Your personal data and your privacy in our general practitioner’s office
General
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the new law for the protection of privacy and personal data. Under this law, an organization that works with personal data has certain obligations, and the individual whose data is involved has certain rights. In addition to this general law, specific rules for privacy in healthcare apply. These rules are stated, among others, in the Medical Treatment Agreement Act (WGBO). This privacy policy is intended to inform you about your rights and our obligations under the GDPR and the WGBO.
General Practitioner’s Office
In our general practitioner’s office, various personal data about you can be processed. This is necessary in order to provide you with proper medical treatment and is required for the financial settlement of the treatment. Additionally, processing may be necessary, for example, for combating serious threats to your health or for compliance with a legal obligation (such as the mandatory reporting of a contagious disease under the Public Health Act).
Responsibilities of the General Practitioner’s Office
According to the GDPR, General Practitioner’s Office Westerdokters is the data controller for the processing of personal data that takes place in the practice. The practice fulfills the obligations that arise from this as follows:
Your data is collected for specific purposes:
for providing healthcare;
for efficient management and policy;
for supporting scientific research, education, and information.
In principle, no processing takes place for other purposes.
You will be informed about the fact that your personal data is being processed. This can be done by your healthcare provider, as well as through a brochure or our website.
All employees within General Practitioner’s Office Westerdokters are obliged to handle your personal data confidentially.
Your personal data is securely protected against unauthorized access.
Your personal data will not be retained for longer than necessary for proper healthcare.
For medical data, this retention period is generally 20 years (from the last treatment), unless longer retention is necessary, for example, for your own or your children’s health. This is at the discretion of the healthcare provider.
Your rights as the data subject:
You have the following rights:
The right to know if and which personal data about you is being processed.
The right to access and receive a copy of those data (to the extent that it does not infringe on another person’s privacy).
The right to correct, supplement, or delete data if necessary.
The right to request (partial) destruction of your medical data. This can only be granted if retaining the data is not significantly important to another party and if the data does not need to be retained based on a legal regulation.
The right to add your own statement (of a medical nature) to your file.
The right to object to the processing of your data in certain cases.
If you wish to exercise your rights, you can do so orally or by submitting a request form to Westerdokters. Your interests can also be represented by a representative (such as a written proxy, or your guardian or mentor).
Explanation of the request form
You should be aware that medical data is generally kept for a maximum of twenty years according to the law. You help us to retrieve your file and protect your privacy by filling out the form as completely as possible. The data you provide will be treated strictly confidentially by us. Westerdokters is not liable for errors in postal delivery. If you prefer to personally collect the dossier or have it collected by an authorized person, you can indicate this on the form.
Patient data
Here you provide the information about the person for whom the medical file is intended. The Medical Treatment Agreement Act (WGBO) considers a patient to be an adult from the age of 16. Young people aged 16 and older who wish to access or obtain a copy of their medical file must submit the request themselves. If the patient is deceased, the disclosure of medical data is permitted if it can be assumed that the deceased would not have objected or if there are compelling interests to breach the duty of confidentiality of the healthcare provider. This decision lies with the healthcare provider.
Disclosure of your personal data to third parties
The employees of Westerdokters General Practice have an obligation to handle your personal data confidentially. This means, for example, that the healthcare provider requires your explicit consent to disclose your personal data. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. The duty of confidentiality of the healthcare provider may be breached based on a legal provision or if there is a serious threat to your health or that of a third party. In addition, recorded data may be exchanged with other healthcare providers, orally, in writing, or digitally, if necessary (for example, the pharmacist processing a prescription and receiving data from the general practitioner).
Data exchange
Westerdokters General Practice securely and reliably exchanges relevant medical data with the out-of-hours general practitioners’ service (HAP) via Whitebox, provided you have given explicit consent for this. If you have visited the HAP in the evening or on weekends, they, in turn, share an observation report with the general practice. This way, the general practitioner knows exactly what symptoms you presented with at the HAP and what actions were taken as a result.
Medication data can also be shared with your pharmacy and your treating medical specialists. This includes the medication prescribed by the general practitioner, as well as any intolerances, contraindications, and allergies (ICA data). This information can be taken into account by other prescribers and providers of medication, contributing to medication safety as a general practice.
Transfer of your medical file
When you choose a new general practitioner, it is important that your new general practitioner is aware of your medical history. Your medical history is stored in your patient file. It is customary for your previous general practitioner to transfer the file to your new general practitioner as soon as possible, but within one month after you have requested the transfer from your previous general practitioner.
Your medical file will then be transferred by your general practitioner in person or by registered mail. You cannot take possession of the original file. However, you always have the right to access and obtain a copy of your file. If possible, the file can also be transferred to the new general practitioner via email. Both general practitioners must ensure that their computers and internet connections are sufficiently secure.
Questions or complaints
Do you have any questions or complaints? For example, about with whom we share data or how we handle your medical information? Your general practitioner would be happy to discuss this with you.
Westerdokters (westerdokters.nl)