Zorgverzekeraars Nederland
Zorgverzekeraars Nederland (ZN) is an organisation representing the providers of healthcare insurance in the Netherlands. Its main activity is achieving conditions within which members can operate in an optimal manner.
The primary task of ZN is to promote the interests of its members. This refers not only to supporting and providing services, such as the provision of information and PR, but also conducting collective bargaining (CAO) negotiations and representing members in bodies such as the Health Service Tariff Tribunal (College Tarieven Gezondheidszorg) and the Building Council (Bouwcollege).
ZN was formed in 1995 following a merger of the VNZ (Association of Dutch Statutory Health Insurers) and the KLOZ (contact body for the national organisations of private health insurance funds). Since the merger, ZN has has taken a pro active role in all matters concerning the health service, meeting with representatives of the state, the national organisations of health providers, and the patient/consumer associations.
ZN plays an active role in the national debate on the structuring of the healthcare insurance system, the supply of healthcare facilities and the quality of these facilities.
Whilst the individual health insurers hold the central position in efforts to countering fraud ZN has developed an anti-fraud policy to:
- coordinate the development of policy
- bring together all anti-fraud officers who work within health insurance companies (on the Anti-fraud Platform)
- develop instruments and techniques that can be used (for example, a report about the possibilities for sanctions)
- coordinate meetings between anti-fraud officers to encourage the exchange of ideas, experiences and actual cases of fraud.
Furthermore, ZN examines randomly gathered copies of bills sent in by hospitals and doctors, to see how they comply with the regulations and to advise the health insurers on how to improve their control systems. The results of these random checks are then discussed within a working group.