Netherlands

On November 08, 2023, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published 2024 update of the Digital Care Funding Guide, which describes the possibilities in the funding of digital care depending on the healthcare sector (primary care, medical specialist care, long-term care, etc.).

In October 2023, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published a policy rule that defines the amount for academic care contribution and the rules for its allocation in 2024. The policy rule aims to determine the reimbursement for costs that arise for certain healthcare providers because they permanently maintain facilities (staff and infrastructure) that enable them to provide highly specialized and innovative care linked to fundamental patient-centered research.

In October 2022, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (ZIN) launched the project “Continued development of coverage management: Implementation of the use of disease models”, which will run for three years to gain more knowledge about the development and application of disease models for the assessment of technologies for coverage within basic health insurance.

On September 21, 2023, the Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) announced the submission of grant applications for the development or validation of methodology for labor deployment measurement and evaluation under the 2021-2024 HTA Methodology Program. The submission of grant applications will continue until January 9, 2024.

On September 28, 2023, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the second release of the DRG package for 2024 (RZ24b). One new procedure code, two new supplementary payments, and three new DRGs will be implemented across in-vitro diagnostics, urology, and cardiovascular technology groups.

In July 2023, Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) awarded 13 projects under the 2024 Round of the Efficiency Research program, including four projects in surgery, two projects for imaging diagnostics and one project on the AI-based algorithms in emergency settings.

In July 2023, the ZIN announced one more project awarded under round 7 of the Promising care subsidy scheme in 2023. Two more projects within this round were awarded at the end of March 2023. The new project relates to bronchial thermoplasty and will last six years.

On June 29, 2023, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published an update of the first release of the DRG package (RZ24a update) because of the request from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to recalculate the tariffs based on a corrected 2023 price index for material costs.

On May 25, 2023, the Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) initiated submission of applications for research into the effectiveness and costs of interventions (diagnostic and therapeutic) under the 2025 Incentive subsidy round of the Efficiency Research program. The deadline for submission of applications is September 5, 2023.

On April 20, 2023, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the first release of the DRG package for 2024 (RZ24a). Twenty-three new procedure codes, nine new supplementary payments, and thirteen new DRGs will be implemented across gynecology, pulmonary, extracorporeal treatments, and other technology groups.

In April 2023, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland, ZIN) published the updated 2023 version of the assessment framework of the "state of science and practice" criteria, including the assessment framework itself, modules with additional explanations for its application, and other information material.

In March 2023, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland, ZIN) announced two more projects which received a subsidy under the "Subsidy scheme for promising care" in 2023 for research of focal therapy in intermediate risk prostate cancer and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in paresis due to the cerebral infarction or cerebral hemorrhage.