unizell
unizell Medicare GmbH is a German Homecare medical supplies provider that supplies incontinence products, nursing aids, and oral nutritional supplements to over 90,000 patients and 2,500 nursing services via prescription billing with statutory health insurers and recurring home delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersBad Schwartau, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What unizell does
unizell Medicare GmbH is a privately held, owner-managed German Homecare medical supplies provider headquartered in Bad Schwartau, with regional offices in Bremen and Bielefeld. Founded approximately 40 years ago, the company specializes in incontinence care, nursing supplies (Pflegehilfsmittel), and nutritional management, serving over 90,000 Homecare patients, approximately 60,000 of whom receive monthly recurring deliveries, and around 2,500 nursing services (Pflegedienste) across Germany.
The core product offering is a recurring incontinence supply service on prescription, complemented by monthly Pflegehilfsmittel packages (up to €42/month, €504/year) covered by care insurance for patients with a recognized care grade. unizell distributes both its own brands (forma-care for incontinence products and FORMADES for disinfection) and third-party brands (TENA by Essity, Fresubin by Fresenius Kabi via trinknahrung.shop). The company processes prescriptions, handles electronic billing directly with all major German statutory health insurers (AOK, Barmer, TK, IKK classic), and delivers discreetly to patient homes. It is DIN EN ISO 13485 certified for medical device quality management and is a Förderkreis member of Deutsche Kontinenz Gesellschaft.
The business model is fundamentally a recurring-transaction Homecare supply operation built on a contracted partner channel with statutory health insurers. Patient acquisition is driven by AOK and other insurer referral letters, free sample/test packages as a lead magnet, and a dedicated 65+ person in-house service team handling consultation, prescription processing, and ongoing account management. Revenue is generated primarily through health insurance reimbursement (with patients paying only a ~10% statutory co-payment of roughly €5.60–€6.50/month), supplemented by private co-payments on premium own-brand products and direct-pay e-commerce sales of oral nutritional supplements through trinknahrung.shop.
unizell firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- unizell
- Legal name
- unizell Medicare GmbH
- Website
- https://unizell.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- unizell Medicare GmbH is a German Homecare medical supplies provider that supplies incontinence products, nursing aids, and oral nutritional supplements to over 90,000 patients and 2,500 nursing services via prescription billing with statutory health insurers and recurring home delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where unizell is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bad Schwartau
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
unizell business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Medical supplies sales (Incontinence & nursing products): unizell sells incontinence products (pads, pants, inserts, adult diapers) and nursing supplies (disposable gloves, disinfectants, bed protectors) to patients and care services. Products are delivered directly to customers' homes, with billing handled through health insurance reimbursement (prescription pathway). The company carries own-brand products (forma-care, FORMADES) as well as third-party brands (TENA).
- Prescription billing & health insurance reimbursement: unizell handles the complete prescription billing workflow with health insurance companies on behalf of patients. As a contracted partner of all major statutory health insurers (AOK, Barmer, TK, IKK classic, etc.), they process electronic cost estimates and manage reimbursement, billing the insurance company directly for covered products.
- Pflegehilfsmittel (Nursing care supplies) - monthly subscription: Patients with a recognized care level (Pflegegrad 1-5) are entitled to a monthly nursing supply package worth up to €42, fully covered by the care insurance fund (Pflegekasse). unizell manages the application, billing, and monthly delivery of these supplies as a recurring service.
- Trinknahrung.shop e-commerce: unizell operates a dedicated online shop (trinknahrung.shop) for nutritional drinks (oral nutritional supplements), selling products like Fresubin directly to consumers. Products are delivered via standard e-commerce logistics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Standard prescription supply - health insurer covered with co-payment |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pflegehilfsmittel (Nursing care supplies) - fully covered up to €504/year |
| Hybrid | Monthly | Premium product tier (forma-care) - may involve private co-payment |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Oral nutritional supplements (Trinknahrung) - direct purchase |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
unizell product offering
Product offeringCore offering
unizell Medicare GmbH is a German healthcare supply company that provides incontinence products, nursing care aids (Pflegehilfsmittel), and nutritional supplements to senior citizens, homecare patients, and nursing services across Germany. The company operates a full-service model including free consultation, prescription handling, direct billing with statutory health insurers, and discreet monthly home delivery, distributed through an in-house call center, regional offices, and the trinknahrung.shop e-commerce platform.
Product overview
unizell Medicare GmbH is a healthcare service provider offering a portfolio of incontinence and care supply products and services. Their core offerings include incontinence supplies (both own-brand forma-care and third-party TENA), care aids covered by nursing insurance, and professional consultation services. They operate multiple service channels including a homecare division with call center support, an online shop (trinknahrung.shop) for nutritional supplements, and a careers portal for recruitment. The company positions itself as a full-service provider handling prescription processing, insurance billing, and recurring deliveries, primarily serving individual patients, nursing services, and healthcare providers across Germany.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- forma-care: Brand for incontinence products including pads, slips, pants and related care products for bladder weakness.
- FORMADES Desinfektion
- Trinknahrung.shop
Quantifiable outcome
- 75 out of 100 on IKK classic Mystery Shopping quality index vs. 63 average for industry
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use unizell
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
unizell technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
unizell partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AOK (Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse)coreunizell is one of the largest AOK partners in Germany for incontinence supply services. AOK sends provider-switching letters to its insureds, recommending unizell as a preferred supplier. This partnership drives significant patient acquisition. The collaboration covers the full supply chain: product delivery, prescription handling, and billing with AOK.
- All major German statutory health insurers (gesetzliche Krankenkassen)coreunizell is a contracted partner (Vertragspartner) of all major statutory health insurers including Barmer, Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), IKK classic, and others. They handle electronic cost estimates (elektronischer Kostenvoranschlag) and billing directly with insurers via their own interfaces.
- Deutsche Kontinenz Gesellschaft e.V.coreunizell is a member of the Förderkreis (sponsoring circle) of the Deutsche Kontinenz Gesellschaft. This partnership signals commitment to continence promotion and provides credibility in the incontinence care sector. The collaboration focuses on improving quality of life for people with incontinence.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
unizell competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sanicare Versandapotheke: German mail-order pharmacy that dispenses prescription incontinence supplies and Pflegehilfsmittel with home delivery, competing with unizell for the same patient population via an online channel.
- Wellsana (wellkana.de): German Pflegehilfsmittel subscription service operating a comparable monthly supply model for care-level patients with insurance reimbursement. Directly competes in unizell's Pflegehilfsmittel stream.
- Servona GmbH: German home medical supply company focused on respiratory, incontinence, and care products with insurance billing. Closely comparable service mix and German homecare customer base.
- PAUL HARTMANN AG: Major German hygiene and medical products manufacturer with a strong incontinence portfolio (e.g., MoliCare). Directly competes with unizell's forma-care line in the German incontinence supply category.
- mediq Deutschland GmbH: European home medical supply provider operating a similar insurance-billing and home-delivery model for incontinence, ostomy, and wound care. Closest direct comparable on business model and reimbursement workflow.
- TZMO Deutschland GmbH: European hygiene group marketing the Seni incontinence brand in Germany. Competes head-to-head with both forma-care and TENA in the same patient and Pflegedienst channels unizell serves.
Broad incumbents
- Shop Apotheke Europe NV: Large German-headquartered online pharmacy that also supplies prescription incontinence and Pflegehilfsmittel products. Adjacent competitor with broader OTC/pharmacy assortment and significantly larger scale.
- Essity AB: Swedish hygiene group and parent of the TENA brand that unizell distributes. Competes indirectly through direct TENA channels and other hygiene categories, and supplies unizell as a channel partner.
- B. Braun SE: Major German medical device and supply company with homecare offerings. Operates broadly in healthcare supply, including products and services that overlap with unizell's portfolio at much larger scale.
Emerging players
- Pflegebox GmbH: Smaller German Pflegehilfsmittel subscription service applying the same monthly-delivery, insurance-billed model to care-level patients. Represents the niche subscription entrants eroding share from incumbents like unizell.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
unizell social profiles
Digital presenceunizell compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
unizell financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
unizell leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
unizell funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
unizell M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about unizell
What does unizell do?
unizell Medicare GmbH is a German healthcare supply company that provides incontinence products, nursing care aids (Pflegehilfsmittel), and nutritional supplements to senior citizens, homecare patients, and nursing services across Germany. The company operates a full-service model including free consultation, prescription handling, direct billing with statutory health insurers, and discreet monthly home delivery, distributed through an in-house call center, regional offices, and the trinknahrung.shop e-commerce platform.
Is unizell a public or private company?
unizell is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was unizell founded?
unizell was founded in 1986. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is unizell based?
unizell is headquartered in Bad Schwartau, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does unizell make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Medical supplies sales (Incontinence & nursing products) is the primary driver. The others are prescription billing & health insurance reimbursement, pflegehilfsmittel (Nursing care supplies) - monthly subscription and trinknahrung.shop e-commerce.
Who are unizell's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sanicare Versandapotheke, Wellsana (wellkana.de), Servona GmbH, PAUL HARTMANN AG, mediq Deutschland GmbH and TZMO Deutschland GmbH. Broad incumbents are Shop Apotheke Europe NV, Essity AB and B. Braun SE. Pflegebox GmbH is listed as an emerging player.
Does unizell have an API?
No public API is recorded for unizell.