Choose your attending doctor
What is it?
Choosing a treating doctor allows for better medical monitoring: he is the first point of contact for your health, and he will refer you to a specialist if necessary. He is the one who knows and manages your medical file.
It is important to declare an attending doctor to the Primary Health Insurance Fund (CPAM) in order to benefit from the highest level of reimbursement for care.
Please note : To see a specialist or take exams, you must first go through your attending physician to be reimbursed as best as possible by health insurance.
You are free to choose your own doctor, it is a fundamental right.
Good to know: Family members may have the same attending physician or different attending physicians; in all cases, each must declare their doctor individually. There is no collective declaration.
Who is it for?
France entière
France entière
What to do?
Choose your attending doctor
Choose a doctor who knows you well and whom you trust.
Please note : The attending physician can be a general practitioner or a specialist, even if it is most of the time a general practitioner.
If you do not yet know a doctor, you can find one in the Health Insurance directory.
=> To consult the directory, click here: http://annuariesante.ameli.fr/
On this search engine, you can choose:
- the profession sought (example: general practitioner),
- the type of fees (example: without exceeding fees),
- the doctor's equipment to read your Vitale card (most doctors are equipped),
- gender (if you prefer to be seen by a male or female professional),
- the location
You can also seek advice from a treating physician by word of mouth: do not hesitate to seek advice from those around you.
Please note : Your doctor has the right to refuse this role of treating doctor. You can then change your doctor and choose a different one.
Declare your attending physician
The easiest way to declare an attending physician is to do so in his office, during a consultation.
Ask the doctor to make the declaration, he will take care of everything. You just have to give him your carte vitale. Your declaration of choice of attending physician will be registered immediately by your health insurance fund.
If you have not yet received your vital card or if you are waiting for your final social security number, you can still declare your attending physician to the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie, by filling out a form during your first medical visit. You can ask your doctor for this form. Then you must send it by mail to your Primary Health Insurance Fund or drop it in the mailbox.
Please note : To find the address of your Primary Health Insurance Fund, visit ameli.fr and enter your postal code, then find the address in the "Addresses and contacts" section.
And after?
You can change your attending physician whenever you want
You are free to change your attending physician without justification, at any time, without notifying the former attending physician. The process is identical.
If you cannot find an attending physician
If you are unable to find an attending physician, you can contact the mediator of your primary health insurance fund. He will provide you with personalized advice, adapted to local p ossibilities.
Log in to your ameli account, then click in the "My procedures" section, and "Request help from the mediator". A window opens listing the areas of intervention of the mediator.
After choosing the reason for the request, click on "Continue" to prepare and send your request directly to your health insurance fund.