The Netherlands introduced a new act (Wegiz) focused on electronic data exchange from 1 July 2023. This act obliges healthcare professionals to exchange patient information, for example, healthcare files, electronically. The implementation is set to be gradual, with the first step being that GPs are obliged to prescribe electronically from 1 January 2024 onwards. Ultimately, patient health information is no longer allowed to be shared on paper or DVD and whenever possible it should be additionally shared in a personal patient health environment. In this way, information on the treatment and health of a patient can be made available faster and with a lower risk of errors. The act is part of a bigger initiative to improve electronic data exchange in the Netherlands.
Wegiz is an initiative from the Dutch Healthcare Institute, the Ministry of Health and other important stakeholders. Its main aim is the standardization of electronic data exchange and availability of information in the patient’s own online personal health environment. The act, Wegiz, is not about the need for data exchange, but about data exchange arrangements.