ICHO

What ICHO does

ICHO vzw (Interuniversitair Centrum voor Huisartsen Opleiding) is a non-profit inter-university organization that coordinates the three-year Master-after-Master program in family medicine (huisartsgeneeskunde) across the four Flemish universities in Belgium: KU Leuven, Universiteit Antwerpen, Universiteit Gent, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The organization centralizes the annual inter-university competency procedure, distributes trainees (huisarts-in-opleiding, or HAIOs) to accredited practice trainers and hospital training departments, supervises portfolio and thesis requirements, and administers the recognition pathway that culminates in RIZIV accreditation and Flemish Government recognition as a certified family physician. Its primary end-users are medical graduates, accredited GPs serving as practice trainers (praktijkopleider), and accredited hospital specialists serving as hospital trainers (ziekenhuisopleider).

The core product is a web-based platform (icho-info.be) comprising the Mijn ICHO authenticated portal, a Medbook-integrated portfolio tool, a searchable databank of master theses organized by ICPC classification, and a thesis-submission workflow. Adjacent systems include the Codific-powered Videolab for secure patient-interaction video sharing used in communication-skills training, ACERTA's CONNECT system for HAIO and practice-trainer work-hour and on-call registration, a Codific-built mobile attendance app on Google Play, and the CEBAM Digital Library of Health for evidence-based references. The technology stack prioritizes administrative interoperability and document/portfolio management rather than analytics or AI.

ICHO is funded primarily by RIZIV (National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance) and the Flemish Government's Department of Care, with SUi vzw acting as the closely associated legal employer for HAIOs and handling payroll, training allowances, and benefits such as Ethias group hospital insurance. As a non-profit, ICHO does not charge trainees or trainers; its revenue mechanics resemble a managed-services coordination role financed through public-sector healthcare budgets rather than a commercial product business. Customer segments are individuals (trainees and trainers) and institutional hospital departments, with no commercial customer-base concentration risk in the traditional sense.

Name

ICHO

Legal name

Interuniversitair Centrum voor Huisartsen Opleiding

Website

https://icho-info.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICHO vzw is a non-profit inter-university organization that coordinates the three-year Master-after-Master program in family medicine across the four Flemish universities in Belgium, serving medical graduates pursuing GP certification, accredited practice trainers, and hospital training departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Education and Postgraduate Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Compliance, Risk & Audit Support Services (EHS, Title IX/Clery Support, Policy Admin) (EDAEALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Safety, Security & Emergency Services (OSHA, Fire, EMS, Security CE) (EDAAALAK)

Keywords

• Medical education
• Family medicine training
• Postgraduate residency
• Clinical training coordination
• Healthcare professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Leuven

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government-funded training program: ICHO coordinates a government-regulated postgraduate training program funded through RIZIV (National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance). HAIOs receive a training allowance under a sui generis employment status, which includes reduced social security contributions and full social benefits from day one of employment. The program is further supported by the Flemish Government's Department of Care (Departement Zorg).
2. Training allowance payments to HAIOs: HAIOs receive indexed monthly training allowances and additional on-call compensation (beyond the minimum 120 hours/year). Practice trainers receive training grants and availability fees from RIZIV. SUi vzw handles payroll through ACERTA Social Secretariat.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ICHO coordinates the three-year full-time Master-after-Master program in family medicine (huisartsgeneeskunde) across the four Flemish universities in Belgium, comprising supervised practice training, hospital rotations, seminars, coursework, and a master's thesis that leads to official recognition as a certified family physician. It provides administrative, digital portfolio, and quality assurance services to medical graduates (HAIOs), accredited practice trainers, and hospital training departments through its Mijn ICHO platform. Funding flows from RIZIV and the Flemish Government's Department of Care, with trainees and trainers receiving government-regulated allowances rather than paying fees.

Product overview

ICHO (Interuniversitair Centrum voor Huisartsen Opleiding) is an educational organization that coordinates the Master-na-Master Huisartsgeneeskunde (Master-after-Master in Family Medicine) program across four Flemish universities in Belgium. The organization provides a comprehensive training platform for future family doctors, offering structured curricula, supervision tools, portfolio management, and administrative services through its digital platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master-na-Master Huisartsgeneeskunde (Master-after-Master in Family Medicine) A three-year full-time postgraduate training program in family medicine for medical graduates (HAIOs) across the four Flemish universities, leading to official recognition as a certified family physician.
• Mijn ICHO Portal Secure online portal for HAIOs and practice trainers to manage administrative tasks, training contracts, stage plans, seminar attendance, master thesis submissions, and portfolio access.
• Databank Masterproeven (Master Thesis Database) Searchable database of completed master theses from the Master-na-Master Huisartsgeneeskunde program, organized by ICPC classification and author.
• Masterproef Begeleiding (Master Thesis Guidance) Comprehensive support system for the master thesis component, including guidelines on AI-tools usage, ethical approval processes, plagiarism prevention, and academic writing standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• HAIOs completing the 3-year program receive official recognition as family physicians from the Flemish Government's Department of Care and qualify for RIZIV accreditation as accredited physicians.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SUi vzw (Stichting Universitair Instituut)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUi vzw is the legal employing entity for HAIOs in the master-na-master huisartsgeneeskunde program. Together with ICHO vzw, SUi vzw manages training contracts, payroll administration through ACERTA, training allowances, hospital insurance (via Ethias), and compliance with the sui generis employment statute for HAIOs.
• ACERTAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACERTA serves as the social secretariat for SUi vzw, handling complete payroll administration for HAIOs including salary payments, absence registration, on-call shift tracking, and compensation. HAIOs and practice trainers access the CONNECT system via ACERTA for registering work hours, absences, and on-call shifts.
• EthiascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEthias provides group hospital insurance coverage for all HAIOs under a collective social formula paid for by SUi vzw, effective from 01/10/2024. Family members (partners, children) can be optionally added. The insurance covers hospitalization, serious illness, and provides continuation options for graduates after training ends.
• RIZIV / INAMIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIZIV (National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance) funds the HAIO training program through monthly training allowances, social status benefits, convention premiums, integrated practice premiums, GMD starter premiums, and availability honoraria for practice trainers. RIZIV also issues physician identification numbers and accreditation for graduates.
• FOD Volksgezondheid (FPS Public Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Federal Public Service for Public Health recognizes practice trainers and hospital trainers as official 'stagemeesters' and sets the regulatory framework for the master-na-master program, including training duration, competency requirements, and trainer qualification standards.
• Kind en GezinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKind en Gezin collaborates with ICHO on HAIO training for Well-Baby Clinic (consultatiebureau) activities. HAIOs who work at Kind en Gezin clinics need individual recognition, and the organization provides monthly reimbursement for medical services performed.
• Departement Zorg (Flemish Government)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Flemish Government's Department of Care oversees the Recognition Commission (Erkenningscommissie) that evaluates and approves individual training plans, annual training reports, and grants official recognition as a family physician upon program completion. HAIOs submit training plans and reports via the Department's e-loket platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• European Academy of Teachers in General Practice (EURACT): The European network of academic GP teachers that sets educational standards and supports teacher development across Europe. Comparable as a peer organization focused on GP training quality, with similar academic/consortium structure but operating at the European level rather than coordinating a single national/regional training pipeline.

Regional players

• Swiss Society of General Internal Medicine (SGAIM): The Swiss professional society representing general internal medicine practitioners, with significant involvement in postgraduate training. Comparable in its role linking academic institutions and family medicine training in a multilingual regional context, though serving a different geographic market.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Allgemeinmedizin und Familienmedizin (DEGAM): The German scientific society for general practice and family medicine that contributes to GP training standards and curriculum in Germany. Comparable as a regional player in GP specialty training coordination, with similar academic function but operating in a different national context.

Direct peers

• SBOH: Stichting Beroeps Opleiding Huisartsen is the Dutch foundation that coordinates GP specialty training in the Netherlands with government funding. Directly comparable as a regionally mandated inter-university coordinator for family medicine training, with similar HAIO employment models and RIVM/RIZIV-equivalent funding structures.
• Collège Académique de Médecine Générale (CAMG): The French academic body coordinating general practice specialty training across French university departments. Similar role as a coordinating academic structure for GP residency training in a national/regional healthcare system with government funding.
• Huisartsopleiding Nederland: The collaborative partnership of Dutch university GP training departments that delivers the formal three-year family medicine specialty training in the Netherlands. Highly comparable in mandate, structure, and consortium-based governance model to ICHO's Flemish inter-university framework.

Broad incumbents

• Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP): The UK professional membership body for GPs that sets training standards and conducts the MRCGP examination. Comparable in its role establishing family medicine training standards, though RCGP is a broader professional membership organization rather than a direct training deliverer.
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP): The Australian professional college responsible for GP training standards, curriculum, and assessment. Comparable in its specialty training oversight role for general practice, with similar regulatory and curriculum-setting functions across multiple training regions.
• College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC): The national professional body responsible for setting standards and accrediting family medicine residency training programs across Canada. Comparable as a specialty training standards body, though broader in scope and advocacy-oriented compared to ICHO's training delivery coordination role.

Others

• WONCA Europe: The European regional branch of the World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians. Related as the broader European umbrella organization for GP/FM academic bodies, of which ICHO's model represents a national chapter; provides industry context but does not directly compete.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interuniversitair-centrum-voor-huisartsenopleiding

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ICHO