Realise vision on care: Just do it!

In the Netherlands we have a strong primary care. We need to be careful that we do not suffer from the dialectics of progress. Strengthening primary care can be a hindrance to integration with the specialist medical care. Other countries, then the Netherlands, are not familiar with the concepts primary (GP) and secondary care (hospital/specialist medical care). What matters is the coordination of care between the different professional groups under the direction of the GP or medical specialist. The right care should be given on the right place. Crucial is that the professional has no personal interest in the treatment of patients. In one way or another, a common interest should be created, by making a part of the funding dependent on the joint health gains. When thinking about a future vision on care, it is the trick to look into the future and releasing the present at the same time.

I wonder whether it is not wiser to reason from the content of care at first and then start to discuss where that care can be delivered at second? Thinking in terms of strengthening the primary care is incorrect in my opinion. Of course, it is important that the right care is provided on the right place, but it seems better to reason from the content, instead of deciding first where the care is given: primary care or secondary care.

It would be even better to take health gains as a starting point while thinking of the future health care. This requires a lot of data on treatments, outcomes, performance indicators, etc. In the Netherlands we have made a significant step in performance indicators in recent years.

In the U.S. there are already examples of health organisations who think from the principle of health benefits. A good example is the Kaiser Permanente (KP). Based on continuous research, they keep improving continuously. KP has listings of many patients and data. The processes are continuously monitored and improved. This  is something we (in the Netherlands) can learn from.

In various regions we (in the Netherlands) would like to give shape to this way of thinking, working and organizing care. Regional deals can be made among care providers and health insurers in order to provide the best possible quality of care. In this respect contract-arrangements can be made about the individual and collective quality of care to be provided (performance indicators), wherever possible on health gains and improvement. On the basis of demand of care and the care to be delivered, budgets could be divided.

To develop, monitor and continuously improve the quality of care provided, an independent regional quality agency is required. Such an office facilitates the preparation of (evidence-based) care programs, in which all relevant professional groups are participating. If the care programs are established on content, it will be considered/decided by whom care can be supplied at best (in terms of quality and cost).

The regional quality agency visitates, monitors and focuses on improving and supporting health care providers. The principle is shared savings. This means that savings partly diverts back to the professional groups, enabling them to innovate. The other part of the savings is for the insurers, so they can lower premiums, and in addition, the quality agency can be paid.

I would like to develop such a regional pilot with relevant health care providers and insurers in a region in the Netherlands in order to outline a joint panoramic view of the vision on regional care and start making a first step into the agreed direction. Just start and especially persevere, improve and adapt continually on all fronts. Together we step into this adventure, where sometimes ways have to be paved. But if we do not just start without putting over the helm, I'm afraid that nothing crucial will change. I would dare to face this challenge. So I say: Just do it!

Yvonne Kemenade

yvankemenade@wxs.nl

Vision on health care and health

We all have to search for cost control in health care. The pressure of costs urges us to start thinking about improvements in health care that can lead to cost reduction. This can only be succesfull in the long run with a good and clear vision on health care. In this column I describe shortly my vision on health care. I would be very happy if you want to help me develop and improve this. Reactions are welcome!

My vision on health care (and health) can be divided into three categories:

1. To keep people away from health care: this concerns primary prevention. Issues as healthy living, sports, screening programs, but also welfare and housing, and themes such as loneliness are important in this matter.

2.If people are in care: integration (coordination) of care. What is the best care for which patient, by whom and where (most efficient place)?

3.Not treating people anymore: remove people from care (useful care). Discuss the possiblity of not treating a patient anymore. Prevent unnecessary medical interventions. This also falls under (1) keep people away from health care.

With respect of the integration of care (2), we first have to determine which kind of care it concerns in order to make a distinction in: chronic care, routine care (complex and less complex), acute care, palliative care, top clinical care, top referral care and preventive care. These different types of care require other performance indicators, task delegation, task differentiation, protocols, location where care can be delivered, etc. In these types of care professionals play different roles, such as care provider (handler), referrer/gatekeeper and director/regisseur.

Then it is important to see what kind of care can best be given by which professional at wich location. We must keep as far as possible from the domain thinking (personal interest), and name the added value of the various professionals. Professionals are not competeters, but are complementary to each other. On content we’ll certainly agree. If one another can be linked to an appropriate financing, that would be great. Care is becoming more specialistic, which is logical viewing the developments in medical technology. This does not mean that care around the patient must be given in a fragmented way. The role of the GP as director of care is retained even if the patient needs to be in treatment by a specialist GP or specialist-colleague for specific care. I believe that the integration of care can be realized by determining which care is the best care, followed by the question who is going to provide which kind of care, so that the care is organized around the patient with less discomfort of fragmentation of care. I would like to explore this challenge regional in the Netherlands and start limited with a target group and develop and improve it by exploring, monitoring, adapting, improving and especially continuing. If different regions start similar initiatives, with adjustments to regional situations, we can learn from each other and take steps to achieve our common goal: the best health care (and health) for all of us. To reach this we have to work together and learn from each other thoughts, ideas and experiences.

Will you join and help!

Yvonne van Kemenade is Managing Director of Zorggroep Eerste Lijn B.V. (ZEL) in the Netherlands.

email: yvankemenade@wxs.nl