What Swiss Medi Kids does

Swiss Medi Kids AG is a privately held Swiss pediatric healthcare company operating the largest pediatric walk-in clinic network (Kinder Permanence) in Switzerland, with locations at Zurich Hauptbahnhof, Winterthur and Luzern. Founded in 2011 by Co-CEO/CFO Katja Berlinger and Co-CEO/CMO Dr. med. Daniela Berger to relieve overcrowded children's hospitals and address a documented pediatrician shortage (approximately 100 missing pediatricians in canton Zurich alone), the company treats roughly 80,000 children and adolescents up to age 16 annually, with about half of all consultations occurring during evenings and weekends. Services span 365-day walk-in emergency care, registered-patient primary care including vaccinations and developmental check-ups, telephone and secure video consultations, child psychology in Lucerne, and pediatric surgery consultations in Zurich. The on-site technical footprint includes laboratory, EKG, X-ray, ultrasound, and minor surgery facilities, plus a Zurich teaching room with a mirrored observation window used for resident training.

The business operates a multi-revenue-stream model. Core income is generated through TARMED/TARDOC-billed consultations (regulated physician tariffs), with additional streams from Managed Care contracts with major Swiss health insurers SWICA and CSS (announced October 2024 to secure the company's survival after a Federal Court ruling on emergency tariffs), annual Kita support packages (CHF 600/year for single facilities), APLS professional training courses (CHF 950 per external participant; CHF 50 per internal continuing-education session), contracted school medical examinations, government-commissioned pediatric care for asylum children via SEM, and a digital pediatrician chat integrated into the Hirslanden app. The company employs approximately 150 staff representing 60 full-time positions and is recognized as an emergency practice by Bezirksgesellschaft Zürimed and as a pediatric teaching practice by the Vereinigung Zürcher Kinder- und Jugendärzte (VZK).

The company is led by a dual clinical-administrative leadership model, with co-founders Berlinger (MBA INSEAD, Lic. iur., Chair of the Board) and Berger (MD, University of Innsbruck, pediatric emergency specialist) co-CEOing alongside a COO team and three site medical leads. Growth has been steady and primarily organic — Zurich HB space was doubled in August 2022, Lucerne gained child psychology in June 2023, and Zurich added pediatric surgery consultations in 2024 — but the 2024 tariff-driven existential event and resulting reliance on two Managed Care counterparties underscore the regulatory sensitivity of the model.

Name

Swiss Medi Kids

Legal name

Swiss Medi Kids AG

Website

https://swissmedikids.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Swiss Medi Kids operates Switzerland's largest pediatric walk-in clinic network across three central train station locations (Zurich, Winterthur, Lucerne), treating approximately 80,000 children annually with no-appointment access 365 days a year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Walk-in Healthcare Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (6211)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Urgent Care Centers (HLAFADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Practices (HLAFAJAF), Pediatric Primary Care Telehealth (well-child, minor illness, developmental screening) (HLALAHAF)

Keywords

• Pediatric walk-in clinic
• Children emergency care
• Pediatric primary healthcare
• Pediatric surgery consultations
• Pediatric life support training

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Medical Consultation Billing (Tarmed/Tardoc): Standard medical billing for consultations performed at walk-in clinics and regular appointments. Billing follows Tarmed tariff structure for physician services and Tardoc for telephone consultations.
2. Managed Care Contracts with Health Insurers: Strategic partnerships with SWICA and CSS through Managed Care agreements that provide continued coverage for insured patients at extended hours and weekends.
3. Medical Training Courses: APLS (Advanced Pediatric Life Support) courses and continuing education for medical professionals, with external participants paying CHF 950 per course.
4. Kita Support Packages: Annual subscription packages for childcare facilities providing medical consultation access and first aid training. Single Kitas: CHF 600/year for 3 inquiries.
5. School Medical Examinations: Contracted school medical examinations for various school communities, performed either at schools or in practice facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Swiss Medi Kids operates the largest pediatric walk-in clinic (Kinder Permanence) network in Switzerland, providing 365-day walk-in and appointment-based pediatric care for children and adolescents up to 16 years at three station-based locations in Zürich, Winterthur, and Luzern from 8 AM to 8 PM. The offering integrates primary healthcare (preventive check-ups, vaccinations), on-site diagnostics (laboratory, EKG, X-ray, ultrasound), pediatric and adolescent surgery consultations, child psychological services, telephone and video consultations, and professional and parent education (APLS, Kindernothelferkurse), complemented by Kita support subscriptions and contracted school medical examinations.

Product overview

Swiss Medi Kids operates as a unified pediatric healthcare platform consisting of core walk-in emergency and primary care services augmented by specialized modules. The core offering is the 365-day walk-in clinics at three Swiss locations (Zürich, Winterthur, Luzern) providing emergency pediatric care and general check-ups. This is supported by remote care modules (telephone/video consultations), specialized consultations (pediatric surgery in Zurich, child psychology in Lucerne), professional training courses (APLS, child first aid), educational facilities (teaching room), school health services, and daycare support programs. The platform functions as a comprehensive pediatric healthcare ecosystem offering both walk-in and appointment-based services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 365 Days Walk-in Pediatric Care Walk-in pediatric emergency and urgent care available 365 days per year at three Swiss locations (Zürich, Winterthur, Luzern) from 8 AM to 8 PM, treating children and adolescents up to 16 years for conditions including fever, wounds, sprains, and respiratory issues; open to all families with or without an existing pediatrician.
• Primary Pediatric Healthcare (Grundversorgung) General pediatric primary care including preventive check-ups at ages 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18 months and 2, 4, 6, 11, 14 years, vaccinations according to the Swiss schedule, and acceptance of new regular patients at all three Swiss Medi Kids locations.
• Telephone and Video Consultations Remote pediatric healthcare access via secure video consultations with pediatricians and telephone consultations billed according to TARDOC/TARMED, available to both existing and new patients.
• Child Psychology Services Luzern Psychotherapy and psychological counseling for children, adolescents, parents, and families at the Lucerne location, addressing topics including anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, ADHD, and family difficulties, provided by Alexandra Blum.
• Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery Consultations Zürich Pediatric surgical consultations at the Zürich location including hernia repairs (inguinal and umbilical), hydrocele, phimosis, undescended testicles, skin procedures, ear appendages, and ingrown toenail treatments, conducted by Dr. med. Imke Grossmann.
• Advanced Pediatric Life Support (APLS) Course Professional APLS (Advanced Pediatric Life Support) training course for medical staff, conducted in partnership with ES Asur and ALSG, recognized with 16 credits by the Swiss Society of Pediatrics; CHF 950 per external participant.
• Child Emergency First Aid Courses (Kindernothelferkurse) Emergency first aid courses for parents, kindergartens, and daycare facilities, available as online courses in collaboration with LetsFamily (12 interactive modules with quizzes and official diploma) and as practical on-site courses.
• School Medical Examinations (Schulärztliche Untersuchungen) Official contracted school physician services for various school communities, with examinations performed either on-site at schools or at Swiss Medi Kids' practice locations.
• Daycare (Kita) Support Program Medical advisory services for daycare facilities including advice on illness contagiousness, return-to-care timelines, and need for medical attention, plus emergency first aid courses for daycare staff; CHF 600/year per single Kita (3 inquiries), with individual quotations for group facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000 children treated annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ES AsurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ES Asur to establish APLS (Advanced Pediatric Life Support) training center for German-speaking Switzerland. Courses held at least twice yearly at EPI Center Zurich, recognized by Swiss Society for Pediatrics with 16 credits.
• mitschaffe.chminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for integration of people with disabilities in the primary labor market. Currently one employee working at practice with another joining soon.
• Swiss Digital Health RoundtableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in digital health initiative working toward digitalization of Swiss healthcare system through collaborative efforts with other industry players.
• IGMG (Interessengemeinschaft Medizinischer Grosspraxen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in Interest Group of Large Medical Practices for exchange and finding common solutions on industry challenges.
• HirslandencoreTechnology or IntegrationPediatrician chat service integrated into Hirslanden app with symptom checker. Swiss Medi Kids pediatricians available via chat daily 8 AM to 8 PM. Enables triage and professional guidance remotely.
• ApriorisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent project collaboration to strengthen nursing services and professional development.
• Local Children's Hospitals and PediatricianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration with children's hospitals and pediatricians as complementary care providers. Referral network for cases requiring specialized treatment.
• SEM (Staatssekretariat für Migration)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPediatric care services for asylum children in government transition centers under commission from Swiss State Secretariat for Migration.
• LetsFamilyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to develop online child emergency first aid course with 12 interactive modules, available free for expectant and new parents.
• Children's Hospital Zurich (Kinderspital Zürich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality standards reviewed in cooperation with hygiene expert from Children's Hospital Zurich. Nursing staff have access to continuing education courses at Children's Hospital. Collaboration on patient safety initiatives including Room of Horrors training.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Kinderärztliche Notfallpraxis (Kindernotfallpraxis Stuttgart / Düsseldorf model): Pediatric emergency practices in German-speaking neighboring markets that operate as walk-in, after-hours pediatric care. Comparable concept and operating model within the broader DACH pediatric ambulatory market.
• Medgate Suisse AG: Swiss telemedicine provider offering 24/7 remote medical consultations. Overlaps with Swiss Medi Kids' video and telephone consultation lines and competes for the same digitally routed Swiss patient demand.
• Medi24 (MMH Migros Medizin Hand AG): Major Swiss telemedicine and triage provider. Competes for low-acuity pediatric consultations that could otherwise flow to Swiss Medi Kids' virtual and walk-in channels, especially outside prime urban hours.

Direct peers

• PM Pediatrics: Largest U.S. pediatric urgent care chain, operating ~70+ locations on a walk-in, no-appointment model for children. Closely comparable business-model parallel to Swiss Medi Kids' Permanence chain at scale, though in a different regulatory/payer environment.
• Kinderpermanence Circle: Pediatric walk-in Permanence operating at Zurich Airport, explicitly referenced in Swiss Medi Kids' internal staffing history as a directly comparable pediatric urgent-care walk-in competitor in the same Swiss market and price tier.
• Little Spurs Pediatric Urgent Care: Multi-location U.S. pediatric urgent care network offering walk-in, after-hours care for infants through young adults. Comparable in scope and operating model to Swiss Medi Kids' three-station Permanence network.

Broad incumbents

• Hirslanden AG: Largest private hospital group in Switzerland and active Swiss Medi Kids partner — the Hirslanden app integrates a Swiss Medi Kids pediatrician chat. As a broad incumbent, Hirslanden provides overlapping pediatric services across its hospital network and competes for acute pediatric referrals.

Regional players

• Kantonsspital Winterthur (KSW): Major regional hospital in Winterthur, host canton for Swiss Medi Kids' second-largest clinic. Provides competing pediatric emergency and outpatient services to the same regional patient population as the Swiss Medi Kids Winterthur Permanence.

Others

• Kinderspital Zentralschweiz Luzern: Central Switzerland children's hospital in Lucerne. Functions both as a referral partner for Swiss Medi Kids Luzern cases requiring inpatient care and as a competitor for higher-acuity pediatric cases in the same catchment.
• Universitäts-Kinderspital Zürich (Children's Hospital Zurich): Tertiary children's hospital in Zurich and an active referral partner for cases exceeding the Swiss Medi Kids walk-in scope. Functions as both upstream referrer (for complex cases) and downstream competitor for pediatric emergency visits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/swissmedikids?locale=de_DE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swiss-medi-kids/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/swissmedikids

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Swiss Medi Kids