Teleconsultation: why and how can you integrate it into your medical practice?

A gradual but inevitable transformation

Medical practice is changing. Faced with growing pressures on the healthcare system - a shortage of practitioners, an ageing population, an increase in chronic pathologies - doctors are having to rethink their organization. Against this backdrop, teleconsultation is emerging as a complementary solution that is both flexible and adapted to the realities of the field.

Far from being an emergency response, it is now anchored in a sustainable approach: improving access to care while respecting practitioners' constraints.

Understanding the different teleconsultation models

There are several forms of teleconsultation, with very different practical implications for both doctor and patient.

• Classic teleconsultation: a simple videoconference. Suitable for regular follow-ups or prescription renewals, but limited for complex diagnoses.
  
  
• Assisted teleconsultation: the patient is accompanied by a healthcare professional (nurse, nurse's aide, etc.), who facilitates the collection of clinical data necessary for the doctor's diagnosis, thanks to connected medical devices.
  
  
• Augmented teleconsultation: carried out from an equipped healthcare facility (pharmacy, health center, etc.), this enables the doctor to remotely control connected medical instruments. In this way, it recreates the conditions of a face-to-face consultation.
  
  

Diagnostic capability :

• Around 40% for conventional teleconsultation
  
  
• Up to 90% for assisted or augmented teleconsultation

What teleconsultation can solve

Adopting teleconsultation is not just about offering a new mode of consultation. It is also a response to a number of structural problems facing professionals today:

• A growing administrative workload
  
  
• Under-resourced regions
  
  
• Time slots that are difficult to optimize
  
  
• Growing patient demand
  
  

Under these conditions, teleconsultation becomes a strategic tool for preserving the practitioner's quality of life, while guaranteeing continuity of care.

Benefits for healthcare professionals

The advantages of teleconsultation are numerous, provided it is integrated in a structured way.

• Geographic and time flexibility: consultations from any equipped location, with a schedule organized at your own pace.
  
  
• Schedule optimization: smoother appointment management, fewer lost slots, fewer delays.
  
  
• A rewarding business complement: the opportunity to generate additional income, without the costs associated with a practice.
  
  
• Reduce time-consuming tasks: certain tools can help reduce the time spent on administrative tasks.
  

Simplified access for patients, without compromising quality

Teleconsultation is part of an approach torapid, supervised access to care, particularly for patients :

• Living in a medical desert
  
  
• With reduced mobility or loss of autonomy
  
  
• Faced with long waiting times
  
  

With the average waiting time in emergency departments expected to exceed 3 hours in 2023 - 45 minutes longer than in 2013 - and 21% of patients going to the emergency department for lack of access to outpatient care, teleconsultation appears to be a solution for limiting inappropriate use of emergency departments and avoiding self-medication.

What the regulations say

The regulatory framework strictly governs the practice of teleconsultation:

• The doctor must be registered with the Ordre,URSSAF, CARMF and have a RC Pro.
  
  
• It must be part of the coordinated care pathway, with some exceptions.
  
  
• The ceiling is set at 20% of annual activity (monitored via Ameli Pro).
  
  
• The practitioner must be geographically close to the patient, in line with the principle of territoriality, except in under-resourced areas.
  
  

Since December 2024 :

• Work stoppage issued via teleconsultation is limited to 3 days, non-renewable.
  
  
• The fee is €25, compared with €30 for an in-office consultation.
  
  
• A single surcharge of €5 is applicable for night or weekend procedures.
  

Towards more connected and personalized medicine

Teleconsultation is not an end in itself. It is part of an evolving healthcare ecosystem.

• Connected devices enable continuous monitoring of vital signs (blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, etc.).
  
  
• Artificial intelligence helps with symptom collection, prevention and reporting.
  
  
• Personalized care becomes possible thanks to the cross-referencing of multiple data (clinical, biological, behavioral).
  
  

Digital technology does not replace human expertise, butenhances it, as part of a preventive and efficient medical approach.

Conclusion: an opportunity to be seized, methodically

Teleconsultation does not replace face-to-face care. It intelligently complements it, as part of a coherent care pathway.

For physicians, it represents :

• A way to better organize their time and optimize their medical time
  
  
• A response tailored to patients' needs
  
  
• Adding value to their business
  
  

Properly supported, the integration of teleconsultation becomes an opportunity to rethink one's practice, optimize medical time, and innovate in the care-giver-patient relationship.

To find out more about how augmented teleconsultation can be integrated into your medical practice, our teams are at your disposal.

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