Healthcare in the Netherlands is differentiated into several main categories. Firstly in three different echelons; secondly in physical (somatic) versus mental healthcare; and thirdly in "cure" (short term) versus "care" (long term).
"Huisartsen" (U.S.: physicians / U.K.: general practitioners; lit.: home/family doctors), "huisartsenposten" ((acute) GP/primary medical centers), and casualty / emergency rooms ("SpoedEisende Hulp / SEH") mainly form the first echelon. Being referred by a first echelon professional is frequently required for access to treatment by the second and third echelons (hospitals and specialists, as well as long term care), or at least to qualify for insurance coverage for their treatment.
From 2012 to 2020, health care spending declined from 10.9 percent to 10.5 percent of GDP.
History
From 1941 to 2006, there were separate public and private systems of short-term health insurance. The public insurance system was implemented by non-profit health funds, and financed by premiums taken directly out of the wages (together with income taxes). Everyone earning less than a certain threshold qualified for the public insurance system, while anyone with income over that threshold was obliged to have private insurance instead. About two-thirds of the country's residents were covered under the health fund, while the remaining third had private health insurance.
Patrick Jeurissen, a professor at Radboud University Nijmegen was quoted in Vox as saying "The old system had really hit a wall" due to rising costs. In 2006, a new system of health care insurance plan was implemented, based on risk equalization through a risk equalization pool. A compulsory insurance package is available to all citizens at affordable cost without the need for the insured to be assessed for risk by the insurance company. Indeed, health insurers are now willing to take on high risk individuals because they receive compensation for the higher risks. Government subsidies pay about 75% of insurance costs, and most insurance companies operate as non-profits. Those who do not enroll for insurance each year are automatically signed up for an insurance plan and charged rates about 20% above if they had enrolled voluntarily. As of January 2020, the average annual insurance premium is "about 1,400 euros, or [U.S.] $1,615" and " annual deductibles are "capped at €385 ($429), although people can choose to pay a lower monthly premium in exchange for a higher deductible — up to €885 ($980)."
Acute and primary care
The Netherlands has a network of 160 acute primary care centres, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, making an open clinic within easy reach for most people. Acute primary care is offered by a combination of 121 general practice health centers, that are open outside office hours, and a total of 94 medical emergency units with surgery facilities, of which 90 are at hospital locations, open 24/7. In 71 cases general practice services and emergency rooms are found in one hospital location, bringing the total number of locations where acute care is offered to 160. Analysis by the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment showed that 99.8 percent of the people can be transported to an emergency unit / casualty ward, or a hospital offering emergency obstetrics within 45 minutes in 2015.
For acute medical questions outside one's home doctor's office hours, a general doctors health practice can be called by phone, and advice will be given by the doctor and their assistant. If the issue seems to be urgent, the caller will be advised to come to the practice, and if necessary referred to an emergency room for more serious treatment. For severe medical emergencies, the Netherlands uses 112 to call an ambulance.
As measured in defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day the Netherlands had a very low rate of consumption of antibiotics in 2015 with a rate of 9.8.
Electronic health records
The vast majority of GPs and all pharmacies and hospitals use Electronic health records. In hospitals, computerized order management and medical imaging systems (PACS) are widely accepted. Whereas healthcare institutions continue to upgrade their EHR's functionalities, the national infrastructure is still far from being generally accepted.
In 2012 the national EHR restarted under the joint ownership of GPs, pharmacies and hospitals. A major change is that, as of January 2013, patients have to give their explicit permission that their data may be exchanged over the national infrastructure.
The national EHR is a virtual EHR and is a reference server which "knows" in which local EHR what kind of patient record is stored.