This article will explain a bit more about going to the doctor – a General Practitioner – in France.
We’ll cover how to:
- To book an appointment
- To get reimbursed
We won’t cover :
- How to handle emergencies (there are specific services and a specific department in French hospitals – Les Urgences) ans it’s covered in this article.
Which doctor do I choose ?
Parcours de soin and médecin traitant ?
Before going to the doctor in France, there are two concepts that you need to know :
- Parcours de soin (the pathway of health) : a couple of steps to follow in order to not have a huge medical bill
- Médecin traitant (your assigned GP) : a practitioner who you chose and you’ll always see as your GP.
Parcours de soin – What is it ?
You may have heard that France has a generous health care system, and it’s true. Most French people don’t realise it and won’t stop complaining about “La Sécu”, the social security. This generosity implies that a lot of money is spent in our social system (around €700.000.000.000 each year).
In order to regulate these spendings, a system of “Parcours de Soin” (health pathway) has been implemented.
Parcours de Soin – What does it entail ?
It’s very simple. It means you have to see a GP before going to a specialist. If you’re not referred to a specialist by a GP, the fees may be higher.
When I say a specialist, I cover all the doctors that you hope to never see in your life (gastroenterologists, …). Dentists and ophthalmologists are not specialists, you can go and see them whenever you need to.
What is a médecin traitant?
The médecin traitant can be a GP, but that’s not always the case. It could be your homoeopath, your gynaecologist etc. Basically, it’s a health professional who knows you better than all others.
Does any GP work as a reference?
Theoretically no. In order to go and see a specialist, you should first make a stop at your “médecin traitant”. But it is not frowned upon to see any GP to get the reference, even if he is not your own.
How do you select your médecin traitant ?
Go online into your “assurance maladie” personal space.
TIPS :
- In order to log in, you’ll need your social security number (here is how to get one)
- The French government set up a system that helps you connect to different bodies of the administration such as your taxes (Impôts), the health system (Améli) etc. It’s called France Connect and it’s awesome.
After logging in, click on the “Mes informations” category in the top-right-hand corner and fill in your info.
Or you can just ask the doctor to be your “médecin traitant” during your consultation and they’ll do the registration for you.
The timeline
Let’s take a look at the system with my friend Napoleon. He’s been having a stomach ache for some time now and he is a busy guy, a lot of countries to conquer, etc. He hasn’t had time to look at what to do yet.
What does a visit to the doctor look like ?
Should I book an appointment or just walk-in?
You can do both, provided the doctor you want to see offers both options.
How do I find a doctor?
Usually, when you look for a doctor, you’ll type “médecin” or “généraliste” into Google Maps which in turn will show you all the GPs within your area. Tapping on their name should show you if they do walk-ins or you need to book an appointment.
Another way, which is the preferred option, is to use a booking platform. There are 2 main ones in France :
Personally, we at Urban Index use Doctolib. It’s very user friendly and you’ve got a lot of information, including if the doctor speaks another language.
Before going
What documents should you take to your appointment ?
- Your Carte Vitale (here is how to get one)
- Your previous prescriptions if you consult for the same reason
That’s it.
Upon Arrival
There is this myth going around that doctors are always late and that you can arrive with a 15-30 minute delay. Let’s not kid ourselves, this is true most of the time, but not all the time. And usually, if the doctor is late, it’s because they take the time to treat every patient with the care and attention they deserve.
Most doctors don’t have a staff or a secretary. Upon arrival, you just ring at the “interphone” and they buzz you in. Don’t forget to check the floor before you go.
You’ll have to look for the waiting room “Salle d’attente”. It’s fairly common to greet the people that are already there with a “Bonjour”. This is just in order to not get weird looks.
What happens after a visit to the doctor ?
How am I going to be reimbursed and how much?
There are several options and this is where things may get a little complex.
There are two types of doctors in France :
- Conventionné ou Secteur 1: it means that you’ll be reimbursed with the Social security barema. This is the case for most GPs and it’s mentioned on their Doctolib profile. In short, it means you won’t have to pay too much.
- Non-conventionné ou Secteur 2: it means the reimbursement barema from Social security won’t apply and you may pay more (dépassement d’honoraire).
Be advised that the payment to a doctor is called an “honoraire” and the secteur 2 doctors go above the normal honoraire, hence the “dépassement d’honoraire” (extra fee). For some treatment and actions, secteur 1 can also add some extra fees.
How does reimbursement work ?
You’ll pay for an examination, let’s say €25 for a consultation with a “médecin traitant” (which is a standard rate for every secteur 1 GPs).
To this amount is applied a rate called “taux de remboursement” (reimbursement rate). This is how much the healthcare system is going to reimburse you. For a consultation with your “médecin traitant”, it’s 70%. It’s only 30% if you didn’t declare your doctor as a “médecin traitant”
Hence, you pay €25 and you’ll get €17,50 back, that seems correct.
But you’ll see that you only get €16,50. This is because there is a special €1 fee applied.
Here is how to calculate the fees:
| How much was the consultation (honoraires) ? | What is the taux de remboursement ? | Are there any additional fees ? | My final pay back will be : |
| €25 | 70% | Yes, €1 | €16,50 |
The cost of the “honoraires” and the reimbursement rate vary depending on the type of doctor and the type of act they perform.
For more info, please check this dedicated article.
How do I get my medicine ?
At the end of the examination, if need be, your doctor will give you a prescription (ordonnance) to get your medicine. Most of the time, it will be written in an indecipherable penmanship but don’t worry. You’ll just need to take your prescription and your carte vitale and go to the nearest pharmacy. The person behind the counter will, like magic, be able to read said prescription and give you the medication you need!
Tips and tricks
- Make sure you respect the “parcours de soin” in order to lift some costs.
- Check the prices of the doctor before going. If nothing is written, then, it’s the social security rate that applies
- The French government set up a system that helps you connect to different bodies of the administration like the Impôts (Taxes), the health system etc. It’s on France Connect and it’s awesome.
