Presumed Consent
Your healthcare provider may send data directly to another healthcare provider as part of your treatment, with your knowledge. This occurs, for example, when your general practitioner refers you to a specialist or when a healthcare provider from one hospital refers you to a healthcare provider in another hospital. Additionally, in order to provide you with appropriate care, it is sometimes necessary for your healthcare provider to coordinate with one or more other healthcare providers regarding the best course of treatment. This may involve consulting another doctor or discussing your case in a multidisciplinary meeting (an MDO; a meeting with fellow physicians). In these cases, we may presume your consent because you have agreed to the treatment or referral.
If you do not wish for your data to be shared with another healthcare provider (such as your general practitioner) in these cases, you may discuss your objection with your treating physician.
In cases other than referrals, collegial consultations, and MDOs, healthcare providers will ask for your explicit consent before sharing your data.
Data Exchange via an Electronic Exchange System
Medical data is increasingly being exchanged digitally via an electronic exchange system. This system allows the hospital to electronically make (certain) data from your medical record accessible to other healthcare providers. Your (future) healthcare providers can access these medical records, contributing to the provision of proper care, for example, when you are admitted to another hospital or when your general practitioner takes over your treatment.
This also offers other advantages for you:
- There is a complete and up-to-date overview of your medical situation.
- Your healthcare provider outside Maastricht UMC+ is informed about your condition and can provide you with the best possible care.
- Examinations usually only need to be performed once, as test results are already included in your medical record.
- You need to answer the same questions less frequently, such as those regarding your medical history.
Not all of your data will be made accessible. Some departments are excluded. Additionally, data in your record can be marked as "confidential," which prevents those data from being shared. Only data necessary for the continuity and safety of your care and treatment will be shared. This includes, for example, data used to identify you as a patient, such as your name, address, date of birth, gender, and citizen service number (BSN). It also includes health-related information, such as general details about your height, weight, blood pressure, and any allergies. A summary of your medical history, conditions, medications, and previous tests may also be shared, along with letters and notes from healthcare providers containing relevant medical information.
Explicit Consent
Your healthcare provider may only use such an electronic exchange system if you have explicitly given your consent. The digital exchange of your data is carried out via well-secured networks. For example, Maastricht UMC+ is connected to the Cross-Enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) network along with other regional hospitals. Through this network, we exchange radiology images with these hospitals. Previously, this was done via DVDs, which was more time-consuming and prone to errors. Now, healthcare providers can log into the system and access the necessary information directly, which improves your treatment, particularly in emergency situations.
Furthermore, modern Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems increasingly facilitate data exchange. For example, the Epic EPR system used in MUMC+ includes EpicCare Link for sharing data with general practitioners and Care Everywhere for sharing data with hospitals.
We ask for your consent to share your medical data via an electronic exchange system with other healthcare providers if necessary for your care. Your treating physician may request this during your appointment. Your preference will then be recorded in your electronic patient record.
Minors or Incapacitated Patients
For minor or incapacitated patients, parents or legal representatives may provide consent.
- For children up to 12 years old, consent may be given by the parent with parental authority or the legal representative.
- For children between 12 and 16 years old, both the parent and the child must give consent.
- From the age of 16, the patient is responsible for giving their own consent.
- In the case of an incapacitated patient, the legal representative may provide consent.
Refusing Consent
If you prefer that healthcare providers outside MUMC+ do not have access to your patient record, you may refuse consent in MijnMUMC+. However, this may mean that healthcare providers outside MUMC+ are less able to respond to your medical condition, especially in emergency situations where you are unable to give consent yourself.
How Long Does My Consent Remain Valid?
Your consent remains valid until you withdraw it. You can adjust your consent settings in MijnMUMC+ at any time. By giving consent, you also allow future healthcare providers to access your medical data.
Withdrawing Consent
You may withdraw your consent at any time. You can do this yourself via MijnMUMC+ or by informing a staff member during a visit to MUMC+. The withdrawal of consent takes effect once it has been processed in our system. From that moment, external healthcare providers will no longer be able to access your data.
Consent cannot be withdrawn retroactively. This means that healthcare providers who had access to your data before you withdrew consent may have already viewed and documented the information in your medical record.