The risks of inadequate regional collaboration in healthcare

Mrs De Vries, aged 78, is admitted to a hospital outside her home region with shortness of breath. What her treating team doesn’t know: her cardiologist at a different hospital recently changed her heart medication. Due to poor data exchange between care providers, her old medication is restarted—with serious consequences. The error is only discovered two days later, thanks to an offhand remark by her daughter.

A distressing example of how well-intentioned but poorly coordinated collaboration within the regional healthcare chain can lead to a medical error. And sadly, this is far from an isolated case.

Why is strong regional healthcare collaboration So important?

Effective (regional) collaboration in healthcare is vital not only for the quality of care but also for the safety of residents, patients and clients. A comparison of medical records for 1,200 patients between GPs and hospitals showed that in 80% of cases there was at least one potentially hazardous situation due to discrepancies in information. This was revealed by the TIPP study conducted by UMC Utrecht.

Such risks don’t arise from unwillingness or incompetence, but because crucial information gets lost during handovers between care providers. Think of medication changes not being shared, incomplete discharge summaries, or a lack of clarity about who is responsible for ongoing care. The handover points between organisations are where things most often go wrong. But what exactly are the challenges? In practice, several recurring pain points emerge in regional healthcare collaboration.

Where it goes wrong: 5 common bottlenecks in the chain

Care pathways increasingly span across multiple organisations. As more providers share responsibility, collaboration becomes ever more crucial. Yet the risk of errors grows as care transitions become more frequent. So where do things typically go wrong?

1. Limited data sharing and access between healthcare organisations

Many providers use digital systems that don’t communicate with each other. This lack of interoperability leads to manual transfers of information—time-consuming and error-prone. According to research by Performation, only 30% of healthcare organisations share patient data electronically with other providers. Clearly, there’s work to be done.

2. Unclear agreements on responsibilities and protocols

When a resident, patient or client is transferred to another organisation, it’s often unclear who is responsible for what. There is a lack of regionally agreed procedures between care providers. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) also notes insufficient shared responsibility and unclear leadership agreements, which hampers smooth handovers. Clear procedures and pre-agreed protocols make it easier to collaborate and ensure that everyone knows who is accountable at each step.

3. Lack of cross-organisational incident reporting

Improving patient and client safety across care settings starts with recognising (near-)incidents. Unfortunately, incidents that span across organisations are rarely reported, often because no standardised system exists for cross-organisational reporting. Implementing such a system helps identify and address structural weaknesses. One example is the TIM system (Transmural Incident Reporting), developed in the Midden-Brabant region.

4. Poor coordination between care organisations

When transferring care—or when multiple organisations are involved—coordination and alignment are essential. The Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) found that information exchange between providers in elderly care is often suboptimal. The result: inconsistent care for vulnerable older people and additional strain on the patient or client and their informal carers.

5. Lack of smart capacity planning

Care providers continue to face high workloads and staff shortages. The Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics reports over 50,000 open vacancies in healthcare. This puts pressure on some providers and forces staff to work under structural strain. According to the Integrated Care Agreement (IZA), better regional capacity planning could be part of the solution.

The risks of ignoring these challenges in the healthcare chain

As a healthcare provider or organisation, your goal is to deliver the best possible care with minimal risk of incidents. To do that, you need the right support—not only in terms of tools, but also through well-designed systems for collaboration and communication. What happens if these bottlenecks are left unaddressed? We are already seeing the following risks emerge:

Plenty of reasons to improve regional collaboration in healthcare. But how?

Practical solutions: examples of successful regional collaboration

Fortunately, many regions are already showing that strong collaboration is possible—and that it leads to better care outcomes. Take the Twente region, for example. There, care providers have developed a shared electronic platform that allows for the fast and secure exchange of patient information. GPs, hospitals and pharmacists all have direct access to the data they need.

Or consider North and Central Limburg, where a key challenge—poor coordination—has been addressed by organising regular multidisciplinary meetings. GPs, hospital staff, community nurses and other professionals come together to discuss complex cases. These meetings improve alignment and prevent professionals from working in silos.

And what about clarifying responsibilities? Rijnmond region has created a structured collaboration model for handovers between hospitals and GPs. This model includes clear agreements about who is responsible for which aspects of care, and when specialist escalation is required.

What could be improved in your regional collaboration?

How would you assess your own regional or cross-organisational collaboration? Is everything running smoothly, or are there still areas for improvement? Consider, for example, how the flow of information between organisations could be improved, or how responsibilities could be more clearly defined.

Now imagine a dedicated, easy-to-use workspace for collaboration—one that enables faster, more effective decision-making and better alignment across the care chain. What would it mean for your region if responsibilities were clearly documented, and incidents could be reported in a shared system Answering that question could be the first step towards building a healthcare network where residents, patients and clients are truly at the centre—and care providers can collaborate at their best.