The Twiin programme strives for nationwide availibility of radiological images and reports of every patient and to exchange them digitally between healthcare providers.
Until 2020 most images in the Netherlands were exchanged on DVD. Then, in the first year of the COVID pandemic the Twiin project DVDexit was started. Within one year and with combined forces all hospitals installed the Twiin portal and were included in a central address book with one or more mailboxes. Nowadays in 2022, almost 100.000 images are sent every month with the Twiin portal between 75 hospitals and other 20 healthcare providers.
"It really, really works!" - Interview Wouter Veldhuis, radioloog UMCU
The ultimate goal of the Twiin programme is to make images and reports available in a timeline within the working environment of the radiologists and all other physicians in their EHR and PACS. This timeline enables the healthcare provider to consult reports and images directly. Read more at the Twiin-website.
How does the Twiin portal work?
Instead of burning and sending a DVD, a healthcare provider can send an electronic message to another healthcare provider with a reference to the images and reports (PDFs). Via a secure environment (portal), the addressed healthcare provider can retrieve the files.
For whom is the Twiin portal?
Both large and small healthcare providers can connect and exchange, regardless of the EHR or PACS with which they work. Organizations are guided in the connection process so that the use of the portal is in line with their own work processes.
What was needed from healthcare providers?
A nationwide coverage facility to replace all DVDs can only be successful if everyone participates.
What are the costs and conditions?
Access to the portal is a utility that is made available free of charge. Within the project, the connection conditions are worked out. The portal is managed by the association of healthcare providers for healthcare communication (VZVZ) and financed by health insurers netherlands (ZN).
What about the patient?
An additional feature of the Twiin portal is the possibility to share radiological images and reports with the patient and other careproviders without having to be connected to the Twiin Portal. Via a link in an e-mail and with an code, a patient can log into a portal to view his images and download them in DICOM format.
LUMC LIVE MET TWIIN BEELDUITWISSELING, OP WEG NAAR BEELDBESCHIKBAARHEID
