April 21 (Reuters) – Poland’s Diagnostyka expects its revenue to grow by a low- to mid-teens percentage in 2026, driven by higher prices, the medical laboratory operator said on Tuesday.
It will limit acquisitions of publicly funded imaging firms this year, as their revenues may be impacted by recent regulatory changes cutting state reimbursement rates for over-quota public procedures, CEO Jakub Swadzba said during a conference call.
• Diagnostyka expects high-single-digit percentage growth in average test prices and low- to mid-single-digit growth in test volumes compared to last year
• It aims to maintain its recurring EBITDA margin near 2025 levels of 24.3%
• It plans to spend 50 million to 100 million zlotys ($14 million to $28 million) on mergers and acquisitions in 2026
• Diagnostyka will approach M&A selectively, particularly in the imaging segment, due to regulatory changes, Deputy CFO Bartosz Cieslicki said
• Those include a 50% reimbursement cap for services performed above contract limits with the National Health Fund (NFZ) and a cut to the rate NFZ pays for CT and MRI scans
• The regulations could have a mixed impact, with potential rate cuts expected to put pressure on public test volumes, Trigon analyst Katarzyna Kosiorek said
• However, she added this could be offset by higher demand for out-of-pocket commercial tests
($1 = 3.5957 zlotys)
(Reporting by Alicja Surdy and Rafal Nowak, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
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