It was great meeting many of you last week at the HBI conference in London. Lots of very interesting talks and discussions, and good opportunities to talk informally. A “welcome” to my new contacts who have agreed to be put on my mailing list. I hope that you find my bi-weekly updates on the Dutch healthcare sector interesting and useful. In this update we cover:

• Bad news / good news concerning hospital consolidation. What will be the next steps?
• Extra salary for elderly care staff. When will other sectors follow?
• More loss-making organizations in the disabled care sector. Will tariffs be increased?
• In a new snapshot we give an overview of Mauritskliniek, a group of specialized clinics

Welcome back to another update on the Dutch healthcare sector. Here in the Netherlands we have had a typical February with winter refusing to let go but with some days that are beautiful and smell of spring. In this update we cover:

• Capacity for rehab-care reduced as supplier stops. Will tariffs be increased?
• Actief Zorg continues buying spree. Will it sell part of a recent acquisition?
• Philips stops activities in e-health solutions. Can multinationals be successful in this space?
• Overview of promising Dutch healthcare start-up: Ksyos, a “digital hospital”

From the automatic replies I see that many of you were still on vacation when I sent out my previous update. I assume that now schools have started and that most of you will be back in the office and ready for new challenges. Here in the Netherlands most people are now back from holidays and there is news from the healthcare sector. In this update we cover:

• Another hospitals with financial problems. Will this be a repeat of the hospital bankruptcies of 2018?
• Sanquin sells another subsidiary. What will be next piece of family silver to be sold?
• Personal budgets can still be used for the provision of live-in care. Why is this important?
• Technology update – Old technologies refuse to die

I hope that you have enjoyed the first two weeks of 2022 and that the year will only get better as it progresses. Recent news from the Dutch healthcare sector includes:

• Investment in healthcare related real estate again above €1 billion. Will trend continue?
• New entrant in healthcare real estate investing buys large portfolio. Will other new investors follow?
• Medux acquires company in the UK. Will further European expansion follow?
• Traditional Dutch mental healthcare providers issues bonds. Will the role of traditional banks in financing healthcare operators continue to decline?

I hope that you are doing well. Here in the Netherlands Sinterklaas has been celebrated and now all the shops are focused on Christmas. In the healthcare sector most of the attention has been focused on the new omicron variant and capacity issues related to COVID19. Other healthcare related news from the Netherlands includes:

• Onzorgd Wonen Groep is bankrupt. Are there more commercial nursing home providers at risk?
• DC Klinieken acquires small chain. Will there be more consolidation in the specialty clinic market?
• In our snapshot we give an overview of De Vijf Meren Kliniek, a chain of specialty clinics focusing on EMT

This has been the coldest April in 35 years here in the Netherlands. Hopefully, May will bring spring and the opportunity to enjoy the outdoor cafes that have now been allowed to open. In this update we cover:

• Buyers of healthcare insurance more risk averse. Is this a permanent change?
• General hospital stops provision of psychiatric care. Is this another step in the ongoing portfolio rationalization in the healthcare sector?
• In our snapshot we give  an overview of DC Klinieken, a chain of specialized medical clinics

I hope that you have all enjoyed your vacations and have had a good start to the new decade. In this update we cover:

• Commercial provider of outpatient mental healthcare services is bankrupt. How attractive is the sector?
• New report for Dutch government suggests that nursing home capacity in the Netherlands must be doubled. Who will build the new capacity?
• Trend toward multi-year contracts between insurance companies and operators is continuing. Good news for everybody?