Diederik Schrijvershof and Annabel Kingma are assisting Stichting De Bevlogen Huisartsen (DBH) and more than 100 individual GPs in an objection procedure with the Dutch Healthcare Authority (“NZa”). The objection or appeal is directed against the NZa Performance and Pricing Decision for General Practitioners for 2023, 2024 and 2025. Maverick Advocaten is working together with Piet Sippens of Groene Wegen.
In late 2023, the CBb ruled that the NZa had to investigate the cost-effectiveness of the NZa rates for 2023 and 2024. Should that investigation reveal that the rates now do not reasonably cover the costs, GPs must be compensated for this from 2023, the CBb said. In this context, the NZa had to make a new decision on DBH's objection before 2023. For 2024, the NZa had to adopt a new tariff decision because the 2024 tariff decision was annulled by the CBb . On July 1, 2025, the NZa published its new GP tariffs for 2025. Thereby the NZa assumes a working week of 36 hours for the general practitioner. At the same time, the NZa refused to proceed with compensation for the 2023 and 2024 rates that were too low. With its approach, the NZa is again forcing GPs to litigate in order to arrive at realistic GP rates.
Recognizing that its approach raises many questions, the NZa published this Q&A. Partly in response, more than 10,000 general practitioners already signed the “Care for the Basics” petition. This petition was presented to the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport on September 12, 2024. The GPs are asking the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport to make a future-proof decision in which realistic rates for basic GP care are realized and the housing problem is solved.
- Maverick Advocaten assists (industry associations of) care providers on a daily basis to achieve cost-covering NZa rates, or to stand up against inadequate (turnover) ceilings. Maverick successfully represented forensic care providers at the Dutch Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal (“ CBb”) against an NZa tariff decision and was also successful at the CBb on behalf of Stichting De Bevlogen Huisartsen + 129 individual GPs against the Tariefbeschikking Huisartsenzorg and multidisciplinaire zorg 2023, see here.
- Maverick Advocaten previously achieved successes in (summary) proceedings for care providers in order to obtain realistic rates for the purchase of care in orthopedic shoe care, primary diagnostics (also on appeal, STAR-arrest), general medical care, acute mental health care (also here), forensic care, youth care, SGLVG care, Wlz care ( also on appeal), Wmo care ( also here).
- Furthermore, Maverick Advocaten stands up for care providers before the NZa and ACM against excesses of purchasing power of health insurers (see here, here and here) and advocates effective enforcement of the duty of care by health insurers (see here, here and here.
For more information on the establishment of rates in the healthcare sector, see this interview in Care Vision on the STAR ruling, this blog and this blog and this interview in Care Vision. For more information on the rights of healthcare providers in obtaining real rates, the duties of healthcare purchasers and the options for agitating against a rate decision by the NZa, see www.zorgcontractering.com.
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