SPO Patientenorganisation

What SPO Patientenorganisation does

Schweizerische Patientenorganisation SPO is a Swiss non-profit foundation (Stiftung) founded in 1982, headquartered in Zurich, that provides independent advisory and advocacy services to patients and their relatives across all three major Swiss language regions. Its core offering is independent medical and dental consultation delivered by qualified healthcare professionals, augmented by a free initial 30-minute telephone consultation, structured Advance Care Planning (Patientenverfügung Plus), and PatBox.ch — an anonymous online platform for patients to report critical or uncertain treatment experiences. The organization is governed by a Foundation Council (Stiftungsrat), advised by a volunteer Patientenbeirat (patient advisory council), and is represented in numerous Swiss healthcare policy bodies and political committees. From January 2025, SPO merged activities with the Fédération Suisse des Patients (FSP), the Romandie patient organization, creating a unified national patient voice.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight: a Webflow-hosted website, the spo.libracore.ch online appointment booking platform, and the PatBox.ch web-based incident reporting form. No AI, ML, or proprietary technology platforms are described. Distribution combines digital channels (website, podcast on Spotify, Facebook, LinkedIn, email newsletter, SEO content/blog) with physical touchpoints including three regional offices (Zurich, Lausanne, Bellinzona) and a pharmacy brochure distribution network.

SPO's revenue model is a non-profit subscription-plus-donation hybrid. Annual auto-renewing memberships are sold at three tiers — individual (from CHF 60), family (from CHF 90), and supporting (from CHF 100) — and bundle advisory access, member discounts, and a Patientenrechtsschutzversicherung (patient legal protection insurance) that covers all future events. Donations (IBAN published on the website) supplement membership income and underwrite free advisory services and public advocacy. SPO is not publicly traded, has no parent company, and has no disclosed funding rounds, M&A, or external investment. The customer base is the general Swiss public — patients, relatives, and donors — with no enterprise or institutional paying customers.

Name

SPO Patientenorganisation

Legal name

Schweizerische Patientenorganisation SPO

Website

https://spo.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SPO Patientenorganisation is a Swiss non-profit foundation, founded 1982, providing independent medical/dental advisory, anonymous incident reporting (PatBox.ch), advance care planning, and patient legal protection insurance to patients and relatives across German, French, and Italian-speaking Switzerland, funded by memberships (CHF 60–100+/year) and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance Claims Intake & FNOL Support (BPAAAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Self-Funded Employer POS (ASO/TPA-Administered) (HLAEAOAH)

Keywords

• Patient advocacy services
• Medical consultation
• Patient legal protection
• Advance care planning
• Patient rights advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide access to legal protection insurance, discounts, and advisory services. Individual membership from 60 CHF/year, family membership from 90 CHF/year, supporting membership from 100 CHF/year. All memberships auto-renew annually.
2. Donations: Donations from supporters enable the organization to provide free advisory services and represent patients publicly. Donation account: IBAN CH74 0070 0110 3042 0980 6.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SPO Patientenorganisation is an independent Swiss nonprofit foundation that delivers free medical and dental second-opinion consultations, patient legal protection insurance, advance care planning through Patientenverfügung Plus, and an anonymous incident-reporting platform (PatBox.ch) to individual patients and families across Switzerland. Its services are bundled and delivered primarily through individual, family, and supporter memberships supported by donations.

Product overview

SPO Patientenorganisation operates as a patient advocacy organization offering a suite of consultation, legal protection, and educational services. The core offerings include: (1) independent medical and dental consultation services with free initial assessment, (2) PatBox.ch anonymous incident reporting platform, (3) Patientenverfügung Plus (Advance Care Planning) for living wills, and (4) patient legal protection insurance as a membership benefit. Services are accessible through a membership program (individual from CHF 60/year, family from CHF 90/year, supporter from CHF 100/year) and are complemented by free educational guides, blog articles, and the Stethoskop podcast. The organization maintains offices in Zürich, Lausanne, and Bellinzona serving German, French, and Italian-speaking Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PatBox.ch: Platform for reporting critical treatment experiences anonymously
• Patientenverfügung Plus (Directives anticipées Plus)
• ACP (Advance Care Planning)

Quantifiable outcome

• Free initial 30-minute telephone consultation available to all patients

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fédération Suisse des Patients (FSP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SPO and FSP (the Romandie section of patient organizations) merged their activities from January 2025 to form a stronger unified patient voice in Switzerland. The SPO restructured its Foundation Council following this merger. This represents the organization's most significant strategic partnership, combining German-speaking and French-speaking patient representation under one organizational umbrella.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pro Mente Sana: Swiss foundation advocating for the rights of people with mental health conditions, providing independent advice and legal support. Comparable as a Swiss non-profit delivering patient advisory services and legal advocacy in a health context.
• Aids-Hilfe Schweiz: Swiss voluntary health organization providing advocacy, advisory, and direct services to people affected by HIV/AIDS. Comparable as a Swiss non-profit health advocacy organization offering direct support and policy representation.
• Pro Senectute Schweiz: Swiss non-profit providing advisory, advocacy, and services to elderly populations. Comparable in bundling advisory services with member/beneficiary support, though focused on aging-related issues rather than medical treatment broadly.
• Krebsliga Schweiz: Major Swiss voluntary health organization providing direct services, advisory, and advocacy to cancer patients and families. Comparable as a non-profit foundation combining advisory services, member support, and policy engagement in the Swiss healthcare context.
• Fédération Suisse des Patients (FSP): Swiss patient advocacy organization that merged operations with SPO beginning January 2025. Operates the same mission of independent patient representation and advisory services in the Romandie region, making it the most direct comparable.
• Selbsthilfe Schweiz: Swiss self-help organization clearinghouse connecting individuals to peer support groups across health conditions. Comparable mission of empowering patients through information, community engagement, and navigation support.

Broad incumbents

• Picker Institute: International research and advocacy organization focused on patient experience and person-centered care. Comparable in using patient experience data and research to influence healthcare delivery, though operates more broadly as a research/policy entity.
• Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz (Swiss Red Cross): Largest Swiss humanitarian and health-related voluntary organization. Comparable in operating as an independent non-profit providing health-adjacent services and advocacy, but at substantially greater scale and scope than SPO.

Regional players

• National Voices (UK): UK-based coalition of health and care charities advocating for patient-centered healthcare. Comparable in representing collective patient perspectives to policymakers and providing a unified advocacy voice, though focused on the UK health system.
• European Patients' Forum: Pan-European coalition representing patient organizations across disease areas and member states. Comparable in advocating for patient interests at a policy level, but operates at broader European geographic scope rather than a single national market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/spopatientenorganisation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spo-patientenorganisation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 SPO Patientenorganisation