Strategic Direction and target groups

2 directions to accelerate appropriate care

The objectives of appropriate care are: to make it personalised, sustainable and durable. We are going to accelerate appropriate care through two tracks:

1. By making clear choices about which care belongs in the healthcare insurer’s basic healthcare package. And by documenting agreements in quality standards. These describe what constitutes good quality of care according to the healthcare providers, healthcare insurers and patient organisations.
2. By identifying, scheduling, supporting and sometimes directing. For example, by issuing and following up on alerts.

Focus on 5 target groups

We focus on five target groups to achieve visible and noticeable changes in healthcare:

• children in the first 1000 days of life;
• people with (a risk of) cancer;
• people with (a risk of) cardiovascular disease;
• people with (a risk of) mental health problems;
• vulnerable elderly people.

We not only look at disease and treatment for these target groups but at the whole chain of care and support. Subjects that fall outside of these target groups will be addressed if they help us to achieve sufficient change in care.

Actions for change, core values and roadmaps

As an organisation, we must also change to accelerate and enable appropriate care. To achieve this, we have four lines of action:

1. Cyclical work on improvement. Identifying, scheduling, setting standards, applying, monitoring, evaluating and re-identifying.
2. Making clear package and quality choices. Improving criteria, phasing out non-appropriate care and making quality agreements leading.
3. Optimizing the implementation, for example by ensuring a shorter lead time for advice on the reimbursement of medicinal products.
4. An agile and sustainable organisation. More collaboration between teams, a safe working culture for everyone and contributing to a sustainable world.

Our core values are: being bold, environmentally aware and reliable. That is how we want to do our work and what we want to convey. The four change actions are translated into roadmaps that guide our work.

Personalised, caring for others, and fewer rules

With appropriate care, people will receive the care and support appropriate to their situation. This care must be well coordinated: from prevention and support to treatment and palliative care. We emphasise self-reliance and looking out for one another. A different approach to care should help support this. That is why we are talking to all stakeholders in healthcare about adapting the regulatory frameworks. This clears the way for new forms of collaboration between healthcare professionals and, for example, informal carers. And with fewer rules and administration, healthcare professionals can spend more time actually caring for people.

Collaboration across all domains

The Appropriate Care framework is the criteria document about appropriate care. This determines the direction of our work. The document contains what we expect from the government, hospitals, general practitioners, patients and healthcare insurers when talking about appropriate care. The five target groups are the result of the Healthy and Active Living Agreement (GALA), the Integrated Care Agreement (IZA) and the Living, Support and Care for the Elderly Programme (WOZO). We are also working closely with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) and the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ).  

Care data available faster

With good data on care, healthcare parties can collaborate faster and better. For patients, it is also better to undergo an examination only one time. Or to complete a questionnaire only once. We are working to ensure the availability of healthcare data and connect with all the parties that play a role in ensuring appropriate care: people and patients themselves, informal caregivers, nurses, physicians, healthcare providers, healthcare insurers, municipalities, NZa, IGJ, ministries and politicians.