KCKZ registration and AGB code: what do they mean for you as parents?

Two registrations, two purposes

When comparing maternity care providers, you sometimes come across the terms KCKZ registration and AGB code. They're two separate things with their own purpose — here's what they involve.

What is the Kwaliteitsregister Kraamverzorgenden?

The Kwaliteitsregister Kraamverzorgenden (Quality Register for Maternity Carers), managed by the Kenniscentrum Kraamzorg (KCKZ, the Dutch Maternity Care Knowledge Centre), is a register in which an individual maternity carer records what she does for continuing professional education. So it's not a certification for a company, but a personal registration of the maternity carer herself. Health insurers often require in their contract terms that a maternity carer is listed in this register for the care provided to qualify for reimbursement.

What is an AGB code?

An AGB code is an identification number for healthcare providers, used for administration and billing of care to the health insurer. For maternity care, this is a personal, 8-digit code starting with 3301. Every independent maternity carer — and every subcontractor working for a maternity care agency — needs their own AGB code, which is included with every claim. A condition for receiving this code is that you're already registered in the Kwaliteitsregister Kraamverzorgenden above — so the two registrations are linked.

Why is this relevant to you as parents?

These registrations are primarily an administrative and quality safeguard between the maternity carer and the health insurer, not a certification you need to check yourself as parents. Still, it's good to know they exist:

• They indicate that a maternity carer is actively engaged in continuing education — that's exactly what the quality register is meant for.
• Without a valid AGB code, a claim to the health insurer can fail, which in the worst case can affect reimbursement.

How do you check this?

At a maternity care agency, this is usually arranged at the organisational level — the maternity carers working there are generally already bound by these requirements. If you'd rather work with an independent maternity carer, you can simply ask about this during the first contact or the intake interview — a serious, active maternity carer won't mind this question. Also see What to look out for when choosing maternity care? for more general points to consider.

In short

• The Kwaliteitsregister Kraamverzorgenden (KCKZ) is a personal record of continuing education, not a company certification.
• The AGB code is a personal identification number for claims to the health insurer, and requires registration in the quality register.
• For you as parents, these are mostly background safeguards — not things you need to actively manage yourself, but something you can ask about if you'd like.
• At an agency this is usually already arranged; with an independent maternity carer, you simply ask.

Also read What to look out for when choosing maternity care?