Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Héctor Barillas has shaped a decade in diagnostics. Over the past ten years, Barillas has witnessed a major shift toward a decentralized ecosystem that includes hospital laboratories, point-of-care testing, digital solutions, and emerging direct-to-consumer models.
- Driving access for smaller laboratories. Mexico’s small and mid-sized labs represent a major growth opportunity, where automation, connectivity, and service support can help democratize access to advanced diagnostics.
- Diagnostics guiding clinical decisions. Around 70% of medical decisions are influenced by diagnostic tests, underscoring the sector’s central role in modern healthcare.
- Championing data-driven AI. Barillas highlights the need to improve data quality and integrate diagnostics into broader clinical and digital workflows to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence.
- Integrating diagnostics with EMRs. Linking laboratory results to electronic medical records will accelerate clinical decisions and improve monitoring of challenges such as antimicrobial resistance.
- Promoting preventive care. With fewer than 30% of antimicrobial prescriptions in Mexico supported by proper diagnostics, expanding preventive testing and physician education is increasingly critical.
EF: What are the two greatest achievements of Mexico’s diagnostics sector over the past decade, and what should be its key priorities leading up to 2030?
HB: One of the biggest changes in the past decade has been the decentralization of diagnostics. Where most tests were once carried out in centralized laboratories, today they are increasingly performed across large reference labs, hospital labs, and point-of-care settings, enabled by digital technologies and new testing models.
Another major shift is direct-to-consumer (DTC) testing. For companies like ours, the strategic challenge in the coming years is not only to supply reagents and analyzers, but to embed diagnostics within broader clinical and digital workflows. Wearable technologies are becoming part of this transformation as devices move from simply tracking health data to performing tests such as continuous glucose monitoring, with some even exploring sweat-based measurements. Together, these developments show how diagnostics are moving beyond traditional laboratories, with decentralization and DTC testing now defining trends, accelerated further by the pandemic.
EF: How can the sector be educated and awareness raised about the value of diagnostic testing in preventive healthcare?
HB: It is important for manufacturers like us to work closely with governments and reinforce that diagnostics play a critical role in healthcare. Our sector’s importance became especially clear during the pandemic, which showed the public how essential diagnostic testing is. Almost every medical decision begins with a diagnostic test. Even common conditions, such as diabetes, depend on regular testing. This is why we must continue raising awareness and help governments recognize that broader access to diagnostic testing, especially for prevention, can significantly improve public health and reduce costs. Greater public awareness and a shift in how society views diagnostics would make a substantial difference. At the same time, emerging technologies, including wearable devices, are giving people new ways to monitor their health and take preventive action. Encouraging preventive testing ultimately leads to better health outcomes for everyone.
EF: How do you align your portfolio to address the needs of both the public and private sectors in Mexico?
HB: The real opportunity in our in vitro diagnostics market lies in making these technologies more accessible. Mexico has a distinctive landscape, with thousands of small and medium-sized laboratories serving local communities.
Large companies have traditionally dominated this segment by investing in sophisticated analyzer systems. More recently, several Asian competitors have entered the market, competing mainly on price and often focusing on selling the analyzer rather than on comprehensive service and support. While lower prices make these systems more attainable for smaller laboratories, the lack of robust technical service and ongoing maintenance means the equipment rarely delivers its full value.
The next phase of growth in diagnostics will not come only from large, centralized laboratories. In Mexico and across much of Latin America, it will come from empowering smaller laboratories with automation, connectivity, and quality systems that were once reserved for major institutions. Supporting these laboratories is a central pillar of our current strategy.
EF: What role does data play in the diagnostics ecosystem, and how do you see its importance evolving in the future?
HB: When we talk about AI, everything ultimately depends on data. Yet nearly 80% of corporate AI initiatives fail, usually not because of a lack of talent or technology, but because the data is inadequate or poorly prepared. I am deeply enthusiastic about AI. I have been working with it for about three years and have also studied it extensively. Using AI effectively is not just about crafting a good prompt. It depends on the quality of the information you feed into the system and what you choose to share with AI tools. To succeed with it, you must first build strong, reliable data foundations. In healthcare, innovation is no longer limited by technology alone. In diagnostics, the main challenges are implementation, regulation, interoperability, data integration, and proper training for professionals. Data sits at the center of this ecosystem.
In the decade ahead, the countries that advance the fastest will not necessarily be those with the most sophisticated technology, but those that can connect diagnostics, digital systems, and clinical decision-making through better use of data. This is why we are investing heavily in this area and reshaping our laboratory information system to provide better solutions and stronger support for the laboratories we serve.
EF: How is the company training healthcare professionals to effectively manage and utilize emerging diagnostic tools in the future?
HB: Wiener Lab has recently celebrated 65 years of history. Alongside the company, we created Fundación Wiener Lab as our academic partner, focused on education and professional development. The company began in Rosario, then a relatively small city in Argentina, and grew to become one of the most recognized diagnostics companies in the region and, as far as I know, the first in vitro diagnostics company established in Latin America.
Fundación Wiener Lab provides online education and training for professionals working in clinical laboratories across Latin America. Their titles vary by country. Chemical pharmacobiologists in Mexico, bacteriologists in Colombia, biochemists in Argentina. But they all work in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. Our aim is to keep them up to date with the latest developments in the field.
We also work with universities to support students and young professionals at the start of their careers, partnering with institutions in Mexico and across the region. Through these collaborations, we design programs that strengthen technical expertise and improve decision-making in healthcare. We also provide AI-related training and actively participate in scientific congresses and professional events, convinced that education is a fundamental pillar for advancing diagnostics and improving healthcare outcomes.
EF: As diagnostics becomes more digital and data-driven, what skills are you looking for in new talent?
HB: I am proud to say that our company has very low employee turnover. Today, we have professionals from three different generations working together, and members of Generation Z are now joining our workforce. Because turnover is low, our focus is less on constant recruiting and more on developing the people we already have.
One of our main priorities is to train our teams locally so they can better understand and work with artificial intelligence. At the same time, we place strong emphasis on soft skills. Although they have been discussed for many years, communication and interpersonal abilities remain a challenge in many organizations, which is why we actively invest in strengthening them. When I interview candidates, I pay close attention to how they handle frustration and how they demonstrate emotional intelligence and leadership. Even when the role is not a leadership position, I look for people with the potential to grow into roles two or three levels above the one they are entering.
In our industry, attracting experienced professionals can be difficult because we compete with companies that have much larger budgets. As a result, we usually recruit people early in their careers and invest in their development rather than hiring someone who is already fully trained. For senior positions, we look for strong technical expertise, proven leadership, and familiarity with technology and artificial intelligence. Above all, emotional intelligence and robust soft skills remain some of the most important qualities we seek today.
EF: What role can the diagnostics sector play in tackling antimicrobial resistance and raising awareness about it?
HB: One of our main current challenges is the reconfiguration of our laboratory information system. We are doing this because electronic medical records are becoming the backbone of modern healthcare, and in Mexico, there is growing pressure to move in this direction. Although the system is not yet fully implemented, early progress already shows how important it will be, so we need to stay ahead of this change.
The role of laboratories in this shift is very clear. We generate much of the clinical data that physicians use to make decisions, but its real value appears when diagnostic information flows seamlessly into electronic medical records. Our next version of the laboratory information system is therefore designed to support this integration. It will allow physicians to access test results more quickly, compare historical data, and make better-informed clinical decisions. We are also exploring ways to incorporate artificial intelligence and to work with standards such as HL7, which is widely used in Mexico for clinical data exchange. For companies like ours, the priority is to ensure that our instruments and laboratory information systems can operate smoothly within these broader healthcare data ecosystems.
EF: What impact can electronic medical records have in helping identify and track antimicrobial resistance?
HB: Integrating all health information into a single system would be highly beneficial in Mexico, as it would enable real-time tracking of medical data and make the entire healthcare system more efficient. Mexico has taken steps to curb self-medication, but it remains a persistent challenge. A growing trend is the expansion of small medical clinics attached to pharmacies, some of which already use the technology we provide. However, these services are often isolated from the broader healthcare system, and many physicians in these settings still do not fully adopt electronic medical records.
The use of antibiotics and other antimicrobial treatments without proper diagnostic testing is another serious concern. In my experience, fewer than 30 percent of such prescriptions in Mexico are supported by appropriate laboratory tests, with many originating in smaller clinics or routine consultations where necessary testing is not performed. Better integration through electronic medical records would greatly improve the monitoring of prescriptions, strengthen testing practices, and help manage antimicrobial resistance more effectively.
