In Modena, there is a private specialist lab set up in
1975 that has grown to become so much more: it gathers together almost one
hundred professionals and offers a multitude of integrated services for
citizens, professionals and companies. “The compass that guides us is the
essential listening to patients,” Test representatives report. For FARE
INSIEME, Giampaolo Colletti interviews Gianfranco Vivoli
(Scientific Director at Test), Roberto Vivoli (Health Director at Test) and
Alessandro Rossi (General Manager at Test)
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
Nobody saves themselves alone. This concept becomes a manifesto to define these complex, connected and difficult years. This exceptional claim accompanied the edition of the World Economic Forum in Davos two years ago, a few months from the pandemic emergency which we are still struggling to get through. «The pandemic has shown that no institution or individual alone can address the economic, environmental, social and technological challenges of our complex and interdependent world. Today, the creation of impact and the definition of partnership policies are necessary», reads the manifesto. But this concept linked with transversal and necessary alliances is what best describes the birth of Test. It was the year 1975 and, in that period of heavy social and economic crisis, Gianfranco Vivoli, now Scientific Director of the company and Professor of Hygiene at the University of Modena, had an intuition and decided to involve a few colleagues from different specializations to develop laboratory activities, with particular attention to the toxicology, genetic and pathological anatomy sectors. Thinking together, thinking big, thinking early to make the difference: after all, today this is the winning formula of advanced diagnostics. But vision played a fundamental part in this idea of prevention already developed in the mid 1970s.
Integrated services and a diversified team. Today, Test has its headquarters in Modena where we also find the laboratory. But there is also the diagnostic centre where over forty physicians visit patients. There is the laboratory and outpatient clinic in Formigine, in the Modena province. There is the facility dedicated to occupational medicine as well as that for technical training reserved for companies. There are 34 employees but, if we also consider physicians, nurses and professionals, we can count over 100 people. 85% of the turnover is produced within the region. Clients are private citizens, hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient clinics, as well as specialized medical centres and analysis companies related to occupational medicine. The turnover is over €7 million, with a 35% growth on the previous year and an Ebitda of 14%. A specialist laboratory characterized since its onset by a complete range of services. “We have always aimed at being a professional and reliable point of reference for private healthcare and we believe in the importance of prevention and health promotion. Our mission is to put patients at the centre, so we pay great attention to the quality of services offered and client satisfaction. We monitor technological innovations, as they enable increasingly reliable, qualified and quick research,” explains Gianfranco Vivoli, Scientific Director at Test. Ongoing research: Test keeps itself updated continuously with the most recent diagnostic evaluations and widening the range of services carried out.
Technological and human capital. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments in all sectors. “We go from the basic laboratory to microbiology where we analyse the various biological materials to molecular genetics,” reports Alessandro Rossi, General Manager at Test. Work that changes while respecting the past and at the same time innovating with evolved technologies and competence. “We have always invested in technologically-advanced equipment and tools to automatise processes as much as possible. Almost all our devices are interfaced with the company’s management system. With respect to the past, our approach to clients has remained intact since, for Test, they are at the centre of everything. We already introduced assessment surveys a few years ago, which are reviewed periodically and enable us to improve our services,” says Alessandro Rossi. The future lies in specialization. “Today the speed with which updates are available has changed: it used to be decades in the past, now it only takes two years to overhaul the economic and market dynamics in our sector. We are activating collaborations with multinationals to widen the range of services offered. We also care about sustainability: we are verifying the possibility of setting up an energy community,” highlights Roberto Vivoli, Health Director at Test. Once again, tackling the challenges of today and, most of all, those of tomorrow, is a multi-faceted affair.
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