Welcome to ‘HealthChain’s Examples of Good Practice,’ a series within the HealthChain project that highlights successful and innovative companies, solutions, business models, and approaches in the healthcare sector.
In this edition, we’re featuring BeterDichtbij, a Dutch platform that makes digital communication between patients and healthcare providers easy and secure. We spoke with Mr. Sander Bijl, COO and Co-Founder at BeterDichtbij, to learn more about their story.
When was BeterDichtbij founded, and what inspired its creation?
BeterDichtbij was founded in 2018 in collaboration with the Dutch healthcare sector. The platform was created to improve communication between patients and healthcare providers, making it easier and more secure to exchange messages, documents, and even conduct video consultations.
The inspiration came from the growing need for accessible and efficient digital healthcare communication. With increasing pressure on the healthcare system and a shift toward hybrid care models, the platform aimed to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare professionals, ensuring more direct and effective communication. The initiative was strongly supported by Dutch hospitals and medical organizations, including the Samenwerkende Ziekenhuizen (SAZ) and Nederlandse Vereniging van Ziekenhuizen (NVZ), who became co-owners in 2018 (SAZ) and 2021 (NVZ) to help shape its development.
Since its launch, BeterDichtbij has expanded significantly, partnering with over 50 healthcare institutions and gaining more than a million users by late 2024.
What are the solutions that BeterDichtbij offers to patients and healthcare providers?
BeterDichtbij offers a range of digital solutions designed to improve communication between patients and healthcare providers, making healthcare more accessible and efficient. Its key solutions include:
For Patients:
- Secure Messaging: Patients can send and receive messages from their healthcare providers.
- Document & Image Sharing: Patients can securely send medical documents, images, and test results.
- Video Consultations: Enable remote consultations via video calls.
- Automatic Notifications & Reminders: Patients receive reminders for appointments, medication, etc.
- User-Friendly App: Easy access to medical communication on smartphones and tablets.
For Healthcare Providers:
- BeterDichtbij Collega: A secure communication tool for healthcare professionals to collaborate efficiently.
- Integration with Healthcare Systems: Seamlessly connects with hospital and clinic IT systems for streamlined workflows.
- Hybrid Care Pathways: Supports a mix of physical and digital care, allowing providers to deliver personalized patient care.
- BeterDichtbij Academie: A knowledge platform offering training and insights on digital and hybrid healthcare solutions.
- Scalable & Secure Platform: Compliant with Dutch healthcare regulations to ensure patient data privacy and security.
What is BeterDichtbij’s core business model? How does it generate revenue?
BeterDichtbij has a B2B business model, where institutions pay a fixed fee based on their size. Usage within this fee is unlimited. This encourages adoption and the development of relevant use cases. The company focuses on building a scalable platform and organization, allowing for rapid growth without a direct correlation between growth and costs.
Can you share specific metrics on BeterDichtbij’s solutions’ impact on patient care?
Depending on the specific implementation or use cases, results vary. But to name a few:
- At Diakonessenhuis, digital preoperative screening led to a 55% reduction in physical hospital visits.
- At Erasmus MC, automated messages saved a nurse 30 minutes per day.
- The number of messages exchanged via BeterDichtbij increased by 65%, from 2.1 million in 2022 to 3.2 million in 2023.
These figures highlight the platform’s impact on efficiency and accessibility.
Can you describe BeterDichtbij’s approach to innovation and the development of new features or services?
BeterDichtbij’s approach is centered on user feedback, strategic collaborations, and technological advancements. We emphasize collecting feedback from patients and healthcare professionals and integrating it into our development process.
Recognizing the importance of interoperability in healthcare, BeterDichtbij has also transitioned from solely offering an app to providing APIs. This shift allows seamless integration of our communication functionalities into other healthcare platforms. Collaborations with specific services like Luscii (home monitoring) or Indiveo & Thuisarts.nl (patient information) support this strategy, enabling a cohesive digital ecosystem. Additionally, partnerships with electronic patient record (EPR) providers such as ChipSoft Zorgplatform and Enovation Funatic facilitate integrated communication within existing healthcare systems.
To learn and adapt to specific needs and wishes, BeterDichtbij is also a partner in specific projects such as HealthChain to cocreate and design new use cases or features together with healthcare providers and technology partners such as Philips.
BeterDichtbij has a unique ownership structure, being owned by healthcare organizations. How did this model come about, and how does it function in practice?
This model was designed to align the platform’s goals with the needs of the healthcare sector. It originated from the idea that digital communication in healthcare should be governed by its users.
BeterDichtbij was initiated by Dutch hospitals and healthcare organizations seeking a secure, efficient, and patient-friendly communication platform. Rather than relying on a commercial third party, they opted for a cooperative model where healthcare institutions themselves would own and control the platform.
And how does that work in practice? As the platform is collectively owned by participating healthcare institutions, this means strategic decisions, funding, and innovations are guided by the priorities of hospitals and care providers rather than external investors. The hospitals are indeed shareholders, acting as strategic partners.
The most relevant aspect is that instead of relying on profit-driven revenue models, the platform is funded through license fees from its member organizations. This allows for a focus on long-term improvements rather than short-term financial gains.
Such a cooperative approach enables collaboration across multiple hospitals and regions, ensuring widespread adoption and a standardized experience for both patients and healthcare providers, instead of short-term gains.
What are BeterDichtbij’s plans for the future? Do you have plans for scaling BeterDichtbij’s services?
BeterDichtbij will continue to evolve, gathering new customers, joining ambitious projects like HealthChain, and exploring new technologies such as LLMs and AI. We will keep pushing for scale and looking for new ways to add value to our digital health proposition. Whether by adding features to our platform or developing new propositions (e.g., with partners), BeterDichtbij will always aim for scale to maximize impact and make healthcare a bit easier.
In the name of the HealthChain project, we would like to thank Sander and the entire team at BeterDichtbij for sharing their valuable insights and experiences.
Disclaimer: HealthChain project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
