provided for by law (a register of fixed assets, a contract for the maintenance of medical equipment,

- permission of SES;

— documents on the necessary qualifications of the manager, including a document on education, a special certificate and a work book confirming work experience;

— documents on education and work experience of the laboratory staff;

- receipt of payment of state duty.

The term for issuing a license is from 30 to 45 days. The cost of the procedure is 6 thousand rubles. Before issuing this permit, the premises of the future laboratory must be fully prepared for work - the ministry's specialists are studying the logistical preparation and compliance with safety standards.

The business plan from the very beginning of the activity is presented in the video material:

Promotion and advertising

The main task of advertising is the formation of consumer opinion among the population. With the increase in the number of participants in this market, advertising has become a necessary element in the development of the company. The main goal in this case is to convince potential customers of the need to contact the services of a particular medical laboratory. This will serve as such advertising methods:

– creation of the laboratory website and its promotion in the network;

– dissemination of information in places with a large number of potential customers - in schools, kindergartens, clinics. It is very beneficial to establish cooperation with several enterprises, whose employees will be able to regularly take tests and undergo the necessary health checks. Large groups of customers can be offered advantageous discounts;

In order to expand the services of the laboratory, it is possible to establish cooperation with local private clinics, which can refer patients for testing to a specific structure. This method is very effective, as it is known that, on the recommendation of his doctor, the client is ready to visit even a remote and more expensive laboratory. Therefore, as practice shows, it is this method of promotion that will become the most effective.

Financial questions

The financial aspects of opening a new clinic should be considered, starting with an examination of the prices in the industry. Taking into account the existing price aspects in the industry, an approximate price list for services will be as follows:

The list of procedures that the medical laboratory will offer patients will be much wider - a specific price list can be modified and expanded. But the average prices for standard procedures will not differ significantly from those existing on the market. In this case, the price should depend on the size of the cost of each procedure. For example, if a standard analysis for infections at a cost of 50 rubles, then its reasonable retail price is from 158 rubles. Thus, having a net profit of about 100 rubles from each such procedure, after 12 months you can recoup all the initial investments.

The following is a calculation of the projected volumes of laboratory services and the expected income. In order for financial information to be as reliable as possible at the time of entering the market, the lowest profitability indicators are used in the calculation. The main data that will be relevant at the end of the first and second years of the laboratory's work are presented in the table:

According to preliminary data, with the successful development of business, the annual increase in the volume of services and their consumption in this sector should be 1-10 percent, depending on a number of objective and subjective factors. Under such conditions, annual sales volumes will reach 28.8 million rubles or more.

The costs involved in opening a medical laboratory can be divided into several main groups. If we consider all upcoming costs systematically, we can distinguish the following categories:

Tax deductions will be a mandatory item of expenditure from the first month of the laboratory's operation. The main taxes for the laboratory are as follows:

After all the calculations of the investments that are to be made at the initial stage and later in the process of the development of the enterprise are made, they calculate the amount of credit that the founder needs to take on credit. According to average estimates, the development of the project will require loans in the amount of up to 3.9 million rubles for a period of 24 months and an interest rate of 14 percent.

Since, according to preliminary estimates, the break-even point of the project will start from the 4th month of the laboratory operation, it is from this moment that the profit is calculated. Thus, the first profit should be 1.23 million rubles. By the end of the lending period, according to the plan, the profit should increase to 2.4 million. Given that the monthly payment of expenses will reach approximately 690.3 thousand, we can make a forecast of the final gross profit - its size will be approximately 5.77 million rubles . The total profit of the project, according to an approximate business plan, will be equal to 33.16 million.

When calculating the estimated profit and evaluating the timing of the company's self-sufficiency, it is worth paying attention to the main risks that take place in the industry. First of all, they include a high level of competition, costly entry into the market and the presence of significant administrative barriers - the need to obtain licenses and numerous permits.

Taking into account all the studies and calculations carried out, we can conclude that the medical laboratory is highly promising and profitable as a type of activity. At the same time, there are a number of risks and technical difficulties that the founder of such a structure faces. The main difficulties are the high requirements for the technical equipment of the laboratory, as well as the high threshold for entering the market.

On the video: Medical franchise business

Modern medicine begins with high-quality diagnostics, which, in turn, is impossible without tests. Not every modern person wants to spend hours jostling in a crowd of elderly women who are always dissatisfied with something, another thing is to quickly donate blood on the way to work in a cozy office with polite staff, and in the evening receive a message by e-mail: “You are healthy, but if possible, eat more vitamins and walk in the fresh air”. It is according to this mechanism that the laboratory of analyzes should work.

Market research

Today, people who earn money are very attentive to their health, because the money for prevention and examination is not as large as modern treatment. That is why the market for laboratory diagnostics is beginning to gain momentum. Today, there are still many cities where private treatment rooms are a rarity. This indicates that the opening of an analysis laboratory is a profitable and sought-after business.

To organize this business, it is necessary to determine the form of organization:

• Biomaterial sampling room. The main task of such an office is to take biomaterials and send them for analysis to another laboratory. In this case, the entry threshold is the lowest - there is no need to purchase expensive equipment, hire narrow specialists. The main thing is to provide the necessary conditions for the transportation of analyzes and their safety.
• medical laboratory. This type of business requires the purchase of high-quality expensive equipment (oshers, thermal cyclers, analyzers, readers, robots, etc.), therefore investments for the organization of the laboratory are very large - from 1.5 million dollars in million-plus cities and 200-250 thousand dollars in the regions. On average, the profitability of such an institution is low - 15%, and the payback period is 5-7 years.
• treatment room. The level of investment in such an office is lower than the organization of the laboratory, so this is a more common form in recent times. To organize such a business, you can buy a franchise from major participants in the laboratory research market. The entry threshold is 40-60 thousand dollars. The payback period for a treatment room is 2-4 years.

Paperwork

Before opening an analysis laboratory, it is necessary to issue a License for clinical laboratory activities, since the provision of laboratory medical services in our country is subject to mandatory licensing. The license is issued by the Federal Service for Supervision of Social Development and Health. Issued for 5 years.

Then it is necessary to obtain permission to carry out activities from the sanitary and epidemiological supervision and from the fire service.

If you plan to operate under the terms of a franchise, the franchisor will take care of obtaining the documentation, but in this case it will increase the lump-sum fee.

Premises selection

The premises may be rented or owned. His choice should be influenced by a number of factors. The room must comply with all safety standards (square area from 30 m², separate entrance, availability of communications, etc.). But keep in mind that in addition to the standard norms, you should start from the convenience for potential customers when choosing a location. The laboratory of analyzes should be located near transport interchanges, have parking.

Formation of a service profile

The next aspect is the choice of services with which you are going to enter the laboratory research market. Today there are several main types of research:

• enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) - testing of antibodies to a pathogen or special proteins;
• detection of DNA, polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Before you open your laboratory, decide on the range of services provided. The cost of running ELISA and PCR is almost the same. In the first case, investments are needed for the purchase of equipment, in the second - for premises, since PCR analyzes require compliance with strict safety standards. As for demand, both methods are equally in demand.

The cost of the services provided

The price list will depend on many factors. When setting the cost of services, analyze the activities of competitors. Do not forget that in most cases one person has to take several tests at once, so by inflating prices, the final amount payable can be impressive. Consider the overall workload of the establishment. The fact is that most of the materials for analysis and reagents will have to be purchased in large quantities, but the shelf life of such substances is not long. Therefore, if the materials are not used on time, it will be necessary to dispose of them, losing the money invested. This means that prices must be attractive to potential customers in the first place.

Recruitment

In most offices of this type, the main staff does not exceed 6-7 people: doctors and nurses who work in shifts, the administrator. The success of the organization and the flow of customers depend on the quality of the work of the staff, therefore, treat its selection with special attention.

Approximate financial plan for opening a treatment room

Starting investments:

• registration of licenses and permits of Fire Supervision, SES - 1500 dollars.
• repair work - 5000 dollars.
• carrying out the necessary communications - 1500 dollars.
• purchase of equipment for analysis - 15,000 dollars.
• the cost of rent for 1 year with an area of ​​50 m² - 12,000 dollars.

Fixed costs:

• salary of nurses (2 employees) - 400 dollars.
• administrator's salary - 500 dollars.
• salary of doctors - 600 dollars.
• purchase of consumables - 3000 dollars. per month
• courier (transportation) costs - 1000 dollars. per month.

The analysis business is not highly profitable (20-40%), but does not depend on the season and is characterized by reliability and stability, because services of this type will always be in demand. Monthly income is 15-18 thousand dollars with the proper organization of all business processes. It is possible to recoup all costs in 2-5 years, depending on the form of organization and the profile of the services provided.

Modern medicine is impossible without diagnostics. And diagnostics - without tests. There are queues in municipal clinics, and a wealthy person has no time for such nonsense. Another thing: I donated blood on the way to work, and in the evening I received an answer by e-mail: “You, my friend, are healthy, but if possible, do not overexert yourself.” This is how a private treatment room should work, providing services for receiving biomaterial. Difficult? Not really, if the analyzes themselves are carried out by a large outsourced laboratory.

So far, the market for laboratory diagnostics is relatively small. “According to our calculations, in 2005, paid medical services worth $700 million were provided in Moscow, not counting the “gray” sector and dentistry, as well as private practitioners,” believes Sergey Filchenkov, an analyst at Finam Investment Company. The segment of paid analyzes proper in 2003 was estimated at 20 million dollars, and in 2006 it reached about 70 million: the growth rates are the same as in the market of paid medical services as a whole.

In Moscow, about 60 organizations are engaged in paid laboratory diagnostics today. Participants of the Moscow market of laboratory diagnostics can be conditionally divided into three groups. These are private multidisciplinary clinics, public medical centers that provide paid services for laboratory diagnostics (for example, the Center for Immunology and Reproduction, the Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine), and, finally, independent private laboratories that specialize exclusively in analysis.

According to rough estimates by experts, there are about 30 private laboratories in the capital and one undoubted leader is the Invitro company, whose turnover last year reached $12 million, or about 20% of the total volume of the Moscow paid laboratory research market. However, quite serious competitors are breathing in the back of "Invitro" - "Laboratory XXI century", "Biotest", "Vera", "Gemotest", the laboratory of genetic engineering systems "LAGIS", NPF "Litekh", "Unimed Laboratories" and others . In the Moscow region, the most famous private laboratory "Genome", there are similar rooms in Shchelkovo, Malakhovka, Elektrostal, Balashikha and Naro-Fominsk. But there are only two network projects in the capital region - "Laboratory XXI century" and "Invitro", the rest of the independent players have opened only one treatment room each. Meanwhile, in other regions there are far fewer private laboratories of this kind: treatment rooms are either serviced by state clinics or send biomaterials to Moscow.

As a rule, in each region there are no more than two or three notable private laboratories, while small rooms with a minimum set of equipment at private medical centers predominate.

The segment is in its infancy, - says Alexander Kravchenko, director of the open laboratory "Invitro" from Tomsk (the namesake of the well-known Moscow network). - There are many reasons: remoteness from the center, slowly growing solvency of Tomsk residents, their unwillingness to invest in diagnosing their health and prevention, lack of qualified specialists.

Strictly speaking, this market is still ahead. On the other hand, according to IC Finam, the share of the "gray" sector in the laboratory analysis market does not exceed 5%. For comparison, in other market segments this figure reaches 30%, in dentistry - 50%. While the population of private labs is dominated by independent players, but there is every reason to expect that networks will soon have their say. They will say, but they haven't said yet. No more than a dozen private laboratories operate in the Krasnodar Territory (the most notable players are City-Lab, Tri-Z, KLC, Pharma Plus, Na Zdorovye, and Vash Doktor). And these medical institutions are of local origin - there are no network players in sight. “Everything is explained by the extremely complex organizational component of the business,” says Felix Gamzaev, director of the Tri-Z medical center. - Firstly, in order to obtain a license, it is necessary to coordinate with the regional divisions of the controlling state bodies. And influence from the outside, for example, from Moscow, will not help here. True, you can do without your own infrastructure - limit yourself to an office for taking, say, blood and sending it to laboratory tests in Moscow. Save money on buying equipment. However, this will entail a negative side effect: you will have to puzzle over how to ensure the correct storage regime for blood during long-term transportation. And the terms for issuing the analysis will increase many times over, and this will inevitably affect the popularity of such a laboratory.”

This means that biomaterial sampling offices, whose owners are not ready to invest in expensive equipment, will first have to decide where and under what conditions to conduct tests. And yet, according to the experts of the Ready Business Store, today all million-plus cities are promising for opening such a business, as well as regional, regional, regional and district centers. But most importantly, the number of treatment rooms is not yet limited.

Lab or office?

In the segment of laboratory diagnostics, two business formats are relevant today - the laboratory itself and the treatment room. It is impossible to provide paid laboratory diagnostic services to the population without a strong analytical base and modern equipment, analysts of the Ready Business Store warn. In addition, the costs of opening a laboratory capable of conducting almost all types of research today amount to at least one and a half million dollars. Significantly: the equipment of their own laboratories is not yet affordable even for most private metropolitan medical centers. Another thing is a treatment room, which can be opened by spending 15-20 thousand dollars in the regions or 50-60 thousand in Moscow.

The laboratory is not only a more complex and time-consuming, but also a less profitable business. Its profitability barely reaches 15% with an average payback period of four to six years, while a treatment room can be recouped in one and a half to two years and receive a stable profit. So if you really invest, then most likely in the organization of an office or a network of diagnostic points. You can do this both on your own - go all the way, from obtaining a license to finding personnel and purchasing reagents, or by purchasing a franchise of a network operator: except for Invitro, Franchising is also being developed by the St. Petersburg Diagnostic Laboratory Service "Helix"(franchise cost - 24 thousand dollars).

Such offices can exist as independent facilities or belong to companies that are more or less related to medicine (including the sale of medical equipment), or they can work at small clinics where the most sought-after specialists (therapist, gynecologist, dentist) are treated and provided services for ultrasound diagnostics. According to market participants, the demand for the services of "private traders" is constantly growing, which opens up attractive prospects for newcomers.

What is needed to launch a treatment room for the collection of biomaterial? In short, rent a room, hire nurses and purchase consumables. But this is in short. In fact, it all starts with obtaining a license, which will indicate the appropriate list of services, as well as permits from Sanepidnadzor and fire service. The few franchisors so far promise to help obtain a license, but most likely this will mean an increase in the size of the lump-sum fee. So, for the right to join the Invitro PC network the franchisee must pay six thousand dollars provided that he issues a medical license on his own. And if the franchisee needs the help of the parent company for this, the lump-sum fee will already be seven thousand dollars.

Another important step is the formation of an accurate service profile. And here the investor cannot do without a minimum knowledge of terminology.

There are two main types of studies: PCR (polymerase chain reaction, DNA detection) and ELISA (enzymatic immunoassay - detection of antibodies to pathogens or specific proteins). According to Alexander Kravchenko (Invitro, Tomsk), the total costs of starting a business and operating costs are almost the same, only the distribution is different: in the first case, most of the amount is invested in equipment, in the second - in the premises, since PCR studies require compliance with more stringent safety regulations (1).

To meet the norms of SES, it is best to rent a room with an area of ​​100 sq. m with separate entrance. And in order to please customers, the office should be located close to public transport stops, at the intersection of "people's streams". Another element of success is the timing of the analyses. If you do not give results within one working day, the client will go somewhere faster or simply cheaper.

Ideally, the laboratory should provide a wide range of research. Clinical and biochemical blood and urine tests, hormones, infections, allergological tests, tumor marker tests, PCR studies, analyzes of hemostasis system parameters, cytological and spermographic methods are concepts that it is also useful for the future owner of the treatment room to get to know personally if he immediately won't hire a professional. Today, most analyzes are performed in a short time - from several minutes to several hours, so there are no technological restrictions for working on the "results today" principle. The choice of equipment is also wide, and domestic instruments, consumables and reagents, as a rule, are 20-30% cheaper than imported ones.

The launch of a laboratory and diagnostic business takes from a week to six months, depending on the level of complexity of the equipment, the time it takes for the staff to master working with it (surprisingly, laboratory business is not taught anywhere in Russia) and the demand for the service.

Full load

The most expensive are consumables: tubes are more expensive than reagents. The cost of the most popular analysis for infections is on average 30 rubles, and the retail price of the service is from 70 rubles and more. Considering that when visiting a gynecologist a woman takes about five or six tests, you can get more than 300 rubles from one client. However, laboratory prices may depend on the capacity of the equipment. Typically, the cost of analyzes is lower where a more powerful analyzer is used, market participants say. “The main condition for the laboratory to pay off is to ensure a steady flow of orders. The laboratory must be loaded,” says Pavel Mardanov, head of the sales department at Helicon.

The price of analysis depends on whether it is performed in the laboratory, or whether it outsources these functions. Some analyzes can be done on site, modern equipment does not require a large area. And part of the test tubes will have to be sent by couriers "to the side" - to large medical centers. No matter how many types of tests you perform on your own, there will always be some rare test. Even large players are forced to outsource 5-6% of research, so that the most developed, metropolitan analysis market has actually long been a conglomerate of interconnected and interdependent laboratories exchanging orders.

“We entered the market less than a year ago and became the first company to offer a full range of research in the Krasnodar Territory, from services widely represented on the market to histology and bacteriology,” says Ivan Argatenko, executive director of the City-Lab diagnostic center. - Of course, this required more than a solid investment, but it was worth it - the technological base created allows us to process any orders.

When setting retail prices, it should be taken into account that the patient will pay for both the transportation of the biomaterial to the place of study and the intermediary markup. The prices are especially high in those medical firms where 100% of the analyzes are performed on the side. The profit of the owner of the treatment room consists of the cost of services for receiving biological material, as well as due to discounts that the central laboratory can provide. Despite the fact that discounts are not as common here as in a more developed tourism market (rather a matter of partner choice and competition), even 100% intermediaries who perform all analyzes in "third-party" laboratories can be successful if they are located in a convenient location for customer location. For example, near the subway or in the city center.

The treatment room pays off faster. On the other hand, full-cycle laboratories are much more resilient businesses; their development can be planned for decades to come. Although the level of investment here is an order of magnitude higher, because diagnostics today is one of the most high-tech branches of medicine, and the creation of a modern research center requires thermal cyclers, readers, oshers, robots, analyzers and a host of other equipment.

— The implementation of a more or less serious project will cost the investor 150-200 thousand dollars, Felix Gamzaev (Three-Z, Krasnodar) is sure. In Moscow, this amount, according to analysts, is 10 times higher. - The first two years will be spent on positioning. During this time, with the successful development of the situation, it is worth counting on the return on investment. If the laboratory begins to work for the state order, investments can be “recaptured” earlier. In Krasnodar, the situation is such that it is almost impossible for a private laboratory to receive an order for servicing the budget.

Profitability of the laboratory business, according to Felix Gamzaev, it is 15-20% and could be higher, if not for the specifics of the activity - part of the funds is “frozen”, since they are constantly invested in the stock of consumables.

“We have everything like in metallurgy, where open-hearth should not cool down under any circumstances,” Ivan Argatenko (City-Lab) confirms. - We should not depend on the stability of the work of Moscow dealers and some accidents. If one day it turns out that we do not have certain consumables and therefore we did not provide a service to a specific customer, we will lose him as a client. So the risk must be kept to a minimum.

laboratory assistants

Experts are sure that it is not difficult to enter this business.“Another thing is that in order to attract clients, you need to be your own in the medical environment,” Sergey Filchenkov (Finam) is convinced. Indeed, the laboratory is an ideal business for physicians. But what prevents an entrepreneur from hiring a qualified specialist, making him a deputy? After all, many publishers of newspapers and magazines have no idea of ​​the intricacies of the printing process even in general terms and have never been journalists. Why, if you can always hire specialized specialists in the labor market?

According to the MGB, most often commercial laboratories in the country are created by doctors with connections in the medical community and health officials (sometimes through nominees or relatives). No wonder: the doctor not only knows the essence of the ongoing processes and technologies, but also understands well to whom and how laboratory diagnostics services should be sold. And yet, to become the owner of a treatment room, a medical education is not necessary. On the contrary, it is possible that an entrepreneur with experience in retail sales will be more successful in managing a network of offices. In addition, the undoubted advantage of this business is understandable and structured processes. The main thing is to take the analyzes correctly, fill out all the forms accurately, comply with the transportation conditions and deliver the biomaterial to the laboratory on time. Well, it is advisable not to confuse the results of analyzes of different patients and to prevent leakage of confidential information. This means that specialists need to be hired not just good - the best.

— The profit of an entrepreneur ultimately depends on knowing the smallest nuances of the profession., - the chief nurse of the First Private Clinic (Tomsk) Svetlana Kotlyarova is sure. Everything needs to be calculated. For example, there are reagents whose “life” is a week. And if the laboratory does not provide a flow of patients for which the volume of this reagent is calculated, it has to be thrown away. And the cheapest one costs 300 rubles ... So it won't take long to go bankrupt!

In addition, you will have to learn how to be friends with doctors, because they are the ones who send their patients for tests, which means they can recommend a specific office. Against this background, all other marketing techniques fade into the background, although brand recognition and a positive image will gradually increase. “The location of the laboratory, proximity to the place of work or the patient's home play a big role. But if the doctor recommended the patient to visit a specific office, he may well go to the other end of the city,” agrees Pavel Mardanov (Helicon).

— Regular advertising channels do not work, - Felix Gamzaev ("Three-Z") agrees with colleagues. - Theoretically, it would be possible to use periodicals, television and radio, but these investments will not bring results if the consumer does not feel the need to undergo an examination. Spot advertising in medical institutions could help, but head doctors rarely do this. There is only one way left: to prove your worth to the attending physicians. After all, the effectiveness of treatment and, ultimately, their earnings depend on how correct the results of the analysis will be. Examination - diagnosis - treatment - recovery of the client. If the doctor understands the logic of this chain as the key to his success, he will recommend that the patient be tested in a particular laboratory.

The number of staff of the treatment room directly depends on the area and the flow of information being processed, but on average it is six people. These are three or four doctors working in shifts, a nurse and an office administrator. The doctor receives clients, considers their requests and prescribes the necessary set of studies, the nurse takes samples and maintains computer records, and the tasks of the administrator include working with the cash register, interacting with the courier service and managing personnel.

According to Svetlana Kotlyarova, The main consumers of laboratory diagnostics services in Russia are still women(70%). No wonder: absolutely all studies show that it is our women who, to a greater extent than men, monitor their health. But still not only their own, but also members of their families. And this is very important to take into account both when organizing the work of the office, and in the entire system of communications with clients.

- Analyzes are the same service, and the principles of "promotion" of private laboratory diagnostics are the same as in other segments of the service market, - Alexander Kravchenko is sure. - In the minds of the consumer, laboratory diagnostics is a “black box” that produces certain results. Therefore, it is necessary to make this business open and accessible to the consumer, not forgetting to remind: you can take tests and get the result today quickly, comfortably and with high quality.

Treatment room in detail

Investments. You can meet the amount of 20 to 50-60 thousand dollars.

Payback period. One and a half to two years.

Certificates and licenses. Medical license.

Audience. Busy citizens of all ages.

Promotion tools. Internet, communication with doctors.

Requirements for the premises. The minimum area is 30 sq. m, the maximum is not limited, the optimal one is 80 sq. m. Separate entrance; the presence of a bathroom or the possibility of its installation; permission from the landlord to make water distribution for sinks; one telephone line. Non-residential premises may be located in a residential building, provided that the entrance is not combined with a residential entrance. In accordance with the established requirements, the premises of polyclinics, medical centers, dental offices, pharmacies, beauty salons, hairdressing salons can be used as a treatment room.

Staff. Three doctors, two procedural sisters (in shifts), a cashier-administrator.

1 - The PCR method allows you to detect the DNA of the pathogen in the analysis of smears and scrapings, while the ELISA method allows you to detect traces of the pathogen in the blood. The choice of either method will provide significant demand: blood tests (ELISA) and detection of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are equally in demand.