Teleconsultation: more flexible reimbursement rules

Our findings

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Increasingly popular, teleconsultation is a solution that many French people have chosen for their medical consultations. Indeed, since the first confinement of 2020, many healthcare professionals have been offering teleconsultation.

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These remote consultations are also increasingly reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie. So what reimbursement is available for teleconsultations? What equipment should you choose for teleconsultations? Find out!

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Health insurance reimbursement

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Assurance Maladie is able to cover 100% of the cost of teleconsultations with a healthcare professional for the duration of the state of health emergency. It is therefore possible to consult certain healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, midwives, speech therapists, masseurs, physiotherapists and chiropodists by teleconsultation.

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To begin with, patients need to contact the healthcare professional they wish to consult to find out whether teleconsultation is an option. If the healthcare professional agrees, an appointment is arranged. On the day of the appointment, the teleconsultation can be carried out using a video exchange solution. The French Assurance Maladie covers 100% of the cost of teleconsultation.

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It is also possible to carry out a teleconsultation by telephone. These teleconsultations with a doctor can also be reimbursed at 100% by the Assurance Maladie. The 100% reimbursement of telephone teleconsultations with midwives applies only to patients who do not have access to a high-speed or very high-speed Internet connection.

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This coverage also applies to patients with access to a high-speed Internet connection or access to a very high-speed Internet connection, but who do not have a terminal enabling videotransmission, who present symptoms of infection or are recognized as suffering from Covid-19, are over 70 years of age, are recognized as suffering from a serious illness or are pregnant.

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When a prescription is required, it can be sent by post or e-mail.

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Assurance Maladie is therefore proposing 100% reimbursement for teleconsultations. Patients can consult a healthcare professional remotely if they wish, using their computer, tablet or smartphone. It is also possible to opt for dedicated teleconsultation equipment.

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Teleconsultation equipment

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Tessan offers a range of teleconsultation equipment for pharmacies, local authorities, opticians and ophthalmologists. These include teleconsultation terminals, teleconsultation medical booths and teleophthalmology tables.

First, there's the consultation terminal which is a compact, mobile terminal equipped with medical devices such as a dermatoscope, otoscope, oximeter, stethoscope, thermometer, scale and blood pressure monitor, which can be remotely controlled by the doctor during a teleconsultation. The teleconsultation terminal also offers prescription printing, if required, and is accessible for wheelchair users.

It is also possible to opt for a medical teleconsultation booth. The teleconsultation medical booth is a soundproofed, ergonomic cabin that ensures patient autonomy. It is equipped with a number of medical devices, such as a dermatoscope, otoscope, oximeter, stethoscope, thermometer, scale and blood pressure monitor, which can be remotely controlled by the doctor during the teleconsultation. The teleconsultation medical booth can print out prescriptions if required. It is accessible to people with reduced mobility and can accommodate two to three people.

You can also opt for a teleophthalmology table. The teleophthalmology table can be used to carry out visual examinations such as pachymetry, tonometry, topometry, retinography, fundus and objective subjective refraction. The teleophthalmology table modules are remotely controlled by the orthoptist.

Tessan's range of teleconsultation equipment makes it possible to offer teleconsultations with a large number of healthcare professionals, to meet the needs of those wishing to opt for remote consultations. Teleconsultations are also covered at 100% by the French Assurance Maladie, while remote consultations are more comprehensive than those carried out using a smartphone, tablet or computer.

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