Episode 37: Frédérique Franken on Sustainability in Healthcare and Contract Negotiations

This episode’s guest is Frédérique Franken, a PhD candidate at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). She discusses her research on the environmental sustainability of healthcare, focusing on the role of insurer–provider contract negotiations in driving greener practices. The conversation explores how healthcare systems contribute to climate change, the Dutch policy context (including the Green Deal Sustainable Healthcare), and the challenges of translating sustainability goals into concrete actions. Frédérique also reflects on her interdisciplinary path from medicine to health economics and the practical realities of conducting mixed-methods research.

Guest: Frédérique Franken, PhD Candidate, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management
Host: Prithviraj Basu Mallik, Andrea De Palma

Timestamps:

(00:50) Background and path from medicine to health economics
(06:20) What sustainability in healthcare means and why it matters
(13:20) Policy context: Green Deal and integrated care agreement
(18:10) Research design: documents and interviews
(25:00) Key findings on sustainability in contract negotiations
(27:00) Challenges: costs, incentives, and implementation