If teleconsultation has been reimbursed since September 2018, its practice remains in its infancy in France. Or she remained… Because with the arrival of the coronavirus in France, the actors of the teleconsultation saw the requests jump. The Doctolib teleconsultation platform even announced that it was making its service free during the epidemic. A “massive deployment of teleconsultation tools” could “avoid overcrowding in emergencies and calls to Samu” and “limit the spread” of the coronavirus, the medical union also indicated. specialist liberal decins Future Spe. Sunday, March 8, following the Defense Council, which was held at the Elysée Palace, Olivier Véran announced by decree to facilitate access to teleconsultation. Objectives: to simplify the practice of health professionals in the city and better manage the flow of patients.
What is teleconsultation?
Teleconsultation is a consultation carried out remotely by a general practitioner or specialist. It is possible regardless of the location of the patient. All medical situations may give rise to teleconsultation a priori, with the agreement of the attending physician, who judges the relevance of remote medical care rather than face to face. Launched in September 2018 in France, its primary objective is to complete the healthcare offer and respond to the difficulties of access to medical consultations, in particular in the deserts. medical.
Coronavirus: what will the “teleconsultation” decree change?
Since September 2018, teleconsultation has been reimbursed like a classic consultation. Under condition. First condition, the “teleconsultant” doctor must know the patient. Concretely, “this implies that you have had at least one physical consultation with him (office, patient home or health establishment) during the last 12 months preceding the teleconsultation”, precise health insurance. But above all, second condition, the course of care must be respected. Concretely, the patient must first go through his attending physician before accessing the teleconsultation.
Via this decree, the two obligations above are lifted. Each patient will be able to benefit from a teleconsultation if necessary. “We recommend that each patient go through their attending physician to ensure their care and follow-up, however in cases where this is not available, I have decided to lift the obligation to go through his attending physician and to have had a face-to-face consultation the twelve months before the remote consultation”, explained Olivier Véran on March 8.
How does a teleconsultation take place?
A teleconsultation takes place like a traditional consultation.
- After making an appointment on a teleconsultation platform (website or secure application), the doctor sends you an Internet link, inviting you to connect at the scheduled time of the appointment, from a computer or tablet equipped with a webcam and connected to the Internet.
- During the teleconsultation, the doctor asks a series of questions to the patient. These are numerous and precise in order to compensate for the lack of clinical examination. It happens that the doctor asks the patient to show him a part of his body via the camera (throat, wound, button…) in order to better examine it from a distance
- AT?? Following a teleconsultation, the doctor can establish, if necessary, a prescription (prescription for medication or additional examinations), which is sent to you in paper format, by post, or in electronic format, via secure messaging, under conditions guaranteeing confidentiality and trade security.
- AT?? the end of the teleconsultation, the doctor writes a report, forwarded to the attending physician.
Teleconsultation: what price? what refund?
The teleconsultation is billed by the teleconsultant doctor at the same rate as a face-to-face consultation, i.e. between 23 â??¬ and 58.50 â??¬ depending on the specialty and the sector of practice of the doctor (sector 1, sector 2). The reimbursement terms are the same as for a classic consultation : 70% covered by Health Insurance or more when the teleconsultation concerns a long-term illness (ALD) or a pregnant woman. Third-party payment is applied for ALD patients, pregnant women, patients benefiting from complementary health insurance or assistance with the acquisition of complementary health insurance (ACS). The payment methods remain the same as for a classic consultation, according to the doctors: bank transfer, check, online payment, or application of third-party payment.
