Helpful tips and information for parents or caregivers
About the website
You may have noticed that our website is geared towards children. This page with useful tips and information is for you as a parent or caregiver, and therefore has a different style.
Children’s Asthma Center
All children with respiratory complaints are welcome, even though the name ‘children’s asthma centre’ might suggest otherwise. The choice to call Air4ce Kids a ‘children’s asthma centre’ is practical in nature. ‘Children’s respiratory complaints centre’ simply does not sound as good as ‘children’s asthma centre’. In addition, asthma is the most common chronic condition in children and young people among respiratory diseases, and we have gained a lot of experience in recent years with both diagnosing and caring for asthma. This does not alter the fact that we also have a lot of experience with children and young people with other respiratory diseases. We have built up a good network for when a different form of care or a different care provider is needed. Of course, calling in a different care provider is always done in consultation.
Care4ces
Air4ce Kids is part of the cooperative association Care4ces. In practice, you will be dealing with the people who work at Air4ce Kids, who are also the contact persons for you and your family. Care4ces can best be compared to an umbrella organization to which Air4ce Kids belongs. A number of management and administrative matters are arranged by Care4ces.
Care4ces has set itself the goal of shaping care together with the patient. In concrete terms, this means that you can expect us to take every step in the care process together with you. Our starting point is that you are most familiar with your own situation and what your wishes and preferences are. We have the knowledge and expertise of the disease and care. Collaboration and learning from each other are the most important aspects for us.
Air4ce Kids: name and philosophy
We owe the name Air4ce Kids to the creativity of our colleague GP Nanny van den Braken. We were looking for a contemporary, fresh name with the potential to become a brand name. A name that did not yet exist in healthcare and that could appeal to children, young people, parents/caregivers and care providers. One evening she came up with the name Air4ce Kids. We were immediately enthusiastic.
We believe that children with asthma have just as much right to a normal life as children without asthma. Our care is therefore focused on ensuring that the family has their asthma under control. This doesn’t mean that symptoms no longer exist, or that the child will never be hospitalized. Control means that both parents and child learn when their asthma is bothering them, and what they can and should do when it is bothering them.
Reimbursement of care and referral
In principle, you need a referral (from a general practitioner, youth doctor, or medical specialist) to receive reimbursement for care at our center. The Netherlands has clear regulations regarding this. We will, of course, also treat you and your child without a referral, but this may result in you having to pay the bill yourself.
In the Netherlands, you have the freedom to choose your doctor. You can therefore simply register your child with us.
Air4ce Kids & Young Adults care is covered by your health insurer. Sometimes not everything is covered (yet), but we cover the portion not covered by your health insurer. So you don’t have to pay anything yourself. If you are over 18, your health insurer’s mandatory deductible does apply, just like in a hospital.
We have a healthcare contract with Zorg&Zekerheid. This means we can submit the invoice directly to them and receive full reimbursement.
We have an agreement with a number of health insurers (VGZ, VGZBewuzt, IZA, UMC, Univé, Zekur.nl, IZZ, United Consumers, Aevita, Care4Life, ONVZ and VvAA) that we can submit the invoice directly to them.
If you have insurance with a health insurer other than those listed above, you will first receive the invoice. You can then submit this to your health insurer (usually easily done online). After receiving the invoice, you can then transfer the reimbursed amount to us. This way, you don’t have to pay anything upfront.
If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Register
You can register your child or children in several ways. If your child is referred by their GP, this will usually be done through “Zorgdomein.” We will then receive a notification and contact you as soon as possible to schedule an initial appointment. You can also call yourself; you can find the phone number on this website. It’s possible that the phone won’t be answered. We’ve chosen to start with a small team, so the phone won’t always be staffed. Feel free to leave your name and phone number. We will then contact you. Alternatively, you can register using the contact form on this website. To avoid repeating steps, this contact form is deliberately short and concise. Finally, if your child is already registered with us, you can log in to your child’s digital portal at ‘www.mijnmedischdossier.nl‘. Here you will find the matters discussed, any new appointments, and information relevant to the treatment.
Preparing for the first visit
You will receive the link and necessary login information for the portal at the email address you provided. We will ensure that the information you and we need is ready for you. To ensure a smooth process, please review this information and complete it as needed, and upload any documents.
Of course, using a portal isn’t mandatory. If you don’t need one, that’s perfectly fine too.
First Visit: Location and What to Bring?
Air4ce Kids is located in the Leidse Hout health center, opposite the former Diaconessenhuis (now Alrijne) in Leiden. Ample paid parking is available in front of and to the side of the building, as well as in the area surrounding the hospital. Air4ce Kids is located on the ground floor. You’ll find us on the right, past the pharmacy, down the hallway. The waiting room is halfway down the hallway on the left.
Please bring the following with you on your first visit:
- valid identification: a valid passport, a valid driver’s license
a valid identity card (ID card) or a (Dutch) alien document health insurance card - medication (including spacer if applicable) being used
Compliments, tips and complaints
We’re committed to maintaining communication. We encourage you to let us know immediately if you have any compliments, tips, or complaints. This way, we can use them to shape Air4ce Kids in consultation with you. After all, it’s about your child(ren) and your family.
Cooperation
We work closely together at the health center, making it easy to consult and arrange things. You’ll notice this, for example, because the pharmacy is familiar with the medications we prescribe, ensuring we have plenty of them in stock. We have agreements with SCAL regarding blood collection for children.
We also collaborate with the Dutch Asthma Centre in Davos. Davos has extensive expertise in the areas of (severe) asthma, multidisciplinary work, sports, and exercise.
Finally, we collaborate with the Healthcare Disputes Committee. This body manages our complaints and disputes procedure.
Information provision to general practitioners and youth health care
We are obligated to keep everything we know about your child confidential. However, there are exceptions.
We are allowed to inform the doctor or nurse who referred your child. This is usually the general practitioner, but sometimes also the youth doctor or a (pediatric) doctor from a hospital.
Of course, we only share things that are important to treat and guide your child as best as possible.
Even if your child has been referred by the GP, we believe it is important that the people who work in youth health care know important information about his or her health.
This means that we send all important information to your GP and your youth doctor as standard (until you are 18 years old).
We assume you have no objection. If so, please inform us verbally and in writing as soon as possible.
Questions and consultation
You’ll find a number of frequently asked questions on our website. While we strive to be as comprehensive as possible, it’s possible your question or point of discussion isn’t listed here. We’d be happy to hear from you by phone or email with questions and/or to discuss the matter.
