Diederik Schrijvershof was interviewed by Zorgvisie about the lack of effective supervision by the NZa (Dutch Healthcare Authority) of the duty of care of healthcare insurers. The mental healthcare sector has been characterised by extensive waiting lists for many years. Diederik explained that a major cause of these waiting times is the breach of the duty of care – or rather: the healthcare procurement duty – by health insurers. The NZa must act as a regulator in the event of failure (or imminent failure) of health insurers to live up to this duty, but effective enforcement by the NZa is lacking.
For many years already, Maverick Advocaten has advocated action on this point by the NZa and has suggested various solutions. The NZa could tackle the problem at the source by immediately checking at the start of the year whether the healthcare purchased matches the demand for care in the region in question. The NZa could also set up an easy-access reporting centre for breaches of the duty of care on its website, similar to the one that has existed these last ten years for reporting healthcare fraud to the NZa.
The entire interview can be read here. More information can be found in this blog.
More information on the rights of healthcare providers and the duties of healthcare insurers can be found at www.zorgcontractering.com.
