Dr.consult enters the health plan segment after investing in a startup

One of the pioneers in the Brazilian healthtech sector, dr.consulta is expanding its area of ​​operation by entering the health plan segment. This Thursday (16), the company announced the purchase of part of Caring.me, a startup specializing in low-cost plans.

The initial investment, whose value was not disclosed, represents an acquisition of 27.5% of the company. The companies also signed an agreement that gives dr.consulta the option to assume all shares within 18 months — an operation that would need to be approved by the ANS (National Supplementary Health Agency).

Today, dr.consulta works mainly in primary and secondary care, with 35 medical centers located in the metropolitan regions of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.

With the purchase of the startup, the company now offers broader coverage, including hospital care.

“The beneficiary pays the monthly fee and has access to all the services of dr.consulta and to the network accredited by tend.me”, explains Thomaz Srougi, founder and executive chairman of the board of directors of dr.consulta.

Initially, the plans offered by the companies will only be available in the capital and metropolitan region of São Paulo. The expectation is to close the first year with 12 thousand customers.

Renato Velloso, executive director of dr.consulta, says that the union of healthtechs will create the first semi-verticalized health plan in Brazil — that is, with part of the structure controlled by the company itself and another not.

“All primary and secondary care is within the dr.consulta. We do the referrals at the hospital, but we don’t lose this coordination because they are integrated”, he says.

Another point highlighted by Velloso is the price. According to him, the plans will be offered starting at R$ 169, a monthly fee 30% cheaper than the competition, says the executive.

Marcus Vinícius Gimenes, founder and executive director of Quero.me, says that he entered the healthtech market with the objective of expanding access to healthcare. As the dr.consulta model worked in the gap of exams and care, he thought of a product that was exclusively hospital, but that would provide coverage for emergency rooms, surgeries and hospitalizations.

“At a certain point in the journey, it made a lot of sense to talk to Dr.consulta, because we are complementary,” he says.

That’s what Velloso thinks too. According to him, vindo.me had already gone through a seed investment phase and was looking for new resources to develop applications, technology and sales.

Profitability motivated investment

With more than 3 million people served in its physical and digital health ecosystem, dr.consulta ended 2020 with a net income of R$ 261 million and an Ebitda margin (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of 3% .

According to Thomaz Srougi, the guarantee that the business model is profitable was one of the reasons that led the company to acquire part of the startup.

“This gave us the peace of mind to go a step further. The second reason is that [isso é o que] people want. Everyone who used the dr.consulta asked for complete care, not only the outpatient, but also the hospital”, he says.

In his view, another differential of the union with Quero.me is being able to present plans for the 4.5 million registrations that dr.consulta has. “No other health plan in Brazil has an internal patient base where it can offer new products”, he says.