http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22668606

J Ambul Care Manage. 2012 Jul;35(3):174-81.

A sustainable primary care system: lessons from the Netherlands.

Faber MJ, Burgers JS, Westert GP.

Source

Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare (IQ healthcare), Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Drs Faber and Westert); and Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG), Utrecht, the Netherlands (Dr Burgers).

Abstract

The Dutch primary care system has drawn international attention, because of its high performance at low cost. Primary carepractices are easily accessible during office hours and collaborate in a unique out-of-hours system. After the reforms in 2006, there are no copayments for patients receiving care in the primary care practice in which they are registered. Financial incentives support the transfer of care from hospital specialists to primary care physicians, and task delegation from primarycare physicians to practice nurses. Regional collaborative care groups of primary care practices offer disease management programs. The quality assessment system and the electronic medical record system are predominantly driven by health careprofessionals. Bottom-up and top-down activities contributed to a successful Dutch primary care system.