The digital patients records scheme, voted down by the upper house of parliament because of privacy concerns, is making a comeback and this time will be funded by health insurers, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday.

The paper says health minister Edith Schippers has reached a deal with doctors, pharmacists and hospitals to store the health records of nine million people centrally, if they give permission. Insurance companies and patient groups have also agreed to cooperate.
According to the Telegraaf, the system will be operated independent of government, although health minister Edith Schippers will put €2mln into the start-up phase. The Volkskrant says insurance companies will finance the network via health insurance premiums but does not give further details.
New name
The digital patient record system – renamed the ‘personal healthcare dossier’ – will be set up by the patients’ association NPCF along the lines of a similar regional project in Nijmegen. Patients will be able to access their own records and exchange experiences, the paper says.
The aim of a centralised system is to allow healthcare professionals to access patient files more easily and reduce medical mistakes.
The government spent €300m on the old EPD system which was first mooted 14 years ago. Despite having the backing of the lower house of parliament, the upper house in February voted unanimously against it.