General terms and conditions

General

These conditions apply to all services rendered by or on behalf of “Focus Mondzorg”

Fees

The prices charged for the treatments are established annually by the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa)
Focus Mondzorg reserves the right to adjust its fees
We will prepare a budget for your approval if necessary treatments would exceed € 250,00

Reimbursement by health insurance

If you are insured against health costs under the Netherlands’ legislation, the cost of treatments will in many instances be eligible for reimbursement by your health insurance if you have acquired a so-called additional extended health insurance policy (aanvullende verzekering)
We have no contractual relations with health insurance companies
Focus Mondzorg cannot advise on whether or not your treatment is covered by your insurance. We recommend you to check with your health insurance company whether treatments by an independent dental hygienist are covered by your insurance

Appointments

We work exclusively on an appointment-basis
Appointments can be canceled by e-mail at info@focusmondzorg.nl . In such case you should receive a (written?) confirmation of your cancellation.
Appointments which have not been cancelled at least 24 hours in advance will be charged at 75% of the time reserved
Your first appointment will be confirmed by e-mail
Subsequent appointments will always be confirmed by e-mail

If our dental hygienist is unavailable, a colleague may perform the treatment. If not, we will approach you to arrange for a new appointment
We highly appreciate being kept up to date with any changes in your personal details (change of address, name, telephone number, e-mail address etc). You are responsible for being attainable

Payment

You can lodge a request for reimbursement with your health insurance (when applicable)
Invoices which are not paid in time will be consigned to a debt collection agency
As long as invoices remain unpaid, no new appointments can be made; we will cancel existing appointments

Health questionnaire

At the occasion of your first visit, we will ask you to fill in a health questionnaire. A completed questionnaire is a prerequisite for treatment.

Our staff is bound to professional secrecy. We will respect your privacy. Information you have entrusted is with will not be shared with third parties

Reporting and information

On request, your dental hygienist will send a report to your dentist. If you object thereto, you request you to confirm your objection in writing prior to the treatment
When necessary, your dental hygienist may under condition of your consent, request information with other health care professionals (general practioner, dentist, medical specialists etc)

Treatment

Under Dutch legislation (Wet op de geneeskundige behandelingsovereenkomst; WBGO / Law on the medical treatment agreement) you enter into a medical treatment agreement with a medical professional when he or she treats you. This does not require signing a contract of sorts. All rights and obligations of both sides arise by virtue of the law. Both the medical professional and the patient are bound by the law.
A medical professional is obligfed to inform you on: the present state of your health and your prospects; the nature and the purpose of any examination and treatment; the possible consequences and risks regarding your health which the examination and treatyment may incur
Information on the examination and the treatment will be provided to:

the patient provided he or she is at least 16 years old
the patient and the parents or caretakers if the patient is at least 12 years but not yet 16 years old;

the (legal) representative (parent, family, authorised person, mentor etc) if the patient is incapacitated (i.e. the person is not able to independently decide due to age or mental capacities)

clear information on your health situation; it will enable you to make informed decisions whether or not you agree to examination or treatment
a second opinion of a medical professional other that the professional treating you
access to your medical file

The law also imposes some obligations on you as a patient. Most importantly, you are required to:

Inform your health professional clearly and comprehensively to ensure the health professional can diligently perform examination and treatment
Cooperate to the best of your ability with examination and treatment by heeding the advice and prescriptions of your health professional

Privacy

We maintain an information database and will only use your personal details within our practice and share such information solely with your dentist / medical professional treating you if we cooperate with said professionals in the course of your treatment. We will retain your information no longer than legaly required (currently 15 years) and no longer than necessary for the purposes you have shared the information with us. We will only use personal details, which are necessary to perform your treatment optimally.

We maintain the safety of our IT infrastructure and pro-actively monitor our systems. Your safety and privacy are of paramount importance in our practice

Complaints

In case you have complaints regarding “Focus Mondzorg” we request you to approach us. As an indepent medical professional organization, we comply with our legal obligation (Wet Klachtrecht cliënten Zorgsector) to ensure we will address complaints on any act by our staff in relation to you in the context of your treatment. We are a member of Netherlands’ association of Dental Hygienists (Nederlandse Vereniging van Mondhygiënisten). As an independently operating dental hygienist we are associated with an independent organisation (Stichting Klachten en Geschillen Eerstelijnszorg (SKGZ) whom you can approach if we have not satisfactorily addressed your complaint.