Dutch hospital bills are to be further simplified from next year, so that patients can see if their treatment was considered ‘light, moderate or serious’, the Dutch health authority said on Friday.

The authority says it has reached agreement on the changes with hospitals and health insurers in an effort to reduce complaints about billing.

The new system of categories will help hospitals explain bills to patients and help patients ensure the bills are justified, the NZa said.

‘Hospital bills must reflect the complexity of the treatment,’ spokeswoman Marnelle de Groot said in a statement. ‘Specialist medical care is already expensive enough. Patients should not have to pay the same for sticking a plaster on a wound as for a complicated procedure.’