The EHCI 2008 groups 34 indicators of quality into six categories: Patient rights and information, e-Health, Waiting time for treatment, Outcomes, Range and reach of services provided and Pharmaceuticals. Each sub-discipline is weighted for importance to provide the overall Index score.
The Netherlands have started early on the work on patient empowerment which now clearly pays off in all areas; they were the stable top performer in each index. The conclusion is that when working to improve healthcare it is important to recognise the link between medical outcomes and the easiness of access to services and quality information for patients. Good healthcare management and reform is not only a matter of money.
Johan Hjertqvist, president of Health Consumer Powerhouse (HCP), stated:
