Read the Conversation
Meeting highlights:
- Introducing Juan Esteban Moctezuma Barbara, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Reina Madre.
- The 10-year Journey of Grupo Reina Madre: Opportunity identified in the market and evolution to become Mexico's first network of health care clinics specialized in Gynecology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics.
- Collaboration and partnerships are important to increase patient experience and outcomes.
- Portfolio adapted to the patients: the importance of listening to patients to address their needs.
- Investing in Mexico: Why a dollar should be invested in Mexico over anywhere else, particularly in women’s health.
- The final message of Juan Esteban Moctezuma Barbara is to showcase Reina Madre as a “Trusted Partner of Choice” in the sector and the importance of collaborative spirit.
EF: As the first network of healthcare clinics specializing in gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatric care, could you elaborate on the opportunity you identified in the market?
JB: My co-founder Vicente and I met during our MBA program at UCLA, where we identified a significant opportunity to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare services for women and children in Mexico. Inspired by a visit to India, where we observed groundbreaking innovations in healthcare, we recognized a gap in the Mexican market. On one end, there were large hospital chains offering excellent services and infrastructure, while on the other, the public sector, many times overwhelmed by high demand, served mainly the needs of those at the bottom of the pyramid. However, there was a considerable portion of the population willing to pay for better services but could not afford the high prices of private hospitals.
We decided to bridge this gap by partnering with hospitals and doctors to deliver the same quality of care at significantly lower prices. Our vision was to create facilities specializing in OB/GYN and pediatrics, offering care in an environment that radiates warmth and positivity—far removed from the clinical and often cold, intimidating atmosphere of traditional hospitals.
By focusing on maternity care as our core service, we designed spaces that celebrate life and promote positive experiences. Our strategy centers on driving high patient volumes to optimize costs, negotiating favorable rates with hospitals through strategic partnerships, and ensuring that patients receive top-quality services at 30% to 50% lower prices."This model not only benefits patients but also builds strong, mutually beneficial relationships with hospitals and doctors, driving our success.
EF: Could you elaborate on the services you provide? Are they consistent across all your hospitals, or do they vary depending on the region?
JB: We began our journey in Toluca, operating our own hospital with 20 beds, two operating rooms, labor facilities, and a full range of services. The demand for our offerings was immense, but what truly surprised us was the overwhelming need for consultations—not just prenatal care but also traditional OB/GYN and gynecology services. These included colposcopies, Pap smears, and related procedures.
On the pediatric side, an unexpected opportunity emerged: as babies were born, parents wanted to continue with the same pediatricians, leading us to expand into pediatric care alongside our OB/GYN services.
When we considered expanding to Mexico City, we found a well-established network of high-quality hospitals. These hospitals were eager to partner with us, offering competitive pricing in exchange for the volume of patients and doctors we brought to them. This led us to shift our model from a mix of inpatient and outpatient care to a fully outpatient setting.
In 2020, we launched a second brand, Maria Linda, in response to patient feedback. Many patients expressed a need for clinical dermatology services, which inspired us to create this new offering. Today, we operate 14 locations, and 13 of them include a Maria Linda, focusing on dermatology alongside our core services.
EF: What do you believe are the three key pillars necessary for building a sustainable healthcare system?
JB: We view ourselves as a platform that connects highly trained, caring specialists with patients. At the heart of our model is ensuring we have the best specialists on board. This requires us to provide them with a steady flow of patients and ensure they achieve strong earnings to retain them on our platform for the long term.
On the patient side, we are deeply patient-centric. After every consultation, we actively gather feedback through metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS) and address any issues or suggestions immediately. This fast feedback loop not only improves our operations but also enhances the experience for both patients and specialists.
Additionally, our transition from inpatient to outpatient care has allowed us to focus on building strong partnerships with local hospitals. These three pillars—our specialists, our patients, and our hospital partners—are fundamental to creating a sustainable and thriving healthcare platform.
EF: What role does digitalization play in your operations and how do you see it evolving?
JB: Currently, we manage approximately 37,000 consultations per month, with our call center handling over 60,000 calls and messages for bookings or customer care. To improve efficiency and enhance patient outcomes, we are focused on consolidating multiple external services into a unified, internally developed system.
As part of this effort, we are developing an in-house scheduling system to replace external platforms, marking the first step in building our digital infrastructure. Following this, we plan to create proprietary electronic medical records to replace our current third-party system, offering a more seamless and efficient experience for both patients and providers.
In addition to these improvements, we are exploring telemedicine solutions, particularly for specialties like dermatology, where demand is high but specialists are scarce in certain regions. This initiative will enable us to extend care to underserved areas and address the gap in specialist availability.
Last year, we also introduced membership cards designed for pediatrics and women’s health. While these programs have been well-received, they are still managed manually. As we integrate our digital systems, we aim to automate these programs, making them more convenient and scalable.
EF: Why is a dollar invested in Mexico more advantageous than other markets?
JB: We see a tremendous opportunity for growth in Mexico's private healthcare sector, particularly in maternity services. Currently, about 75% of deliveries occur in the public sector, leaving only 25% in private hospitals. This indicates significant room for expansion in private maternity care and, more broadly, in private healthcare services.
Technology also holds enormous potential to reduce costs and, consequently, pricing. Competitive pricing is critical for making quality healthcare accessible, and as we develop infrastructure that supports affordable services, the private market can grow substantially. Currently, less than 10% of Mexicans have private insurance, which raises questions about how to increase penetration. It is a cyclical challenge: lower costs and more infrastructure could drive higher volumes, which in turn might fuel growth in private insurance coverage and expand the market.
Mexico’s private healthcare sector is still in its early stages, offering immense opportunities for long-term investors. Building a robust network and system in healthcare takes time and patience. It is not the right market for those seeking quick returns due to potential short-term volatility. However, Mexico offers a promising landscape for patient capital willing to invest in the long-term potential.
EF: How are you attracting the best talent and what advice would you give other executives to build the best team?
JB: Our growth to 14 clinics has been rapid, and managing this expansion has required a strong focus on team building. Since our clinics primarily serve women, we naturally attract a high percentage of female applicants. About 80% of our employees and doctors are women, which aligns well with our mission. This is not by design but rather a reflection of how empowered and connected women feel to our values and purpose.
We prioritize hiring "missionaries, not mercenaries"—people who believe in our long-term vision and embody our values. In interviews, we emphasize qualities like empathy, happiness, and competitiveness. For example, while 80–90% of consultations involve happy moments, the remaining 10–20% may bring bad news. We need team members who can handle those situations with genuine compassion and empathy.
We are a mission-driven company, and we view ourselves as an impact organization, but we are also deeply committed to winning. For us, winning means becoming the largest network in the specialties we focus on. To achieve this, we need people who honor their commitments and hold themselves accountable.
EF: In your view, what would an ideal healthcare ecosystem in Mexico look like, where everything is functioning seamlessly?
JB: One key aspect is the patient’s willingness to pay and the level of education around private insurance in Mexico. We do not have a strong culture of private insurance here, so there is a need for greater awareness about its value and necessity. While COVID may have raised awareness to some extent, the cost of private insurance remains high. We currently live in a kind of “chicken and egg” problem, as the pricing of insurance needs to go down to attract bigger volumes, but in order for this to happen, large volumes of patients need to buy the insurance.
Some efforts have been made by private insurers which have tried offering lower-cost packages, but demand hasn’t reached the desired outcomes. To build a sustainable healthcare system, we need to expand the reach of high-quality infrastructure, but doing it efficiently is critical for prices to be much lower. Innovation of business models, processes, and technology will play a critical role in achieving this.
EF: As you reflect on the past 10 years of building women’s health clinics and increasing access, how would you like to be remembered?
JB: Right now, we are handling about 5,000 deliveries annually, which is a significant number, and we are very proud of that. Looking back, knowing that there are tens of thousands of Mexicans born thanks to Reina Madre and our doctors is something we will definitely be proud of. A lot of prenatal complications can be prevented with proper care, and that is one of our core strengths.
Our work in cervical cancer prevention is remarkable. We conduct close to 5,000 colposcopies per month, aiming for 60,000 this year, and we are proud to be contributing to the prevention of this type of cancer.
We are also committed to building strong partnerships. We understand that creating an effective healthcare system requires collaboration with both private and public stakeholders dedicated to making a positive impact. Our goal is to be remembered as a vital “glue” that connects various elements of the private sector, working collectively to enhance healthcare outcomes.
EF: Do you have a final message for our readers about why Reina Madre should be their trusted partner of choice?
JB: We take quality assurance very seriously, and we have implemented a system that uses a traffic light model for every patient. If everything is completely healthy, the patient is marked green. If there are some complications, it is yellow, and if something critical arises that requires immediate attention, it is marked red. This system is used not only for prenatal care but also for gynecology and pediatrics.
We encourage our partners to be open to discussions about how to improve the system, without focusing on who gets the credit. The goal is to advance the system together, tackle challenges, and make meaningful progress. One thing I really appreciate about the sector is that there is a willingness to collaborate. For example, when we were entering Mexico City, a hospital owner said, “Why don’t you build your network and use our infrastructure? And if in the future you want to build your own hospital and compete, that is fine.” They really meant it. I believe the healthcare sector is full of well-meaning individuals, which is encouraging. By focusing on a few key issues that we can all agree on, I am confident we can continue to make meaningful progress.
