There are too many reforms and rules in the health care sector and health minister Edith Shippers should intervene rather than just making things more complicated.

That is the opinion given by the accountants’ organisation NBA in an open letter to parliament, the NRC reports.

Too many organisations are checking up on hospitals, there is too little trust in doctors and too little space for ‘people-orientated thinking’, the NBA says.

The accountants say they are surprised that health insurers and hospitals still have different accounting years. This makes it difficult for hospitals to have a proper idea of their turnover because the government and the insurers often adjust the figures later.

Hospitals are often also checked several times for the same treatment because each health insurer has its own method of accountability.

Decentralisation

Recent reforms have made this more difficult because the decentralisation of youth care and parts of long-term care means each council can demand accountability from care organisations. Those that do not comply, risk losing their budget.

‘In short, there are too many rules, too many organisations and too much supervision,’ the NBA told the NRC. ‘It is not the quality of care for the patient that is central, but retaining the traditional earning model.’

The letter has been sent ahead of the day each year when the Dutch audit office releases its report on which government policies have been successful over the previous year. On Wednesday, the audit office will give its review for 2014.