[Securing the financing of care for the frail elderly: problems and solutions]

Projects within the Dutch National Program for Elderly Care (NPO) have been experimenting since 2008 to increase coherence in care for the frail elderly. Invest-NPO explored the problems and solutions to secure the financing of these innovative projects. Problems were expected with coordination because there was not yet a structural reimbursement for such an activity for the frail elderly. There where doubts about the adequacy of reimbursement for multidisciplinary consultation and certain structural conditions. The existing fragmentation across multiple domains and reimbursement rules made it difficult to achieve an integrated approach and creativeness in care. The principles of bundled payment can be helpful in problems concerning multidisciplinary consultation, structural conditions and coordination because joint agreements are needed. According to many, capitation is even a better solution if properly applied, because there are fewer boundaries in deciding how care is organized. Initiatives from entrepreneurs may represent first steps in the right direction. The findings of Invest-NPO may contribute to the development of further steps.