Independent Treatment Centres Are Not a Guarantee for High Quality and Low Healthcare Prices in The Netherlands - A Study of 5 Elective Surgeries.

Background: Independent treatment centres (ITCs) are a growing phenomenon in many healthcare systems. Focus factory theory predicts that ITCs provide high quality healthcare with low prices, through specialisation, high-volume and routine. This study examines if ITC care outperforms general hospital (GH) care within a regulated competition system in the Netherlands, by focusing on differences in healthcare quality and price.

For-Profit Hospitals Out of Business? Financial Sustainability During the COVID-19 Epidemic Emergency Response.

This perspective argues that for-profit hospitals will be heavily affected by epidemic crises, including the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Policy-makers should be aware that for-profit hospitals in particular are likely to face financial distress. The suspension of all non-urgent elective surgery and the relegation of market-based mechanisms that determines the allocation and compensation of care puts the financial state of these hospitals at serious risk.

For-Profit Nursing Homes in the Netherlands: What Factors Explain Their Rise?

This exploratory, mixed-methods study analyzes characteristics of the emerging for-profit nursing home industry in the Netherlands and identifies the interrelated set of factors (context, trends, and sector conditions) that contribute to its growth. Until recently, the Dutch nursing home sector relied almost exclusively on nonprofit providers. Even though profit distribution in nursing home care is still banned, the for-profit nursing home sector is expanding.

Is there a volume-quality relationship within the independent treatment centre sector? A longitudinal analysis.

Background: The number of independent treatment centres (ITCs) has grown substantially. However, little is known as to whether the volume-quality relationship exists within this sector and whether other possible organisational factors mediate this relationship. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of such possible relationships.