[Disease-specific outpatient clinics: are they useful?]

In recent years disease-specific outpatient clinics have gained a foothold in the Netherlands. In some instances, this is warranted. An example would be an outpatient clinic for early-onset Alzheimer's disease to ensure that patients get optimal diagnostic procedures and receive state-of-the-art treatment. However, the initiation of outpatient clinics for common diseases predominantly treated in primary care, such as a one-stop-shop for the diagnosis of asthma, is a more questionable development. It may lead to patients assuming that such a referral is always necessary for the diagnosis, patients seeking a second opinion in case the diagnosis is not confirmed, and to the exhaustion of available clinical capacity to the detriment of other patients. Furthermore, it may lead to higher costs and add to the complexity of an already complex healthcare system.