Wioletta Januszczyk for PMR: patients are more likely to choose well-known dental clinics brands
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Although the pandemic has impacted heavily on the dental services sector, the market still has a very high potential for growth. In a commentary for PMR, Wioletta Januszczyk, Managing Director of Medicover Stomatologia, shares her experiences, development plans and also assesses the impact of the pandemic on the dental services market in Poland.
2020 is a time dominated by the coronavirus pandemic. As Wioletta Januszczyk informs, in March 2020 a slowdown was also noticeable in the area of dental services. According to the research conducted for Medicover Stomatologia, as many as 41% of people in need of a dentist did not use their help during the first lockdown, and almost half of them gave up on treatment.
Despite the slowdown in the March-April period, we have seen a very large influx of patients from the second half of 2020 until now. This is because a dental appointment often simply cannot be postponed. Consequently, the pandemic has also affected patient behaviour. For them, safety and proven medical procedures or a high standard of treatment have become crucial. From our observations, we can safely say that in the last year patients were more likely to choose well-known brands of dental centres, where they simply felt safer – explains Wioletta Januszczyk, Managing Director of Medicover Stomatologia.
We visit the dentist’s office with growing enthusiasm
The pandemic has not slowed down our growth – only in the last six months of 2020 we have opened five dental centres under the Medicover Stomatologia brand (35 surgeries), and we also took over five dental centres, including the prestigious Dental Sense brand from Gdansk – says Ms Januszczyk.
I think that the last year has also shown that thanks to advanced technologies we can not only take a comprehensive approach to the patient, but also shorten the treatment process and reduce the number of visits, thus increasing revenue per visit. Today, most of Medicover Stomatologia’s revenue comes from the FFS segment (fee for service, i.e. single services paid for directly). For several years we have been observing an increase in our revenue per chair – Wioletta Januszczyk points out.
Market consolidation a key driver in the dental services sector
For years, we have recognised the added value of working with leaders in local and regional markets. Therefore, we want to continue to actively participate in the consolidation of the dental market by establishing cooperation with the best medical experts and dental centres in the country. Our growth strategy has been consistently based on two foundations for several years – organic growth (opening new dental centres) and acquisitions. In the process of acquisition, we always acquire 100 per cent of the shares of dental centres. At the same time, we want their founders and managers to stay with us, retaining their identity – emphasises Medicover Stomatologia’s Managing Director.
Of course, this is not the only reason why we are perceived as a preferred acquirer by our partners. We always offer the acquired dental centre our know-how in the area of administrative services, HR, marketing support, access to advanced technologies and modern equipment. Doctors, on the other hand, will have the opportunity to focus on the development of their own competencies, scientific and training activities, as well as the chance to exchange knowledge and experience among the experts gathered under Medicover Stomatologia. Furthermore, Medicover investments of this nature are associated with the prospect of long-term cooperation and development – concludes Januszczyk.
Wioletta Januszczyk, Managing Director of Medicover Stomatologia
