‘Unwarranted variations’ are any unjustified variations in the provision of healthcare. An ‘unjustified variation’ means a non-random variation, resulting from the provision of insufficient or excessive services. These variations therefore indicate a possible inequitable access to evidence-based medicine, which should be available to all insured persons in the light of their needs, and point to potential inefficiencies in the healthcare system.

The methodology for analysing variations in health care practices takes place, on the one hand, in a national context of distribution and access to different health care providers and, on the other hand, in an international context of similar analyses...