Implementing digital healthcare could save the Netherlands up to €22 billion annually, with McKinsey identifying five key actions to achieve this transformation.
Current Healthcare Challenges
The Netherlands faces mounting healthcare pressures as costs continue to rise amid growing demand from an aging population and increased disease burden [1]. The situation is becoming particularly critical as healthcare personnel shortages worsen [1]. Despite available digital solutions, the Netherlands currently lags behind other countries in implementing effective digital healthcare technologies [1][2], with recent data showing concerning trends - video consultation usage among general practitioners dropped from 52% in 2022 to 39% in 2023 [1].
Five Strategic Actions for Digital Transformation
McKinsey’s latest report, released on February 17, 2025, outlines five crucial actions to revolutionize Dutch healthcare [1]. The first step requires adopting a ‘patient first and digital first’ mindset, fundamentally redesigning healthcare delivery around user needs [1]. Second, the focus should be on implementing scalable use cases that significantly improve productivity rather than isolated projects [1]. The third action calls for federal data sharing with a unified architecture, while the fourth emphasizes the need for appropriate financing mechanisms with central coordination [1]. Finally, the plan advocates for centralized decision-making and intensive collaboration among stakeholders [1].
Economic Impact and AI Integration
The potential economic impact of successful digital healthcare implementation is substantial. McKinsey estimates that proper utilization of proven technologies, combined with large-scale AI deployment, could generate annual savings of €22 billion in the Netherlands [1]. Specifically, generative AI in healthcare could improve productivity by 1.8% to 3.2%, potentially yielding around €3 billion in savings [1]. This is particularly significant given that 73% of healthcare professionals anticipate AI will have a substantial impact on clinical productivity [3].
Implementation Challenges and Solutions
A major obstacle to digital healthcare adoption is the fragmented IT landscape, which hampers data sharing between providers and across regions [1]. To address this, the implementation of a federal data architecture is crucial for enabling secure, standardized data exchange [1]. Denmark’s success story serves as a model, where 99% of citizens have access to their electronic health records and 84% utilize telemedicine [1]. The establishment of a digital healthcare authority is proposed to oversee standardization and ensure compliance with the European Health Data Space (EHDS) [1].