Totaaldagtarief

Totaaldagtarief is a price concept used in the Dutch healthcare sector to describe a fixed price per day for inpatient care. This all-inclusive daily rate is intended to cover the services delivered during that day, such as medical treatment, nursing, accommodation, meals and overhead, within a defined care episode or patient stay.

In practice, hospitals and health insurers negotiate that daily rate, and it can vary by patient category or level of care required. The totaaldagtarief aims to simplify billing by bundling multiple components into one price, rather than itemizing every service or activity.

A hospital day charged at a totaaldagtarief typically represents a standard package for a given level of care. Depending on contracts and care intensity, the rate may differ for patients with higher care needs or longer stays. Some agreements may still allow separate charges for specific services outside the package or adjustments to the daily rate based on complexity or length of stay.

Beyond hospitals, the concept can be used in other care settings such as long-term care facilities or intensive home care packages, where a single per-day fee covers a defined set of services and support.

Advantages of the totaaldagtarief include greater predictability for budgets, simplified administration, and potential incentives to manage overall care efficiently. Critics caution that it can reduce transparency for patients, risk under-treatment in complex cases, or encourage shorter stays if the rate is not sufficiently aligned with actual needs.

See also: tariffs in healthcare, DBC, zorgzwaartepakket, per diem.