Post on 11-Mar-2019
by
Bego Sepop(MIMLS:M1791, PAM)
Commercial Biochemistry Laboratory Services in Sarawak Experience and Challenges
Commercial Medical Laboratories and Collection Centres in the Region
1. Gribbles Pathology (M) Sdn Bhd (Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri) 2. Pathlab (Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri) 3. BP Lab (Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri) 4. Quantum Lab (Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri) 5. Advanced Pathology (M) Sdn Bhd (Kuching) 6. Clinipath (Kuching)7. Gnosis Lab (Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri)8. Navipath Laboratory (Kuching, Sibu and Miri)9. Advanced Laboratory (Kuching, Miri) 10.Sri Aman-PMG Lab and Sarikei-MY Lab11.Medi Lab (Kuching) 12.MD Specialist Pathology Laboratory
20.00%
18.00%
14.00%13.50%
12.50%
6.00%
6.00%
5.50% 2.00%
2.00%0.50%
Private Laboratory:
-Market Shares - Approx-Competitive Industry
-'Survival of the Fittest'
Gribbles
Pathlab
Quantum Lab
BP Lab
Gnosis Lab
Advanced Path
Navipath
Clinipath
PMG/MY Lab
AD Lab
Medi Lab
Others: In-house - Laboratory Normah Medical
Specialist Centre
Timberland Medical Specialist Centre,
Borneo Medical Centre -Kuching
Kuching Specialist Centre - Lablink
Others: Private Hospital Base Medical Laboratory
• Miri City Medical Centre
• Columbia Asia Hospital - Miri
(In house lab - Quantum)
Others: Private Hospital Base Medical Laboratory
Bintulu Medical Centre Columbia Asia Hospital - Bintulu(In-house lab: Gribbles Pathology)
Government Hospital Laboratories
All government hospitals throughout Sarawak
Laboratory services under “JKNS”
Competitive Market: Methods and Strategies
• Setting-up New Centre• Logistics• Service customers/clients
in the locality
Phlebotomists attending phlebotomy courses.
• Phlebotomists attending phlebotomy courses.
• (Upgrading)
Customer Service Improvement
• Trained liaisons officer
• Patient centre, • Corporate clients, • Medical specialists
and general practitioners of private and government hospitals.
Improvement in Laboratory ServicesFast turn around time for common tests - fully automated analyzers(General Biochem - Small Lab 480 tests/hr)
Fully automated - Fast turn around time (Immunoassay) -Small Lab (100 tests/hour)
Improvement in Sales (Methods and Strategies)
Specialized Tests by PCR Inviting Professionals in Resolving Certain Technical Issues
Improvement in Sales: Managerial Meeting
Laboratory managers and the marketing managers are required to give regular operation and marketing update on daily activities. Examples are: customer's feedback,
satisfaction, complaints, recommendations, competitors activities and other operation matters.
INCREASE SALES: METHODS AND STRATEGIESEngaged in Health Awareness Program
Staff Participating in RCPA -Enhance knowledge in Pathology Industry (Quality Assurance Program) - Australia
INCREASE SALES: METHODS AND STRATEGIES
Require Disciplined and Committed Staff
Daily Operation and Marketing Updates
Improvement in SalesMarket knowledge and intelligence: Monitor competitors activities/threats in
the market to key customers and vendors, through promotions or discounts, products, gifts and other treats.
Developments - what has happened? Trends - what is happening? Outlook - what is likely to happen? Strategies - how to decide for the
future?
Improvement in Sales: Patient Episode Chart
Monitor Growth -through patient episode chart.Customers
gain and loss. (Daily, Weekly and Monthly)
28592689
289030893120
2950
35303310
3420
3120
3380
2850
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
Jan Feb March April
Patient Episode Chart
2015 2016 2017
Improvement in Sales: Analysis of Data
• Monitoringrevenue -generated through customer segment.
82,000
22,345
15,388
28,450
18,320
74,000
19,32014,440
25,280
16,450
86,000
26,450
19,750
29,990
21,245
88,250
32,320
20,450
28,320
22,145
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
100,000
GP Corporate Gov Hosp Pvt Hosp Self-Referrals
Revenue Versus Customer Segment
Jan Feb March April
Improvement in Sales: Debt Management
Debt management through Ageing List
MKT
Sum of Age 30d
Sum of Age 60d
Sum of Age 90d
Sum of Age 120d
Sum of Age 150d
Sum of Age 180d
Sum of Age >180d
Sum of Unalloc.Paym
Sum of Line Total
Sum of Inv.Cnt
Sum of Net paym %
Sum of OS >90days %
A1 2,185 2,435 1,082 738 921 909 49,672 (32,618) 25,325 42 (1,478) -6% 19,622 77%
A2 134,436 163,186 83,863 84,201 46,236 19,858 126,630 (16,204) 642,206 585 (29,046) -5% 260,721 41%
B1 9,233 22,404 14,400 69 - 134 141 (21) 46,360 7 (15,709) -34% 323 1%
B2 28,986 39,593 18,578 5,198 238 12,577 116,098 (4,997) 216,270 173 (16,189) -7% 129,113 60%
C1 9,941 11,647 15,432 1,344 4,020 1,114 19,683 (3,721) 59,460 36 (14,473) -24% 22,439 38%
C2 103,740 108,621 56,808 45,933 24,740 20,365 95,077 (7,787) 447,498 588 (47,312) -11% 178,329 40%
COMMERCIAL PATHOLOGY CRISIS: PRICE WAR
• The worst current scenario and crisis affecting all private medical laboratories; “THE PRICE WAR”.
• Started in 1996, with the influx and emergence of foreign laboratory investments, laboratory tests has gone down drastically until today.
• Laboratory tests in Malaysia - thecheapest in the Asian region.
CONSEQUENCES OF “PRICE WAR”
Closure of many laboratories.Difficulties in raising prices as everyone try to maintain
their customers. Benefit to the doctors - Agony to the pathology industry
whereby they will have to work at an additional time and cost to make a negligible amount of profit.Walk-in patients - accepted by most laboratory.Walk-in patients pay an additional cost - reduce operating
costs.Increase in corporate work - No doctor referrals.
Economic Woes
• Today, this unhealthy competition has resulted to many laboratories suffering huge losses due to high operation cost with negligible or no profit margin.
Benefitting the Doctors
• In order to reduce the economic woes while taking the opportunity in making larger profits
• Some consider it a benefit for their patients by reducing the lab test charges.
Benefitting the Doctors
• Some clinicians are searching for the cheapest laboratory tests/packages.
• Some even to the point of requesting for free of charged (FOC) on certain tests.
Staff: Retrenched and Unemployed
Therefore, to counter this difficulties, many laboratory staff are: • laid off, • some been forced to resigned, • some were never confirmed until they quit their
posts, • others with salary deductions.
Threat: Running at a Loss
• To rescue this vitally important industry, this unhealthy practice (Price War) has to be stopped. The Pathology Act has to be clearly defined to strictly enforced and to ensure that the tests charges are to be standardized among the different laboratories or as per test methodology.
Closure of Branches
• Today, this unhealthy competition has resulted to many laboratories suffering huge losses due to high operation cost with negligible or no profit margin.
Cost Reductions:
• Resorting to third party reagent,
• Commissioning low quality analyzers.
• Recycle certain non-critical items. eg. plastic carrier bags.
• Engaging unqualified staff
Education on Quality ProductsQuality Products for Better Results
• End user has to be educated on the importance of quality products and the results produced.
• Confidence by the clnicians in managing patients illness.
Quality Analyzer with Better Performance
Recommendations To save the industry, there must be “PRICE
REGULATION, CONTROL AND MONITORING”.
What is the Role of “MIMLS” in the Commercial Biochemistry Laboratory in Sarawak.
Need to Rescue the Commercial Biochemistry Laboratory from the “Unhealthy Practices such as Price War”.