Amsterdam, April 29, 2025
Written by: Kamar Marouan
In both the healthcare and integration domains, good support benefits from well-organized information. Yet professionals in both sectors still too often struggle with fragmented data, parallel systems and time-consuming coordination. The consequences? Duplicated work, delays in assistance, and above all: less time for the individual himself.
However, the care sector has already made great strides in digitization and can be an example for municipalities. With higher workloads and fewer resources, healthcare organizations need to bet on smart technologies such as AI and automated data processing. According to McKinsey (2025), the potential of digital care in the Netherlands could reach €22 billion a year, through more efficient processes and better information sharing. 🔄
According to recent research by TNO (2024), AI allows for a more effective distribution of tasks and faster communication between healthcare providers. This prevents duplication of effort, giving caregivers more space for direct patient care.
The General Administrative Service also emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach to digital processes in its report “Renewing Governance of Data Exchange in Healthcare” (2025). This makes data exchange more efficient and reduces administrative burdens significantly.
For municipalities, there is a lesson here. Because every municipality is responsible for the integration of newcomers – and that task is complex. Client directors, civil society organizations, volunteer networks, educational institutions and local employers: all play a role in the bigger picture. Many municipalities are already working hard on cooperation in the integration domain but face recognizable challenges. Coordination between partners often still happens through loose emails, Excel overviews or ad hoc consultations. This makes it difficult to quickly switch gears or maintain an overview – especially when customization is necessary to put people first. Digital support, if properly designed, can play a valuable role in strengthening processes and reducing pressure on professionals.
At Welcome app, we see that this can be done differently: where municipalities use digital solutions to bundle information and allow chain partners to work better together, more space is created for personal contact and residents are reached faster. Fewer links, less double work, more clarity.
The essence is clear: if you want people to participate, you must ensure that the system does not work against them. That starts with overview, coordination and shared information – just as the healthcare sector has learned.
Now we’re curious: What digital lessons from healthcare do you think would be applicable within municipalities, and what could that yield in concrete terms?
Curious to know more?
Municipalities are digitizing in abundance. But for whom does it really work?
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