Industry & Use Cases

What does laboratory diagnostics as a service cost? Setup, pay-per-use and the dropshipping model

Getting started is low-threshold: from €1,000 setup, then pay-per-use depending on the test and panel. No warehouse to build, thanks to dropshipping — Probatix produces, stores and ships under partner branding. This article explains what the setup includes, how the pay-per-use price is composed and which access tier is worthwhile for which volume.

By Dr. Daniel Werner

Setup phase

What you get for the entry-level fee are three core building blocks:

  • Your own branding — kit packaging, instructions and accompanying material, result layout. The kit arrives in the look and feel of your programme, the result fits into your digital world.
  • API — REST endpoints for orders, webhooks for status changes, FHIR R4 bundle for structured results. Optionally also integration with your webshop or patient portal.
  • Integration — the connection into your systems (app, portal, platform, telemedicine backend, practice management). We adapt to your stack, not the other way around.

The exact scope of services is fixed during onboarding. Factors: how large is your programme, how deep should branding go, how many interfaces are required.

Pay-per-use

After setup, costs are incurred per test or panel performed. What drives the price:

DriverMeaning
Number of parametersMore analytes = more lab work per sample.
Sample typeLiquid capillary blood, urine, saliva, swab, stool — each with its own material footprint.
Branding depthFrom the standard kit through to fully brand-specific packaging.
LogisticsEU-wide standard or with express, tracking depth, returns handling.

Concrete prices are provided on request — we calculate based on your volume and panel mix, not from a standard price list.

Dropshipping model — no warehouse of your own

Probatix produces the kits, stores them and ships them directly to the end user of your programme. Under partner branding. You have neither warehouse costs nor shipping-provider contracts nor an operational inventory-management problem.

In practice this looks like this:

  1. Your system (app, portal, webshop) triggers an order — either initiated by the end user themselves or by your programme.
  2. Probatix generates the order, packs the kit in the defined branding and ships it — EU-wide with tracking.
  3. The end user receives the kit, takes the sample and sends it back to the lab postage-free.
  4. The result comes back to your system in a structured form (see API integration).

What value the price contains

The pay-per-use model can look at first like a margin. What it saves you:

  • Your own laboratory — instruments, accredited rooms, qualified staff, ISO 15189 accreditation. Investment class > €1m.
  • Your own logistics — warehouse, pick-pack, shipping provider, returns, tracking software.
  • Your own QMS — ISO 13485 build-out, audit cycle, document control. See the QMS article.
  • Your own compliance — IVDR classification, EUDAMED, market surveillance.
  • Your own integration — API, FHIR mapping, LOINC coding.

The pricing model trades capex for opex and decouples your time to market from building your own diagnostics infrastructure.

Which model for whom

  • Small programme / pilot — low volumes, fast market entry: pay-per-use with partner portal access, no API project.
  • Scaling product — growing user base, embedded in your own app: API/FHIR integration, pay-per-use with volume tiers.
  • Established provider with a branded programme — own branding, several panels, payer contract logic: full setup with a consulting and compliance component.

ROI calculation? We are happy to do that for your specific volume — get in touch.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost to get started?

Setup starts from €1,000 and covers the three core efforts: your own branding for kits and result, the API integration and the connection to your systems. The exact scope is fixed during onboarding.

How does pay-per-use work?

You pay per test or panel performed. The price depends on the number of parameters, sample type, branding depth and logistics requirements — with no monthly minimum. That makes the entry predictable and growth low-risk. Concrete prices are provided on request.

Do I have to hold test kits in stock?

No. In the dropshipping model, Probatix produces, stores and ships the kits directly to your end users — under partner branding. You need no warehouse, no inventory management, no shipping provider.

What is included in the setup?

Three building blocks: the branding (kit packaging, insert, result layout in the partner look), the API integration (REST endpoints, webhooks, optional FHIR bundle) and the integration into your existing systems (app, portal, webshop). The exact scope is fixed during the configuration phase.

Next step

Diagnostics live in 2 – 6 weeks.

A direct conversation. No sales pitch. We check together whether Probatix fits your programme — and say so plainly if it doesn’t.