Osteopathie.be

What Osteopathie.be does

Osteopathie.be (legal name: Union Professionnelle des Ostéopathes de Belgique / UPOB, also BVBO in Dutch) is a recognized professional association and union representing osteopaths in Belgium. Founded in the 1970s and headquartered in Auderghem (Brussels), the organization serves approximately 900 of Belgium's ~1,700 active osteopaths, alongside the patients who consult them (over one million Belgian patients per year, roughly 10,000 consultations daily). Its core "products" are membership services rather than technology products: a public-facing osteopath search engine, a national weekend and public-holiday emergency on-call service, three social dispensaries offering subsidized consultations, a members-only portal, continuing education administered via GNRPO, and a specialized library.

The underlying technology is a bilingual (French/Dutch) website and member portal built on conventional web tooling; Osteopathie.be does not develop proprietary technology products and relies on third-party partners for member-facing software (Oxteo for practice management and Oxteo exclusively offered to members) and patient-side appointment booking (Doctena). Member benefits also include insurance packages negotiated with Marsh (professional liability, legal protection, therapeutic risk, tax defense), scientific and continuing-education programs, international affiliation with Osteopathy Europe and the OIA, and representation via UNIZO, UCM, and UNPLIB.

The revenue model is subscription-based, generated almost entirely through annual membership dues paid by osteopaths (full practitioners, transitioning graduates, students, and supporting members). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Secondary event revenues come from continuing education events (e.g., OsteoCafés at €40 for members/€80 for non-members; workshops at €75/€150) and a member day with a €50 no-show fee. The organization is a non-profit governed by an elected board; the current chairman is Eric Dobbelaere (since April 2022), with Director Julien Bosc also serving as Secretary-General of Osteopathy Europe (since October 2023).

Name

Osteopathie.be

Legal name

Osteopathie.be (Union professionnelle des Ostéopathes de Belgique - UPOB)

Website

https://osteopathie.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Osteopathie.be (UPOB/BVBO) is Belgium's recognized professional union of osteopaths, representing ~900 of the country's ~1,700 practitioners. It provides members with insurance, continuing education, advocacy, and a national on-call service, and serves patients via a directory and emergency line.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auderghem (Brussels)

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Osteopathy.be generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees paid by osteopath members. Members include 'membres effectifs' (full practicing osteopaths), 'membres adherents' (transitioning graduates, students, and supporting members).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Osteopathie.be is the recognized professional union of Belgian osteopaths (UPOB-BVBO), offering members professional liability and legal protection insurance, a public search directory, continuing education, a national weekend/holiday on-call emergency service, social dispensaries for affordable care, advocacy for professional recognition, and international affiliations (Osteopathy Europe, OIA). The union generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues paid by practicing osteopaths, student/transitioning members, and registration fees for continuing education events.

Product overview

Osteopathie.be is a professional union of osteopaths in Belgium operating a multi-faceted platform that includes a patient-facing search engine for finding qualified osteopaths, an emergency on-call service available on weekends and holidays, and social dispensaries providing subsidized consultations. The organization offers its member osteopaths access to a secure member portal for administrative tasks, continuing education programs through GNRPO, and practice management software (Oxteo). Additional services include a specialized library, scientific publications, and networking events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Membership (Affiliation)

Quantifiable outcome

• VAT exemption on therapeutic treatments achieved from January 1, 2022
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018, a convention was signed with ULB to finance research on integration models for osteopathy in multidisciplinary teams within community health centers. ULB's Faculty of Motor Sciences also provides the university-level osteopathy training.
• Université de Gand (UGent) / Prof. Lieven AnnemansminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Osteopathie.be invested in a collaboration with UGent (Prof. Lieven Annemans, health economist) which published scientific articles in 2018 demonstrating that osteopathy is efficient and cost-saving for neck and lower back pain.
• Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), LondonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Since 2015, the IAO (International Academy of Osteopathy) collaborates with BNU, allowing graduates to obtain a Master of Science in Osteopathy recognized in 45 European countries. Osteopathie.be members can qualify through this pathway.
• DoctenacoreTechnology or IntegrationDoctena provides an online appointment booking platform integrated with Osteopathie.be, allowing patients to book appointments with member osteopaths 24/7. In Belgium, 7.5 million patients have used Doctena, with 96% of patients recommending the platform. The partnership provides member visibility and patient convenience.
• GymnaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGymna supplies research tables and professional equipment (adjustable treatment tables with electric/hydraulic systems) for osteopaths. The partnership offers members discounted or preferential access to ergonomic, durable treatment equipment designed for osteopathic practice.
• OxteocoreTechnology or IntegrationOxteo provides all-in-one practice management software for osteopaths — patient management, appointments, and accounting — exclusively available to Osteopathie.be members as a preferred software solution.
• MarshcoreOthersMarsh provides comprehensive professional insurance packages exclusively for Osteopathie.be members, including professional liability (RC), legal protection, therapeutic risk, and tax defense insurance. This is a unique, members-only insurance program created in partnership with insurance professionals.
• Osteopathy Europe (formerly EFFO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOsteopathy Europe (European Federation & Forum for Osteopathy) is the European umbrella organization. Osteopathie.be is a founding member and, as of 2022, the EFFO/Osteopathy Europe secretariat is hosted at Osteopathie.be's Brussels office. In 2023, a member of Osteopathie.be's board became Secretary-General of Osteopathy Europe.
• Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOsteopathy.be and its members automatically become members of the OIA, the global alliance for the osteopathic profession.
• UNIZOminorOthersUNIZO (Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers) is a Belgian entrepreneurial organization. Osteopathie.be joined UNIZO as a member in 2018 to serve as an intermediary with government and stakeholders.
• UCMminorOthersUCM (Union des Classes Moyennes) is the French-speaking Belgian counterpart to UNIZO. Osteopathie.be joined UCM in 2020 to represent its members' interests.
• UNPLIBminorOthersUNPLIB is the Belgian national union of liberal professions. Osteopathie.be members are affiliated through the union.
• European School of Osteopathy, Maidstone (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CBO (Collège Belge d'Ostéopathie) holds a partnership with the European School of Osteopathy in Maidstone, the birthplace of osteopathy in Europe. This is the only Belgian osteopathy school with this partnership.
• GNRPO (Groupement National pour la Formation Continue et la Garde)coreOthersEffective members automatically become members of the GNRPO, which manages continuing education and the national on-call/emergency service. GNRPO handles the accreditation of continuing education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Osteopathy Australia: Australian national professional association for osteopaths, focused on representation, continuing education, insurance, and public awareness. Closest functional analogue in another English-speaking regulatory environment.
• General Osteopathic Council (GOsC): Statutory regulator and professional body for osteopaths in the United Kingdom. Most directly comparable peer — same osteopathy profession, similar function (registration, standards, continuing education, public register), and a more advanced regulatory model that illustrates the upside trajectory for Osteopathie.be.
• Bundesverband Osteopathie (BVO): Germany's leading professional association for osteopaths. Operates in a similarly fragmented regulatory environment to Belgium and pursues comparable member services (training, insurance, advocacy) — a strong European functional peer.
• American Osteopathic Association (AOA): The largest U.S. national professional association representing osteopathic physicians and surgeons. Same profession, similar mission of representation, training, and advocacy, but at materially greater scale and within a fully regulated profession — useful as a regulatory-mature benchmark.
• Registre des Ostéopathes de France (ROF): French osteopathy registry and professional body. Comparable function (maintaining a public register, setting practice standards, advocacy) in a neighboring country with a similar regulatory trajectory for osteopathy.

Others

• International Osteopathic Alliance (OIA): Global alliance for the osteopathic profession. Osteopathie.be and its members automatically join the OIA. Adjacent strategic ecosystem player, not a competitor, but a comparator for international advocacy and standards work.
• Osteopathy Europe (formerly EFFO): European umbrella federation for osteopaths, whose secretariat is hosted at Osteopathie.be's Brussels office. Not a direct competitor but a strategic adjacent organization with shared leadership and mutual advocacy interests.

Broad incumbents

• Ordre des Médecins / Orde der Artsen: Belgian national medical order governing physicians. Comparable institutional structure (statutory professional body, member listing, continuing education, disciplinary role), serving as a precedent for what a fully recognized osteopathy body could become in Belgium.
• Royal Dutch Society for Physiotherapy (KNGF): Dutch professional association for physiotherapists. Similar member-services model (insurance, education, advocacy, public register) in a closely adjacent healthcare profession with stronger regulatory standing — useful as a regional benchmark.

Regional players

• Conseil National de l'Ordre des Masseurs-Kinésithérapeutes: French national regulatory body for physiotherapists. Structurally analogous to Osteopathie.be (statutory regulation of a manual-therapy profession), but operating in France under fully regulated status — illustrates the end-state Osteopathie.be is lobbying for.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/osteopathie-be

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Osteopathie.be