How do we make sure that healthcare is affordable, of the highest quality and sufficiently accessible? Questions we are able to answer for you involve market forces in healthcare, financial incentives, measuring the effects of policy and the costs and benefits of care.

The cluster Healthcare is specialised in performing market analyses, econometric analyses, effect measurements, cost-benefit analyses.

Sub expertise

In order to evaluate the effect of hospital mergers, we analyse patient flows. This involves evaluating whether patients have access to (sufficient) alternative hospitals within an acceptable travel distance. We are often commissioned to do this by lawyers who supervise the merger. We also perform wider market analyses. For example, we investigated whether the competition law (mededingingswet) impedes cooperation between primary care providers for the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport, VWS).

What are the financial incentives for healthcare providers and insurers under the current funding? What are the effects of financial incentives? How can performance incentives best be designed? We are able to answer these questions for healthcare institutions and the government. For example, we have conducted international comparative research into the incomes of medical specialists.

We are also working on funding systems, such as the risk equalisation system for health insurers.

We regularly perform (mostly quantitative) effect studies. This concerns the effects of policy changes, such as the release of rates, the introduction of a different funding system or changes to the deductible. We have conducted research into the effect of the introduction of the social support law (wet maatschappelijke ondersteuning, WMO) on not using WMO care in a number of municipalities.

For this, we use surveys or advanced econometric methods based on data on a personal level from the CBS.

Do you want to know the added value of the care that you provide? Or do you want to know what the government-proposed regulations will mean for your sector? We are experts in performing cost-benefit analyses in healthcare. We have performed many cost-benefit analyses for branch organisations in healthcare. Examples are the costs and benefits of rehabilitation care, speech therapy, dietetics and occupational therapy. We have also calculated the costs and benefits of a new guideline in hospital care.

We have also written a guide for performing cost-benefit analyses in the social domain, including healthcare. This guide was commissioned by the Ministry of VWS and is obligatory for all cost-benefit analyses performed for the government.