Bethel

What Bethel does

Krankenhaus Mara is a specialized tertiary care hospital in Bielefeld, Germany, operating as part of the v. Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen Bethel foundation group under the legal entity Krankenhaus Mara gGmbH. Founded in 1932 as a treatment facility for people with epilepsy, it has grown into Germany's largest epilepsy treatment center and the country's only university clinic for inclusive medicine. The hospital operates two main divisions: the Universitätsklinik für Epileptologie (University Clinic for Epileptology) and the Universitätsklinik für Inklusive Medizin (University Clinic for Inclusive Medicine), both part of the Universitätsklinikum OWL of the University of Bielefeld. The facility treats approximately 7,600 inpatients and 5,000 outpatients annually across 177 beds.

The hospital's clinical capabilities span long-term video-EEG monitoring (24-48 hours), pre-surgical epilepsy diagnostics with invasive depth/strip electrodes, MRI and neuropsychological assessment, epilepsy surgery (since 1991), medical and vocational rehabilitation for epilepsy patients (since 1997), autoimmune encephalitis treatment, and holistic care for people with intellectual disabilities including the MZEB (Medical Center for Adults with Disabilities). Specialized inpatient wards include EP1 (epilepsy with comorbidities), EP2 (diagnostics), EP3 (therapy), JEEP (young adults), and Kidron (pediatric and adolescent epileptology). The hospital also operates an HIV/AIDS infection outpatient clinic and the FRiMeL research project, which develops inclusive medical education with people with disabilities serving as teaching assistants.

Revenue is generated through the German DRG (Diagnosis Related Groups) reimbursement system for inpatient services and statutory/private health insurance for outpatient services. The hospital serves as a referral destination across Europe for treatment-resistant epilepsy and complex disability medicine cases, with patient acquisition driven by physician referrals, outpatient self-referrals (Epilepsieambulanz treating ~2,500 patients/year), and an established European referral network spanning NRW and the wider continent. Approximately 5,400 employees are distributed across Krankenhaus Mara and the affiliated Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel (EvKB), together forming the university's maximum-care and academic footprint. The hospital is governed by a non-profit foundation structure with no venture capital or private equity exposure.

Name

Bethel

Legal name

Krankenhaus Mara gGmbH

Website

https://mara.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Krankenhaus Mara is a specialized German university hospital in Bielefeld operating Germany's largest epilepsy treatment center and its only university clinic for inclusive medicine, serving epilepsy patients and people with intellectual disabilities across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Hospital Services

NAICS

Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060)

akta.pro primary industry

Critical Access & Rural Hospitals (HLAFAAAG)

Keywords

• Epilepsy treatment
• Epileptology services
• Inclusive medicine
• Neurological rehabilitation
• Disability healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Bielefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Stationäre Krankenhausbehandlung: Inpatient hospital treatment reimbursed through German DRG (Diagnosis Related Groups) system and statutory/private health insurance. Hospital operates 177 beds and treats approximately 7,600 inpatients annually.
2. Ambulante Behandlung: Outpatient clinic services (Epilepsieambulanz) treating approximately 2,500 children, adolescents and adults annually. Reimbursed through statutory health insurance ambulatory care provisions.
3. Epilepsie-Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation clinic for people with epilepsy, established 1997. Medical and vocational rehabilitation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Krankenhaus Mara is a specialized hospital within the Bethel network operating two university clinic divisions: Epileptology (diagnosis, treatment, and surgery for epilepsy) and Inclusive Medicine (Medizin für Menschen mit Behinderung) for adults with disabilities. It provides inpatient care, four specialized outpatient clinics, epilepsy surgery, day-clinic care, and a Medical Center for Adults with Disabilities (MZEB).

Product overview

Bethel (Krankenhaus Mara) operates as a specialized hospital offering two main university clinic divisions: the Universitätsklinik für Epileptologie (University Clinic for Epileptology) and the Universitätsklinik für Inklusive Medizin (University Clinic for Inclusive Medicine). The Epileptology division provides inpatient wards (EP1 for epilepsy with comorbidities, EP2 for diagnostics, EP3 for therapy, JEEP for young adults, and Kidron for pediatric care), an outpatient clinic serving 2,500 patients annually, epilepsy surgery services, and autoimmune encephalitis treatment. The Inclusive Medicine division offers the MZEB (Medical Center for Adults with Disabilities), emergency and specialist outpatient services, and an HIV/AIDS infection clinic. The hospital also conducts the FRiMeL research project on inclusive medical education and produces the "Vierundzwanzigsieben" podcast. The institution operates 177 beds and treats approximately 7,600 inpatients per year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Epilepsie-Zentrum Bethel: The Epilepsy Center Bethel, which includes the Universitätsklinik für Epileptologie and related specialized clinics for epilepsy treatment.
• Universitätsklinik für Epileptologie
• Universitätsklinik für Inklusive Medizin
• MZEB Bethel

Products and services

• Epileptology University Clinic (Klinik für Epileptologie) University clinic providing inpatient and outpatient diagnosis, medical treatment, and long-term care for patients with epilepsy, including presurgical evaluation.
• Epilepsy Surgery Program Surgical treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, supported by video-EEG long-term monitoring and a dedicated surgical team.
• Special Outpatient Epilepsy Clinics (Epileptologische Spezialsprechstunden) Four specialized outpatient clinics for epilepsy patients covering roughly 7,500 outpatient contacts per year, providing consultation, follow-up, and treatment planning.
• Acute Epileptology Inpatient Ward 10-bed acute inpatient ward for short-term intensive epileptology treatment, including diagnostic workup and seizure management.
• Inclusive Medicine University Clinic (Klinik für Inklusive Medizin) University clinic providing inpatient and day-clinic medical care for adults with disabilities, delivered by clinicians trained in disability-competent care.
• Day Clinic for Inclusive Medicine (Tagesklinik Inklusive Medizin) Day-clinic offering for adults with disabilities, providing multidisciplinary assessment and treatment during daytime hours without overnight stay.
• Medical Center for Adults with Disabilities (MZEB) Specialized ambulatory care center for adults with disabilities, offering outpatient diagnostics, treatment planning, and multidisciplinary consultation.
• Ambulatory Care for Bethel Inpatients (Ambulante Versorgung der stationären Patientinnen und Patienten) Ambulatory medical service that provides outpatient and consultative care to inpatients of other Bethel facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Behandlung von ca. 7.600 stationären und 5.000 ambulanten Patientinnen und Patienten jährlich
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Verein HerzCasparminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Volunteer buddy program where young people (18-30 years) visit patients on the epilepsy surgery ward, providing companionship through games and entertainment. Krankenhaus Mara is the first hospital in NRW with this program. Started 2023, visits twice weekly.
• Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel (EvKB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvKB is Bethel's second hospital in Bielefeld, a maximum care facility. Krankenhaus Mara works closely in the network with EvKB. Together they form the Universitätsklinikum OWL of Universität Bielefeld. Both hospitals share administrative services, training programs, and form the interdisciplinary Neurozentrum Bethel including Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Neuroradiology clinics.
• Universität Bielefeld / Medizinische Fakultät OWLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKrankenhaus Mara is part of Universitätsklinikum OWL of Universität Bielefeld. Two professorship chairs are represented at the hospital: Professorship for Inclusive Medicine (Prof. Sappok) and Professorship for Epileptology with focus on Disability Medicine (Prof. Brandt). The hospital received university clinic status for Epileptology in November 2020.
• Bethel.regional (v. Bodelschwinghschen Stiftungen Bethel)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner in FRiMeL project for recruiting people with disabilities as inclusive teaching assistants. Part of the regional integration support network.
• Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen (IQWiG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of health information materials in Leichte Sprache (easy language) for people with cognitive impairments. First topic: colonoscopy preparation information. Project aimed at improving communication with patients with disabilities.
• Deutscher Evangelischer Krankenhausverband (DEKV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in development of health information materials in Leichte Sprache. DEKV represents 199 evangelical hospitals and is particularly committed to care for vulnerable patient groups.
• Gesellschaft für EpilepsieforschungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch society where investigations and studies are coordinated and scientifically prepared. Located in Bethel, supporting the research activities of the epilepsy center.
• Hospiz Bethel e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with hospice care services for end-of-life care and support for patients with disabilities.
• Pflegeschule im Evangelischen Klinikum BethelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNursing school partnership for training nursing staff (Pflegefachmann/Pflegefachfrau). Mara is a training facility for nursing education.
• Pflegeschule NazarethminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Pflegeschule Nazareth for nursing education and training.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Charité Berlin (Universitätsmedizin): Germany's largest university hospital, providing comprehensive neurology, epileptology, and disability-related services. Comparable at the level of academic-medical-center scale and tertiary referral role, though vastly broader in scope.
• Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg: Major German university hospital with established neurology and epileptology services, including pre-surgical evaluation. Comparable as a competing academic tertiary neurology center with overlapping research and referral dynamics.
• Helios Kliniken GmbH: Germany's largest private hospital operator with broad acute and specialty services including neurology and neurosurgery. Broad incumbent operating across most tertiary and specialty service lines relevant to Mara, though without an exclusive focus on epileptology.
• Asklepios Kliniken GmbH: One of Germany's largest private hospital groups operating across acute, specialty, and rehabilitation care including neurology. Broad incumbent overlap in tertiary acute inpatient services relevant to Mara's epileptology/inclusive medicine scope.
• Universitätsklinikum Münster: Large German university hospital with neurology and epilepsy services. Comparable as a publicly-funded tertiary care academic medical center competing for regional and national neurology referrals.
• Sana Kliniken AG: German private hospital chain operating academic and specialty sites including neurology. Broad incumbent comparable in tertiary acute care delivery and DRG reimbursement dynamics.

Direct peers

• Universitätsklinikum Bonn (Klinik für Epileptologie): Major German university hospital running a dedicated epilepsy center and pre-surgical video-EEG diagnostics program. Direct peer in tertiary epilepsy surgery and outpatient epileptology.
• Universitätsklinikum Erlangen: University hospital with the well-established Epilepsiezentrum Erlangen offering comprehensive adult and pediatric epileptology, including surgery. Direct peer for tertiary epilepsy referral center positioning in Germany.
• Schön Klinik SE: Germany's leading privately operated specialty hospital group with strong neurology and epileptology services. Directly comparable as a specialty/acute care operator focused on complex neurological inpatient care in the German market.
• Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel (EvKB): Sister hospital under the same v. Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen Bethel parent foundation, sharing administrative services and forming the interdisciplinary Neurozentrum Bethel with Mara. Direct peer given co-ownership and shared infrastructure for neurology and neurosurgery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/krankenhaus-mara-ggmbh-epilepsie-zentrum-bethel

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bethel