'STI care can be faster, more accessible and cheaper'

Every year, more than half a million Dutch people need STD care. ZIZ-SOA care speeds up diagnostics and treatment by redesigning the care pathway. Founder Bas Mourik, physician microbiologist, wins the Utrecht preliminary round of the Care Innovation Prize 2025 with this scalable concept, making him the seventh finalist out of eight.

It must be possible to do this faster, Mourik thought, when he saw how diagnostics were created in a laboratory during his specialization as a physician microbiologist. "But just a device that gives a result within 30 minutes is not enough. To really help patients quickly, a completely new care pathway is needed: an online consultation, an open walk-in location and direct diagnostics, counseling and treatment."

Online consultation

Mourik elaborated his ideas in the ZIZ-SOA care project, where ZIZ stands for Sensible Infection Care. People who want to know whether they have contracted an STI start a free consultation online. This results in advice according to the NHG guideline. For example, get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea. The advice also states the percentage chance of the mentioned venereal disease(s) based on a self-developed machine-learning algorithm. After paying online, patients can walk into a ZIZ clinic in The Hague or Utrecht without an appointment, the same day if they want.

Immediate treatment

"There you scan the QR code you received in your e-mail," Mourik outlines the process. "You get a jar for urine or a tube for your smear. If necessary, blood will also be drawn. Within a maximum of an hour and a half you already have the results. We are currently looking at whether that can be even faster, within twenty minutes."

If the test is positive, the necessary treatment is given immediately and a social nurse gives advice. This might include partner warning or preventing a new STI. Those who cannot or do not want to come to a clinic can have a test kit delivered to their home.

Low threshold

The new care pathway has more benefits than just time savings. Mourik explains: "Many people find it uncomfortable to talk at length about their sex life with the general practitioner. Our online consultation replaces this indication by the GP, which makes the threshold lower. We also work as discreetly as possible. For example, the clinics have individual waiting booths. After all, if you have to wait a while for blood tests, a conversation with the nurse or treatment, you don't want to sit in a waiting room where everyone is looking at each other. Or where your neighbor could walk in at any moment."

"You also don't have to answer intimate questions with us. You've already done that at home, during the online consultation. There you also indicated whether you want to talk to the social nurse about, for example, contraception, pregnancy or sex against your will. Only if you agree, we will send an information letter to the family doctor."

Own risk

Every GP in the region saves one full working day per year thanks to ZIZ-SOA care. Several practices actively refer patients to ZIZ-SOA care. In addition, the new care pathway is cheaper for patients. "Most people rely on their primary care physician for STI care," says Mourik. "While the consultation is covered by basic insurance, the diagnostics are not. Patients have to cough up the cost of that themselves from their deductible. Especially young, healthy people with an intact deductible call for STI care. They pay from their deductible about one hundred euros for the test and treatment. With additional testing for HIV or syphilis, that amount can be more than double. Many people just can't afford that."

In order to keep STI care affordable, ZIZ-SOA care has developed an alternative payment title together with insurer CZ, based on integral financing. Patients pay a fixed amount for online advice, treatment, counseling and any additional testing or referral. For people with chlamydia or gonorrhea, for example, that price is 36 euros. The health insurer adds 25 euros to that, beyond the deductible. After approval from the NZa, all insurers have now joined. They, too, save costs with this new model.

The road to independence

ZIZ-SOA care currently still operates under the banner of the LUMC, which manages patient records and handles declarations to health insurers. Because LUMC has no plans to provide large-scale primary STI care itself, full independence is necessary. "We will take that step this year," Mourik says. "To do that, we have to set up our own care systems and meet strict certification requirements. That is complex and costly. If we win the Care Innovation Award, the amount will go toward these investments."

Many healthcare innovations do not make it beyond the pilot phase due to complexity and high costs. "We wanted to prevent that," Mourik said. "That's why we already opened the second location in 2024, just two years after opening the clinic in The Hague. This is how we demonstrate our scalability. Our ultimate goal is a nationwide network of locations."

Other care pathways as well

But the ambitions extend further. "About 70 percent of clinical decisions are based on laboratory diagnostics," says Mourik. "Our care concept is therefore also relevant for other care pathways where rapid diagnostics have added value, such as urinary tract infections or HIV care. Even in a new pandemic, a network of locations where you get tested quickly and get a result immediately would make sense. STI care is an ideal first step for ZIZ because it is a protocolized care path with clear guidelines and a large, digitally proficient target group. But it is no more than a starting point for us: we build on from here."

 Careinnovation.comwill award the National Care Innovation Prize in 2025 for the tenth time for the most innovative care innovation in the scale-up phase. Participants have a chance to win the professional jury prize worth 10,000 euros and the public prize worth 5,000 euros. Theeight finalistspitching during theHealth Valley Eventon March 13, 2025 their healthcare innovation in front of an expert jury of experts. The winners will be announced on April 9 duringZorg & ict, part of Dutch Health Week.