The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote hospital care across Europe and could contribute to up to 20% of hospital care being offered remotely by 2030, according to a new report.
As HBI reported last week, UK, Czechia and Poland-based ophthalmology platform Optegra Eye Health Care is being acquired by H2 Equity Partners. HBI caught up with Optegra CEO Dr Peter Byloos to hear his views on the market (and inevitably these days, the impact of COVID), and to find out about Optegra’s plans under new ownership.
With 125 million people - 80 million of whom live in the big four (Poland, Romania, Czechia and Hungary) - CEE is a large and diverse market. But is it a tempting one? HBI-365 members heard an expert panel in our CEE State of the Regions broadcast suggest that while COVID is creating huge problems across the world, it is also creating opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe.
COVID's second wave looks either imminent, or is already starting to hit in many jurisdictions. Wave one saw lockdowns and closures - and not all closures were temporary. Will wave two be any different? HBI has been talking to operators across EMEA to see if forewarned is forearmed, how they predict the next few months will go, and what lessons have been learned.
Multiple sources tell HBI that UK, Czechia and Poland-based ophthalmology platform Optegra is for sale. We take a look at the detailed figures behind the prospective sale, speculate as to price and buyers, and speak to an operator source about his view of the business.
Cigna now describes itself as “a global health service company” rather than an insurer and has reorganised its European operations. Toor has recently been promoted to CEO Europe. He says that the insurer, which has 15% (US$840m) of its revenue in Europe, doesn't want to verticalise through owning primary care providers but wants instead to provide an end-to-end user experience.
The Czech Republic's largest primary care and occupational healthcare provider by revenue, EUC, has been leading the charge in bringing digital health care to the country. Daniel Soukup, head of its Virtual Clinic, tells HBI that while the service has before been only for its private-pay patients, it is starting to work much closer with public insurers to bring telemedicine to more people.
Spanish hospital PPP operator Ribera Salud acquired its first hospital in CEE late last year, buying the bariatric-focused OB Klinika in Prague through its Slovakian subsidiary Pro Diagnostic Group (PDG). We asked its head of CEE if the acquisition could help it bid for potential privatisations in Czechia.
Nursing home operator SeneCura, Orpea's Czech subsidiary, is expanding into the south of the country. We speak to a market expert about business strategy at two of Czechia's biggest players.
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