Netherlands

On December 17, 2024, the Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) announced the submission of grant applications for the subsidy round “Effectiveness Study 2026” of the Efficiency Research program, which is intended for projects to increase knowledge for healthcare practice about the effectiveness and costs of interventions in the Netherlands. The deadline for the submission of the applications is March 4, 2025.

In November 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published an updated regulation and policy framework for small-scale experiments to introduce innovations, which will enter into force on January 01, 2025. The small-scale experiments for introducing innovations apply to innovative medical procedures that improve the organization and provision of patient care (including online consultation, telemonitoring, home neuromodulation, school counseling, etc.) but do not have enough evidence to obtain coverage within basic health insurance.

In October 2024, the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport decided to discontinue the "Subsidy scheme for promising care," which was implemented in 2019 to support the development of missing clinical and economic evidence for promising care that otherwise cannot be covered within basic health insurance. There are 28 ongoing projects, and some new projects will be awarded the subsidy in the 2025 round.

On October 01, 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the second release of the 2025 DRG package (RZ25b), which implemented a new procedure code for supporting joint decision-making in outpatient specialist care and supplementary payment proactive planning of palliative care.

On October 01, 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the second release of the 2025 DRG package (RZ25b). Three new procedure codes, four new supplementary payments (OZPs), 18 new diagnosis codes, and two new DRGs will be implemented across gastroenterology, surgery, diagnostic imaging, molecular diagnostics, and other areas.

In September 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland, ZIN) announced two projects that received a subsidy under the "Subsidy scheme for promising care" in 2024 for research on the cost-effectiveness of cold plasma therapy for diabetic foot or venous leg wounds and intranasal mesenchymal stem cells in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.

In July 2024, the Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) awarded thirteen projects under the 2025 round of the Efficiency Research program, including one project on e-health, one project on extracorporeal treatments, one project in orthopedics, one project in neurology, one project in urology, two projects in obstetrics and gynecology, one project in radiotherapy and one project in the cardiovascular area.

In early July 2024, Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) awarded seventeen projects under the Efficiency Research program, including four projects on e-health, two projects on diagnostic imaging techniques, two projects in orthopedics, one project on abdominal surgery, one project in gynecology, and one project in the cardiovascular area.

On July 10, 2024, the Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) announced the submission of grant applications for research on patient-relevant outcomes and alternative forms of financing for innovative treatment under the Medical Specialist Care and Research (MedZO) program. The submission of grant applications will continue until October 15, 2024.

In August 2024, Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) awarded four projects under the 2023 Round of the Care Evaluation and Appropriate Use program, including one project in orthopedics, one project on cardiovascular care, one project in cancer management and one project on urinary tract infection.

In the second quarter of 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (ZIN) published four coverage positions on proton therapy in testicular cancer, pulmonary artery pressure remote monitoring in chronic heart failure and neuromodulation in polyneuropathy with positive recommendation for coverage under basic insurance package, and on physiotherapy and exercise therapy in primary care settings for lower back pain, which was not recommended for coverage under the basic insurance package.

On May 14, 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published another update of the 2024 Digital Care Funding Guide, which describes the possibilities for funding digital care depending on the healthcare sector, including new funding for Integrated Care Transformation Plans and the implementation of a novel platform for the assessment of innovative digital applications and/or technologies.