Harkness Project Title: Responding to the Burden of Chronic Disease: Development and Validation of an Integrative Framework for Coordination

Mentor: Edward Wagner, M.D.

Placement: Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound

Biography at time of Harkness Fellowship: Bert Vrijhoef, Ph.D., a 2008–09 Comonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, is director of research at the University Medical Hospital Maastricht's Department of Integrated Care, as well as associate professor at Maastricht University's Department of Health Care and Nursing Science. In addition, he is leading a new research program, "Redesigning Health Care," at the Maastricht Care and Public Health Research Institute, and is a board member of the International Disease Management Association. Vrijhoef has previously worked as program director of Master Health Care Studies and is program director of Master Health Services Innovation at Maastricht University. Vrijhoef's research focus is on innovations in health services for long-term conditions as part of care-coordination interventions, and he has authored over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, with publications in the International Journal of Health Care Quality, British Medical Journal, International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, Diabetic Medicine, and Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. In 2007, he was awarded Leading Researcher in Faculty of Health Sciences, and he has previously received awards from the Federation of Patients and Consumer Organizations in the Netherlands and the Dutch National Organization for Health Research and Development. Vrijhoef holds a Ph.D. from Maastricht University, and a M.Sc. from Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Career Activity Since Fellowship

• Member, Advisory Commission on Bundled Payment System for Chronic Care, Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport, Netherlands, 2010
• Professor in Chronic Care, Tilburg University, 2009
• Visiting Professor, National University of Singapore, 2009

Current Positions :

• Director of Research, Department of Integrated Care, University Medical Hospital Maastricht
• Professor in Chronic Care, Tilburg University
• Visiting Professor, National University of Singapore

 (Updated August 2010)

E-mail: b.vrijhoef@zw.unimaas.nl

Harkness-Related Publications

de Bakker DH, Struijs JN, Baan CB, Raams J, de Wildt JE, Vrijhoef HJM, Schut FT. “Early Results from Adoption of Bundled Payment for Diabetes Care in the Netherlands Show Improvement in Care Coordination.” Health Affairs. February 2012.

Erler A, Bodenheimer T, Baker R, Goodwin N, Spreeuwenberg C, Vrijhoef B, Nolte E, Gerlach FM. “Preparing primary care for the future – perspectives from the Netherlands, England, and USA.” Z Evid Fortbild Qual Gesundh. Wesen (German Journal for Evidence and Quality in Health Care). 2011.

Gress S, Baan CA, Calnan M, Dedeu T, Groenewegen P, Howson H, Maroy L, Nolte E, Redaèlli M, Saarelma O, Schmacke N, Schumacher K, van Lente EJ, Vrijhoef B. “Co-ordination and management of chronic conditions in Europe: the role of primary care--position paper of the European Forum for Primary Care.” Qual Prim Care. 2009;17(1):75-86.