The Roadmap to Efficient and Future-Ready Elderly Care

Reflect on the dilemma of providing care for the patient, 79 years old lady who is a victim of dementia in the early stages, heart disease, and has 2 carers in an informal setup where there is no communication among each other. Increase this dilemma by considering 500 patients, 120 carers, three funders like Zvw, Wlz, and Wmo and the regulator who wants audits in the form of papers in 24 hours of any incident. It is not an imaginary scenario but care coordination in reality in the context of thuiszorg en ouderenzorg in the year 2025 in Holland.

The Structural Pressure Is Real-And It Is Accelerating This area has approximately half a million workers in terms of carers. The growth rate is 3 to 4% on an annual basis. The median age of these workers is also quite old, with almost 29% of them being older than 55 years old. In the absence of digitization, the country will be missing more than 300,000 workers in the health sector by 2035.

In the meantime, the costs associated with Wlz have risen by 11 percent in 2024. The implementation of cybersecurity regulations as per NEN 7510 standards has been carried out rigorously by the Inspectorate Health Care and Child Welfare (IGJ) and it has discovered many institutions that violated the rules.

It will not be sufficient to resolve this issue. The solution consists of a digital transformation initiative aimed at increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of everyone taking part in the processes.

Digital Care Is Now Financially Reimbursable - Are You Claiming It? 

Bekostiging Digitale Zorg by NZa can be considered one of the most notable initiatives in the health policies of the Netherlands. Since 2021 and onwards, beeldbellen, telemonitoring, and online consultations have been insured in the Zvw and Wlz under the principles of Wegwijzer bekostiging digitale zorg 2026, formulated by NZa.

Nevertheless, there are numerous companies under thuiszorg that fail to make the most out of this potential for payments. It should be clear that missing out on such an opportunity is not only detrimental to one’s health but also to one’s business. Those who employ digital technologies for their purposes are earning what others are missing out on.

Everything begins with this process when one is considering digital transformation in the Netherlands' care sector – planning your digital operations within the context of the NZa remuneration system, figuring out where you fall short, and developing a technological roadmap that addresses these gaps.

Five Technologies That Are Reshaping Dutch Care Delivery

1. Elektronisch Cliëntendossier (ECD) - From Filing Cabinet to Command Centre

In this regard, a modernized ECD not only stores data on its patients. First, the district nurses are connected to the care coordinators at the office level via the use of an ECD system, while the declaratie process is automated by means of an automatic connection to the zorgverzekeraars. Second, the audit trail needed for IGJ can only be obtained using an ECD system.

2. Telemonitoring - Shifting from Reactive to Proactieve Zorg
   
   Real-time data about smart sensor technologies, wearable devices, and remote patient monitoring systems are directly available on the patient dashboard. The use of Valdetectie (falls detection), blood pressure measurement, and sleep pattern recognition for people suffering from cognitive impairment – this technology helps to address a potential health issue at an early stage. A study from the year 2025 from the PMC showed the feasibility of implementing remote monitoring services for dementia patients in the Netherlands. Technology is already there, financing is also provided, the last step remaining is implementation.
   
   

3. AI-Powered Roostering - The Margin Saver
   
   In a sector operating on thin margins, roostering (scheduling) inefficiency is a silent budget drain. AI-driven scheduling tools generate optimal rittenplannen (route plans), automatically redistribute caseloads when a staff member calls in sick, and predict demand peaks based on historical patterns. Organisations that have implemented intelligent scheduling consistently report meaningful reductions in travel cost and meaningful gains in direct care time per worker per shift.
   
   

4. Client Portals and Cliëntportaal Platforms
   
   However, the families of those older patients receiving care through technology in the Netherlands have not received much attention yet. The effectiveness of cliëntportaal gives the ability to the families to check the schedule of visiting their beloved at any time they like and monitor the progress of care planning, send messages to the coordinators securely, and give consent electronically. Now the compatibility of cliëntportaal with the Wegiz, PGO system becomes a necessity.
   
   

5. Business Intelligence - Turning ECD Data Into Strategic Decisions
   
   The average Dutch VVT organisation is data-rich and insight-poor. ECD systems accumulate enormous volumes of operational data that never gets analysed. A properly built BI dashboard transforms this into live KPI tracking, staffing utilisation reports, financial performance monitoring, and ready-to-use outputs for jaarverantwoording (annual accountability) filings. This is where digital transformation moves from IT project to genuine board-level competitive advantage.

The Compliance Imperative - By the Numbers

The Hardest Part of Digital Transformation Is Not the Technology

In all digital transformation consultancy projects, there is one truth that is always held: that of the technology being simple. This is because the hard part of the process of digital transformation change management is making a verzorgende at 58 years old, with 30 years of experience, believe in using the technology through mobile in the client's home at 7 AM.

The problems that exist in the field of technology regarding Dutch healthcare have everything to do with the population as well as the technology itself. There is no way in which one could relieve the administratieve lasten without making sure that the technologies utilized are actually faster than traditional manual work methods. The process of implementation should also include proper training and change management.

This is what AtheosTech does for-consumer having the gadget in the hands of the client in their kitchen and not a manager sitting at his desk watching his dashboard. This is what we call digital transformation that works within the VVT sector.

AtheosTech - Built for This Moment in Dutch Care

It is these organizations which now make decisions concerning technology in the VVT sector in the Netherlands in 2030. It is them who ensure that their wijkverpleging workers update their zorgplannens through a mobile application right in the client’s living room. These are the organizations who get alerts concerning their staffing ratios which are made secure in advance. This is also the group who ensures that all documentation is submitted to the zorgkantooien as required by law.

Tailored digital transformation services, such as an ECD/EPD platform, telemedicine software, telemonitoring dashboard, AI-based scheduling system, customer portal, and BI analytics services by AtheosTech that have been developed exclusively for your Dutch care institution. No restrictions due to licensing schemes. Your data belongs to you. Fully compliant with AVG, NEN 7510:2024, Wegiz, and NIS2 right from the start.

If you're working on your first ECD implementation because you recently became a small wijkverpleging firm which needs its operations digitized, or you already own multiple old systems that are spread out in different places and want them all to work together in a single digitized solution, we can help at AtheosTech. Our experienced experts will help you go through the process and ensure a successful digital transformation. Do you wish to digitize your business? Talk to AtheosTech today!