Van den Eeden Hip Clinic

Version: 2018

Trust and transparency are an important basis for a good relationship with an organisation. That is why we are happy to inform you about our privacy policy. We put your privacy first. We treat personal data with the greatest possible care and also ensure that they are well protected. Our policy complies with the legislation on the protection of personal data and patient data.

Who we are

Dr. F.M.C. van den Eeden offers orthopedic specialist care under the name Van den Eeden Hip Clinic (hereinafter also: us, we). Our registered office is located under number 0844.163.977 in Sint-Martens-Latem (Belgium), and is based at Godveerdegemstraat 69, (B-9620) in Zottegem, Belgium. We also work at various locations in the Netherlands and Belgium.

When do we collect personal data?

Personal and medical data shall only be processed if a purpose has been set. Pursuant to the Medical Treatment Agreement Act (WGBO), we have a duty to keep records and associated responsibilities. We may process your personal data for the following purposes:

1. Establishing and executing the (treatment) agreement(s) to be concluded or concluded with you;
2. Performing the administration as well as other internal management activities;
3. Calculating, recording and collecting amounts due, including placing claims in the hands of third parties;
4. National (quality) registrations for the purpose of improving care on the basis of anonymised data;
5. Compliance with statutory obligations, such as the duty of administration and storage;
6. Scientific research and statistics (based on anonymised data where possible);
7. Ordering and applying medical devices;
8. Contact with you to respond to your questions and complaints;
9. The handling of your request for information;
10. Conducting (patient) satisfaction surveys;
11. Improving our services;
12. For sending digital newsletters and appointment reminders;
13. Audits of health insurers or accountants.

Why do we collect personal data?

We only process your personal data and insofar as there is a justified basis for doing so. These principles may be:

1. The treatment agreement that we have concluded, in which we have included the task of treating you and providing care for proper recovery, and eventually to claim the costs from your health insurer;
2. Your consent;
3. They must comply with statutory requirements, for example the WBGO;
4. Protecting the vital interests of yourself or other persons
5. The performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority;
6. The representation of the legitimate interests of Van den Eeden Hip Clinic or a third party.
7. Quality objectives;
8. Patient satisfaction surveys;
9. (Internal and external) audits to improve the quality of care;
10. Scientific research based on as much anonymised data as possible.

The basic principle in all processing of personal data is always that we do not process more personal data than necessary for the purposes described above. You may object to further processing that is not (or no longer) necessary on the grounds of the right of objection. More information about this right can be found later in this statement.

What personal data do we process from you?

1. Personal identification data

Healthcare providers are legally responsible for establishing the identity of the patient. Patients are asked to bring their insurance details and passport, driver’s license or identification card with them each time they visit our clinic. Identification may also be requested in connection with proper registration in the patient file and to prevent misuse of patient records and insurance information. In order to guarantee safe care, we are obliged to check your identity each time.

2. Patient file

For proper treatment, it is necessary that we create a medical file. We do this in line with the Medical Treatment Agreement Act (WGBO) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means that we only use your data for the provision of medical care and the associated administration and that we protect your data against infringement by third parties. All data collected about you is safely and electronically recorded in this electronic patient record. The electronic patient record contains information about your state of health, the examinations performed, prescribed medication, treatment process, etc.

3. Financial data

In some cases, your care must be declared to the health insurer. Diagnosis data and activities performed are linked. This is done by the doctor treated. This information is then checked by employees of the financial administration. They check your name and address, policy details, the referral and other registrations that are important for a correct declaration of the care provided to your health insurer.

With whom may we share your personal data?

Certain personal and medical data may be processed by the following categories of recipients:

1. (Referring) medical specialists, including your general practitioner;
2. The hospital where you will be treated by us;
3. A treatment and rehabilitation centre;
4. The supplier of orthopaedic prostheses;
5. The supplier of ICT and telecom services;
6. The supplier of financial and administrative services;
7. Your health insurer;
8. Your pharmacy; and/or
9. Your physiotherapist.

In some cases we may receive requests from parties other than the above, for example your personal injury lawyer or your company doctor, to share your personal and medical information with them. We will only share your personal and medical information in such a situation with your explicit consent.

How long do we retain your personal information?

Personal and medical data will not be kept longer than necessary for the purpose for which they were processed. According to the WGBO, the data in your medical record will in principle be kept for 15 years after the end of the treatment.

It is possible that data may need to be stored for a longer period if the doctor sees fit to do so on compelling grounds. You will then be personally informed about this. Personal and medical data may be kept longer if they are anonymised and cannot be traced back to an individual.

Your rights

1. Right of inspection

At Van den Eeden Hip Clinic you have the right to consult your (medical) file. If you would like to view your complete medical file, please contact us.

2. Correction of the data

You also have the option of having certain information in your file adjusted. This may be the case if the information is incomplete or factually incorrect. At your request, the doctor can also add a statement from you to the file in certain cases.

3. Removal of personal data

In addition to viewing and adjusting data, in some cases you also have the right to remove information from the file. You can make these requests known to our staff, or by contacting us as detailed below. In certain cases, the healthcare provider may refuse the removal.

4. Withdrawing permission

You have the right to withdraw your permission for access to your file for certain employees or partners of Van den Eeden Hip Clinic. After termination of the access, the employee can no longer consult your file. However, your file will remain in our system.

Data portability

As a Van den Eeden Hip Clinic patient, you have the right to have (part of) your medical file transferred to another healthcare provider. The information that we can transfer is the information that we have received from you actively and consciously (for example what you tell us during a treatment) or indirectly (for example the values of a blood pressure monitor) and that is in your medical file. We cannot transfer information (to you or another care provider) that is not ours, for example the referral letter from the medical specialist from the hospital.

Security

The security around your privacy is an important issue. We therefore use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal and medical data (digitally) against loss and/or unlawful processing of this data. In addition to information security measures, physical security measures have also been taken. These measures include, for example, locks to files or certain areas. Employees, visitors or external(s) only have access to the (storage) space for which they are authorised. At Van den Eeden Hip Clinic a small circle of employees works on the basis of integrity, confidentiality and close personal contact.

Questions, remarks, complaints, (suspected) data leak

If you have general questions, comments, requests regarding your rights, or complaints about the processing of your personal data by us, you can contact us by email at info@vandeneedenhipclinic.eu.

If we cannot find a solution, you can also report this to the Data Protection Authority or the Health Care Authority.

Changes and version

This privacy statement may be changed unilaterally by us. The most current privacy statement can be viewed at all times on our website www.vandeneedenhipclinic.eu/privacy.

Law and jurisdiction
Our privacy statement and policy are governed by Belgian law. All disputes arising from this subject matter are exclusively subject to the competent court in Ghent, East-Flanders.

Governing language

For all purposes, the Dutch language version of this Privacy Statement shall be the original, governing instrument and understanding of the parties. In the event of any conflict between this English language version and the original Dutch language version, the Dutch language version shall govern and control.