According to the Dutch organization the National Institute for Public Health & the Environment (RIVM) the quality of the healthcare sector differs. The mutual differences between care providers are large, both in price and quality. This has been announced in Zorgbalans 2010.

With help from 125 indicators Zorgbalans describes the quality, accessibility and the costs of the Dutch healthcare. Great quality differences between care providers and healthcare organizations are shown by the examples of the researchers.

For example general practioners differ in the degree to which they follow professional guidelines when prescribing medicines (49% to 77%). The number of unplanned caesarean sections in hospitals varies from 7% to 30% and at least 7% of the residents of nursing- and elderly care homes gets to deal with wrong medicine use within a period of 30 days; also this percentage strongly depends on the organization where one resides.

Primary source: RIVM, Zorginstellingen, Vol. 35, July 2010