As an ophthalmology group listed on the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM), Aier has more than 160 chain stores in 29 provinces and regions across the country, and in 2017, it successfully acquired Clínica Baviera, S.A., the largest ophthalmic medical institution in Europe, and is the only ophthalmology chain medical group with two listed companies in China and Europe. The speed and popularity of its expansion are unparalleled in China's private medical industry, and the reason behind it is probably that it accurately targets myopia, cataract, oculoplastic surgery and other fields with low technical thresholds in terms of business and positioning, but the demand and revenue capacity are very good. In the final analysis, the way of its development lies in finding the aspects that the ophthalmology department of public hospitals does not pay much attention to or cannot take into account, and with the publicity and service expertise commonly used by private medical institutions, it has gained the support of a large number of patients.
Despite this, Beijing Aier, as the earliest store established by Aier Group in first-tier cities in mainland China, is not outstanding in terms of scale and revenue capacity. Aier's 2014 annual report shows that although Beijing Aier's revenue is about 100 million yuan, the net profit margin is only 7.79%, which is lower than Shanghai's 9.74% and difficult to compare with Guangzhou's 17.79%. The concentration of excellent ophthalmic medical resources in Beijing and the lack of various ophthalmology subspecialty departments in Beijing Aier may be the two major factors restricting its further development.
From the perspective of resources invested and patient volume, refractive surgery is undoubtedly the top priority of private eye hospitals. Beijing Aier's myopia surgery also includes the mainstream half-femtosecond and full-femtosecond technologies, but it proposes the concept of "green femtosecond" on the basis of half-femtosecond, which simply uses corneal maps for positioning and guidance. In fact, the technology is not new, and the price of nearly 19,000 yuan is high, and the cost performance is insufficient. In contrast, although the price of 26,000 yuan is slightly higher, due to the use of the German Zeiss laser system, the full femtosecond effect of Aier Ophthalmology has been more guaranteed and trustworthy. In addition, Beijing Aier also provides ICL lens implantation, that is, a collagen-containing lens is implanted into the eye to correct vision without cutting the cornea. It is suitable for patients with cornea that is too thin and high power to undergo laser surgery, and can be removed and replaced at any time, but as an internal eye surgery, the surgical risk is higher than that of laser surgery, and the price is higher (the price of ICL lens implantation surgery in Beijing Aier is about 15,000 yuan).
Oculoplastic surgery is another strong department of Beijing Aier, and its director Min Yan served as the director of the oculoplastic surgery department in authoritative hospitals such as Tongren and the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University before entering Beijing Aier, and is good at performing fine oculoplastic surgery. Oculoplastic surgery refers to the surgical correction of congenital or acquired defects and deformities of the eye caused by trauma, infection, tumors and other diseases, not only to improve appearance, but also to protect or improve visual function. At present, the most common oculoplastic surgeries include eyelid valgus, ptosoplasty, dacryocystostomy/anastomosis, and lacrimal duct laser treatment, etc., and the cost and duration of the surgery vary depending on the condition.
In addition, Beijing Aier has rich experience in cataract surgery, whether it is small incision cataract removal or phacoemulsification cataract extraction, many attending physicians have experience in related professional groups of well-known eye hospitals in China. In fact, Li Shaowei, CEO of Beijing Aier, is known for his expertise in complex cataract surgery, and has completed more than 40,000 surgeries in his 30-year clinical career.
Compared with Guangzhou Aier, the environment of the Beijing store is relatively dilapidated, but fortunately, the partition is quite reasonable, and there is not much traffic on weekdays, so there is no obvious crowding. However, the so-called "Zen" style created at the entrance and in the lobby is not nondescript and quite strange for a clinic. It is worth noting that Aier Group will hold open days on a regular basis, and the Beijing store is no exception, there will be free examinations and various discount activities, and some surgical discounts can reach 3,000 yuan, interested friends may wish to make an appointment in advance to participate.
