HealthManagement, Volume 3 / Issue 4 / 2008
Progress with the Dutch Electronic Patient Record (EPR)
Data shows that so far sixty five doctors have been connected tothe EPR infrastructure while by the end of the year, this number isexpected to increase to 200.
The EPR in the Netherlands is a virtual EPR in the sense that the medical data will remain physically where it originates: it is not stored on a central server. This implies that the IT systems of the doctors involved have to be brought online in a way that makes EPR-relevant data accessible 24/7.
An additional investment of 45 million Euros will be needed to set up the first two modules of the Dutch national EPR; an electronic medication record and a record that is called “deputy GP record.” Doctors who want to access EPR-data have to authenticate themselves using an electronic health professional card. Every access will be logged, so that patients will be able to reconstruct which doctors have accessed their data and when. Patients do not need a smartcard or even a PIN; they are identified via a citizen service number.
However, working with the Dutch EPR will be mandatory for all doctors and pharmacists, but voluntary for citizens. In this case, if a citizen decides not to use the national EPR, s/he can actively opt out.
