“Utrecht is increasingly developing into ‘health valley’. Throughout the years many health organizations have moved here. It offers a productive base for collaboration, research and innovation. Also in the areas in which the St. Antonius Hospital is specialized: cardiovascular disease, lung complaints and cancer. This is good news for patient care. Knowing one another and knowing what we can do for one another often leads to something special. Together you can provide qualitatively better and more effective care. An example of this is the initiative The Neighborhood Specialist (De Wijkspecialist). For each medical specialization we have a contact person for the general practitioners in the Utrecht neighborhoods. We developed this concept together with Stichting Overvecht Gezond and Achmea. The GP can ask the neighborhood specialist for advice in the event of any non-urgent medical and organizational issues. This initiative has improved the collaboration between all parties and consequently also the care given to the patient. In one out of three consultations we now avoid unnecessary referrals.”
-Douwe Biesma, CEO St. Antonius Hospital Utrecht