Running collection centres like an extension of your lab
Partner centres bring reach and growth — and a fresh set of questions about rates, balances and missing tubes. A few clear rules keep the relationship simple.
Collection centres extend your reach into neighbourhoods and towns your main lab cannot cover alone. The partnership works best when both sides see the same numbers: what was booked, what was dispatched, what arrived and what is owed.
Agree on rates before the first booking
Centre-specific rate cards remove most billing disputes before they start. When a booking is made, the agreed rate for that centre should apply automatically — not a number someone remembers from a phone call.
Choose a clear commercial model
- Prepaid wallet: the centre recharges in advance and bookings draw down the balance.
- Credit limit: the centre books on account up to an agreed limit and settles on a schedule.
- Monthly statement: both sides reconcile against the same list of visits and invoices.
Treat every dispatch as a manifest
A dispatch is more than a bag of tubes. List the samples in a manifest, record the courier or transport details, and receive each sample against the list at the lab. Missing or damaged samples show up immediately, while the courier is still reachable.
Give partners their own view
A scoped portal lets a centre register patients, follow its own visits and download reports, without phoning the lab for every status update. Your team spends less time answering “is it ready?” and more time on the work itself.
Review the relationship monthly
A short monthly review — volumes, discrepancies, turnaround and balances — keeps small issues from becoming big ones, and shows your partners that the numbers are fair.