Landesverband freie ambulante Krankenpflege NRW e.V.

What Landesverband freie ambulante Krankenpflege NRW e.V. does

Landesverband freie ambulante Krankenpflege NRW e.V. (LfK), headquartered in Köln and founded in 1994, is a registered non-profit professional association (eingetragener Verein) that serves as the largest member organization for private ambulatory nursing services (Pflegedienste) and day care facilities (Tagespflegeeinrichtungen) in North Rhine-Westphalia, with 550–650+ member companies. Its core offering is a membership-based service platform covering regulatory advocacy under SGB V and SGB XI, collective bargaining representation with statutory health and care insurers (Krankenkassen and Pflegekassen), quality assurance tools (notably the LfK-Werkzeugkoffer covering quality criteria QB1–QB5 and the LfK-Qualitätssiegel customer-satisfaction certification), continuing education (delivered through the wholly-owned LfK Weiterbildungsgesellschaft, which runs 150+ courses and more than 20,000 teaching units annually across 19 NRW locations), and commercial business consulting (via LfK Fördergesellschaft für ambulante Pflegedienste mbH). The association also publishes the AmPuls monthly member magazine, operates the LfK-App for real-time member alerts, maintains a podcast and video channel, and runs the LfK-Unternehmerdialog business training event series and a Gründungsberatung (startup consulting) service for new Pflegedienste.

The business model is recurring membership dues as the primary revenue stream, augmented by course fees from the Weiterbildung subsidiary and consulting fees from the Fördergesellschaft subsidiary. Membership is acquired through direct outreach, regional events, and word-of-mouth within the nursing community. The association has three wholly-owned entities (LfK Weiterbildung, LfK Fördergesellschaft) extending into fee-based education and consulting, plus a network of regional and district sub-associations (Kreis- / Regionalverbände). Current leadership comprises Chairwoman Andrea Lippmann, Deputy Chairwoman Nora Jürgens, and Secretary Bernd Leiendecker (re-elected March 2026 in Mülheim an der Ruhr), with Anke Willers-Kaul serving as Managing Director (Geschäftsführerin).

Name

Landesverband freie ambulante Krankenpflege NRW e.V.

Legal name

Landesverband freie ambulante Krankenpflege NRW e.V.

Website

https://lfk-online.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Largest registered professional association for private ambulatory nursing services and day care facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, providing regulatory advocacy, collective bargaining, quality tools, training, and consulting to 650+ member Pflegedienste.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln (Cologne)

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: LfK generates revenue primarily through membership fees paid by private ambulatory care service providers (Pflegedienste) and day care facilities (Tagespflegeeinrichtungen) in North Rhine-Westphalia. The association provides a broad suite of services in exchange, including legal/regulatory support, negotiation representation, quality tools, training, and business consulting.
2. LfK Weiterbildungsgesellschaft – training and continuing education: A subsidiary company (LfK Weiterbildungsgesellschaft für Pflegeberufe mbH) offers over 150 courses and more than 20,000 teaching units annually across 19 locations in NRW. Revenue is generated through course fees charged to Pflegedienste and individual nurses for professional development and certification programs.
3. LfK Fördergesellschaft – business consulting: LfK Fördergesellschaft für ambulante Pflegedienste mbH provides commercial business consulting services tailored to the needs of ambulatory care companies. Services include financial advisory, operational optimization, and succession planning, generating fee-based revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LfK is a professional non-profit association that provides membership services to private ambulatory nursing service providers (Pflegedienste) and day care facilities (Tagespflegeeinrichtungen) in North Rhine-Westphalia. Its core offering is a bundled membership package including regulatory advocacy, collective bargaining representation with health and care insurers, quality assurance tools (LfK-Werkzeugkoffer), a member hotline, the monthly AmPuls magazine, real-time alerts via the LfK-App, and continuing-education programs delivered through its subsidiary LfK Weiterbildungsgesellschaft.

Product overview

LfK (Landesverband freie ambulante Krankenpflege NRW e.V.) is a professional association serving as the largest member organization for private ambulatory nursing services in North Rhine-Westphalia. The association operates a platform of interconnected member services rather than a single software product. Core offerings include the LfK-Werkzeugkoffer (quality assurance toolkit with templates for MDK inspections), the LfK-App (mobile app with push notifications), and AmPuls (monthly member magazine). Supporting services include LfK-Hotline (competence telephone support), LfK-Weiterbildung (continuing education via subsidiary), LfK-Qualitätssiegel (customer satisfaction certification), LfK-Unternehmerdialog (business training events), and Mein Tarif (tariff agreement resources). The association also provides podcast series, video content, a comprehensive download portal, startup consulting, and exam preparation support. Subsidiaries include LfK Fördergesellschaft (business consulting) and LfK-Weiterbildung (education provider with 150+ courses across 19 locations).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LfK Fördergesellschaft: LfK Fördergesellschaft für ambulante Pflegedienste mbH - commercial consulting services for nursing entrepreneurs
• LfK-Weiterbildung
• AmPuls
• LfK-Werkzeugkoffer
• LfK-Qualitätssiegel

Products and services

• LfK-Werkzeugkoffer Comprehensive quality assurance toolkit with templates, work aids, and checklists for ambulatory care services, covering all five quality areas (QB 1-5), nursing documentation standards, and WG-relevant templates for MDK inspection preparation. Available to LfK member Pflegedienste.
• LfK-App Mobile application delivering real-time emergency alerts and practical service functions to LfK member Pflegedienste owners. Available to LfK members for ongoing operational support and urgent communications.
• AmPuls (Member Magazine) Monthly member magazine (included in membership) providing news and analysis on home care, law, economics, taxation, continuing education, and contracts under SGB V and XI. Targeted at LfK member Pflegedienste owners and managers.
• LfK-Weiterbildung (Continuing Education Subsidiary) Subsidiary offering over 150 continuing-education courses at five central locations and 14 additional cities in NRW, covering quality assurance, business management, and advanced nursing training. Available to Pflegedienste and individual nurses for professional development and certification.
• LfK-Qualitätssiegel (Quality Seal) Quality certification seal awarded to ambulatory nursing services that achieve 'Good' or 'Very Good' ratings in external customer satisfaction surveys. Available to qualifying LfK member Pflegedienste.
• LfK-Hotline Competence hotline providing members with comprehensive information five days a week on topics and problems from nursing, economics, and law. Available exclusively to LfK member Pflegedienste.
• LfK Fördergesellschaft (Business Consulting Subsidiary) Commercial consulting subsidiary providing professional business advisory services including financial advisory, operational optimization, and succession planning tailored for ambulatory nursing service entrepreneurs. Available to LfK members and other Pflegedienste.
• Gründungsberatung (Startup Consulting) Startup consulting service guiding entrepreneurs through all steps of founding an ambulatory nursing service. Targeted at prospective Pflegedienst founders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% satisfaction rate among members with the LfK hotline
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BARMER (Pflegekasse)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2009BARMER and LfK entered into a partnership to expand course offerings for family caregivers and volunteers caring for people with dementia. LfK member Pflegedienste provide qualified nursing staff as instructors for Pflegekurse and häusliche Schulungen (home-based training), which BARMER promotes and partly finances. The partnership aims to support the approximately 300,000 people living with dementia in NRW.
• BGW (Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGW co-organizes the annual NRW-Fahrsicherheitstag (NRW Road Safety Day) for Pflegedienste employees together with LfK. BGW provides occupational health and safety expertise and co-finances the event. The partnership has been ongoing since at least 2009, with the first event attracting 180+ participants.
• LfK Fördergesellschaft für ambulante Pflegedienste mbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLfK Fördergesellschaft is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LfK providing commercial business consulting services for Pflegedienste entrepreneurs. It offers services including financial advisory, operational optimization, and succession planning. The subsidiary is presented as a recommended resource on the LfK website for members seeking individualized business support.
• LfK Weiterbildungsgesellschaft für Pflegeberufe mbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLfK Weiterbildungsgesellschaft is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LfK offering professional development and continuing education for nursing staff in ambulatory care. It offers 150+ courses at 19 locations across NRW, including the 'LfK-Unternehmerdialog' events and the 'MDK-Führerschein' program. The subsidiary operates its own website (www.lfk-weiterbildung.de).
• optadata GruppeminorGTM or Marketing Partneroptadata Gruppe sponsored the NRW-Fahrsicherheitstag (road safety day) for Pflegedienste, co-organized by LfK and BGW. Support includes financial sponsorship and organizational contribution to the free driver safety training event.
• Autohaus Fischer GmbH & Co. KGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAutohaus Fischer GmbH & Co. KG in Münster sponsored the NRW-Fahrsicherheitstag for Pflegedienste, providing vehicle-related support for the free road safety training event.
• Bank für Sozialwirtschaft (BFS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBank für Sozialwirtschaft supported LfK Regionalveranstaltungen (regional events) on MDK transparency reporting and provided sponsorship for educational presentations on quality assurance.
• DISEÑO (communication agency)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDISEÑO, a communications agency with ten years of experience in marketing for social services (Sozialwirtschaft), developed the new visual identity and redesign of the LfK member magazine AmPuls in 2009.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AWO Bundesverband: National Workers' Welfare Association operating care and social services across Germany, including ambulatory nursing. Comparable as a large incumbent welfare provider with regional structure, competing for the same caregiver and policy-influence space as LfK.
• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest Catholic welfare association, operating extensive ambulatory and inpatient care services. Comparable as an established incumbent offering overlapping care-provider services, though structured as a welfare/charitable provider rather than a trade association.
• Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege (BAGFW): Umbrella association of Germany's six leading welfare associations (Caritas, Diakonie, AWO, Paritätischer, DRK, ZWST). Comparable as a larger, established federation operating in adjacent healthcare/social service space, with broader scope than LfK's ambulatory-only focus.
• Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft (DKG): Federal association of German hospital operators. Comparable as an established industry association engaging in collective negotiations with payers and policy advocacy, though focused on inpatient rather than ambulatory care.
• Diakonie Deutschland: National federation of Protestant welfare organizations providing extensive social and healthcare services including ambulatory Pflege. Comparable as an incumbent provider/advocate in the same care economy, serving overlapping clients and policy concerns.
• Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband: Umbrella organization for non-confessional, non-profit social and healthcare providers in Germany. Comparable as a membership-based advocacy organization serving social and care providers, with broader scope than LfK but similar member-service and policy-advocacy functions.

Direct peers

• Deutscher Pflegerat (DPR): German Nursing Council representing professional nursing associations at the federal level. Comparable as a membership/advocacy organization for the nursing profession, with overlapping policy advocacy and member-service orientation.
• bpa – Bundesverband privater Anbieter sozialer Dienste e.V. National trade association for private ambulatory care, inpatient care, and social service providers in Germany. Directly comparable as the federal counterpart to LfK, representing the same member profile (private Pflegedienste) and competing for members in NRW.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/landesverband-freie-ambulante-krankenpflege-nrw-e-v-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Landesverband freie ambulante Krankenpflege NRW e.V.