Minister wants to make electronic data exchange in healthcare mandatory by law

On Friday, the Council of Ministers approved a bill from outgoing Minister of Medical Care Tamara van Ark that should make electronic data exchange in healthcare mandatory. The law now goes to the House of Representatives.

The law must ensure that the electronic exchange of medical data becomes mandatory step by step. According to the outgoing Minister of Medical Care, nurses and doctors now spend a lot of time retyping patient data.

According to Van Ark, the electronic exchange can save time and make fewer mistakes. In addition, Van Ark also wants a more unambiguous system for recording information. Clear agreements must be made about which technical terms are used.

The bill is a continuation of the plan of former minister Bruno Bruins. In 2018, he came up with the plan to remove the request for permission for sharing medical data from the law. Now, patient consent is often required to share data electronically.