BSN in healthcare
Healthcare providers are required by law to use the citizen service number (Dutch BSN). Healthcare providers are, for example, GPs, dentists, pharmacies and hospitals.
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Statutory obligation
The obligation for healthcare providers to use the BSN can be found in chapter 2 of the Processing of Personal Data in Healthcare (Additional Provisions) Act (in Dutch). It is therefore a statutory obligation.
Purpose of the use of the BSN in healthcare
When healthcare providers provide care to their patients, they process personal data of those patients. The BSN enables the healthcare providers to link those data to the right patient.
Healthcare providers are also obliged to use the BSN if they exchange data with other healthcare providers, health insurers and assessment bodies.
Registration of the BSN in healthcare
Healthcare providers are obliged to register the BSN in their records. Before registering your BSN, they first have to check whether you are the person to whom the BSN relates. That is why the healthcare provider asks you to show your identity document.
Examples of BSN in healthcare
Here you will find a number of examples of situations in the healthcare sector in which the use of your BSN is and is not allowed.
Use of BSN is allowed
- Your healthcare provider is allowed to put your BSN on a (repeat) prescription for your medicines. To ensure that the pharmacist knows for certain that the medicines are for you.
- Your healthcare provider is allowed to put your BSN on an invoice. To ensure that your health insurer knows for certain that the invoice is for your treatment.
- Your hospital is allowed to put your BSN on your hospital card, patient card or your wristband in case you have to undergo surgery. This is only allowed if this is necessary for preventing identities getting mixed up within the hospital.
Use of BSN is not allowed
- Your pharmacy is not allowed to put your BSN on your medicine box. Want to know more? Read about the use of the citizen service number (BSN) in the pharmacy on the website of the Royal Dutch Society for the Advancement of Pharmacy KNMP (in Dutch).
- Your healthcare provider is not allowed to put your BSN in a written call or appointment. Because you may assume that this is addressed to you.
- Your healthcare provider is not allowed to put your BSN on your insurance card. Because your healthcare provider can also use your identity document to check whether you are the person to whom the BSN relates.
Note: Do you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)? This is a European health insurance card. This card may have your BSN on it. That has been decided at the European level. Insurers print the EHIC on the reverse side of your Dutch health insurance card ever more often. In that case, your BSN is on your insurance card nonetheless.
Administrative office or medical factoring firm
Whether you, as an administrative office or a medical factoring firm, are allowed to process the BSN of the people from whom you collect payments for invoices depends on your role in the processing.
- Do you work completely independently? Then you are not allowed to process the BSN. In that case, you are the controller. There is no legal provision for you which states that you are allowed to process the BSN for collecting invoice amounts.
- Do you work under the responsibility of a healthcare provider? Then you are allowed to process the BSN. In that case, you are the processor. You can then rely on the right of the healthcare provider to process the BSN.
Note: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the GDPR Implementation Act are leading as an exception to be allowed to process the BSN even if you are not a governmental organisation. Subordinate legislation, such as claim regulations, does not constitute a statutory exception.
Also view
Where can I find it?
Chapter 2 Supplementary provisions on processing personal data in healthcare Act(in Dutch)