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Privacy Regulation Huisartsen Beijum

Your Personal Data and Privacy in Our General Practice

General
The AVG (General Data Protection Regulation) is the law protecting privacy and personal data. Under this law, organisations that process personal data have certain obligations, and individuals whose data is processed have specific rights. In addition to this general law, specific rules apply to privacy in healthcare, as outlined in, for example, the Medical Treatment Contracts Act (WGBO). This privacy regulation is intended to inform you about your rights and our obligations under the AVG and the WGBO.

General Practice
In our practice, various personal data may be processed. This is necessary to provide you with proper medical care and to handle the financial aspects of treatment. Processing may also be necessary, for example, to prevent serious danger to your health or to comply with a legal obligation (for example, mandatory reporting of a contagious disease under the Public Health Act).

Obligations of the General Practice
Huisartsen Beijum is responsible under the AVG for the processing of personal data within the practice. The practice meets these obligations as follows:

Your data is collected for specific purposes:

  • for healthcare provision
  • for efficient management and policy
  • for supporting scientific research, education, and public information.

In principle, data is not processed for other purposes.
You are informed that personal data about you is being processed.
This may happen through your healthcare provider, a leaflet, or our website.
All staff at Huisartsen Beijum are obliged to treat your personal data confidentially.
Your personal data is secured against unauthorized access.
Your personal data is not retained longer than necessary for good healthcare provision.

For medical data, the retention period is generally 15 years (from the last treatment), unless longer retention is necessary, for example for your health or that of your children. This is determined by the healthcare provider.

Your Rights as a Data Subject:
You have the following rights:

  • The right to know whether and which personal data about you is processed.
  • The right to access and obtain a copy of this data (as long as the privacy of others is not infringed).
  • The right to correct, supplement, or delete data if necessary.
  • The right to request partial or full destruction of your medical records, which can only be granted if retaining the data is not of substantial importance to another party and if the data is not legally required to be retained.
  • The right to add your own statement (of medical nature) to your file.
  • The right, in certain cases, to object to the processing of your data.

If you wish to exercise your rights, you can do so verbally or by submitting a request form to Huisartsen Beijum. Your interests can also be represented by a representative (such as a written authorized person, or your curator or mentor).

Explanation of the Request Form
You should keep in mind that, under the law, medical data is generally retained for a maximum of fifteen years. You help us locate your file and protect your privacy by completing the form as fully as possible. The information you provide is treated strictly confidentially. Huisartsen Beijum is not responsible for errors in postal delivery. If you prefer to collect the file personally, or through an authorized representative, you can indicate this on the form.
Patient Details
Here you provide the details of the person to whom the medical file pertains. The Medical Treatment Contracts Act (WGBO) considers patients to be adults from the age of 16. Young people aged 16 and older who want access to or a copy of their medical file must submit the request themselves. If the patient is deceased, providing the medical data is allowed if it is assumed the deceased would not have objected or if there are compelling reasons to override the healthcare provider’s confidentiality. The decision lies with the healthcare provider.

Sharing Your Personal Data with Third Parties
Staff at Huisartsen Beijum are obliged to treat your personal data confidentially. This generally means that a healthcare provider needs your explicit consent to share your personal data. However, there are some exceptions. Confidentiality can be broken based on a legal requirement, or when there is a serious risk to your health or the health of another person. Furthermore, recorded data may be exchanged verbally, in writing, or digitally with other healthcare providers when necessary (for example, a pharmacist processing a prescription and receiving data from the GP).

Transfer of Your File
If you choose a new GP, it is important that your new GP is informed of your medical history. Your medical history is contained in your patient file. It is customary for your previous GP to transfer your file to your new GP as soon as possible, and no later than one month after you have requested it.
Your medical file will be transferred by your GP personally or by registered mail. You cannot take the original file with you. You always have the right to access your file and receive a copy. The file can, if possible, also be transferred via secure email (Zorgmail) to the new GP. Both GPs must ensure that their computer systems and internet connections are sufficiently secure.

Questions or Complaints
If you have a question or complaint, for example about with whom we share data or how we handle your medical records, your GP will be happy to discuss this with you.