Quality requirements for care providers
Care providers that fall under the Healthcare Insurance Act (ZVW) or the Chronic Care Act (WLZ) must satisfy the requirements in these acts. One of these requirements is that care providers must have a complaints procedure in place.
Legal requirements for care providers
Care providers must satisfy several legal requirements. For example, they must:
- deliver responsible care that meets the quality standards set by the relevant medical and professional associations
- make sure that only care professionals who are registered under the BIG carry out certain regulated procedures
- discuss patients’ care plans with them
- provide for patient participation
- have a complaints procedure in place
- account for their quality management in annual reports.
These requirements are set out in the following acts:
- Healthcare Quality, Complaints and Disputes Act (WKKGZ)
- Healthcare Professions Act (BIG)
- Care Providers (Patient Participation) Act
- Care Providers (Accreditation) Act.
The Healthcare Inspectorate (IGZ) checks that new care providers comply with all the legal requirements.
Accreditation of care providers
Under the Care Providers (Accreditation) Act (WTZI), organisations that provide care must be accredited. Accredited care providers are allowed to provide care that is covered by health insurance or that falls under the Chronic Care Act.
Care providers seeking accreditation must meet certain requirements. The main requirements concern access to emergency care and transparency in terms of management structure and operational management. The requirements are set out in the WTZI Implementing Decree and the WTZI Administrative Rules.
Quality mark for care providers
There are several quality assurance schemes for care providers in the Netherlands. Care providers that meet a scheme's specific quality requirements may carry its quality mark.
Cutting down on red tape in residential care
In residential care there should be less paperwork, so that staff have more time to care for their patients. That's why a number of care providers are taking part in an experiment (ERAI) that reduces their regulatory burden. The experiment looks at what regulations might be unnecessary and can be scrapped without affecting the quality of care. Those rules will then be scrapped for the entire healthcare sector.
Read more on tackling regulatory burden in the care sector.