ZI Zentralinstitut fur die kassenarztliche Versorgung

What ZI Zentralinstitut fur die kassenarztliche Versorgung does

Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung (Zi) is a Berlin-based non-profit research institute founded in 1973, established by and serving the 17 regional Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen (KVen) that represent Germany's statutory health insurance physicians. The institute conducts healthcare provision research, operates panel surveys of physician practices (Zi-Praxis-Panel, Zi-MVZ-Panel), produces regional epidemiological analyses via the Versorgungsatlas, and publishes prescription trend reports. It is the only organization in Germany combining nationwide real-time triage data with longitudinal panel data on ambulatory care economics.

Zi's core software product is SmED (Strukturierte medizinische Ersteinschätzung in Deutschland), a medical triage decision-support system adapted from the Swiss SMASS platform in partnership with in4medicine AG since 2018 and certified as a Class IIb medical device under EU MDR. SmED is deployed in three configurations: SmED Telefon (for 116117 call center triage), SmED Patient (chatbot-based self-assessment via the Patienten-Navi), and SmED Kontakt+ (for emergency department and integrated emergency center use). Since January 2020, SmED Telefon has assessed over 5.6 million callers via the 116117 service, with a record 251,933 monthly assessments in December 2023, and 172,000 digital self-assessments have been recorded since the Patienten-Navi launch in December 2021.

The institute operates a structurally non-commercial revenue model funded through the Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen and generates ancillary licensing revenue via HCQS GmbH, the licensed distributor for non-KV hospitals and rescue services. Key customers include the 17 KVen, the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV), and pilot partners such as RoMed Klinikum Rosenheim, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, and St. Joseph-Stift Bremen for hospital ED deployments. The go-to-market is institutional enterprise-focused, targeting Germany's public healthcare organizations with deep workflow integration into the statutory health insurance system. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

ZI Zentralinstitut fur die kassenarztliche Versorgung

Legal name

Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Website

https://zi.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung (Zi) is a Berlin-based non-profit research institute serving Germany's 17 Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen with healthcare provision analytics, panel surveys, and the SmED medical triage software deployed across the 116117 service and hospital emergency departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Triage Software & Healthcare Analytics

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (62211), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Hospitals (8060)

akta.pro primary industry

Urgent Care + ePrescribing & Lab/Imaging Ordering Telehealth Platforms (HLALAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real-World Data (RWD) / Real-World Evidence (RWE) & Observational Research Platforms (HLACAOAM), Adherence, Reminders & Engagement Automation (Medication/Follow-up) (HLACAEAJ)

Keywords

• Medical triage software
• Healthcare data analytics
• Statutory health insurance research
• Physician practice panels
• Healthcare IT platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software licensing and service provision to KVen: The institute provides SmED software and related services to the 17 Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen and other healthcare institutions. Revenue is generated through licensing fees and service contracts with public healthcare organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Zi operates as a non-profit research institute providing SmED medical triage software (a certified MDR Class IIb medical device available in Telefon, Patient, and Kontakt+ configurations), healthcare data analytics, regional healthcare provision analyses (Versorgungsatlas), physician practice panel surveys (Zi-Praxis-Panel, Zi-MVZ-Panel), prescription trend reports (Rx Trendbericht), coding reference tools (Zi-Kodierhilfe, Zi-Thesauren, Zi-Manuale), and an interactive SmED Dashboard for near real-time triage data. Its services are designed for the 17 Kassenarztliche Vereinigungen, hospitals, and statutory health insurance physicians in Germany.

Product overview

The Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung (Zi) operates as a research institute providing data analytics, software products, and panel surveys for the German statutory health insurance system. The core product is SmED (Strukturierte medizinische Ersteinschätzung in Deutschland), a medical triage software with multiple configurations: SmED Telefon for 116117 call centers, SmED Patient for online self-assessment, and SmED Kontakt+ for emergency service practices and hospital emergency departments. Supporting services include PVS-Monitoring dashboards, panel surveys (Zi-Praxis-Panel, Zi-MVZ-Panel), Versorgungsatlas for regional healthcare analyses, coding tools (Zi-Kodierhilfe, Zi-Thesauren), and prescription trend reports (Rx Trendbericht). The product portfolio operates as a platform supporting patient routing across the German acute care system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SmED (Strukturierte medizinische Ersteinschatzung in Deutschland) Medical triage software providing structured assessment of acute health complaints through systematic questioning, generating recommendations on treatment urgency and appropriate care setting. Based on the Swiss Medical Assessment System (SMASS) and certified as an EU MDR Class IIb medical device.
• SmED Telefon Telephone-based triage module used at the 116117 service centers of the Kassenarztliche Vereinigungen, enabling qualified personnel to conduct structured medical assessments with patients calling the nationwide emergency line.
• SmED Patient Online self-assessment configuration of SmED via chatbot interface, allowing patients to independently evaluate their symptoms and receive recommendations for appropriate care through conversational AI.
• SmED Kontakt+ Triage module for use in emergency service practices and hospital emergency departments, supporting staff at shared reception counters (Gemeinsamer Tresen) to standardize patient assessment and routing.
• Patienten-Navi online (Patient-Navi) Digital self-assessment tool accessible via 116117 website and app, based on SmED Patient, providing patients with individual care options from local Kassenarztliche Vereinigungen including doctor search and appointment booking.
• PVS-Monitoring Monitoring service providing comprehensive data and dashboards on practice management systems (PVS) used in physician practices.
• Zi-Praxis-Panel Annual survey panel collecting economic data from physician practices on economic situation, cost structures, and crisis resilience.
• Zi-MVZ-Panel Panel survey for Medical Care Centers (MVZ) collecting economic and operational data.
• Versorgungsatlas Interactive atlas platform providing regionalized analyses of healthcare provision and epidemiological data across Germany.
• Zi-Kodierhilfe Coding assistance tool for standardized medical documentation and diagnosis coding.
• Zi-Thesauren Thesaurus tools for standardized medical terminology and classification.
• Zi-Manuale Standardized medical manuals and guidelines for coding and documentation.
• Rx Trendbericht Prescription trend report analyzing drug and therapeutic products prescription data from statutory health insurance claims.
• Zi-Trendreport Trend report series providing analyses on developments in statutory health insurance care.
• SmED-Dashboard (smed.ziapp.de) Interactive dashboard providing near real-time aggregated data on medical triage assessments conducted via 116117, showing symptoms and disease patterns across Germany.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5.6 million patients assessed via telephone triage since 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018National association of statutory health insurance physicians collaborating with Zi on SmED deployment. KBV uses SmED Patient for the Patienten-Navi online platform and coordinates with regional KVen on implementation.
• in4medicine AG (Bern, Switzerland)coreTechnology or IntegrationSwiss-based technology company that developed the SMASS (Swiss Medical Assessment System) on which SmED is based. Zi has worked with in4medicine since 2018 to adapt the software for the German healthcare context, modifying protocols and adding content for optimal German deployment.
• Health Care Quality Systems (HCQS) GmbH (Göttingen)coreTechnology or IntegrationEU importer and distributor of SmED for non-KV healthcare institutions. HCQS handles licensing and support for hospitals, rescue services, and other institutions outside the KV system.
• Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen (17 regional)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 17 regional physician associations are the primary users and partners for SmED deployment, using the software for telephone triage via 116117 and coordinating local implementation of patient routing initiatives.
• Scientific Advisory Board for SmEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert panel including representatives from practicing general practitioners, specialists, and the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine (DIVI) providing ongoing scientific guidance for SmED development.
• OECDstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerZi funded an OECD comparative study on gatekeeping and cost-sharing policies across OECD countries, examining primary care systems and their effectiveness in patient pathway steering.
• DIVI (Deutsche Interdisziplinäre Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman interdisciplinary association for intensive and emergency medicine participating in SmED scientific advisory board and providing clinical expertise for triage software development.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TeleClinic: German telemedicine platform providing video consultations, e-prescriptions, and digital triage — overlaps with Zi's patient routing and integrated acute-care vision.
• Zava (previously DrEd): European direct-to-consumer telehealth and online triage provider active in Germany. Competes with SmED Patient in online symptom assessment and routing to appropriate care.
• in4medicine AG: Swiss developer of SMASS, the underlying clinical triage framework that SmED is adapted from. Direct technology partner and effectively the upstream platform on which Zi's flagship product is built.
• Ada Health: Berlin-based AI-powered symptom assessment platform used by health systems and insurers globally. Competes directly with SmED Patient for patient-facing triage and routing decisions.
• Kry / Livi: European telehealth provider operating across multiple countries with digital triage and video consultation. Comparable patient-routing and symptom-assessment workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Doctolib: Dominant German/European telehealth and appointment-booking platform. Competes in digital patient routing and physician-facing workflow tools, though focused on booking rather than triage.
• IQVIA Germany: Global health data and research services firm with significant German operations. Competes in healthcare provision analytics, prescription data analysis (Rx Trendbericht), and panel research services.

Regional players

• Medgate: Swiss telemedical triage and consultation provider operating similar telephone-based triage and routing services for the Swiss healthcare system. Closest structural analogue to Zi/116117 in another country.
• Gesundheitsforen Leipzig: German healthcare analytics and consulting firm providing data services to statutory health insurers. Adjacent in offering health-services research and panel-based analytics to German healthcare stakeholders.

Others

• AOK Bundesverband: Germany's largest statutory health insurer. As a payer in the same SHI ecosystem, AOK and Zi operate at adjacent points in the German healthcare data value chain and frequently partner on research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zentralinstitut
• Instagraminstagram.com/zi_ev

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 ZI Zentralinstitut fur die kassenarztliche Versorgung