Integral Solutions Vital to Boosting Hospital Productivity

Q: How does Vitalmex contribute to the Mexican healthcare system?

A: Vitalmex is constantly evolving to improve and offer the best health services in Mexico, both for the public and private sectors. Our main goal is to support institutions and healthcare professionals in every aspect of their work, from supplies and equipment to technology and expert personnel, allowing them to focus on what they do best: taking care of patients.

The articulated services offered by Vitalmex must be configurable, adaptable and flexible for patients and healthcare professionals. We must understand the needs of both parties to ensure our solutions work optimally. Vitalmex focuses on finding efficiencies in the clinical-surgical, administrative-operational, technological and financial segments.

Q: How do those efficiencies translate into benefits for healthcare institutions?

A: When a patient is being treated at either a public or private institution, medical care is highly expensive. Vitalmex’s services accelerate recovery times while keeping everyone involved safe. We offer integral solutions that incorporate equipment, surgical instruments, supplies and human resources.

In addition, Vitalmex emphasizes continuing education. We have a very robust medical continuing education program to boost our services. If healthcare professionals are not trained to use the technology and tools we offer, they will not be able to take full advantage of our articulated services.

Q: How does Vitalmex’s help hospitals develop agile surgical cycles?

A: Vitalmex has a business line focused on facilitating complete, agile surgical cycles. These cycles not only include the operating room but also the patient, the Sterilization and Equipment Center (CEYE) service and the recovery process, all of which may cause bottlenecks. Recovery processes must be safe and agile to avoid those bottlenecks.

We also help clients by taking control of CEYEs. When surgical instruments arrive, we check that the delivery is complete and wash and classify the instruments in steam, plasma or ethylene oxide autoclaves to sterilize them.

Q: How do you measure the impact of the provided solutions?

A: Although Vitalmex is a company and must generate revenue for our investors, we believe that focusing on doing the work correctly is the key to success. If we offer quality services, our financial indicators will be fine. Vitalmex measures the benefits offered through savings and efficiencies. Indicators evolve over time but one of the main criterions is productivity, which means proper medical care and workflow at health institutions.

Vitalmex studies the workflow at hospitals to identify, eliminate or reduce the impact of bottlenecks within the institution, allowing it to take better care of a greater number of patients. We also work heavily on adherence to the original design of the solution. When Vitalmex offers a solution, it has already conducted a deep study of the specific needs of the client. We merge the information collected in the study with our historical data to design tailor-made solutions. Both the hospital and Vitalmex adhere to this design to help institutions stay within their budgets.

We take client satisfaction seriously. Whenever possible, Vitalmex carries out satisfaction surveys to identify our areas of opportunity and adjust the design of the solution and the workflow accordingly.

Q: How does Vitalmex address last-mile logistics? How does the company focus on the specific needs of healthcare professionals?

A: Last-mile logistics play a key role in medical care. Vitalmex aims to guarantee that all the correct supplies, equipment and instruments are ready for the right patient. Every procedure requires specific supplies. Every year, Vitalmex serves between 400,000 and 500,000 patients in over 600,000 medical procedures because we source products from numerous suppliers. We use economies of scale to reduce the sale price, providing very significant savings for institutions.

One of Vitalmex’s main focuses is on healthcare professionals who have well-developed surgical practices and who sometimes prefer to use specific instruments or supplies. As a multibrand company, Vitalmex can meet doctors’ specific needs and preferences. It is not an easy task because we manage between 5,000 and 10,000 stock-keeping units (SKU). Simplifying complexity is part of the administrative-operational benefits Vitalmex offers. Hospitals no longer have to negotiate with 35 suppliers; they only work with Vitalmex, which also offers additional efficiencies in last-mile logistics.

Q: How did the pandemic impact Vitalmex’s operations?

A: During the pandemic, some medical specialties were still in demand but other procedures were postponed. Surgical procedures that were not considered urgent were rescheduled, as some hospitals focused exclusively on COVID-19 care. Although there was a certain drop in productivity, highly specialized procedures remained in demand.

Once COVID-19 cases went down, the number of surgeries increased. The pandemic caused a delay in surgeries, which is where Vitalmex’s value offer became even more apparent. We have the infrastructure and knowledge to help institutions when they require us, no matter how high the demand is.

Q: What opportunities did the pandemic bring for Vitalmex’s services?

A: In the wake of the pandemic, we noticed new opportunities in the market. For example, Vitalmex developed itinerant articulated services, which we program with the hospital and healthcare professional. This service, which we implemented for heart surgery, works on an on-demand basis. We go to the hospital with all the necessary tools, do the procedure and leave.

Q: What does Vitalmex’s worldwide footprint look like?

A: Vitalmex serves over 200 public and private hospitals in 30 states in Mexico. Our flexibility and configurable services are ready for the different needs and challenges every region faces. Having good communication with both clients and suppliers helps us deliver on our value promise.

Our footprint goes beyond Mexico. One decade ago, Vitalmex acquired Germany’s Gimmi, which manufactures surgical instruments and sells them through direct and indirect channels to over 60 countries. Two years ago, we started operating in the US after adapting our articulated services to that market. We are now present in 10 US states and over 35 countries. This is a source of pride for Vitalmex because we are taking Mexican know-how across the world.

Q: What are Vitalmex’s top priorities for the short term?

A: In the short term, Vitalmex will continue consolidating its articulated services in the four business lines in which we work in Mexico. We also aim to solidify our new itinerant articulated services, which focus on heart surgery but can be applied to minimally invasive surgeries and endoscopy.

Vitalmex is a leading provider of surgical support services to some of Mexico’s largest public and private hospitals. The company’s activities range from surgical technician services and inventory management to medical technology and equipment management.