Country Correspondent: Margje H. Haverkamp
Until now, medical experts and the Dutch Care Institute have made decisions regarding national quality guidelines independent of the Dutch government. Health care ministers Bruins and de Jonge have added a new review step to analyze costs, and possibly vet content according to financial sustainability requirements, before standards can be made public. The move comes after expert calls for the government to take the lead in containing rising health care costs, rather than relying on insurers and providers to agree on allowable health care costs increases (known as “zorg-accoorden”).
