Complexe wondzorg in de keten
BBeterzorg and CZ have initiated a program for complex wound care in 2016, in which collaborations between home care organizations cooperate with GP’s, wound Care specialists and hospitals in order to improve complex wound care in the Netherlands. Four elements are central to this program: improving knowledge about complex wound care across the board, monitoring of complex wounds by the direct care givers, stepped care, which means that patients with complex wounds are directed to the most appropriate professional at the right moment, and cooperation between all the health care professionals involved. The aim of this program is to reduce the healing time of complex wounds, and, in doing so, improve quality of life for the patients and reduce the cost of complex wound care.
This initiative was taken because of two reports appeared about this subject, one shortly after the other. One by the Radboud University, which was critical of the quality of complex wound care in the Netherlands, and one by Cap Gemini, which demonstrated that complex wound care in the Netherlands was extremely cost ineffective, and projected possible savings of up to €1.2 billion over 2015-2025 if 40% of patiënts were treated in time by a wound extpertise center.
The combination of expert knowledge, cooperation between health care professionals, monitoring and stepped care is being implemented in several regions in 2016 in the south of the country. In this case BBeterzorg and Meander Groep cooperate with each other. CZ facilitates these pilots, and will monitor patient experience, the closing time of wounds, as well as the development of cost. These outcomes will provide new standards for quality and cost effectiveness in complex wound care. The outcome of the pilots will be used as input for CZ policy for wound care purchase in 2018 and onwards.
