HemoCue: international growth strategy in medical devices

HemoCue is a global medical device company providing point-of-care diagnostic solutions used in healthcare settings worldwide. With a strong international footprint, the company continuously evaluates new geographic markets to expand the reach of its medical technologies.

As part of its regional growth ambitions, HemoCue sought to assess the commercial attractiveness of selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) markets and evaluate viable routes to market through local distributor partnerships. 

Civitta was engaged to provide a structured, comparable assessment of market potential and identify qualified distributor candidates across six European countries.

HemoCue needed to see how multiple markets stacked up against each other, especially since the local rules vary significantly from country to country:

• How budgets are managed: Healthcare system organization and funding models
• Financial and procurement framework: How clinics get reimbursed and the specific rules for buying new tech.
• Tech adoption: How fast doctors and outpatient centers actually start using new medical devices.
• The Competition: How crowded the market is and how established the local players are.

In addition to understanding overall market potential, HemoCue needed to find the right local partners to handle the actual sales and rollout. 

The key challenge was to combine strategic market assessment with practical route-to-market validation in a consistent and actionable framework.

The project was structured into two interconnected workstreams:

Phase I – Market attractiveness assessment 

Civitta used a consistent method to analyze all six markets, focusing on:

• How the local healthcare systems and infrastructure are set up
• Reimbursement logic and funding environment
• Procurement and stakeholder mapping
• How new medical products are introduced and used in different care settings
• Competitive landscape screening

Since the amount of information available varied by country, Civitta cross-checked our findings using desk research, official regulations, business databases, and interviews with doctors and industry experts. This ensured a clear, side-by-side comparison of all markets while still capturing important local details.

Phase II – distributor landscape mapping and shortlisting

In parallel, Civitta conducted a structured scan and evaluation of the distributor landscape in each country. This included:

• Identification of active medical device distributors
• Checking if their current products and customer reach matched HemoCue’s needs
• High-level financial and ownership review
• Assessment of strategic fit with HemoCue’s commercial model

For every market, Civitta provided a curated shortlist of prioritized distributor candidates, allowing HemoCue to start reaching out to them immediately.

• In-depth health market assessment across multiple countries
• Reimbursement and procurement pathway analysis
• Stakeholder and adoption process mapping
• Competitive benchmarking
• Expert interviews and local validation
• Mapping and screening of potential distribution partners

HemoCue received a structured, comparable overview of six target markets, providing a clear foundation for international expansion decisions. The project delivered:

• A consistent framework to evaluate and compare different markets
• Practical insights into healthcare system dynamics and commercial considerations
• A vetted shortlist of distributor partners in each market
• Clear next-step guidance for market entry planning