Axa will offer its policyholders in June a medical teleconsultation available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Order of Physicians is looking worried about this avoidance of Health Insurance.
From January 1, 2016, “all employers in the private sector must offer their employees at least one complementary health contract”. In this battle to seduce companies and win over members, the insurer AXA will offer from June a free medical teleconsultation service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. , 2 million members of the group’s health contracts will benefit from this service.
Prescriptions sent to the attending physician
A team of 29 salaried emergency physicians trained in telemedicine, all located in Issy-les-Moulineaux in the premises of Axa Assistance, will take turns night and day to answer calls from members.
As explained The Parisian, the service offered extends from diagnosis to additional examinations, including the prescription sent to the attending physician and to the pharmacy. No psychological consultations, however, or issuance of work stoppage or prescription renewal, however, the project designer, Dr Philippe Presles, said on a daily basis.
The Order of Physicians reacts on Twitter
This offer, prepared three years ago, was made possible thanks to the decree on telemedicine published in 2010. Today, the insurer has obtained the green lights from the National Commission for Informatics and Liberties (Cnil), and from the Regional Health Agency (ARS). Axa, however, will not obtain the consent of the Order of Physicians, which is concerned about this project.
In a tweet posted a few days ago, the CNOM (1) indeed wonders about the opening of teleconsultations by a private insurer. “Does it mark a withdrawal of Social Security” from the health sector, wonders the institution.
The fear of a double circuit
In an analysis note dated May 12, 2015, the Ordre des médecins specifies its inquiries: “Since the insurer will not be able to control the physical or telephone unavailability of the attending physician and, in any event, the attending physician is not necessarily available when the patient would like it to be, are we not in the process of creating, apart from the attending physician and the course of care, financed by compulsory health insurance, a system which will duplicate it and will only be supported? by supplementary health insurance? ”
Another question asked by the CNOM: “Is it normal that the teleconsultation of the doctor employed by the insurer is financially supported by the complementary insurer while a teleconsultation of the attending physician is not supported by the compulsory health insurance or complementary health insurance? “
The Minister of Health seized of the case
In addition, the Order of Physicians is also concerned to know whether this offer “open 7 days a week and 24 hours a day does not directly interfere with the public service mission of the Outpatient Department, a service under the governance of the ministry. of Health through the ARS (2) and which is open to all citizens by the regulation of calls via the center 15 or the interconnected centers. “
To all these questions, the National Council of the Order of Physicians is awaiting answers from the Ministry of Health. A letter to this effect was sent to him on March 19, 2015, still unanswered to date.
(1) National Council of the Order of Physicians
(2) Regional Health Agencies
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