The ACM’s draft guidelines look at the market inadequately in GP care.

The ACM has published draft guidelines on commercial organizations and healthcare contracting which should provide clarity on how organizations such as LHV can help their members. This concept does not give us the support we expected. The guideline is too restrictive for health care providers, raises more questions than it provides guidance and puts an end to IZA agreements. LHV calls on ACM to reconsider the guidelines. Our advice: Look at the care delivered every day by GPs and don’t make rules based on the theoretical market.

LHV GPs unite to jointly advocate for the interests of GP care. Through their association, GPs have a voice at the IZA table and in ministries and politicians in The Hague.

We have three concerns Guideline submitted for consultation. With this guideline, the LHV cannot do its job adequately for GPs and GP care:

1. inform, clarify and conduct research;
   LHV wants to be transparent to its members and tell them what is really going on
2. Providing advice and recommendations;
   LHV wants to provide products and services for its members to run their practices properly
3. Monitoring and providing feedback on results;
   You can only improve agreements by looking at practice, and you must be open about this with members

Details in our response.

Space must be given to a unified voice of general practitioners

Aside from the above points, we at LHV question the picture that the ACM paints of the role of trade organizations like LHV. In the picture shown, the ACM assumes that people act in their own interests at the expense of patients/insured persons due to high prices, low quality and/or difficulty accessing care. The ACM does not do justice to healthcare providers who, in addition to caring for patients, also engage in VWS policy to make good agreements. This draft guideline does not help the development of health care in the Netherlands. The challenges are great, and we can only make progress by working together “safely” and by giving healthcare providers a space at national and regional consultation tables.

Move forward together

It is important that legislation and regulations do not encourage competition, but rather take into account the unique dynamics and objectives of the healthcare sector. We are open to constructive dialogue to find a balance between competition rules and the need to provide high-quality, coherent care as intended in the IZA.