For instance a Doctor’s visit will be reimbursed to 70% of the cost (if the cost is what the Government tariff sets) and you can get the other 30% reimbursed if you take out voluntary, also called “top-up”, insurance.

Doctors are self-employed in France but the Government sets the official tariffs (called Tarif de Convention) that health professionals can charge.

However – some health professionals (and the number is increasing) have the right, granted by the Government – to charge more than the officially recommended rate.

These excess charges are called dépassements and they are mainly charged by consultants and specialists. Unlike a standard doctor’s fee, the excess charges of these consultants may not be reimbursed by your voluntary health ‘top-up’ insurer – it depends on the level of cover you take out and you may find that the option for full reimbursement is not always available.

Although you have the right to go directly to a consultant by doing so you will not be entitled to the full level of reimbursement that you will get if you have a referral from your primary care doctor (Médecin Traitant).

Typically excess charges for routine consultations are around €5 and €35 above the official rate. If you need more than a routine consultation the charges for ensuing treatment can become a lot higher than the official rate.

Doctors or dentists who are registered with the state healthcare provider in France are called “conventionné”.

‘Conventionné’ practitioners can fall into either of the following two categories:

Secteur 1: practitioners who charge the official social security rate

Secteur 2: practitioners who charge an extra fee on top of the official rate. They operate as part of the health service but have been given the right to impose their own ‘reasonable’ charges.

Some specialists have agreed to operate the official rates on condition that the patient is referred to them by their doctor; where the patient is not referred then an excess charge will normally be applied.

Those who operate on a completely private basis (and there are only a very small minority) are called non-conventionnés. Medical professionals in this sector are completely free to set their own charges.

Doctors and specialists are required by law to display their charges and charging policy – you should ask if you’re not sure what sector they are in or what their charges are.

The post Medical Consultant Fees in France – Dépassements appeared first on The Good Life France.

If you are a foreigner in France and have private health care or home state cover for your emergency health care such as the UK scheme European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) these are the things you need to know about hospitals in France.

Hospitals in France are clearly signposted in towns but can be few and far between in rural areas.

The indication of a hospital in a town is as follows: “Hôpital” or more commonly “Centre hospitalier”.

In bigger towns or cities, look for signs to the CHR (Centre hospitalier régional) or CHU (centre hospitalier universitaire).

A useful website to find a hospital is http://etablissements.hopital.fr – although not in English it’s fairly easy to use.  If you need accident and emergency treatment click on the section on the right hand side listed as médecine d’urgence and choose your location from the drop down box at the top of the page.  If your problem is urgent call the emergency services for an ambulance (see details below).

Administrative formalities at hospital in France

When you visit the doctor or go to hospital in France, you will receive a signed “feuille de soins” (a statement of the treatment carried out), and possibly an “ordonnance” (a prescription).  You will need to retain these as without them you will not be able to claim reimbursement.  You will need to take the prescription (ordonnance) to a pharmacy, where you will have to pay for the items and claim reimbursement later.

Calling an ambulance in France

In the event of an emergency and the need for an ambulance the following numbers should be used:

15 – The national emergency number for medical aid. It will get you the SAMU service, with an ambulance (Service d’Aide Médical d’Urgence – Medical Emergency Aid Service). Be prepared to indicate exactly where you are located, and the circumstances of the incident.

18 – The general emergency number (like 999 in the UK or 911 US) which will get you connected to the most appropriate service.

112 – This is the standard European emergency number, you can call this number from anywhere in the European Union countries from your mobile, land line or payphone. 112 Emergency centres have access to interpreter services covering several languages. The European Commission website advises that if you are unable to tell the 112 operator where you are they will be able to locate you – within a few seconds for fixed calls and up to 30 minutes outside working hours for mobile calls.

See our section on helpful words and phrases for health situations.

How to find a doctor in France.

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Doctor’s surgeries/offices in France are privately established and doctors work as individuals or as part of a group. Depending on what healthcare insurance you have in France will affect how much treatment will cost since you pay first and are reimbursed according to your insurance.

To ensure that you get the fullest reimbursement for your health costs it is necessary to register with a primary doctor (médecins traitant) Although you can go to any doctor that you like, your medical fees will be higher as you will not be entitled to top level reimbursement without a primary médecins traitant. The primary doctor will be able to conduct general practitioner consultations and if necessary refer you for specialist treatment elsewhere.

Children under the age of 16 can go to any doctor at any time without penalty.

To register with a Doctor in France you will need to complete a form that the doctor’s surgery (office) will provide. When complete, return it to your doctor who will register with the local Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (commonly known as CPAM in France).

If you prefer you can download a form called a Déclaration de choix du médecin traitant from the Assurance Maledie on ligne website, complete this and take it to the Doctor of your choice for registering with CPAM.  Doctors are not obliged to accept you as a patient and they are allowed to discontinue accepting you as a patient if they choose.

In France it is quite common for family members to have different doctors though generally children will be registered with a doctor of one or other parents.

If you want to change your doctor – simply repeat the process and have the new form registered with CPAM.

For dentist, optician, gynaecologist and optician – you should register direct, there is no need for a referral from your doctor.

You will find that in larger cities there are English speaking doctors and even in rural areas many doctors speak a little English since it is taught at schools.

You can easily find a doctor online and Pages Jaunes (the French yellow pages) is very helpful – in the key word section “Quoi, Qui” type in “médécin” and specify the area where you are searching.

Neighbours and friends are also useful sources for finding a doctor as is the local Town Hall (Mairie).

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