Presence in the Market
Outpatient and Inpatient
DASA is present in the outpatient and inpatient market by offering a wide range of Diagnostic Medicine services in its Patient Service Centers and in hospitals which it holds partnership.
To run the clinical tests, the samples are collected in the Patient Service Centers and transported to the nearest central laboratory. Approximately 90% of the results of routine tests can be withdrawn in the PSCs or safely accessed by Internet, in the same day of the collection. The other tests demand more than one day to be processed and, in general, are returned in two days.
The central laboratories process the PSC samples and also the non-urgent test samples, collected in hospitals served by the inpatient segment, whenever those hospitals do not process them internally. The urgent tests are analyzed in the same inpatient unit.
For the imaging diagnostic service, DASA relies on the Report Center, where the images received from the PSC are analyzed. As soon as the report is ready, it is sent back to the PSC and the client can withdraw it.
Another service rendered by the outpatient and inpatient segment is the multifunctional clinical trials for pharmaceutical corporations. The trials, normally involve the performance of diagnostic tests in volunteers and the analysis of the results can take months, or even years.
Lab-to-Lab
In December 2005, DASA has acquired 100% of Laboratorio Alvaro capital stock, a clinical analysis service company, located in the city of Cascavel, in Paraná.
Founded in 1968, Alvaro acts since 1994 in the Lab-to-lab market, processing samples collected in several clinical analysis laboratories within the Brazilian territory and Mercosul countries. Its support operations are present in the main capitals of the country through representatives and regional offices, responsible for the process of service sales and for the coordination of sample collection all over the country.
This acquisition has represented DASA´s entrance in the Lab-to-lab market, which has been showing a significant growth in the last years.
The Lab-to-lab service includes the following stages:
- Study the localization of the laboratory and planning the routes;
- Delivery of the support material to the laboratory;
- Collection, at the laboratory, of the biological material to be analyzed;
- Transportation in appropriate boxes and in the appropriate transport means, according to the region;
- Storage of the samples in refrigerated tables for the selection, until the aliquot process and running the tests by the technical unit;
- Storage of the materials at the Sorotec – serum storage and recovery system;
- The tests results are available through a safe system.
All professionals involved are trained to receive and analyze the samples of the laboratories. The investment and care with logistic aim to fill up the need of fast transportation of the samples in different regions. DASA´s business plan also includes the optimization of the processing structure of central laboratories, the increase in the base of laboratories served and the expansion of services rendered to more than four thousand laboratories attended by Alvaro brand.
Public Sector
In Brazil, the public health sector is managed by the Unified Health System (SUS), created in 1988 and responsible for the public health structure – hospitals, clinics, research centers and patient service centers.
To fulfill the attendance in the sector, private suppliers can integrate SUS net through contracts established by public bids. In this ambit, the payment is determined by the type of service rendered: Clinical analysis, surgeries or treatments.
With the acquisition of CientificaLab in July 2007, DASA initiated its services of clinical analysis for the public health sector, a new market for the company which represented a new stage of growth in the strategic plan of the company. The expansion of CientificaLab services, currently in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Tocantis, foresees an increase in test volume of the current contracts and the execution of new contracts in other states and cities.
CientificaLab, a leading private provider in the market of public sector attendance, served 37 clients at the moment of acquisition and, currently accounts for 34 clients ranged between medium size (up to 150 thousand tests processed by month) and large size (more than 150 thousand tests processed by month).
The way and extension of the service provision vary based on the interest and need of the public entity demanding the service, comprising three distinct models:
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Lab-to-Lab: Includes the transportation and central processing of samples. In this case, Científica supplies the collection material, training of public employee and, in some cases, the remodeling of units to ensure the quality of attendance;
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Outpatient: Besides the lab-to-lab service, it integrates the attendance to patient and collection of samples;
- Inpatient: It refers to the attendance to patients, collection of tests, local processing for urgent tests, transportation and central processing for the other tests.
Growth strategy for CientificaLab is based on the execution of contracts with new clients and on the increase in provision of services for the existing clients, by offering a larger number of tests.
There are more than 55,000 public hospitals with significant opportunities for the expansion of DASA services for the Brazilian public health service.
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