Measuring Active Purchasing in Healthcare: Analysing Reallocations of Funds Between Providers to Evaluate Purchasing Systems Performance in the Netherlands.

Background: Purchasing systems aim to improve resource allocation in healthcare markets. The Netherlands is characterized by four different purchasing systems: managed competition in the hospital market, a non-competitive single payer system for long-term care (LTC), municipal procurement for home care and social services, and self-procurement via personal budgets. We hypothesize that managed competition and competitive payer reforms boost reallocations of provider market share by means of active purchasing, ie, redistributing funds from high-quality providers to low-quality providers.

Cascade of decisions meet personal preferences in sciatica treatment decisions.

Study Design: An in-depth interview study including patients, general practitioners, neurologists and neurosurgeons.

Objective: To gain insight in decision-making in sciatica care, by identifying patients' and physicians' preferences for treatment options, and the differences between and within both groups.

Summary Of Background Data: Sciatica is a self-limiting condition, which can be treated both conservatively and surgically.

Association between acute care collaborations and health care utilization as compared to stand-alone facilities in the Netherlands: a quasi-experimental study.

Health systems invest in coordination and collaboration between emergency departments (ED) and after-hours primary care providers (AHPCs) to alleviate pressure on the acute care chain. There are substantial gaps in the existing evidence, limited in sample size, follow-up care, and costs. We assess whether acute care collaborations (ACCs) are associated with decreased ED utilization, hospital admission rates, and lower costs per patient journey, compared with stand-alone facilities.

A methodology for identifying high-need, high-cost patient personas for international comparisons.

Objective: To establish a methodological approach to compare two high-need, high-cost (HNHC) patient personas internationally.

Data Sources: Linked individual-level administrative data from the inpatient and outpatient sectors compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care (ICCONIC) across 11 countries: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

Study Design: We outline a methodological approach to identify HNHC patient types for international comparisons that reflect complex, priority populations defined by the National Academy of Medicine.

Density of Patient-Sharing Networks: Impact on the Value of Parkinson Care.

Background: Optimal care for Parkinson's disease (PD) requires coordination and collaboration between providers within a complex care network. Individual patients have personalised networks of their own providers, creating a unique informal network of providers who treat ('share') the same patient. These 'patient-sharing networks' differ in density, ie, the number of identical patients they share.