The General Medical Record – GMD

To encourage you as a patient to consult a personal General Practitioner, your health insurance will refund you 2 euros more each consultation if you consult with your personal GP. Your personal GP is the GP which you have chosen to keep your medical record (GMD).

The advantage for your health insurance is that fewer medical examinations are carried out unnecessarily twice which results in a financial saving for them.

The GP who holds your GMD will receive 32 euros directly from your health insurance. To earn this, the GP who holds your GMD must do certain things and keep your GMD-record up to date. We do this work outside of the consultation. This 32 euros is paid once a year to only one GP.

Patients without Belgian health insurance do pay the 32 euros for their annual GMD. They must arrange the reimbursement themselves with their health insurance.

An electronic ID card for adults or a kids-ID or ISI+ card for children is required in order to issue a GMD. Bring these cards every time you come to a consultation, it is necessary to verify your insurance status.

Are you moving house?

If you are moving house, you should also move your GMD to your new GP by letting him know that you want to move your GMD to him or her. Your new GP arranges the GMD-transfer online with your health insurance and immediately you will get 2 euros more reimbursed each consultation with your new GP.

We usually request your medical records from your previous doctor. To be able to do this file transfer you have to sign a standard form. This file is an electronic copy of the computer program of your previous general practitioner, which must be checked manually by your new general practitioner. The original remains with your previous GP and is kept for at least 30 years after your last consultation with him or her. Sometimes people have not had anything special going on and then a file transfer is not necessary.

In some cases, GP’s still have a paper file of your medical history. Is this a thick paper file or in a language that I do not understand, or if there is a technical problem, then you get a questionnaire from me that you will have to fill out by yourself, based on your paper file. As this may require some time, it is advisable to bring already your medication scheme (list of the medications you take) to the consultation. This may be a medication scheme from the hospital, from the pharmacist or a medication scheme made by yourself.

If you receive treatment in a hospital, outpatient clinic or by a private specialist, then tell them that your GMD has been moved.  You best tell the central registration and every administration desk you pass.

Is there a newborn baby?

Request the ISI+ card directly from your health insurance. You have to do this yourself, you will not receive this card automatically. From the moment you have the ISI+ card with you, a GMD can be opened for the newborn baby.

It is advisable to take a picture of the ISI+ card with the smartphone of mom, dad and also the grandparents. So you always have this card with you when you come to consult with the baby. Later you can apply for the kids-ID with the municipal administration. You also need this kids-ID when you travel within the EU with your child. Think of it in time when making holiday plans.