Cooperation with other supervisors in the health sector

Factsheet

Various supervisors work in the health sector. This has been criticised by organisations operating in the market itself. What arrangements exist for cooperation and coordination between supervisors?

Published: 01 January 2007

Why cooperate?

Supervision occurs in various fields in the health sector. The authorities concerned are the Health Care Inspectorate (Inspectie voor de gezondheidszorg), the Dutch Health Care Authority (Nederlandse Zorgautoriteit / NZa) and the Health Care Insurance Board (College voor zorgverzekeringen / CVZ). It is provided by law that these authorities should cooperate with one another ‘with a view to the effective and efficient decision-making on how matters of mutual importance are to be dealt with and the gathering of information for this purpose’. As prudential supervisor De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) has made arrangements for cooperation mainly with NZa and CVZ.Supervision occurs in various fields in the health sector. The authorities concerned are the Health Care Inspectorate (Inspectie voor de gezondheidszorg), the Dutch Health Care Authority (Nederlandse Zorgautoriteit / NZa) and the National Health Care Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland / ZiN). It is provided by law that these authorities should cooperate with one another 'with a view to the effective and efficient decision-making on how matters of mutual importance are to be dealt with and the gathering of information for this purpose'. As prudential supervisor De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) has made arrangements for cooperation mainly with NZa and ZiN.

DNB-NZa protocol

The recently established NZa is the new market regulator in the health sector. The NZa’s field of supervision includes not only the market for the provision and procurement of health care but also the health insurance market (supervision of legality of expenditure and other matters specific to the sector). Agreements made between DNB and NZa have been recorded in a protocol. The basic aims are:
The NZa is the market regulator in the health sector. The NZa's field of supervision includes not only the market for the provision and procurement of health care but also the health insurance market (supervision of legality of expenditure and other matters specific to the sector). Agreements made between DNB and NZa have been recorded in a protocol. The basic aims are:

to avoid supervision overlap and to limit the burden on the supervised health insurers;
to introduce mechanisms for coordination of operational supervision;
to take account of the interests of the other supervisor and of the supervised insurers when exercising supervisory duties;
to coordinate regulations and policy in the fields of market access, business operations and integrity;
to exchange information;
where necessary, to coordinate the approach to consultation and legislation at national and international level.

The protocol has been published in the Government Gazette (Staatscourant) and on the websites of DNB and NZa.

Cooperation with CVZ

Health insurers also have dealings with CVZ. This authority is charged, among other things, with implementing the netting scheme under the Health Insurance Act (Zorgverzekeringswet / Zvw). DNB is also engaged in consultations with CVZ. An important aspect of these consultations is coordination of the information which both DNB and CVZ receive from health insurers. Here too the aim is organise the information requests as efficiently as possible in order to minimise the burden on health insurers.