Mission and vision of the health clinic / health center
Medisch tHuis Kriekenbos is a medical house (primary care practice) in which family doctors and other health care providers work together. For each person we offer the same level of care, basically with an open mind. Care for physical health, care for emotional well-being and care for mental health. We do not judge or condemn. We only ask: Tell me your concerns. What can I do to help? What care can I offer you so you can feel better and live your life to the fullest. In 2013, after much experience abroad, this practice was established as a solo practice by Dr. Ruttens. 10 years and a pandemic later, it became clear that the solo practice model was no longer appropriate to meet the changing healthcare needs. On March 1, 2024, the practice was given the green light to go “forfaitair” and multidisciplinary. As a result, while respecting our own boundaries, we will live up to your care every day as a team. Feel free to come for a consultation to get to know our multidisciplinary team. Use the red button at the bottom of this page to make an appointment. Or send an email to administratie@kriekenbos.be and we will call you. Or call our nurse Eva at 016 400 456 dial 2 every afternoon.
Medical house
“Medical house” means that we are directly funded by taxpayers through a contract with the government. This means that after your introductory consultation, you will be invited to register in our group practice. From then on, you will pay no more “remgeld” and therefore the consultation will be free of charge for doctor and nurse. In return, whenever you need GP or nursing care, you commit to come to our consultation. If the practice is closed at night, on weekends or on public holidays and you go to the wachtpost, you do pay the “remgeld” there. If, in exceptional cases, the practice is closed during the week or all doctors are on leave at the same time and you go for a consultation with an external GP, you do have to pay the external GP in full and then our medical house will reimburse you for that consultation afterwards on presentation of the “getuigschrift van verstrekte hulp”. Please clearly state your bank account number on this certificate. If you are within Belgium but too far away, book a telephone/video consultation or call us, we will inform you what to do. For (home) nursing care always call our nurse first, 016/ 400 456 choice 2. Home nursing care that you arrange yourself, you will not be reimbursed for that. Psychologist, dietician, physiotherapist, speech therapist, pharmacy, lab, emergency and specialist are not covered by the “forfait” and remain under the regular arrangement. If you move, change your health insurance, have a child birth, please let us know immediately at administratie@kriekenbos.be.
Click on the link below and you can download and print the registration form. To register, you must print recto-verso one copy per person, fill it in, and sign it. For children under the age of 14, mom or dad must sign, stating mom’s or dad’s name and national registration number. Make an appointment for yourself and bring the identity card and signed registration form for each family member you wish to register.
There is no more same-day appointment and I have a sick child.
Then call us on 016/400456.
Do I still have to pay remgeld?
You will no longer pay “remgeld” for family doctor and nurse for consultation, telephone/video consultation, mail or home visit. Home visits are done within our working area. If you live further away and need regularly home visits, it is better that you unsubscribe from our medical house. After all, we only work within our working area. However, you may have to pay “remgeld” for a technical service such as taking an EKG. We also charge 2.5 euros per adult each year. You can pay this in cash or with Payconiq. However, people without RIZIV insurance (e.g. foreign family members) pay the normal rate and will have to settle it with their travel insurance. The same applies to (sports) insurance certificates of all kinds. These fall outside the RIZIV insurance.
What if I need nursing home care?
To do this, contact our nurse by phone. She/he will arrange that home care for you. If you are in hospital, tell the nurse on the ward that you are Medical House insured. If you need urgent nursing home care that cannot wait until the next business hours (weekends, public holidays), please contact home care Continu for Bierbeek or home care Meerdaal and state very clearly that you are Medical House insured. Most importantly, you need to call our nurse on monday or the next working day after the holiday as soon as possible. Home nursing care given on Tuesday or the second day after the holiday by the external home care team without our nurse being informed by phone and giving her consent will not be reimbursed by our company. RIZIV will not rimburse you as they already paid us to provide your care.
I want to come to your psychologist but I am not registered in the group practice.
That’s possible. Should the psychologist’s schedule become too full in the future we will decide otherwise. Of course, patients under treatment can always see her again (inesblagovic@kriekenbos.be). Psychological care is subject to a fee (see the tab “TEAM”).
What about children living in two families?
If your child has Medisch tHuis Kriekenbos as their primary care practice, you must register your child. If your child primarily resides with the parent who always consults at this practice, you can register your child and we will reimburse the consultations with the other parent’s GP at reimbursement rates. In case of co-parenting, we recommend not to register your child. For them we make an exception and continue to apply the classic system.
What in case of childbirth?
Register your child with a “mutualiteit” as soon as possible and let us know when this is processed. Also ask for an ISI-plus card right away. Even if everything is not yet in order with “mutualiteit” you can still come to us for a consultation with your baby.
Should I come by when I need a sicknote?
For sicknotes, you must physically come for consultation, unless for 1 or 2 days, in which case this can be done by phone consultation. Teenagers who need school leave do always have to come for physical consultation, even if it is for 1 day. Simple colds can be treated by yourself with paracetamol and a nasal spray from the pharmacist.
Should I come in for a physiotherapy prescription?
Yes, to benefit from RIZIV reimbursement for your physiotherapy sessions, you must first physically come by. The doctor will decide whether a physiotherapy prescription is necessary. Physiotherapy as sports coaching is not covered by RIZIV insurance and is therefore not reimbursed.
Should I come in for a prescription for medications?
If you are running low on a prescription for medication that you take regularly, please go to our nurse’s online agenda and fill in what you need under a “herhaalvoorschrift” slot. For contraceptive medication, we will ask for your weight and blood pressure. If you are unable to measure these yourself, please make an appointment for a physical consultation with our nurse. For all other medication, please come in for a consultation with the doctor. If you are unsure whether to come in, book a telephone consultation and we will let you know if we need to see you in person.
What about consultations with the specialist, physiotherapist, psychologist, dietician, speech therapist, pharmacy, lab, etc.?
You pay the specialist, physical therapist, psychologist, dietitian, speech therapist, pharmacy, laboratory, etc., and your mutualiteit will reimburse you. For a prescription for a physical therapist and speech therapist, you must come to the doctor. If the prescription is for your child, you must bring your child to the consultation.
You occasionally reside further away from our practice and are in urgent need of family doctor care.
If you are occasionally too far away to come to the practice, please book a telephone/video consultation or call us. We will give you instructions by phone. If you have moved and wish to change your primary care practice, you must unregister from our medical house. Please let us know your move as soon as possible. The geographical area in which you are close enough to come to us and where we do not do reimbursement (unless our medical house would be closed) you will find in the zone of non-reimbursement. Click the link to view this zone. If you move house outside this zone and you wish to continue to come to our practice, then we will count on your goodwill to consult only our practice. Most importantly, if you consult a doctor locally, you must inform us immediately. Depending on the situation, we will unsubscribe you. If you are abroad, then use the local health service and make further arrangements with your health insurance company.
What about on weekends or public holidays when the practice is closed?
You call the “wachtpost” at the number 1733 and pay your “remgeld” at the “wachtpost”. The “wachtpost” settles with us. If you can wait until after the weekend or public holiday, then you do not pay the “remgeld”. “Urgent appointments” in the online agenda are scheduled on the morning after the weekend or public holiday. So you must wait until that morning before these appointments become open for booking.
What if my doctor is on vacation?
Then you will consult with my fellow doctor within our medical house. In exceptional cases, should all doctors be on leave at the same time and you then go for a consultation with an external GP, you must pay the external GP in full and the medical house will reimburse you for that consultation afterwards on presentation of the certificate of assistance provided. Please state your bank account number clearly on this certificate.
I am currently not RIZIV insured.
Then you cannot use the “forfaitaire” system and pay for the consultation entirely yourself. As soon as you are in order with the “mutualiteit”, please let us know immediately.
What if you want to change GP-practice?
You will be deregistered as from the first day of the following month once we have received a completed and signed deregistration form from you. You can pick up the deregistration form from the nursing staff or request it by email. You must tick a reason for deregistration on this form (we are required to record the reason). Until you are deregistered, you will not receive any reimbursement from your mutualiteit for consultations with your new family doctor.
