From concept to care: Implementing value-based burn care in the Netherlands

Healthcare systems face rising costs, aging populations, and increasing chronic conditions, creating a need for personalized, multidisciplinary care. Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) offers a promising approach by shifting focus from volume to value. Burn care is particularly suited for this model due to incomplete or conflicting evidence and differences in treatment strategies. In this article, we reflect on the journey towards implementing VBHC within Dutch burn care and describe the challenges encountered and lessons learned. In 2021, Dutch burn centres launched a program to implement VBHC principles. Using a mission-driven approach, key components were introduced, including a standardized outcome set, multidisciplinary VBHC teams, iterative improvement cycles, and an interactive dashboard. Implementation revealed several challenges, such as balancing standardization with local flexibility, maintaining team engagement, ensuring technical support, structurally involving patients and harmonization of workflows, registration routines and protocols. Flexibility in VHBC team composition, structured collaboration, data-driven learning, and patient-centred care remain relevant and can inform VBHC initiatives across diverse contexts. VBHC is a conceptually strong framework, yet its translation into practice remains complex. This framework offers promising opportunities for evaluating and improving care across centres, although its implementation meets major challenges and takes time. Lessons from Dutch burn care underscore the importance of continuous learning and cross‑context exchange. Taken together, VBHC has the potential to meaningfully enhance the quality, transparency, and patient‑centeredness of burn care in the years ahead.