Precise Clinical Diagnosis to Strengthen Portfolio

Q: How does the company ensure quality attention and services?

A: Olarte y Akle Bacteriólogos’ core business is in microbiology (bacteriology, parasitology and virology). To date, the laboratory has more than 50 years of experience over which we have built prestige in precision diagnostics. Our patients’ needs have driven us to grow and strengthen different diagnostic areas such uranalysis, imaging, X-ray, ultrasound, mammography and biochemical tests. We have a robust offering of 1,500 diagnostic tests and we validate each one on two simultaneous platforms to correlate the results with the patient’s record. As a result, Olarte y Akle is able to offer a precise diagnosis with a personalized result that will add to the patient’s record and facilitate medical follow-up. Warmth within our facilities is another factor that has helped us differentiate our services.

Olarte y Akle works closely with the medical community, hearing their feedback to offer quality services that truly address patients’ needs. We would never seek to abuse this relationship to gain more clients. Our patient base is driven by our offering and quality services.

We are also aware of current trends. We have noticed increasing interest in wellness and prevention, which has driven demand for our basic checkups. We are always innovating and finding ways to offer services that make sense for patients regardless of their age, health status or any other factor.

Q: What are the benefits of offering simple home tests?

A: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Olarte y Akle’s crown jewel was its home tests. We have provided this service for years and while it may seem unimportant, we are aware of the challenge of welcoming our staff at home. Patients at any laboratory facility already feel uncomfortable because of why they are there and how invasive tests can be. However, we have been able to break this barrier and make them feel comfortable at our facilities and at home. It has been gratifying to see them trusting our services and welcoming our collaborators comfortably into their homes.

When COVID-19 arrived, we already had a team for home testing with years of experience. This service has become even more personal and our high level of engagement is a result of constant training.

Q: How did Olarte y Akle become one of the first labs authorized to perform COVID-19 tests?

A: We were the first private laboratory to receive authorization for COVID-19 tests in Mexico. Olarte y Akle is highly committed to supporting early diagnosis of the virus, so we had to quickly understand the methodology and protocol for taking samples. We have a lab for molecular biology, an expert chemist, a pathologist medical director and a committed staff that allowed us to start validating tests. We based our process on the Berlin protocol for swabbing samples, developing a technique that allows us to be gentle with the patient. Despite working with half of our staff during the highest peak of the pandemic, we were able to cover our demand while maintaining all safety measures for our collaborators in and out of our facilities.

Q: How is Olarte y Akle contributing to fostering prevention and decreasing Mexico’s disease burden?

A: There are special cases that require more investment or specialized services and our laboratory has found ways to respond to this without charging an additional cost to our patients or physicians. This has been of great help to the medical community because it saves them time and cost and provides them a clear view from which to act.

Q: What alliances have been key to your success?

A: We have alliances with global laboratories, as well as the Mayo Clinic and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) to provide better information to our patients and to remain up to date on new technologies or platforms. Through these alliances, Olarte y Akle adopts new diagnostic practices or ways to approach a disease to add further value to our services.  

Q: What are the company’s near-term goals?

A: We are focusing on the institutionalization of the company to continue growing. This is part of our 10-year strategy to achieve organic growth and be present in more states with our own facilities and home services. We are working on new home tests such as ultrasounds or X-rays. Olarte y Akle is looking to invest in state-of-the-art portable equipment for such studies. We are also waiting to introduce more COVID-19 tests, as well as tests for food sensitivities and allergies. To tie all of this together, we are strengthening our efforts on creating more personalized diagnostic approaches based on the patient’s profile, age, gender and genetics.

Olarte y Akle Bacteriólogos is a laboratory focused on clinical analysis, cabinet studies and imaging. It is a family business using state-of-the-art technology for timely and precise clinical diagnosis