What Nij Smellinghe does

Nij Smellinghe (legal name: Ziekenhuis Nij Smellinghe) is a regional non-profit general hospital headquartered at Compagnonsplein 1, 9202 NN, Drachten, in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. Founded in 1945 and operating with between 1,001 and 5,000 employees, it functions as a district general hospital serving Drachten and the broader Friesland catchment through general medical, emergency, surgical, obstetric, and specialist services. The hospital organizes care via Dutch regulated DBC (Diagnose Behandel Combinatie) billing, with reimbursement flowing primarily through statutory basic health insurance (basisverzekering) subject to the €385 mandatory annual deductible, plus negotiated annual contracts with health insurers. Patients access services through GP referrals, emergency walk-ins, and direct maternity self-registration, with specific carve-outs for limited-network "budget polis" policies.

Its core technology stack is patient-facing rather than clinician-facing: Mijn Nij Smellinghe (a DigiD-authenticated patient portal for medical records, appointments, and questionnaires), the third-party BeterDichtbij secure messaging and video-consultation app (billed equivalently to in-person visits), and a thuismonitoring service for home CTG monitoring of high-risk pregnancies — unique within Friesland. The hospital also runs the DigiVitaler digital-literacy course in partnership with Bibliotheek Drachten to onboard patients into these tools.

Business operations are anchored by designated expertise centers that function as referral magnets beyond the immediate region: Expertisecentrum Lymfovasculaire Geneeskunde (ECL), a Wound Expertise Center, Spine Center Fryslân, and the Kindergeneeskunde Defecatie Expertisecentrum (DEC), plus the BAAS post-surgery care pathway. Commercial and supply-side scale is delivered through network memberships in SAZ, NVZ, the Inkoopsamenwerking Friese Ziekenhuizen (IFZ) joint purchasing coalition, Zorg voor het Noorden, the Alliantie Drachten local alliance, and the Toekomstbestendige ziekenhuiszorg Friesland initiative that is consolidating the province from four to three hospitals. Revenue, ownership, and financial statements are not publicly disclosed in the available material.

Name

Nij Smellinghe

Legal name

Ziekenhuis Nij Smellinghe

Website

https://nijsmellinghe.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Nij Smellinghe is a non-profit regional general hospital in Drachten, Friesland, Netherlands, serving the local population with emergency, obstetric, surgical, and specialist services across 50+ departments and multiple designated expertise centers (lymphovascular, wound, spine, pediatric). Its digital layer includes the Mijn Nij Smellinghe patient portal, BeterDichtbij messaging, and unique-in-Friesland home CTG monitoring.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Drachten

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Medical Services Revenue: Hospital generates revenue through consultations, treatments, surgeries, and procedures billed through the Dutch DBC (Diagnose Behandel Combinatie) system. Revenue is primarily covered by statutory health insurance (basisverzekering) with patients responsible for mandatory deductible (eigen risico).
2. Insurance Contract Revenue: Annual negotiated contracts with health insurers determine reimbursement rates for medical services. Some specialized services (skin laser clinic, ECL, CBT, physiotherapy) may be billed directly to patients as non-insured care.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Nij Smellinghe is a regional general hospital providing comprehensive medical care across emergency services, maternity and obstetrics, surgery, specialist consultations, and various specialized treatment centers. The hospital operates digital health services including the Mijn Nij Smellinghe patient portal and the BeterDichtbij secure messaging and video consultation app, and offers a unique home monitoring service (Thuismonitoring) for pregnant women — the only one of its kind in Friesland.

Product overview

Nij Smellinghe Hospital is a general hospital in Drachten, Friesland, offering a comprehensive range of medical services through multiple specialized departments. The hospital's digital health portfolio includes patient-facing products: the BeterDichtbij app for secure messaging and video consultations with healthcare providers, the Mijn Nij Smellinghe patient portal for accessing medical records and appointments, and the DigiVitaler educational course helping patients navigate digital healthcare tools. The hospital also operates specialized expertise centers including the Expertisecentrum Lymfovasculaire Geneeskunde (ECL) for lymphovascular conditions and the Kindergeneeskunde Defecatie Expertisecentrum for pediatric defecation disorders, as well as innovative services like thuismonitoring (home monitoring for pregnant women) and the BAAS care pathway for post-surgery rehabilitation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mijn Nij Smellinghe: Online patient portal for accessing medical records, appointments, and hospital information
• BeterDichtbij
• Vrouw en Kind Centrum
• NijZ
• DigiVitaler
• Stichting Vrienden van Nij Smellinghe

Products and services

• BeterDichtbij A secure mobile application enabling patients to communicate with healthcare providers via chat messaging and video calls, receive appointment reminders, and share photos or files with their care team. The service is billed the same as physical appointments and counts toward the patient's mandatory deductible.
• Mijn Nij Smellinghe Online patient portal providing access to medical records, treatment information, appointments, and ability to complete questionnaires digitally. Accessible via DigiD authentication, with patient records retained for a minimum of 20 years per Dutch healthcare regulations.
• DigiVitaler Free educational course (in partnership with Bibliotheek Drachten) teaching patients how to use the Mijn Nij Smellinghe patient portal and BeterDichtbij app, including digital security awareness regarding personal data such as DigiD.
• Thuismonitoring (Home Monitoring) Home monitoring service for pregnant women, unique in Friesland. Patients self-perform CTG scans (heart recordings of unborn babies) at home, with data reviewed daily by gynecologists and weekly visits from obstetrics nurses. Reduces unnecessary hospital visits for high-risk pregnancies.
• Expertisecentrum Lymfovasculaire Geneeskunde (ECL) Expertise center for lymphovascular medicine, designated as a unique expert product in healthcare insurance coverage. Part of the Dermatology department at Nij Smellinghe.
• Kindergeneeskunde Defecatie Expertisecentrum (DEC) Specialized pediatric center for defecation disorders and related conditions in children.
• Back At work After Surgery (BAAS) Specialized care pathway providing unique and targeted guidance around hospital admission to help patients return to work and society after surgery.

Quantifiable outcome

• First 20 minutes of parking free, response to medical queries within 3 working days via BeterDichtbij
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vereniging Samenwerkende Algemene Ziekenhuizen (SAZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with SAZ network of general hospitals for shared purchasing, knowledge exchange, and joint initiatives to strengthen regional hospital care.
• Inkoopsamenwerking Friese Ziekenhuizen (IFZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint purchasing collaboration among Friesland hospitals to negotiate better terms with suppliers and optimize procurement.
• Zorg voor het NoordenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Netherlands healthcare collaboration focused on regional healthcare coordination and optimization.
• ZuidOostZorgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional care collaboration with ZuidOostZorg for integrated patient care pathways.
• Nederlandse Vereniging van Ziekenhuizen (NVZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in national hospital association representing Dutch hospitals in policy and advocacy.
• Alliantie DrachtenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal alliance in Drachten for coordinated healthcare and community services.
• Bibliotheek DrachtenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for DigiVitaler digital literacy program teaching patients how to use patient portal and BeterDichtbij app.
• BeterDichtbijcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party app platform for secure patient-provider messaging and video consultations. Hospital integrates this into patient care workflow.
• Toekomstbestendige ziekenhuiszorg Friesland (Future-proof Hospital Care Friesland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic initiative reducing from 4 to 3 hospitals in Friesland to ensure sustainable regional hospital care.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gelre Ziekenhuizen: Regional hospital network in Gelderland operating multiple sites. Comparable in scale, regional concentration, and digital health strategy to Nij Smellinghe.
• Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden (MCL): Top clinical hospital in Leeuwarden, Friesland, providing comparable regional general hospital services. Most direct competitor in the Friesland province and the other major participant in the 4-to-3 hospital consolidation initiative.
• Isala: Large top clinical hospital in Zwolle serving the broader northern/eastern Netherlands region. Comparable scale and service mix to Nij Smellinghe, useful for benchmarking operational metrics.
• Catharina Ziekenhuis Eindhoven: Large top clinical teaching hospital in Eindhoven of comparable size and service profile to Nij Smellinghe, though in a different region. Useful benchmark for the non-academic top clinical hospital operating model.
• Antonius Zorggroep: Regional hospital in Sneek (Friesland) offering comparable general hospital services. Direct peer in the Friesland consolidation initiative serving overlapping patient populations in southern Friesland.
• Rijnstate: Top clinical teaching hospital in Arnhem serving a similar regional catchment. Comparable in scale and digital health adoption to Nij Smellinghe, providing useful peer benchmarks for operating metrics.
• Tjongerschans: Regional hospital in Heerenveen, Friesland, providing comparable general hospital and specialty care. Another direct peer in the Friesland hospital consolidation discussions.

Broad incumbents

• Martini Ziekenhuis: Top clinical teaching hospital in Groningen serving northern Netherlands. Comparable in scale and service mix to Nij Smellinghe, but operates in the adjacent province with a broader teaching hospital mandate.
• OLVG: Large urban teaching hospital in Amsterdam. Comparable in service breadth and digital health investments, though serving a much larger urban population and competing differently for talent.
• Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen (UMCG): Academic medical center in Groningen. Provides comprehensive tertiary care that Nij Smellinghe's expertise centers (ECL, Spine Center) compete against for complex cases from Friesland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nijsmellinghezkh
• Facebookfacebook.com/NijSmellinghe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ziekenhuis-nij-smellinghe
• Instagraminstagram.com/NijSmellinghe
• Xx.com/nijsmellinghe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nij Smellinghe